PHAK (ongoing)
Printed Circuit Board, Analog Electronics, RP2040
PHAK, or the Programmable Haptic Knob is an ongoing project in the field of modular music synthesis. The aim is to create an electronic musical instrument that responds to the user’s touch by programmatically modulating the response force of a motor-driven knob.
Shown above is the prototype of the sound synthesis module of PHAK, the component that outputs sound into the rest of the system, as well as schematics and systems diagrams showing how I conceptualize an electronics design problem from concept to circuit board.
I designed the PHAK sound module to be separated into two boards for digital and analog signals. This was mainly a manufacturing and testing optimization as this configuration was less expensive.
I designed this board schematic to handle eight inputs split between six high fidelity channels handled by a dedicated Texas Instruments ADC/DAC, and two low-frequency control voltage channels handled by the microcontroller's built in ADC. The 8 analog audio outputs are all routed from the DAC.
I started by separating out functional blocks represented in the system. These blocks would eventually transfer into physical regions on the board
Connections between functional blocks must be routed conceptually as well as physically.