Building a DIY MI Edges

I thought I would try sharing an overview of how I typically build DIY modules, this time featuring the Mutable Instruments Edges. Edges is a four-voice VCO that emulates the sounds of classic 8-bit video game consoles.
I do not support the mass production of clones for commercial gain, which I believe violates the intended spirit of open-source.
Resources:
SMD Soldering tutorial: • EEVblog #186 - Solderi...
MI Edges open source info: mutable-instruments.net/modul...
Edges PCB Autodesk Eagle file and parts list: github.com/pichenettes/eurora...
Mutable Vagrant/VirtualBox dev environment: github.com/pichenettes/mutabl...
Collection of Mouser shopping carts for MI builds: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...
AVR ISP Programmer I used: www.amazon.com/dp/B00C7VV6E4/...
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[@devmiles]

really takes you into that 8 bit realm, fantastic module! thank you for showing the build

[@discolizardpatchesnstuff4142]

This video helped me out a lot. Love that the pins are so small you can just drag over them with a single blob of solder and wick afterwards xD Just starting out my DIY obsession and this is inspiring, thanks!

[@paulbergel9191]

That was absolutely fantastic! Thank you so much for taking the time to document your build!! Definitely subscribed!

[@paulbergel9191]

PS: those hot pink knobs!!! 😍

[@InvertedPopesMusic]

Great vid. I have been thinking of diy as an option to get my rig going being as I am at the start of my modular journey. Think I will now.

[@ComparativeIrrelevance]

Nice work! Both on the module and the video walkthrough. :)

[@wavedepletion]

Comparative Irrelevance Much appreciated! :)

[@debaserNYC]

Nice one. Looking forward to more!

[@DanielKastner]

Incredible video, dude! It was so neat seeing your approach and process. The module sounded great. Loved the ambient clips for your timelapses too. I really cannot wait to see more.

[@wavedepletion]

Daniel Kastner Thanks so much Dan! ✌🏻

[@garyturner5204]

I also love the ambient tracks.

[@tomb-X]

Great Documentation. Thx👍👍👍

[@obe726]

Awesome video dude thanks for going to the trouble of making it. I'm probably most nerves installing the firmware, I've build a ripples filter and I'm not sure what to move onto next.

[@wavedepletion]

The Con Man Thanks! Other than perhaps the smaller modules, they’re all really quite similar in difficulty. If you want more practice before doing say Braids or Clouds, Branches is a good one. Or, Ornament and Crime.

[@mfghans]

Thanks a lot! That helped a lot!!!

[@julienfouquenet1465]

thanks a lot for this video, now i will try to build my ripples :)

[@ScottofOakland]

That bench rules

[@calluml314]

Awesome video!

[@wavedepletion]

calluml314 Cheers!

[@Walkindude125]

Great video! Could you make a video that shows the process of uploading firmware and flashing to some other MI modules (like Braids) in the future? A step by step guide would be really helpful!

[@wavedepletion]

Walkindude125 Quite possibly yes! I already built my Braids but I do have a number of other projects queued up to build. Thanks!

[@jackb5524]

@@wavedepletion That would be insanely helpful!

[@jkuebler89]

Yes pretty please.

[@dingalarm]

It was good that you listed all the tools and supplies needed to build this module, but I would suggest that you provide a description and close-up of your soldering technique (e.g. tinning the pads, when to apply flux etc). I was also totally lost with the firmware installation process. Otherwise, thanks for this video 🙂

[@wavedepletion]

Thanks very much for your feedback! If I end up making more videos like this I’d love to include more details on different aspects of the process. It’s a little hard to get everything into one video, as they take a lot of time to setup and edit etc., in addition to doing the build itself. But maybe over the course of multiple videos the information can be conveyed in a useful way.

[@dingalarm]

@@wavedepletion That's OK. No problem 🙂 I understand that it's not easy to put together these videos. Thanks for your reply.

[@joshuabiehler]

I'm working on an Edges presently, so this is super helpful! Can you point me in the direction of any resources for uploading the firmware on a Mac?

[@wavedepletion]

Joshua Biehler Check out the links in the description! The MI page has the instructions and a ready-made VirtualBox with all the files you need.

