I'm taking apart my KeyStep for $REASONS, so here's a thread of interesting things I've found!
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First up is the brains of the operation: an STM32F103. Not a lightweight chip: It's a Cortex M3 @ 72MHz. It's got 256kB of flash and 48kB of RAM and that's a 100-pin TQFP package!
The KeyStep has a 9V power input so I wanted to see what voltage regulator it uses - no surprises here, it's the tried and true LD1117. Nice heatsink design.
Also interesting is this USB connector - look at all that solder! This baby ain't breaking off without a fight.
On the other side of the CPU board there's a couple of TL062s that presumably drive the pitch and mod CV outputs.
Here's another interesting part: the XL6007 buck/boost regulator. In this case it seems to be boosting up the 5V rail to a 12V rail. Why, you might ask?
I once raised an issue with a SVP of marketing for only highlighting a single cis male drag queen instead of the incredible accomplishments of a multitude of LGBTQ women.
Nothing fucking happened. He got the whole spotlight, we got the bullshit excuses.
If you're a trans woman reading this: It's complicated and nuanced and my take wasn't so much about people in the trans community but just cis people in general thinking that it's this universally affirming thing for trans women.
There's a reason we tend to use these filler words - it's a natural partner of human speech. They appear in every natural language. The serve an important linguistic purpose.
The biggest is that in conversations they indicate that the current speaker isn't done with a thought, so that other people int he conversation don't interrupt. Of course, when on stage it's a one side conversation. But- this isn't the only purpose.