Hello eyeball friends -- I'm taking a break from an intense development sprint to say thank you for your support and patience over the past month, as we shift activities and processes in response to the tariffs on most of the parts we use in production. We have the in house SMT machine running the past couple weeks and are making headway on your recent backorders.

I've alluded to a plan unfolding regarding Chromagnon and a new companion product that will launch alongside it this year, after some revisions which synergize the embedded digital systems used on both. Our previous plan was ship unit one and then work out the production details and now it has become ship the first 100 units alongside the first 100 units of the new product. If things go according to plan, this twin effort will bring the business back into good shape, after suffering some tumultuous years with Chromagnon's tardiness and the lack of our more popular standalone products in the catalog, like Vidiot and Memory Palace. The shared embedded infrastructure is what I've been working on all Summer so far, on top of coordinating more production in house.

I've prepared a slideshow below.

This is the Chromagnon Core, the board I've been working on since its major revision in early 2024. With what you see here, the new analog submodules we discussed earlier this year, and the embedded system project -- we have all the pieces to the puzzle validated and optimized. This board is getting changes integrated and the parts list is undergoing a detailed review. The date at which this is all ready might be variable by several weeks, but becomes easier to estimate as I get closer.

We have been working for years on more modular embedded systems for FPGA video processing, and that's the focus of the companion product. which we have named Videomancer. Here are some photos leading up to where we are with it.

This was the first attempt after TBC2 at making the platform more modular, from around 2022 -- it runs the TBC2 firmware, but was never developed beyond that. Instead we realized HDMI IO and availability as a standalone product would be necessary for this next step.

This was our first test board for a minimal system designed to convert Analog signals to HDMI. I did not get very far with it, but enough to lead into the next step.

I couldn't find the first EVS39-REVA board to show you, but here is the second revision of it -- a standalone video processor with minimal IO.

This led us to what is now production ready hardware for Videomancer in it's latest prototype. After validating all of the circuits are working properly, the system on Videomancer's core board is being integrated on the Chromagnon core, replacing the previous Zynq SoC based platform. This means both devices will be able to run off of a shared firmware infrastructure -- and all of that is looking beautiful.

As the Summer moves on, we'd love to hear more from you about your current and ongoing video art projects. E-mail us or hang out with us in social media and let us know what you're working on!

Hopefully you can make it to Video Sync in Portland, OR on Aug 15th-17th? I will be giving a talk on my journey to developing the set of analog operators for video synthesis used in P-Series.

Love and light, Lars

A quick update as we wrap up May. Pricing revisions for all modules and modular systems go into effect tomorrow, June 1st.

Sheet metal parts for Chromagnon and its companion project are looking great! We're revising and preparing initial production orders.

The current focus is on software/hardware testing and revisions to the PCB assemblies. We've been stuck here for a while, on Chromagnon, but are now making strides. The outcome of this phase will be ordering the revised Chromagnon Core PCB, and the focus right now is on eliminating any variables that might compromise this next version's viability for immediate production. That comes in the form of writing software driver tests for new parts we are using, further testing of the subassemblies we've developed, optimizing parts selections for cost and supply chain variance, PCB layout revisions, and so forth.

At some point tomorrow I'll update the webstore pricing -- if you place an order before then, the price you paid at checkout will be honored.

Thank you all so much for your orders placed over the past two weeks, and the kind words of support as well.

Hello fellow gray hairs. I've aged 55-175 years since my last update. There is a lot to discuss, and not all of it is bad.

The new tariffs on imports from China started hitting us full force around the time of my last update. For example, in the past with a small batch assembly order under $800 from one of our overseas vendors, we had not been charged any import tariffs. This meant that outside of the occasional big delivery we could operate as a small business without the tariffs (imposed back in January) strangling us.

It has been a highly productive past month here at LZX HQ, despite many ups and downs. We've made a big progress push on Chromagnon with new PCB designs for subassemblies and their test boards, we've got PRM kits in stock, and we've published another round of content for our docs website.