[@wavedepletion]

Also I just updated the description to include a link to the AVR ISP programmer device I used. For Edges you have to get one that specifically supports "PDI".

[@joshuabiehler]

Perfect, many thanks!

[@johnilio1]

fantastic video and very informative!! what video camera do you use??

[@wavedepletion]

Yiannis Iliopoulos Trusty old 5D Mark II

[@mazzazza]

First of all thanks for the amazing video - It gave me the confidence to start building these diy mutable instruments modules and I've now nearly finished my third. Just a quick question: Does your edges module work exactly as it should? Like does the external PWM work properly? Mine didn't work at all, and I've only got it working by hacking the code so that the pwm input for all of the first three voices is taken from channel 4's 1v/o input as it is supposed to be (from reading the manual) Also all four voices work perfectly in unquantized mode and I've got them calibrated nicely, but when I enable the quantizer it all goes to hell and it quantizes to all sorts of random notes at different times. The weird thing is I can't see what could be causing these problems external to the main processor. So either the code is wrong (which seems very unlikely) or there's something subtly wrong with my processor. Just wanted to see if yours is all working fine. Thanks again, Chris

[@wavedepletion]

Hi Chris, sorry for the delay in replying! But I haven't been able to replicate the issues you describe. Hopefully you've had some luck in tracking it down since you posted. If not, I'd probably start by verifying there are no bridges/shorts in any of the IC pins, and make sure they're all actually attached to the pads. Sometimes a pin can look like it is soldered but it's actually not. Occasionally if I encounter an issue I'll lightly push on each pin with a fine tweezer to see if it moves at all. Be careful as you can easily break pins this way, but it's a very crude troubleshooting step that has saved me a few times. Also it might be worth going back over all the other components and re-soldering them to make sure they're good.

[@racalik]

nice! :) im about to start with ripples and tides, ordered the pcbs and parts. where do yo buy pots jacks and knobs? :) the programing part seems a bit scary at first as i dont know anything about electronics but i think it should be manageable

[@wavedepletion]

Jacks & Knobs I usually get from either Modular Addict or Thonk. Have fun!

[@nicholasrichardson102]

"resistance is futile!" HAHA!

[@kylechambers3211]

Hey there, thanks for putting together this video! I bought the same AVR ISP programmer, per your recommendation. Is there any kind of special configuration that I need to do in the mutable dev environment, or will it automatically recognize it? I just put together a branches, but I'm getting this error message when I try to flash the chip... "avrdude: Device signature = 0x000000 avrdude: Yikes! Invalid device signature. Double check connections and try again, or use -F to override this check." Not sure if its a problem with the programmer, chip, or something else entirely. I also used some questionably old solder paste for the job hahah. So shoddy joints also wouldn't surprise me :/ Any further resources, guidance or help would be appreciated! Thanks in advance.

[@wavedepletion]

You can check if the AVR ISP programmer is recognized by running lsusb from inside the vagrant environment. A device signature of 0x000000 probably means that it isn't able to read the chip on the Branches module at all. Try flipping the ribbon cable around the other way, and double checking all the solder joints. Failing that, try searching the Muffwiggler DIY forum or even just Google for similar error messages - often that leads to clues that could set you on the right path, even if it's not about the same device or module. Hope it works out for you!

[@kylechambers3211]

@@wavedepletion Thanks for your quick reply! After quite a bit of head scratching and trying to troubleshoot, I discovered that it was the ribbon cable I purchased supplying power to branches... Sometimes its the simplest things 🤦🏻‍♂️ Cheers, Kyle

[@ICodeMonkey]

Great video. Thank you for this. Do you have any info on ordering from Mouser? Specifically, when I use the Mouser links in that Google Doc you linked to, a good portion of the parts are backorder. Is this normal? Should I just place the order and wait for the parts? What's your experience with this? Thanks again.

