The bad news is that Synthesis Technology will stop selling kits by the end of the year, and is discontinuing several modules altogether. The official announcement is here. (It’s worth noting that Paul’s having a 15% off sale soon.) While this is obviously a bummer for those of us who buy module kits from Paul, I’m glad that he’s staying in business in some manner. The related electronics industry sea-changes brought about by RoHS and the shift to SMT mean that small operations like Synth Tech have to either change or perish.
The good news is that Oakley Sound is getting back into the quasi-kit business (“quasi” in the sense that he sells PCBs and a few hard-to-obtain parts rather than complete kits). The announcement is here. I’ve built a couple of modules from Tony’s PCBs (the Equinoxe phase shifter and the sample & hold) and I’ve been entirely pleased with the quality of the boards and circuits and the accompanying documentation, and I imagine that I’ll be buying more from him in the future.