The current political climate and new tariffs imposed on imports from China have us heavily concerned for everything we do here. We received a tax bill in the past month that was several times higher than anything we've seen before. Those of you who have been following our company for a while know that we follow a market price methodology to pricing our products, which means that what you pay for them is a direct product of the hard costs involved in parts and labor -- in other words, if the cost of the parts go up, the price will need to go up at some point as well. We aren't there yet, as we're hoping the situation will change. If you've been looking at picking up some modules, it is a good time to get in before that happens. We will honor all orders and backorders at the current pricing levels.

If you've been following along with Chromagnon, we've been pushing for over a year on a fully integrated single board solution designed to finalize the Chromagnon design so that it can enter production. We've been stuck at a stasis point on the next revision of that board for a few month, as you all are holding the line without much news. I've realized that the integrated single board approach has been holding us back from finalizing the design, and that the lost time in sealing the design is costing us more than time spent on alternative approaches -- such as the modular subassemblies we were working on earlier in the project. We've decided to pick up that thread and make a move toward a new version of the subassemblies, and integrating them into the next revision of the core. This will ensure that we cut no corners when it comes to precision and stability, even though it will raise our production costs and labor when it comes time for production.

I'm happy to say that this effort has been a great success -- we've designed, built and validated 5 different submodules and their test boards in the past month. The test boards allow us to calibrate and test each submodule before installation on the main assembly.

Modular subassemblies

Pictured above you can see:

• FQM-REVC, a quad multiplier submodule. This circuit is an enhanced derivative of the venerable MC1494 multiplier topology, optimized for video transmission and bandwidths. It has individual trimming points for null, bias and gain.
• DEC-REVA, a fully encapsulated decoder/encoder submodule designed to transform CVBS and Component video inputs into 1V RGB signals.
• FWR-REVA, a quad rectifier submodule. This circuit leverages the enhanced performance of our new P series rectifier, and will ensure that Chromagnon's shape generation functions do not produce distortions around the mirror thresholds of diamonds and other shapes.
• FQA-REVA, a quad active attenuverter submodule. This circuit is a revision of our classic null gap active video attenuverter design.
• HGA-REVA, a quad high gain clipping amp submodule. The test board is shown, but the assemblies are missing in this photo. This design provides high gain amplification of an input signal, with the integrated limiting amplifier clipping the outputs. It has a few uses, but soft key generation is the most obvious one. This is a new revision of circuits from Doorway, Staircase/Stairs, and Topogram.

A closer look at FQM-REVC

The best part of these submodules testing well, is that we are much closer to done!! We have one more submodule design in progress, and then the next revision of the Chromagnon Core RevI can be completed -- with most of the circuitry moved to these submodules, the next Chromnagnon core board revision will go fast rather than being another tedious revision of a giant board. I look forward to providing an update on that in the next update.

Our content designers have been plowing through the massive amounts of documentation required for our new docs website, and we've just published an update that includes baseline content for the remaining Gen3 modules without proper user manuals. We'll be adding more illustrations and written content to this over time: https://docs.lzxindustries.net/docs/modules/module-list

After getting held up in customs, we finally have some kits in stock for our Precision Rectifier & Multipler (PRM) module. This module is a basic ingredient of video synth functions, and the number of functions you can patch with it is a long list. Read about them on the docs website here: https://docs.lzxindustries.net/docs/modules/prm

Times are tough for the whole industry of USA based synth makers right now. It is with undying gratitude that we thank you for helping us keep the dream alive here at LZX Industries.

Hi video friends,

I'm writing to provide you with the news about current and ongoing projects at LZX.

The current Chromagnon Core PCB RevI revision remains a work in progress. Following the release of this version, I expect to move into fulfillment plans and scheduling. I'm currently weighing a few options which will have a big impact on how that all goes, and playing catch up on projects delayed in January and February. The pace at which progress can be made with Chromagnon is set by the health of our sales and the synth industry in general, and this year has started roughly in that regard. Despite that, I remain confident that LZX and Chromagnon will pull through strongly.

