A forthcoming headphone amp called Porter aims to offer something distinct from the do-it-all smart devices out there: it's for players who just want a straightforward and compact solution for practice with their pedalboards.
"Porter is a solution to a problem I've faced personally," Neighbourhood Circuits' Gavin Lund tells us about the genesis behind his new product. "How can I practice using the unique and homemade pedals I love so much, without bothering the neighbours? I think it will help a lot of other guitar and bass players like me."
The aluminum-cased Porter aims to keep things simple as "a tool, not a toy" with a belt clip for your instrument's strap, volume control, guitar and bass mode switch (tighter response or extended low end) and a micro USB port that doubles as charging port and line-in.
The 300 mAh LiPo internal battery is said to offer a 15-hour runtime from a two-hour charge and Porter will be launching soon on Crowd Supply, a crowdfunding platform that supports open-source hardware projects.
To that end, the complete design documentation for Porter will be available on GitHub when the funding campaign ends.
"We want you to buy Porter once and use it for life. Porter is built to last, with a tough aluminum enclosure, riveted steel belt clip, and a rechargeable and replaceable battery," says Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Neighborhood Circuits. "With no external plug to break off, and components selected for long cycle life, you'll have a hard time wearing Porter out. We also provide complete design documentation, so you can repair your Porter, or customize it and keep it looking fresh!
Overall, the aim of Porter is to give players an accurate means to play with their pedals (and amp pedals that don't have headphone outs) through headphones.
"The sound has been carefully tuned to provide an amp-like response, so your distortion pedals will sound the way you expect," says Neighborhood Circuits.
Sign up at Crowd Supply for updates and check out the build logs on Hackaday to track the project's progress so far.
