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7/11/2020

2 new products coming soon and more.

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I built up enough inventory of the 2020 Instrument Transformer in order to have some freedom to work on R&D.  The next product to be released will be the 2020i Amplifier Isolation Transformer.  Its the same size and price ($99 USD) as a 2020 Instrument Transformer and even uses the same transformer, but its very different.  The 2020i has just one application and that is to eliminate ground loop hum in stereo guitar amp rigs.  Its a one trick pony, but it does that trick amazing well.  Whenever a signal is split to multiple amplifiers a ground loop is formed.  The cheap solution is to use a ground lift adapter on the AC power plug of one amp.  That's a very dangerous solution.  If you do that you're setting yourself up for a really bad experience.  If the ungrounded amp experiences a failure and the instrument cable to the grounded amp has a broken or intermittent ground lead, the high voltage of the ungrounded amp will find its way to ground through your body.  Let me tell you from experience, a high voltage DC electrical shock of that magnitude is excruciating to say the least.  The 2020i is a safe and highly effective solution because both amps can remain grounded at the outlet.  Obviously, at your ABY box your signal is split to both amps.  One cable goes to one amp, but the other cable goes to the 2020i and then from that to the other amp.  We're basically splicing the 2020i into the audio line feeding one of the 2 amplifiers.  The 2020i is an audio isolation transformer, so it blocks the ground loop from forming in the audio path.
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The second product to be released in the near future is a production model of my TI Box, which features one of my in-house designed and manufactured LBA-MC15 transformers.  The TI Box, or "Thicker Injection" Box is a passive DI Box with a noticeably thicker, louder, and more mid-dominant sound to it than a typical passive DI Box.  It Features 1/4" input, throughput, XLR balanced output (mic level), phase invert switch, and ground lift switch (technically a ground filter).  The TI Box will sell for $149 USD.

And lastly, Trinity is still not ready for release, but I finally got back to work on her after hitting a brick wall back in March.  The wall was procuring some special electrical laminations for one of her audio transformers.  Finally found a good supplier.  Also, for a very long time there has been a known issue with the Trinity prototypes that has taken until now for me to figure out.  If the channel strip is powered on for a while or longer, then turned off and turned back on within a few minutes, it will not turn on.  The channel strip must fully cool down before it will restart.  Its not a major issue, but one I have wanted to change.  I came up with a solution over the past two days, which has tested extremely well and reduces the total parts count by nearly 20.  A drop in the bucket, but any savings is good!  Next step is to get a prototype power board made with these new changes.  I also recently put in an order with a company I'm working with on the Trinity enclosures for a new prototype faceplate.  The faceplate has seen many revisions over the past year, which I haven't published yet.  I hope this is the last revision.  If all the hole locations are correct and of the correct sizes this will be the last revision.  Still a long ways from release, but its very close to the finish line when looking at the project on a timeline of start to finish.  Thanks for checking in!               

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    About the Author

    Mike Congilosi II, Owner/Designer/Electronics Engineer at Lightning Boy Audio and Owner/Audio Engineer/Music Producer at LBA Studios.  

    Mike received a Master of Music Degree in Studio Production from SUNY Purchase in 2007.  He has been engineering and producing music for about 15 years and has been a musician since early childhood.  Mike's electronics background comes from self education fueled by love, necessity, and a insatiable drive to create.  

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  • Home
  • Store
  • Products
    • Dark Storm - Mic Pre
    • Sun Storm - audio compressor
    • Super Storm - 500 Series Preamp
    • Eye of Jupiter - 500 Series Re-Amping DI Box
    • 23Fe+ Instrument Transformer
  • Mike's Blog
  • Reviews & Demos
  • Customer Support
  • LBA History
  • LBA User's Guides
  • LBA Studios