Blatboy

I'm also having problems with some of my encoders. That said, I never thought it could be the encoders. I've been troubleshooting my MB-6582 again (I'll start a new thread on this soon, sorry to threaten everyone here haha) and I have noticed possible short circuits where I don't think there should be. Whether this is a bad soldering job somewhere (possible) or the encoder itself, I donno. I have the same problem that Scifo has... on the cutoff and also on my main selection encoder to the right of the LCD. I will explain the short circuits etc in more detail once I get my ducks in a row. Could be tonight... I'm using the Alpha encoders...I didn't take the indentions out though. I kinda like them.

ooooh. Sad I missed this one. Hopefully will catch the next one.

It's been a while since I've been able to work on any electronics projects, and while I've been I've been so slammed that I I've not been able to finish my last touches. (Filter pots, mix out, power LED... stuff like that) Starting next Tuesday, I'll have at least one recording session every week in my studio until sometime around mid 2014. Being that I'm already so slammed, my life, as far as my "hobby" projects go, will be over, for all practical purposes, until then. Therefore, I thought I'd try to get these last few touches installed before the onslaught of work starts. I'll admit I've been dragging my feet a little on this. My box never really worked that well. Notes would stick, cores would randomly go offline (especially if I had more than 2 cores installed) I could use it in the studio, (if it did something freaky, I'd just re-record) but it wasn't reliable to use in a live performance...which was my original inspiration to build this. It was suggested that a nice new linear power supply would be the fix. I don't have the chops at the moment to design and build one of those, and with my new job, I feel I won't have the time to learn... so I figured I'd just have to live with a MB-6582 with some intense personality quirks (much like it's owner) and not use it in a live performance situation. I've certainly learned a lot and had a blast building it, so it wouldn't be a total loss. Last night as I was preparing to cut some ribbon cable for the remaining filter pots, I noticed that the J1_SID1 and J2_SID2 jumpers were set for 12V. I'm rockin' 8580's! I had a really good feeling that I had found the problem! Initial testing proves correct. It seems to be working better than ever. I still need to test with a full load of 8 SID chips in it, but it's working great with four chips now. Hopefully the fact that I've been using it for the last 6 months or so with the incorrect voltage on SID1 hasn't damaged the first two SIDs. I don't typically leave it on for very long at a time (the longer it was left on, the more quirky it used to act) so, maybe I'm cool. This was yet another somewhat embarrassing oversight on my part. (This blog and my posts are chunk full of those.) Well, maybe my willingness to publish my mistakes will help someone troubleshooting in the future. I will eventually replace the old C64 power supply by building a linear power supply. I want my SIDs to last. But there is no way I'll have the time to get the expertise and do the build any time soon. However, as the old axiom goes: When you've got the time, you don't have the money...and when you've got the money, you don't have the time. Anyone feel like building me a power supply? :tongue:

I've been pretty thrilled that the folks at the network actually love "the old video game sounds." Working for other shows in the past, when I've tried to put some SID or other types of old cheeky electronics (theremin, my old Lowrey organ, the wurli), the producers would tell me to take it out as to not scare the little children, and it wouldn't even make it to the network folks. (Most my work is in the world of cartoons for pre-schoolers.) This new situation is awesome, being able to use some of the retro electronics I like to obsess over as part of my job... The show will start airing in the US in the fall. I'll put more info out closer to that date... I've also been using the MB-6582 for outer space themed sound effects. Fun stuff... (extreme portamento!)

Just wanted to let you know I'm having a blast with my MB-6582. Here are some examples of demos for the new cartoon I'm working on. This particular episode puts the characters on the Purple Planet. What's a better match for the Purple Planet than some phat SID? hope u like.

I just needed to come online very quickly and reiterate how f*cking good this MB-6582 sounds. :thumbsup: It's been such a joy to listen to. I'm putting it on a second episode of this cartoon I'm working on (a second episode with an outer space theme) and I'm having problems getting work done because I get so distracted whenever I start playing it. It sounds so damn good I just want to play it and make sounds... not do "work!" The presets are incredible and I've been able to program some fun stuff for the show and my other little project that I now have no time for because of this show. One day I'll be able to come up for air, write more and post pictures and sounds. This thing is so covered in awesome-sauce I might drown in it. :afro:

