THE ANALOG THING
 
Newsletter #4

Welcome to our fourth newsletter on all things THAT (THE ANALOG THING). There is much to tell and show as you will see. Have fun while reading. :-)

Production, test, and shipping

First, here is an impression of the manufacturing process of our first batch of 100 ANALOG THINGs:

After a long and adventurous journey, this first batch has finally arrived at our new offices in Ulm (Germany) for final test and assembly. Just seeing the pallets stacked with boxes containing PCBs, shipping material etc. arriving is incredibly satisfying. Operations are now in full swing! :-)

Testing each THAT prior to shipment is no small task. As small as THE ANALOG THING is, it has quite a lot of computing elements which must be tested prior to shipping to make sure that each THAT is working perfectly. Each and every computing element, every single input and output jack have to be tested. The dynamic behaviour of the integrators must be checked, the eight coefficient potentiometers must be tested etc.

Doing this manually would be prohibitively slow, costly, and error prone. Thus we have developed a (semi-)automatic test system which contacts all jacks of a THAT and is able to execute a comprehensive test suite controlled by a dedicated micro controller. Only checking the coefficient potentiometers requires some operator assistance to actually turn the knobs as directed by the tester's display.

The picture below left shows the test fixture into which THE ANALOG THING is inserted to undergo tests. The picture on the right gives an impression of the hundreds of spring loaded needles making contact with the jacks of the patch panel.

We are now assembling and testing this first batch of 100 ANALOG THINGs so that they can be shipped in the next few weeks.

Due to the incredible demand we are also preparing the next batch which will be much larger than this first batch. We are confident that this next batch will be ready for delivery in May or June at latest (depending to some degree on international shipping routes which already delayed the current batch considerably).

Videos, Documentation, and contact

THE ANALOG THING is shown prominently in Veritasiums latest video on analog computing which is very worthwhile to watch:

We have also finished the introductory booklet, which will ship with each THAT:

From now on Max Peschke will be the central point of contact for all THAT related things. He can be reached at that@anabrid.com. Max Peschke has a strong background in electronics and is also responsible for assembly and testing of THE ANALOG THINGs.

Applications

A member of our team, Bernd Ulmann, spent two weeks as a guest professor at the university Ulm where students had the chance to learn the basics of analog and hybrid computing using THE ANALOG THING. Here is an impression of one of the circuits the students set up on their own (this is an implementation of a rotating Rössler attractor). The two THATs are operating in a Master/Minion setup, the left THAT acting as the MASTER with the one on the right being the Minion.

Contact

If you have questions regarding THE ANALOG THING, please do not hesitate to contact us at that@anabrid.com.