5U Oakley PCBs to be discontinued

[Synthbuilder]

EDITED TO ADD:

Things have changed somewhat since I wrote this original post. Both Krisp1 and LWSS are continuing to purchase PCBs from me. Synthcube have also ordered several sets of boards including some of the older legacy designs. This, along with continued interest from past customers, means that many board stocks have been replenished this year. Clearly there is life in the old dog yet.

However, some boards have been discontinued and are very unlikely to come back. This is because they simply didn't sell well enough in the first place (eg. 5U HVM), or that components for them are no longer being made (eg. midiDAC), or that they've been around for so long the market is exhausted (eg. SVF and Superladders).

Tony (10th March 2022)


Original Post:

Sales of PCBs for the current 5U range of Oakley modules are no longer sufficient to make it worthwhile selling them. All 5U boards will be discontinued as soon as existing stocks are depleted.

Krisp1 will continue to sell ready made Oakley modules as long as demand is sufficient.

I would like to look into doing some new designs specifically for the MU range but these will initially be limited to things that used to sell well like the ADSR, Journeyman, VCA and DLF, and maybe a new delay module. These modules would be shallow enough to fit into a Moon or Box11 case. If this does happen I will also have panels available for these projects. However, I will wait until the global parts shortage situation improves before doing anything. I hope this will be sometime around the middle of next year.

I would like to thank everyone who has bought and used Oakley 5U modules over the 22 years I have been selling them.

Tony

[Synthbuilder]

Referenced from John's post originally posted in the announcements section.

What is the future vision for Oakley?

More gardening and making music.

A focus on Eurorack modules?

Maybe. I'll see how I feel once the global parts shortages sort themselves out. Right now my plan is to do more eurorack next year, as well as some more standalone projects.

[terjewinther]

I would like to thank everyone who has bought and used Oakley 5U modules over the 22 years I have been selling them.

You're welcome!
I for one am very happy that you have supplied us with these lovely modules all these years.

Thanks a lot!

Terje Winther

[collinspr]

I’m sorry to hear that this has finally come to pass Tony.

Your modules eased me back into the DIY synth hobby after a lapse of 25 years and form the core of my system (over 30 Oakley modules). They have always been a pleasure to build and use.

Thanks for making your designs available and for the first class support (which I have rarely needed due to the excellent quality of the designs and documentation).

Expect an order for a few more boards in the coming week(s).

[tvh]

Understandable, I'm so glad I was able to get in to your modules while they were still available! Eurorack just doesn't do it for me (too small). I'm still working through my Oakley PCBs I ordered last year, and I feel like it'll take longer now with the part shortage out there. Will you still be offering troubleshooting assistance on this board?

[Synthbuilder]

Thanks for the kind comments guys.

Will you still be offering troubleshooting assistance on this board?

Oh yes, I'll still be here.

And I do hope I can offer more Oakley projects from time to time in MU, Euro and standalone.

[tvh]

And I do hope I can offer more Oakley projects from time to time in MU, Euro and standalone.

That is great to hear!

[Prunesquallor]

Sad news, but very understandable. The shift towards shallower cases, even in 5U, has probably played a part. Very glad you're not disappearing entirely!

Will Lower West Side Studios also continue to supply ready-made modules?

[Synthbuilder]

Will Lower West Side Studios also continue to supply ready-made modules?

Krisp1 will still continue to supply ready made modules. And I think LWSS will also do so too. However, you'll need to ask Rich if this is the case.

[Noiseconformist]

Sales of PCBs for the current 5U range of Oakley modules are no longer sufficient to make it worthwhile selling them.

Oh wow, I read this message the other day but rather completely ignored its implications!

I would like to thank everyone who has bought and used Oakley 5U modules over the 22 years I have been selling them.

Tony, as Terje said: Thanks a lot to you!
Many of your modules I got are early issues and working with them still is a blast!

I'm looking forward to seeing whatever you come up with!
Michael.

