Is this really FPGA based? Did anyone open one up to take a look inside it? I think Peter is pointing out the same issue ADV7800 family chipsets have.

here's some info on the new unit:

https://www.singmai.com/Modules/sm03.html

The old unit was FPGA based. but shortages in chips forced Daniel to use another solution. Hope he can chime in and provide more info.

Michael

answer from Daniel

Everything is implemented in FPGAs. The only external components are a small MPU, audio and video ADCs and analogue conditioning, and SDRAM memory.

Is there any update on the topic?
Thinking about giving the SM03 a shot, as I do not see the chance to get a Lumagen in the near future (very hard to find in Germany).

Checking the homepage it seems they are out of business / have abandoned the project?

No links to manuals etc., no shop or similar.

Cheers,
Markus

Marcus,

I would e-mail Daniel directly. He has relocated.

Hello Everyone,

I would like to update you on the current status of the SM03.

During COVID, manufacturing of electronic components was severely curtailed. This especially affected components that are single-sourced, and in particular the FPGA device we used to implement our algorithms. The only part we could purchase was a wrongly marked part from China (that curiously did work), but cost more than the selling price of the entire SM03. This problem affected all of our hardware products.
Because of this we withdrew all of our products from sale.

Post COVID, things are easing, but many components previously available have been made obsolete - the inventory available is more limited than before.
As a result we made the decision to redesign all our products to use the available parts. Regarding the SM03 this means we are designing a product specifically for this market and based on the feedback we have had (the original SM03 was an adaptation of another product that was intended for a different application).

To compound the issue, I made the personal decision to relocate back to Thailand (the company is still registered in the UK). This has meant a change in our manufacturing and having to find new suppliers and contract manufacturers.

The new specification for the SM03 can be seen here: https://www.singmai.com/Modules/sm03.html

The prototypes of the new design are expected this month (November) and we hope to release the new SM03 at the beginning of 2024. If anyone wishes to receive up to date information on the SM03 they can subscribe to our newsletter by dropping me an email to daniel@singmai.com.

The design is reasonably fixed, but if anyone thinks of a feature we have missed, we will consider it for inclusion where it is feasible.

Listing as £1095. No purchase link yet.
https://www.singmai.com/Modules/sm03.html

That’s nearly $1400 plush shipping (from where?) and taxes. Is there really a market for this? I doubt they are developing this for LD players.

FYI:
Just got the latest newsletter from SingMai.
According to it, the SM03 will be demonstrated at the "Media Production and Technology show" at London Olympia in May.

Maybe after that we know a bit more about how usefull this device might be for LD, especially for the price point.

the image seems to be cropped on top just like the regular ADV7842 what do you think?

It's from their Youtube account

Latest newsletter has some more information, including a £200 discount for early orders:
https://myemail.constantcontact.com/Sin ... 21bnGmdvpk

Anyone brave enough to give it a try?

Seriously: I hope they give out some review samples so there will be some tests around soon.
I will not spend a grand (+) on a pig in a poke especially if the RetroTink 4k might be a valuable option with the comb filter update.

Cheers,
Markus

here's the new .pdf manual for the new unit

https://www.singmai.com/Documents/SM03%20User%20Manual.pdf

Thanks for posting that!


Well I’m happy in most ways with my Lumagen R2144 but I’d be very interested to learn if the SingMai can offer anything more, so come on Markus it’s time to see the colour of your money!

I for one will have one as soon as it will become available.

That's great!
Thanks for doing the Beta Testing for us.

Jokes aside: Looking forward for your impressions!

And another one here very keen to learn your opinion!

Has anyone heard from Daniel?
the last e-mail I sent him weeks ago was not answered.

Nope. I am subscribed to the newsletter as well but no update for a long time.