n.f. \pwɛ̃tøz\
“Her time card said she worked till 3A.M.”
Installation
Always turn your eurorack case off before plugging or unplugging a module.
Do not touch any electrical terminals when attaching any Eurorack bus board cable.
Ritual Electronics Pointeuse requires:
- 20 mA +12V
- 11 mA -12V
- 0 mA 5V
You will need 10HP of free space in your Eurorack case to install Pointeuse. As it’s a 1U module, you will need 1U rack space, either Intellijel format or Pulplogic format. Please refer to either manufacturer website for complete specifications on their respective format.
As the 1U series does not have a shrouded header, all the modules will be follow the RED STRIPE DOWN norm. Just align the red stripe on your power cable to the line on the module with RED written next to it. Connect the other end of the cable to the bus board connector of your case.
Overview
Pointeuse is a CV controlled bidirectional analog switch that can be used as a momentary footswitch adapter for Eurorack in 1U format.
Pointeuse has two states. It either connects In/Out to Out/ In I or to Out/In II. You can change its state by pressing a footswitch (via the included adapter expander), the backlit button or by sending a voltage signal into the Trig In input making the module highly interactive and controllable.
Pointeuse behavior can be momentary (as long as the button is pressed for example) or latching (the signal switches each time the button is pressed).
The switch has a true bidirectionnal behavior (2:1 or 1:2).
If no jack is connected to In/Out, a 5V signal will be present alternatively at Out/In I and Out/In II.
Controls
- Tactile & backlit button
- Trigger input
- Momentary / Latching switch
Technical characteristics
- Trig In accepts any signals (threshold is 2.5V)
- No bleedthrough
- Clickless mute
- Do not attenuate input signals inc. 1V/oct
- Compatible with all momentary footswitch pedals & sustain pedals
Dimensions
- 35 mm deep
- 44 mm deep expander
- 10HP large
- 4HP large expander
- 1U
Controls
A – Backlit button
Manual control of the switch. Flashes when the module switches.
B – Trig In
CV control for the switch.
Built in comparator on the input triggering at 2.5V.
B – In/Out
Common bi-directional jack.
It is either the common output (2 to 1) or the common input (1 to 2) of the switch.
This jack is normalled to +5V if no connection is present.
D – Mom / Latch switch
Chose between momentary or latching behavior.
E – Out/In I
Bidirectional jack I
It is either the first input (2 to 1) or first output (1 to 2) of the switch.
F – Out/In II
Bidirectional jack II
It is either the first input (2 to 1) or second output (1 to 2) of the switch.
.
Pedal Expander
Pointeuse includes a 4HP expander to connect a footswitch pedal as another way to interact with the switch.
The expander connects to the back of the module with the included cable. It connects to the FOOT 2-pins header on Pointeuse and to the FOOT 2-pins header on the expander. The cable is made in such way that you cannot get the orientation wrong.
Pointeuse can be used as a simple footswitch adapter. Connect the expander to the module, select between momentary and latching behavior and use one of the Out/In as your output.
When the pedal is pressed a 5V gate is generated at either Out/In I or Out/In II.
You can chose between “ON when pressed” or “OFF when pressed” by choosing which Out/In jacks you use. This depends on the pedal you’re using and its polarity. The LED on the left side of the jacks will help you finding out.
Pointeuse should be compatible with virtually all non-powered momentary footswitch pedals available.
Momentary & Latching
Mom(entary)
When switched to Mom, Pointeuse will change state for the duration of your interaction with it (as long as you press the pedal, the button, or as long as there is a >2.5V CV at the Trig In). When depressed, Pointeuse will go back to its previous state.
Latch(ing)
When switched to Latch, Pointeuse will change state once the pedal/button is pressed or when the Trig In is >2.5V and hold its state until the next pedal/button press or CV high.
Truth Table
Pointeuse includes a 4HP expander to connect a footswitch pedal as another way to interact with the switch.
The expander connects to the back of the module with the included cable. It connects to the FOOT 2-pin header on Pointeuse and to the FOOT 2-pin header on the expander. The cable is made in such way you can not get the orientation wrong.
Pointeuse can be used as a crude footswitch adapter. Connect the expander to the module, select between momentary or latching behavior and use one of the Out/In as your output.
When the pedal is pressed a 5V gate is generated at either Out/In I or Out/In II.