[Flareless]

Will Lower West Side Studios also continue to supply ready-made modules?

Krisp1 will still continue to supply ready made modules. And I think LWSS will also do so too. However, you'll need to ask Rich if this is the case.

Lower West Side Studio continues to provide Oakley modules in MU format and will do so for as long as possible.

[Prunesquallor]

Will Lower West Side Studios also continue to supply ready-made modules?

Krisp1 will still continue to supply ready made modules. And I think LWSS will also do so too. However, you'll need to ask Rich if this is the case.

Lower West Side Studio continues to provide Oakley modules in MU format and will do so for as long as possible.

[Paradigm X]

oh no, just seen this. ive not done much for ages for various reasons. might have to increase the backlog a bit before theyre all gone...

[Synthbuilder]

oh no, just seen this. ive not done much for ages for various reasons. might have to increase the backlog a bit before they're all gone...

Things have changed somewhat since I wrote the original post. Both Krisp1 and LWSS are continuing to purchase PCBs from me. Synthcube have also ordered several sets of boards including some of the older legacy designs. This, along with continued interest from past customers, means that many board stocks have been replenished this year. Clearly there is life in the old dog yet.

However, some boards have been discontinued and are very unlikely to come back. This is because they simply didn't sell well enough in the first place (eg. 5U HVM), or that components for them are no longer being made (eg. midiDAC), or that they've been around for so long the market is exhausted (eg. SVF and Superladders).

It is also important to note that very few NEW customers are appearing.

Tony

[Prunesquallor]

oh no, just seen this. ive not done much for ages for various reasons. might have to increase the backlog a bit before they're all gone...

Things have changed somewhat since I wrote the original post. Both Krisp1 and LWSS are continuing to purchase PCBs from me. Synthcube have also ordered several sets of boards including some of the older legacy designs. This, along with continued interest from past customers, means that many board stocks have been replenished this year. Clearly there is life in the old dog yet.

However, some boards have been discontinued and are very unlikely to come back. This is because they simply didn't sell well enough in the first place (eg. 5U HVM), or that components for them are no longer being made (eg. midiDAC), or that they've been around for so long the market is exhausted (eg. SVF and Superladders).

It is also important to note that very few NEW customers are appearing.

Tony

Well, the Krisp1 site has been down for at least a few days now. Are you sure he's still in action, Tony?

[Noiseconformist]

Well, the Krisp1 site has been down for at least a few days now. Are you sure he's still in action, Tony?

I wrote Paul about that to his Hotmail address (not sure if this is still in service) on Feb 12th. No response so far.

[Synthbuilder]

Are you sure he's still in action, Tony?

I was in contact with him the day before yesterday and he didn't mention about stopping selling modules. I know he was having problems with his website a month or so ago, but I had made an assumption that it had been fixed. I see now that this is not the case.

I'll contact him and see what's up.

Tony

[Synthbuilder]

I wrote Paul about that to his Hotmail address (not sure if this is still in service) on Feb 12th. No response so far.

I use the e-mail address (sales at krisp1.com) on my contact page and I normally get an answer pretty quick. I don't think I've used the hotmail address for a long time.

[Synthbuilder]

Paul got back to me and Krisp1 is still up and running. But the website is not. There's something wrong with the e-store database and whole site appears empty. He is on the case but I don't think it's an easy matter getting it to work again.

Tony

[Prunesquallor]

Paul got back to me and Krisp1 is still up and running. But the website is not. There's something wrong with the e-store database and whole site appears empty. He is on the case but I don't think it's an easy matter getting it to work again.

Tony

Ouch! Good news he's still in business. Let's hope the site doesn't need a total rebuild.

[Noiseconformist]

Thanks a lot for this update, Tony!

I wrote Paul about that to his Hotmail address (not sure if this is still in service) on Feb 12th. No response so far.

I use the e-mail address (sales at krisp1.com) on my contact page and I normally get an answer pretty quick. I don't think I've used the hotmail address for a long time.