Gilesjuk

Well, it works. The wires haven't come off but then i use a temperature controlled iron. But I'm having trouble keeping the connectors onto the right angled pins, so I may just end up soldering wires direct like wilbas original. This is the only bit I don't like about MB6582, but then I guess the CS is using simple technology instead of complex serial buses (which would mean less wires).

I will try it later. But either way I think it is better to insulate between pins.

They won't with the heatshrink sleeving holding them in place :) (in theory). A crocodile clip might also help, in both keeping the wire in place and dissipating the heat.

Just finishing off my MB-6582, some tips I think are useful. When soldering the PCB interconnect leads to the pin headers put some heatshrink tubing over the cable before soldering. After soldering all the connections you can slide the tubing over the joints and shrink the tubing over the soldered joints. This reduces the possibility of wires shorting or coming off. It also looks more professional. Also, I'm soldering the wires to the pin headers before fitting them to the PCB. It is a lot easier to solder the wires to the pins when they are flat on the bench, although you will need to place something on the pin header to stop it moving around.

It's relevant to MIDIBox if he uses a MIDIBox core to control it and other MIDIBox modules. Otherwise it's not really relevant :)

The filter is the analog part of the SID and so is prone to variation and odd behaviour more than the digital part which often either works or doesn't. I've only had one SID fault in my time of C64 use, one of the channels stopped working.

6581 envelopes never fully close. It's a bug the 8580 doesn't have. It is worth getting a noise gate for 6581s. I've no idea about your filter problem, im sure others will know. When caps fail they either go open circuit or short.

Looking good so far. Cutting big holes is a lot easier with a hole saw ;) I can't wait for 3D printers to come down in price, will make producing plastic cases easier. Well, so long as you are good at CAD.

Talking of batteries, I have a Z-wave home automation controller that came with a battery pack so you can power the controller while you walk around the house and pair it with your kit. This is the unit, it seems to be reasonably well made: http://www.security-warehouse.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1836 Thought this might be handy for some of the other projects :)

It's been couple of decades since I did much electronics and I know the concept of an RCD for mains, so I did hope something similar existed on DC circuits. I may consider protection on the MB-6582, it's too many SIDs to waste and they're a limited resource.

Any reason why the MB-6582 (and other builds) is unfused? the c64s have a fuse. I've read that the C64 PSUs tend to fail unsafe and damage the SIDs.

I've read the tips elsewhere about using enamelled copper wire to separate the legs of surface mount chips from the board. Well, unfortunately the wire i bought was too thin and snapped, so I got a sewing needle and slid that under the legs instead and it works pretty well. It levers against the IC casing and lifts the legs (while you apply heat to the joint). The only snag is once you've done one side of the IC this method doesn't work as well. But instead of sliding it under the pins you can just lever one pin at a time from above. i've removed three chips this way with no broken legs and only a small amount of straightening required.

If jumper caps are loose use a precision screwdriver to tighten the inner metal loops a little or squueze them a bit to tighten their grip.

The 6582 is much the same as the 8580, so you need to change them. I believe the capacitors are used by the filter and every chip has a slightly different sounding filter so you can try to get the sound you like by altering the capacitor values slightly. If you find the filter too muffled then you should change them from the default values for the 6581.

I've found a source for the 13mm tall tactile switches for the MB-6582. Hopefully these are the right ones, they're 6x6 switches. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/230676028252 The same seller sells them in smaller quantities too.

Too late now, but in future use a blow lamp to heat up the joints then remove. But only if you are 100% sure the display is toast as it will be toasty afterwards :)

Hi, I'm planning my Sammwich build in advance of getting the kit. Would an OLED display work? they tend to be lower in power consumption and clearer than LCD. I've checked the dimensions and pinout and they match, but I wondered if there were any other considerations? This is the display: http://www.rapidonline.com/Electronic-Components/20-x-2-OLED-Alphanumeric-Display-500174 EDIT: No matter, going for an MB-6582 instead now :)