Good News, everybody.

Version 1.4 is finished. It has a build in fan power regulator for the frame fan, and/or the caddy fan.
The PCBs have been ordered and are expecting delivery in the next few weeks.

best reagrds
Paddy

While I personally have no use for it, I love the idea and would love to see a picture of this in action.

Ditto... when I first saw it posted it took several reads through to realise what it did, so Ima mansplain it for others in case different phrasing helps ...

To make wavetable cards swappable, you convert a removable hard drive caddy with this board, to take a wavetable card. Then you hook it up with an IDE cable to the wavetable header on soundcard. Then you can pull the caddy out with the wavetable board in, and swap it over for another one, without opening your case, and possibly having to remove your soundcard also to do it, if access is tight.

Hi Bitwrangler

If I can steal it, I would take it over 😉

best regards
Paddy

Yes you may.

However, trying to look up a good picture, I notice that a more common term for the device these days is "Hard drive mobile rack" for 3.5 to 5.25 inch drive bays. All the pictures I'm seeing are terrible, only show assembled unit, only found this tiny one (attached) to show people... So outer part, left, fits in a 5.25 drivebay, the middle part is where you normally install an IDE/PATA hard drive, but will be where this board goes, and the right part is the lid for that. Then the caddy/drawer/tray goes into the left rack part and connects with something like a centronics connector that is durable for many insertions. At the rear will be the standard 40 pin IDE header and power connectors.

Hi @ all 😀

I´ve tested the first Editions of 'Waveblaster Devil Adaptor' and they are working well 😀

best regards
Paddy

Dude, this is a really cool idea, and well executed!

I like having these mobile racks in a build. I guess you could even do a ghetto version of this by simply extending the cable into the drive bay, and having your WT board sitting in there loose. But I like all the functionality you've designed into that board.

Hello Pierre32.

Thank you for your praise 😀

Of course you could have done the whole thing as a ghetto version,
but since you have to convert the connectors and cables (UDMA 80 to IDE 40-pin) anyway,
this is the much more elegant version.

best regards
Paddy

Sweet. You're working on some kind of front panel as well?

What would be really cool and useful for modern PCs is a PCIe x1 Waveblaster interface card. It wouldn't be hard to make one that fits the few old large boards and the newer small boards. The audio would be pure digital over the system bus, for the highest-quality.

that's quite the genius idea, I like it ^^

GrafWasili wrote on 2022-03-24, 14:51:

Sweet. You're working on some kind of front panel as well?

Hi GrafWasili.

Yes. The Frontpanel is for using Serdashop WP32, but i can't test it, because I can't
buy CM4 Lite. There are all sold out - worldwide 🙁.

best regards
Paddy

if only there was already a way to swap MIDI modules without opening the case... oh wait there is it's called MIDI cables

maxtherabbit wrote on 2022-03-27, 13:14:

if only there was already a way to swap MIDI modules without opening the case... oh wait there is it's called MIDI cables

Right, and that's what it looks like.
I think the advantages should be clear to everyone:

* you have everything in the PC case

* Waveblaster sound card volume control works

* You don't need an external power supply

and it just looks cleaner. Sure, there are people who have something to complain about in everything.

best regards
Paddy

It's not a matter of compaining, just of people with different priorities and different use-cases. I absolutely love this idea and massive kudos to you for doing it.

- but personally I won't be using it as I want to be able to share MIDI devices between multiple systems. For me, a patchbay and some Chillbox enclosures work better, particularly as I also have some external modules too.

One size doesn't fit all, but for people who want to use multiple waveblaster cards on a single system, this one comes pretty close 😀

this looks a nice solution for someone that wants to do easy WT boards swapping
nice one!
will it go on sale?

Hello keropi.

Thanks for your question.
I'm working on the final edition and inform you, when i'm ready 😉

best regards
Paddy

Update :

The first Edition of the Final Product is on Ebay (Germany).

best regards
Paddy

Thanks Paddy for this great solution !!
I will add it in my test pc setup 😀

See it here with different cards installed
- X16L prototype
- XR385 - large card but it fits perfectly

also like the L/R stereo swap option