After a year's hiatus, we released our first new module in November last year: PGO. We now have five more in this series available, in what we are calling the P series: modules which fit one of the three themes: Passive, Precision or Programmable. P Series functions are not complex, exciting video effects on an individual basis: they are the building blocks of them. Those of you who wish to dig into the nuts and bolts of analog graphics will find that all the right operators are here to patch most of the functions in our other modules. As we consider revising earlier modules and developing new modules, this series provides a chance to encapsulate our best practices in video synth module design thus far, and provide a solid foundation on which to do so.

PROGRAMMABLE

• PGO: 4HP Programmable Gain & Offset
• PAB: 4HP Programmable Active Buffers

PRECISION

• PRM: 4HP Precision Rectifier & Multiplier

PASSIVE

• MLT: 8HP Passive Multiples
• LNK: 4HP Passive Links
• P: 2HP Passive Potentiometer

All P Series modules are available in 3 variants:

• Fully assembled, including any power cables
• Full DIY kit, all parts included
• Partial DIY kit, SMT assemblies and frontpanels only

We have stock of all variants available now, except PRM -- we'll have those added to stock soon. But you're welcome to place a backorder for that one. There has also been a price drop on the PGO partial DIY kit.

Other modules in development for 2025 include:

• An RGB-to-HDMI encoder.
• A system sync/waveform generator, with support for legacy connectors and some new tricks.
• A sync distribution amplifier with front and rear connectors, for sync connections with external devices and expander cases.
• An extended version of our first rotator module (Navigator) merged with features from our polar-to-cartesian module (Colorspace Mapper/Mapper).

In parting, check out some new documentation work by our collaborators. There are beautifully illustrated and animated docs now available for DSG3, Angles, Keychain and Proc. There are also initial drafts up for the P Series modules. Check it out at https://docs.lzxindustries.net

We'll continue regularly adding to the docs throughout 2025. Please let us know what you think of them.

Until next time,

Lars

Greetings from Portland, video friends. January (and now most of February) have delivered some frustrating setbacks for both work and personal life. We had our furnace in the home/workshop go out for 10 days in January, followed by me getting sick for a couple of weeks. This kept me off the Chromagnon workbench, but I used the time to make more progress with the firmware.

Currently in the workshop we're scrambling to build the last few module restocks required to put a few Double Vision systems on the shelf. If you want one, they will be available soon!

Happy New Year from us here at LZX! We are grateful for an opportunity to be part of your creative lives and wish you triumphant returns on all of your endeavors in 2025. It is our fifteenth year of offering tools to you, and our eighteenth year of developing analog video synthesizers. I feel very excited about our point of view on our existing and future projects at LZX, and 2025 should be fun year.

Hi Vidiots & Vidiettes! We're happy to say we got the shipping notification for the Chromagnon Core PCB prototypes mentioned in the last blog today. The next update will focus on that -- in this one I wanted to provide a few updates about projects we are working on to keep the company running as we get through the final milestones with Chromagnon.

The first is a new module, PGO, a 4HP Programmable Gain & Offset processor, which is now available.

Hello video fiends -- we hope everyone had a spooky Halloween!

Per my last missive at the beginning of October, I was focusing in on revisions to the Chromagnon Core RevH board. The plan was to have those revisions complete and the board reviewed before the end of October, and I was developing multiple discrete submodules to aid in that task. I'm happy to say that the board is now ordered, but with a few weeks of hassle -- both in the revision process, and the coordination process with our external vendor.

September flew right past us here at LZX, with steady (if tedious) progress toward Chromagnon production on my end, and multiple longer term production projects wrapping up in the workshop.

I hope everyone has enjoyed their Summers and is looking forward to the Fall. For me, this time of year has always meant getting ready to learn, whether that was in my prior career in e-learning development, with my kids starting the next grade, or in my own educational goals. This year it will mean entering a period of content creation for LZX-- documentation, videos, tutorials, and any other resources that serve your own learning and creative pursuits in making video art.

