ADDAC300 REV.02 Power Starvation ()

Name: ADDAC System REV.02
Brand: ADDAC System

Plug a synth module into this tiny voltage puppet master and watch it melt, stutter, and scream in glorious instability.

Overview

The ADDAC300 REV.02 Power Starvation isn't a sound generator or a filter. It's a saboteur. ADDAC System built it as a Eurorack utility module, and its whole job is to undermine stable power, which most gear depends on. That's the feature, not a flaw. You dial down the voltage fed to other modules and get glitchy, unpredictable, often musical chaos. It can turn a clean oscillator into a sputtering mess or make a sequencer hiccup. Anyone who has cracked open a toy synth and touched a knob with a finger to make it burp has already tried power starvation. This gives you precise control over the process.

Functionally, it's a power intermediary. You route another module's power through the ADDAC300 REV.02, then adjust how much juice it gets. The result is "unruly sonic behaviour," as one source puts it - glitches, pitch drops, digital stutters, analog warble, and textures that no patch cable could create on its own. It brings new tonal possibilities to modular systems, especially for experimental or noise-oriented sounds. It doesn't generate audio itself, but its influence on whatever it's throttling can be profound. It's not for every patch.

Specifications

Manufacturer	ADDAC System
Product type	Eurorack module
Width	6HP
Depth	4.5cm
Current draw	UP TO 600mA +12V (Depending on the starving module connected)
Current draw	0mA -12V
Output current capacity	±200mA
Output voltage range	2.5V to 13.5V

Key Features

DC-DC Conversion with Protection

The ADDAC300 REV.02 uses a DC to DC converter that takes power from the +12V rail and generates a bipolar 15V supply. Unlike crude voltage dividers, this method keeps cleaner regulation before the voltage is intentionally degraded. The converter also includes short circuit and overcurrent protection, which matters when you're deliberately pushing modules into unstable territory. It keeps your system from going up in smoke when things get weird.

Variable Analog Voltage Regulation

Once the ±15V supply is generated, it goes through variable analog voltage regulators. Instead of just dropping voltage passively, the module actively controls the output, and you sweep from 2.5V up to 13.5V with smooth, continuous adjustment. That range is wide enough to keep most modules alive while still allowing deep starvation effects. The regulators are the reason you can get predictable, repeatable results, even when the outcome is sonic chaos.

Dual Module Starvation

The back carries two IDC connectors. You plug in two modules of your choice and starve them separately. There's no need to repatch mid-experiment. Route both through the ADDAC300 REV.02 and adjust each one's voltage on the fly. That helps in complex systems where you might want to destabilize a VCO and a digital effects module at the same time.

Bypass and Trimming for Precision

Bypass switches make it easy to compare starved and normal operation. The onboard trimmers let you set a minimum voltage plateau. Most modules begin to shut down somewhere between 3V and 10V, so the trimmers let you define the floor. That way the front-panel pot covers the most musically useful range, the "sweet spot" where glitches emerge without complete collapse.

Historical Context

Power starvation isn't a new idea. It's one of the first hacks any DIYer learns, especially in circuit bending. It's also one of the most sonically rewarding, capable of generating textures that no conventional synthesis method can replicate. The ADDAC300 REV.02 turns that chaos into a reliable Eurorack module. It's an upgraded version of revision 01, which used a much simpler circuit: just a potentiometer acting as a voltage divider. That approach worked, but lacked precision and protection. REV.02 fixes those shortcomings with proper regulation and safeguards. It's also a redesign of a discontinued starvation module from ADDAC System, and is described as an update to one of their popular designs.