I'm sure you've all been waiting in bated breath to hear how things are going with my MB6582. Well, after some annoying setbacks that were pretty much all my fault I've gotten the box to work. Then, a big new job came in, which is great news! However, it pretty much takes away all my spare time to be midiboxing. :( Hence the reason I've not been around too much. I still have a couple last steps to complete my box. I've ordered some knobs, albeit somewhat boring ones for now, and just need to add the mix out and the last 3 pots for the filters in the back. Once that's all installed, I'll post pictures. I was visiting LA last week where I found some cheap, low profile heat sinks at All Electronics. It was cool to be actually in that store, which I've perused the website many times. I think they will fit on the SIDs nicely, and aren't too tall. I'll get back to you on that when I've had a chance to try putting them in. I've already incorporated the MB6582 into some of my work. So far, so good. Again, I'll post pictures and mp3s when I get a chance to come up for air... :thumbsup:

Ok. Think I found part of the problem, now that I've come back with a more clear head. (The way I've been over-reacting to everything makes it clear that my choice to be a musician was much better for the world than if I had pursued my other dream of being an airline pilot... lives have been saved due to that choice, I'm sure...) My SPV values were all maxed out. Once I turned that off, I was finally able to play it. I thought it might be something like that, but I had thought it was more about MIDI channels. I now only have two cores installed and 4 SIDs one of the sids I pulled had some bent pins, so that must have been the cause of the weird communication issues? In my haste yesterday, I went ahead and ordered 4 more PIC chips. Oh well. Guess I have a head start on my next project, whatever that may be! :thumbsup: I'm thinking I may make a document for the WIKI explaining what some of these perimeters should be set to initially to get sound. While yes, all the information is there in the manual, it's often difficult for a newbie to figure out some of these things when you're both learning a new operating system and trying to troubleshoot a build. Or maybe I'm just not as sharp as most the other tools in this shed. (There's some serious talent around here, so I don't feel too bad saying that.) Either case, I've done some very minor editing to some of the wiki, and perhaps if I contributed some more it would be a way to give back to the MIDIbox community. thanks, w

I swear, I must be cursed. The gods have decided I should never play this thing. :purple: It reacts to MIDI notes now, but has decided to only intermittently play them... Every third or tenth note I play on the keyboard I'll get a sound, and more often than not, it sticks. At first I thought I just needed to fix the split points/transpositions on all instruments on all SIDS. No change. On top of that, cores sometimes go offline now. I'll notice a core or three will have a * on it. I select that core and it might say (No MBNet Response) or it might decide that the core is back online. And, it's now having a hard time conversing with MIOS. I pulled the cores out to inspect them to be sure I didn't bend a pin or something. After I take out a core and put it back in, MIOS will communicate ok, but only the first time or so. After I play a note (or let it stick until I hit the PLAY button twice to stop it) it decides it doesn't want to talk to MIOS anymore. Over the time of my troubleshooting, I've pulled the cores so many times using a chip extraction tool, that they are pretty scratched up on the sides. Therefore, I'm ordering another set of PIC chips. I'll take a break from this until they come in, and then I'll start fresh again.

Sorry, I didn't mention that I did change the channel... I tried it on channel 1,2, and 5. (of course adjusting within the MIOS keyboard as well.) However. :whistle: I think I found the problem. The split points. Now, why the box, when first installed, would choose to have both the upper and lower split points set to D#3 and the transpose set to 63 I have no idea. I saw the split points, but thought since they were the same and in the middle of the keyboard that it meant the whole keyboard was activated, but I guess it meant that NONE of the keyboard was activated. :rolleyes: I just didn't notice the transpose value at all. However, none of those are good excuses I suppose. I apologize for wasting your valuable time on me here. TK, you've got a six pack coming your way for your trouble and my idiocy. Hawkeye, you need a buy me a beer link. So yes, it seems to be working now with SID 1! :smile: I'm going back in my corner to deal with my wounded ego. Once I return, I'll test everything with the other cores, and get rocking. Thanks so much for your time! Walter

Ok. Another day of testing. One of my wires from the CS cables had come off the pin, so I figured I would do a full look over of my soldering work again. I fixed the connection and did a serious look see. Everything seemed ok once I fixed that connection. I redid the MIDImon test. This was using the MT4, and though the first time I tried it, it gave me some garbled graphics: But after reinstalling the MIDImon app, everything looked fine. When I was transmitting on channel one, it received on channel one just like its supposed to: I'm posting this pic in case that number on the bottom means something that gives a clue: Just for completeness I also did the pin test which gave me the following output, which seems AOK: After all those tests, I reinstalled the MB6582 app just to see if it would magically start working! It did not. :cry: I'm still at a loss. I'm unsure how much more time I have today, but I think my next step will be to attempt to use the drum engine, which I haven't tried yet. If it works with one core installed, I'll reinstall the other cores and test further. With the odd way the PLAY button has been working, I'm curious if the box will be able to play self generating sequences… and if it will only work on SID 1. Maybe a clue will be revealed. I'll get back to you when that test is done. I'm sure you're at the edges of your seats. :wink:

Thanks so much for the reply Thorsten. Alas, I've used an MT4, a Tascam US-122mkII (unsure if mkII is blacklisted as well, but it seemed to work like all the others), and MOTU Midi Timepiece. The MB-6582 reacted the same with all of them. I've tried on various channels as well using the ensemble menu. The MIDImon, which I used with the MOTU, confirmed that it was receiving signals on the proper channel. This being said I'm happy to do another round of tests with the MIDImon, as I only used it with the MOTU and just did a basic confirmation that the note on/off commands were getting to the box and on the correct channel. I'm wondering if the issue is somehow related to the PLAY button only working with SID 1?

