I’m a fan of Zlob for many reasons. They always make their kits available as DIY, they’re reasonably priced, and I love their aesthetic. If you go on their website one of the first things to come up on each side of the page is part of a full 100% Zlob rig, and it looks completely awesome.
The MiniAtt is a cool little module that provides a lot of uses: dual passive attenuator, levels shifter, offset generator, mixer, and mute. This module can either be powered [plugged in], or not, and depending on which version you’re using, its functionality and abilities change with it. Powered, the newer 666 version [as opposed to the 665?] provides 0-5V of offset with nothing patched into its input. As well, when powered up the SUM OUT can send 0-10V depending on potentiometer settings. Each channel is normalled to the SUM OUT, but if you patch into either’s OUT, it removes it from the SUM OUT. The same happens when patching into either channel’s IN, eliminating the voltage from that channel and transforming it from an offset generator or level shift [depending on what it’s feeding] into a passive attenuator.
All of these functions are important and useful in any system, and while there’s not much extrapolation to be had here, I’ve been surprised how many times I’ve utilized MiniAtt in our short time together.
This arrived fully built, but looking at the BOM [bill of materials, in case you aren’t familiar], there are only 11 components and the build itself is straightforward and would be a great beginner project if you’re starting on your DIY journey.
2 HP
Price: $5-$50

zlobmodular.com