BMC60 Toggle Quantizer

picture of the module

The Toggle Quantizer is a single channel quantizer with a range of 0 to 10Vs. Each volt is divided into 12 equally spaced voltages, to conform to the 12 half-steps of a musical octave. An input voltage will be quantized to the closest of these 12 steps that's possible.

The only controls on the module are 12 toggle switches, these set whether a particular half-step in the octave is a possible quantized output. This lets you control the musical scale by turning notes in the scale on or off. On the right is an image of the panel with the corresponding notes for each toggle labeled. The module has only a single voltage input and voltage output.

This module uses an on-board voltage regulator and so it can be used with both +/-12V and +/-15V systems without any modification. The toggle switches are mounted directly to the circuit board, so only three wires need to be connected off the PCB, and the connections are short enough that cut resistor leads can be substituted for wires. The module does use trimmers to calibrate the input and output, so you'll need a voltmeter to calibrate this project.

Boards are available now. Price for 1 PCB/PIC set is $18.
Unfinished eurorack panels are available for this project, they are 8HP and cost $8 each. There is more information here about panels. If you're interested in drilling your own panel for this project, feel free to use my drill guide. That image should be printed at 300dpi for proper scaling.