You can chose between “ON when pressed” or “OFF when pressed” by chosing which Out/In jacks you use. This depends on the pedal you are using and its polarity. The LED on the left side of the jacks will help you finding out.
Pointeuse should be compatible with virtually all footswitch pedals available.
| Pedal | Button | CV | Output |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Chaining
Two or more Pointeuse can be chained together.
By doing so you can switch them all at once and still have independent control over the slaves.
To connect them together, use the same cable as the expander, plug it to the MASTER header on the back of your first Pointeuse and to SLAVE header on your second Pointeuse. Repeat the same operation for each Pointeuse down the line.
Observations
To fully function as a bi-directional switch, Pointeuse does not have buffers at its inputs and outputs as it would prevent this functionality. Nonetheless we succeeded in having a constant 1V/Oct signal pass through the moduler without loosing the pitch the signal carried. However, to keep this functionality, we had to keep the signal path free of impedance resistors. So if a really high voltage gate signal is sent into it (above +11,5V), Pointeuse may need attenuation of said signal. Just attenuate your gate signal before the module if it doesn’t seem to function properly.
Don’t worry, the module will not be damaged in those cases.
Patch Ideas
Patch #1 – Clock divider
Pointeuse can help you divide clocks by 2 thanks to the flip-flop in its circuit, aka latch mode.
You can even use both outputs and have two alternating divided by 2 clock signals.
Patch notes
Clock signal ———— Pointeuse, Trig in
Pointeuse Out/In I or II ———— Orginal clock signal divided by 2 (5V gates)
Patch #2 – Sub Oscillator
The divide by 2 trick can also help you generate a sub oscillator square wave if your oscillator module lacks one. Just feed Pointeuse with a square wave in both its Trig In and In/Out inputs.
Patch notes
VCO, square wave ———— Pointeuse, Trig in
VCO, square wave ———— Pointeuse, In/Out
Pointeuse Out/In I ———— Audio mixer
Patch #3 – Amplitude Modulation
Patch a any audio rate signal into Pointeuse’s Trig In and the module will automatically convert it into a square wave ON/OFF signal, switching the module outputs accordingly. We can use that functionality to modulate the amplitude of another waveform – from an oscillator for example.
Try modulating the frequency of the audio rate signal before sending it to the Trig input.
Patch notes
VCO 1, square wave ———— Pointeuse, Trig in
Modulation source ———— VCO 1, Exp in
VCO 2, saw wave ———— Pointeuse, In/Out
Pointeuse Out/In I ———— VCA
Patch #4 – Random Sequencer
If you switch Pointeuse rhythmically when in latch mode you kind of get stepped modulation out of it by sending two LFOs into its two alternative inputs. Play with the speed of trig or even modulate the LFOs themselves before Pointeuse to get crazier results. A VCO 1V/Oct or FM input is a good destination for our new modulation signal. At low speed you’ll get a primitive sequencer!
Patch notes
Anima, EOC II ———— Clock divider, In
Clock divider, /2 out ———— Pointeuse, Trig in
Anima, Out I & II ———— Pointeuse, Out/In I & II
Pointeuse, In/Out ———— VCO, 1V/Oct
Warranty
Thank you for purchasing Ritual Electronics Pointeuse.
Your module has been assembled with care in Marseille, France.
You can find your module on Modulargrid:
https://www.modulargrid.net/e/ritual-electronics-pointeuse
For any remarks and informations, contact us at:
contact@ritualelectronics.com
For video demos and patch ideas check:
https://www.instagram.com/ritualelectronics/ https://www.youtube.com/c/ritualelectronics
Limited Warranty
Ritual Electronics warrants this product to be free of defects in materials
or construction for a period of one year from the date of purchase.
Malfunction resulting from wrong power supply voltages, backwards
or reversed eurorack bus board cable connection, abuse of the product
or any other causes determined by Ritual Electronics to be the fault of the
user are not covered by this warranty, and normal service rates will apply.
During the warranty period, any defective products will be repaired
or replaced, at the option of Ritual Electronics, on a return-to-Ritual
Electronics basis with the customer paying the transit cost to Ritual
Electronics. The return of your module is on us.
Ritual Electronics implies and accepts no responsibility for harm to person
or apparatus caused through operation of this product.