[@wavedepletion]

Hi Jake, excellent question. Yes, it's pretty typical for some components to be out of stock. I try to avoid backordering components when possible as it can often be months before a re-stock occurs. For many projects I end up collecting parts from 2-3 different suppliers, including Digikey, Mouser and Newark. You can also search multiple vendors at once with Octopart. Another option is substituting components with the same specs but from different brands/manufacturers. For stuff like resistors and capacitors this is pretty common. It takes a little practice and experience just learning to navigate the component shops, using their advanced browse/search features, and knowing what all the different specs mean, but after a while it gets easier. But on Mouser for instance I'll bring up the known component that is out of stock, and then use their advanced browse to drill down and compare it's specs with other ones are are in stock, until I find a match.

[@ICodeMonkey]

Awesome! Thanks for the reply. I decided to order a kit for my first modular DIY. Got a Rings kit. My next question is about orientation. Is there a trick to figuring out where pin 1 goes for ICs or which direction a diode should go, or do I just need to check the schematic and look for what its connected to?

[@wavedepletion]

Jake Carter For IC’s there is usually a mark, circle, or beveled edge indicating orientation, it’s different for each. For diodes you should look up some info on diode polarity, but usually a line indicates the cathode/negative side. Be sure to use Autodesk Eagle and download the Eagle (.brd) file for the Rings PCB from the Mutable Instruments github repository to verify placement and polarity.

[@ICodeMonkey]

Got it. Thanks for the help!

[@LordFolkien]

Hello, I'm realy interested in this build. I've looked up the links in your description but I don't see where to get the pcb, the faceplate and the nobs ? Thx a lot for your help.

[@wavedepletion]

Modular Addict, Thonk, Synthcube, AmazingSynth are all good places to check.

[@LordFolkien]

@@wavedepletion thx a lot for the information

[@victorgallardo3768]

I am thinking of buying a headband magnifiers glass, which number do you use? I had thought of 5 (2.5 times), which is comfortable for you?

[@wavedepletion]

I use a Donegan DA-4 which has 2x magnification, along with their flip-down LP1 Loupe for an additional 2.5x when needed (such as for soldering IC’s with tiny pin pitches).

[@victorgallardo3768]

@@wavedepletion Gracias/THX

[@martinharbus7361]

hey, i know this vid was 2 years ago, but. can you please describe the patch in the "testing" part at the end please. Edges, channel 4 to VCA? channel 2 to vca, and sequenced in channel 1 - 1/v ? maths doing something? something like that? thanks. I have an edges and would like to replicate that patch to test mine.

[@wavedepletion]

My apologies, it's been so long I don't remember much about it. It was just a super quick patch I did to try the module out for the video, and I didn't even pay it much attention. From what I can tell it's just Maths sending some AD envelopes to probably a Blinds or Veils, with something else off-camera sending a 16-step sequence into the pitch on Edges. And some reverb added in Logic.

[@JeffreyFournier]

what's up with Locutus?

[@mikeslagle2337]

Where did you get your Maths pcb and panel?!?

[@wavedepletion]

I just have two factory MATHs currently. Grayscale and Modular Maculata both make black panels for it.

[@mikeslagle2337]

@@wavedepletion Thanks for the info. Stocking up to build my own racks and modules and was very impressed with your DIY accomplishments and caught a glimpse of your black Maths panel. Keep up the fantastic work and look forward to your next project. Cheers!!!

[@AntiJovian]

I am Locutus... of Borg

[@HeadphoneTarnish]

One tweak that may improve build success rate: building up the rest of the circuit before installing the ICs. This way you can do easy short testing by checking continuity between ground pins and power pins on the power header. For example, if ground and +12V have a small resistance between them then you probably have a short somewhere. You can plug it in and check that the power is being distributed correctly by testing for the correct voltages at the IC pads- all without exposing your ICs to potential damage!

[@jaimearreu5906]

Please, come back

[@wavedepletion]

Soon!

[@devondaviau]

Ben Heck also has a good vid or two about soldering surface-mount components. 😀

[@funkytransport]

if anyone is watching this.. get a hot air station and do it the easy way

[@wavedepletion]

Sure, more equipment is nice to have. But one of the points of this video was to show how easy it really is with just hand soldering, without having to invest in more gear! It really is a non-issue. Even the smaller 0402 boards on the newer MI modules are still accessible to builders who are ready for the next challenge. It's okay to challenge yourself and increase your experience level! And do so without spending more money.