Caudal 2: first prototype PCB sent for manufacturing

Caudal 2, prototype PCB

In addition to Vorg and Freak, I have been working on back-cloning some of my virtual modules into real Eurorack modules.

Designing for a virtual modular is different from a real modular. In a virtual modular, since there's no limitation on the number and kind of modules, the functions can be very basic and focused. The space used by the modules is not an issue neither. In real Eurorack, the more a module does for the least cost and space the better.

One of the modules that I wanted to port was Caudal, my mechanical chaos source. This module has a few challenges. First, it features 12 analog outputs. Second the functionality of the module is very basic; it's intended to just produce signals. Caudal requires some sort of external processing of the output signals. For that purpose I designed Flux that can be used as S&H and signal conditioning.

For the real hardware module I decided to create a second version: Caudal 2. This module will integrate some of the common functions used with Caudal, like S&H and signal conditioning. This adds even more jacks and potentiometers to the design. In order to test that all these features are feasible I decided to make an initial PCB design and manufacture it for testing purposes.

Making the PCB was a challenging task since I needed to add all the required jacks and potentiomenters, in addition to all the components in the same PCB. It's a lot of engineering in order to reduce the final product cost.

I hope to receive it in a few weeks and assemble it to start testing.