x0xb0x SS#01: I/O

This was an exciting stage actually. First of all, it's nice to see several of these 'external' components land into place on the I/O board. 1/4", MIDI / DINSync, and CV / gate jacks all make up the familiar territiory of any synth and gear owner. This makes the project feel like it's really starting to come together. Secondly, the MASSIVE leap forward was downloading the Serial <-> USB driver and plugging the I/O into the computer. JOY!! I nailed the USB chip on the first go. Looks like the beer helped after all ;) The computer recognized the card and installed the drivers. As far as WinXP is concerned, this x0x is 'ready to use'. I'm elated!

Of course the x0x is far from complete or running an OS but it sure is encouraging!

x0xb0x SS#01: USB Chip

This was the step I considered to be the 'hump' of the build. I didn't have the I/O card shipped with the USB chip pre-soldered so putting this in place was going to be my big challenge. The 32 points would be my smallest solder work to date. I took my time, about an hour in total (clean the surface, place and solder, and snap pics throughout), and hoped for the best. The beer I had just before doing this probably calmed my nerves but also made me aware that I may very brutalize the whole thing. The true test will occur once the I/O is in place so here's hoping!