Over the past several weeks I have been writing Chromagnon’s firmware, and I’m happy to say that I now have a complete version ready for testing. I wanted to reach this milestone before I wrote a new blog, as it represents my exit from the Code Cave and back into the workshop. So let my eyeballs readjust – this blog will mostly be about the software.

Dear video friends,

June has seen a lot of projects landing at the workshop and some significant pushes in firmware development. Over the Spring we have transitioned into outsourcing SMT assembly of our modules in smaller batches, in an effort to keep things stocked and flowing, and those efforts are running smoothly.

Hello on Tuesday. I hope everyone in the States had a nice Memorial Day weekend. Lots to cover in this update, so I will be terse.

Black prototypes of the Chromagnon plastic pieces and enclosure arrived, and the test fits are looking great. The pieces below aren't final for the enclosure, but should give you the plan on how it all fits together. Now that all the dimensional constraints are confirmed, I can make any cosmetic tweaks (rounded corners, for example) and order an initial production quantity.

Wow! April flew past, here at LZX HQ. Our improvements to operations and inventory have allowed us to process a large number of tasks in the ongoing effort to keep modules and stock while taking steady steps towards Chromagnon's launch.

Hello, video pals!

We are pushing through April! The current primary focus is on preparing our resource planning system for Chromagnon and smoothly flowing the production of our other projects.

Hello, Chromagnonites and other video freaks.

March has flown past here at headquarters. The last 3 weeks have been dedicated to a spring cleaning of the workspace and an inventory data update, in preparation for Chromagnon and continuing module production. There were some shifts in team schedules which have required me to focus most of my time on this project, so I apologize for missing some blog posts.

Hello everyone,

I apologize that we missed last week's update. I was dealing with family visiting from out of state, a dental emergency, and a busy week of high school musical performances (my child Kat was in a production of Grease.) We did meet several goals however --

A quick update for last week.

Good afternoon, video folk.

This past week were happy to celebrate validation of the analog circuitry on the Chromagnon Core RevF board -- and we're close to fully integrating the changes into RevG.

Hello, Chromagnonites.

It's been another productive week validating the Chromagnon Core assembly. The video output is looking good (see below), but it required some complex rework to get there.

Hello friends,

It's nice and sunny here in SE Portland. This week was another steady week of Chromagnon testing and firmware updates for the new core assembly, with a few foibles. (My trusty lab laptop needs a new power jack installed.)

Hello Chromagnonfolk,

We had a busy week here, catching up on activities after being iced in last week. I spent most of the week reviewing the Chromagnon Core PCB RevF, and am relieved to report the assembly has passed everything in the 42-step test plan I mentioned in the last blog post.

Hello visual artists and Chromagnonites -- this week has been a bit crazy. Here in Portland we have all been iced into our homes since the holiday on Monday, so the typical workshop crew is working abroad. We've focused that on getting ahead on content creation for new videos and social media posts -- a project that is going well and should buy us some free days in February. I'm thankful everyone in the shop also has systems at home, or else this would not have been possible.

Howdy Chromagnon-folk. It's Friday and the week has been productive at LZX HQ. We're expecting snow over this upcoming holiday weekend here in southeast Portland.

Greetings Chromagnonites.

We’ve had a great start to the year here in the workshop. A handy form was provided in the last journal entry and you sent in a lot of questions! This post will be focused on answering all of them.

It's Friday... howdy! As promised in the last post, here is a list of notable milestones we reached at LZX in 2023.

It's the last Saturday of 2023, and it's been a busy week. With some LZX teammates out of town and under the weather, I've done my best to mind the shop and ship your orders.

It is a Monday: the 18th of December, 2023. At LZX we are wrapping up an exhausting year, and probably our most challenging yet. It has been difficult to speak publicly on our ongoing plans and projects with a mammoth in the room: Chromagnon is multiple years overdue, and I have failed to accurately estimate the shipping date a few times now.