A low-cost Ghielmetti 10x10 matrix

[Mooger5]

Price: 37.50 Euro! For a self-contained mini-modular I think we can´t go wrong with this one
Almost looks too good to be true. Any drawbacks?

http://www.ghielmetti.ch/forums.html?nav=19,48,107&Kategorie=Kreuzschienen-50VAC/6A&prod_id=47

[fonik]

[Mooger5]

Crazy idea, but if the shorting pins are hollow like the diode ones maybe it´s possible to modify them by carefully soldering resistors inside, or if there´s such a thing as conductive superglue, the resistor would go where the insulator in the diode pin is, but in a modified shorting one (much cheaper).

[Mooger5]

And another useful option would be to add 10x10 pots and jack connectors to control the input/output levels. It would be an independent module but would not make for a VCS3-type clean layout.
Or, a vertical line of ten pots between two identical patch matrixes. The left matrix would make a direct connection with the outputs and the second a resistive one.
And of course output/input/mod level controls in the synthesizer modules themselves would help too

[slabman]

This same matrix came up on another thread. The drawback is the size - 45mm x 45mm - or 1.7 inches on a side. So, the plastic body of those pins must be about 3mm in diameter. You will need to employ the services of trained gerbil to repatch the matrix. Having said that, it could be fun for semi-preset type applications.

[fonik]

[magman]

[Mooger5]

Eheh thanks for all the replies. You know, 3mm sounds thin on paper but in reality isn´t so much that you can´t handle it. CAT5 wire is only 0,5mm.
And you don´t need tweezers or a hamster for that LOL
I´m gonna order one and a bunch of the 16mm grip plugs.

Here´s an edited pic from sequencer dot de

[slabman]

Just what do you have against hamsters and gerbils? You're trampling on a noble tradition. Haven't you heard of Beaver and Krause? Don't you know that EMS stood for Electronic Meerkat Studios? Jean-Michel Jarre's roadcrew consisted entirely of flying squirrels. Oh well, I've tried my best. Go ahead and tweeze those pins. Just don't say I didn't warn you when you sneeze on stage and your patch flies into the audience. And all for the sake of a gerbil.

Seriously though - let us know how you get on.

[Mooger5]

Well, there´s a distributor right next to where I work but I just let the mouse do the shopping. As soon as the Guinea Pig arrives I´ll start the experiments and post the results

[Tim Servo]

How about putting together a patch matrix using standard 3.5mm or 1/4" phone jacks? You would run the 'vertical' connections to the ring connection and the 'horizontal' signals to the sleeve. Then put a resistor (mixing audio or control voltages) or a diode (mixing gate signals) into a phone plug (color coded with some colored heat shrink) between the ring and sleeve pins and bang, zoom, bobsyeruncle, you have a patch matrix. Yes, it would be bigger than the matrix shown, in fact it would be bigger than most matrix boards, but it could still be a reasonable size (especially if made with 3.5mm or even 2.5mm jacks) and you could build it as big or small as you wanted. BTW, not my original idea. I'm pretty sure someone proposed this on SDIY a couple of years ago, but I've never seen anybody implement one of these.

Tim (besides, my cats would eat any patching gerbils) Servo

[blue hell]

[Mooger5]

Yes that one is a good alternative. But the Ghielmetti besides being already made is just suitable for my purposes. It´s for a mini-modular, with a small number of modules that most of the time will be connected like in a commercial hardwired synth, with the advantage of rearranging them for the odd noise or two every now and then. Assigning eg2 to vco1, 2 or both, as an example...

Yes, the utile area in that patchbay is minuscule, but being optimistic I say it´s not worse than a breadboard (10 pinholes against 11 in a 28mm line).

Now what is surreal is that I´m not getting a response from Ghielmetti so I spoke on the phone with some importer and they said I´d pay around 500 Euros at Customs for the thing, AFTER I told them I just want one unit for a hobby.
I´ve ordered from outside the UE and I´ve paid the usual duties. There´s no way such a cheap item would be charged that amount, even coming from Switzerland.

[slabman]

@Mogger5 -

is this the importer you tried

Ghielmetti in Portugal
Pinto Basto Electrotecnia
Av 31 de Julho, 3-1° Esq
1200'-480 Lisboa
Tel: +351 21 397 20 41
Fax: +351 21 397 25 95
E-mail: moura.tendeiro@pintobasto.pt www.pintobasto.pt

I found the above on the Ghielmetti website

[Dave Kendall]

I found this;
http://monopole.ph.qmw.ac.uk/%7Ethomas/synthdiy/patchpanels.htm

Looks interesting....(and possibly pretty cheap, if getting 2.5mm sockets/plugs in bulk, but fiddly to make)

cheers,
Dave

[Mooger5]

[Funky40]

[Funky40]

[Mooger5]

[Mooger5]

[Funky40]

[ericcoleridge]

I believe I own a couple of these 10x10 mini patch bays... I mean, I have a couple, and I think they're the exact same ones as above.

I would ask for a sample before buying a lot of them. They're quite small and delicate, and IMO, are not perfectly suitable for any kind of frequent patching/re-patching. This is besides the resistor issue... there's that too.

the ones I have, the pins are very easy to break, they're very delicate. The patchbay itself is very small, the holes are tiny. I'm thinking I'd like to use it someday on a gate seq type thing... but can't see it working well as a full patchbay ala EMS, unfortunately.

[Tasmanian Alkaloid]

[Mooger5]

Well if the pins break so easily, it´s a significant drawback. I´ll give up on this one.

Funk40, was there a thread about the group buy you mention? I couldn´t find it using the search function.

Thanks all.