LZX Visual Cortex Technical Manual

BY ELIZABETH KAY LARSEN

VERSION 1.1 – DECEMBER 9

WWW.LZXINDUSTRIES.NET

TH

2014

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

DEAR VIDEO ARTIST .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 3

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS ................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 4

MODULE INSTALLATION .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 4

VIDEO SYNC CONNECTIONS ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 5

SYNC GENERATOR ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 6

RAMP GENERATOR ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 7

ANIMATION & KEY GENERATOR ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 8

COLOURIZER & COMPOSITOR ................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 9

INPUT DECODER ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 10

OUTPUT ENCODER................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 11

EXPANSION & PROGRAMMING HEADERS .......................................................................................................................................................................... 12

WARRANTY ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 13

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DEAR VIDEO ARTIST

Acknowledgments

Product Design & Development

Elizabeth Larsen, Edward Leckie

Assembly Technicians

Jonah Lange, Heather Larsen, David Townsend, Saschenka Lopez

Manufacturing & Distribution

Joshua Holley, Rico Loverde, Paul Baker, Sarah Holley, Anna Sitko, and
everyone else at Darkplace Manufacturing in Portland, Oregon

Additional Graphic Design

Adam Fuchs, Hannes Pasqualini – Papernoise

Special Thanks

Johnny Woods, Jennifer Juniper Stratford, Sam Newell, Nick Bartoletti, Jason

Kylie Frame, Alex Peverett, Paul Millar and countless others

Our world moves rapidly at the pace of progress – ravenous for the highes t def ini ti on, the larges t disp lay,
and the fastest data transfers. In our hunger for new technology, we have left behind a vast expanse of
unexplored dimensions and forsaken possibilities.

But not you, Video Artist. You’re look ing in a differ ent direc ti on. Not ahe ad, not b ehi nd, but para lle l. Yo u
are a pilot, prepared to man the controls of a time machine.

Your video synthesizer is a retro-futuristic vessel outfitted to explore faraway vistas from the era of
analogue television. From your seat in the cockpit you will unveil prismatic motions, expose mesmerizing
geometries, and witness hypnotic entities never before seen. Swimming behind the diffused warmth of
the cathode ray glow, living images linger, waiting for you. It takes guts to do what you do – many will say
your path is absurd.

Thank you, Video Artist, for supporting our continuing efforts at LZX Industries to create new tools and
workflows for the timeless medium of analogue video synthesis. Visual Cortex marks a new generation of
our products, encapsulating several years of obsessed development and prototyping. While Visual Cortex
forms the foundation of a modular system, it is also a powerful tool on its own – everything you need to
learn the basics of video synthesis is right here.

Our work would not be possible without the pioneers of video art in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. These
wonderful human beings cast the first rays that continue to inform and inspire us, and we owe them our
gratitude: Bill Etra, Bill Hearne, Daniel Sandin, Dave Jones, Denise Gallant, Eric Siegel, Jim Wiseman,
Nam June Paik, Kim Ryrie, Peter Vogel, Phil Morton, Richard Monkhouse, Rob Schafer, Sherry Hocking
& Ralph Hocking, Shuya Abe, Stephen Beck, Stephen Jones, Steve Rutt, Steina & Woody Vasulka and
countless others. With our work, we endeavor to continue the legacy of these visionaries and their tools.

All of us here at LZX Industries send our love and excitement to you and your companions … we’re
counting on you, Video Artist. We can’t wait to see what you discover out there.

Over and out,
Elizabeth Kay Larsen

December 9th, 2014

Nanna, Tommy DOG Prinz, Jordan Bartee, Dan Green, Aaron White, Marcus
Webb, Todd Larsen, Paul Baker, Chad Allen, Malcolm Elijah Welbourne,
Stephi Duckula, Scott Jaeger, Chris King, David Wagenbach, Shawn Cleary,

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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Mechanical

Width

26HP, 5.2 inches

Height

3U EuroRack Standard

Mounting Depth

1.75 inches

Power Connector

16-pin Male IDC Connector

Included Accessories

(4) M3 x 6mm Mounting Screws, (1) 16-pin EuroRack Standard Power Cable

Power

+12V Power Consumption

180mA

-12V Power Consumption

230mA

Inputs and Outputs

Internal Signals (3.5mm Jacks)

0-1V, DC Coupled, +/-12V tolerant, high bandwidth

0.5V threshold for trigger inputs

External Signals (RCA & S-Video Jacks)

1V after 75R input termination, AC Coupled, high bandwidth

FORMAT

NTSC/480i

PAL/576i

H Sync Frequency

15,734KHz

15,625KHz

H Sync Pulsewidth

4.7uS

4.7uS

V Sync Frequency

59.94Hz

50Hz

Frame Clock Frequency

29.97Hz

25Hz

Total Scanlines

525

625

Active Scanlines

480

576

Active Pixels

720

720

Frame Clock Frequency

29.97Hz

25Hz

Total Scanlines

525

625

Video Timing

MODULE INSTALLATION

1. Remove module, mounting screws, and power cable from their packaging. Visually inspect all pieces
to ensure there is no obvious damage, such as broken connectors.

2. Power down your synthesizer and disconnect the power cable from the wall outlet.

3. Attach the included power cable to the module’s power connector, then connect the other end to the

power distribution bus in your EuroRack synthesizer case as shown below.

4. Position the module on the mounting rails in your EuroRack synthesizer case and screw down all four
mounting screws. After double checking your connections, power your synthesizer back up.

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