Ok, I took out all the SIDs but two, and all the PIC Cores but one as per Hawkeye's suggestion. I went through the entire MIDI Troubleshooting guide... Loopbacks were fine (though I ended up throwing out an 80's era MIDI cable) and all the voltage checks seemed to check out just fine again. That was another 2.5 hours spent troubleshooting and my brain is fried. Anyone have any further hunches? Here's a video of me attempting to get sound out of it via MIDI control*, just in case there is something obvious I'm doing wrong here (other than trying to shoot video with my old cellphone, which is never a good idea): Thanks! *as I said in an earlier post, I'll get sound out of it when I hit the PLAY button, which oddly only works for the first SID core, and not the others, when they are plugged in. The above video was made with only 2 SIDS and 1 core connected...

Peter, Of all people, you're the last that should feel the need to apologize, no matter how quick or slow you think you are replying. You've been such a help to me, even when I get excited and ask questions that are clearly already documented. I really wish you had one of those "buy me a beer" links... I may go back and re-do my voltage checks today just to be sure everything checks out. From now on I'll be doing my further testing with one core and 2 SIDs. I'll tell you how it goes.

Thanks wicked1. I just tried, and even after taking out the cores, changing core 01's id to 00, and reinstalling the mb6582 app... it acted the same. I then reinstalled MIOS, and reinstalled the mb6582 again, and still no change. I really appreciate the suggestion though! Any other ideas? It seems like a unique issue. I still feel like I'm doing something really stupid here, but I've rechecked and it seems I'm transmitting on correct channels... I tried with both the MIOS keyboard and an external MIDI controller.

I posted this problem on another forum, but moved it here today. After another two hours this afternoon of reading documentation, searching the forum, and trying to find the solution, I'm sadly still at the same place I started. I hope you can help. I'm SO close to being able to play with this thing! I have two very basic issues keeping me from SID glory. I feel like it might be I'm missing something I should do in the operating system, but I just can't seem to fix it.: Notes triggered via MIDI not playing on any SID. I can get sound (only from SID 1) using "play" button. I've run the midi monitor app and the note in/out commands seem to be making it into the box. I have all four SIDs set to channel 1. I'm transmitting on channel 1. I've tried via my Logic setup and via the keyboard in MIOS Studio. "PLAY" mode gets no sound from SIDs 2, 3, and 4. I've run the test tone app, and I do get a sound that way from the other cores, so it seems everything on the hardware end seems to be in order. However, when I set up the other SIDs with patches I get no sounds. This may be related to the first problem since I can't seem to get the box to react to MIDI notes. Does the PLAY button only work for SID 1? It would seem if I had other SID engine(s) selected it should play them, too. But I could be wrong here. When I've hooked the LCD to the other cores, everything looks in order. I have retried installing the OS and the MB6582 app on all cores. All application installations seem to work just fine from MIOS studio, and I've been able to upload the preset patches via the SysEx tool. Due to that, it makes no sense to me that MIDI on/off messages aren't being played. Oy. I have also tried meditation, prayer, and am considering human sacrifice to the gods. :frantics: However, before I go to that extreme, I thought I'd ask you here in the proper forum. Thanks!

I can already tell this will be my prized jewel of synths... I'm stoked to be getting some sounds! I've been working with it for the last 4 hours, and I'm still a little flummoxed. I have two very basic issues that I've not been able to solve. I feel like it might be I'm missing something I should do in the operating system, but I just can't seem to fix the issues.: Notes triggered via MIDI not playing on any SID. I can get sound (only from SID 1) using "play" button. I've run the midi monitor app and the note in/out commands are making it into the box. I have all four SIDs set to channel 1. I'm transmitting on channel 1. I've tried via my Logic setup and via the keyboard in MIOS Studio. No sound from SIDs 2, 3, and 4. I've run the test tone app, and I do get a sound that way from the other cores, so it seems everything on the hardware end is in order. However, when I set up the other SIDs with patches I get no sounds. This may be related to the first problem since I can't seem to get the box to react to MIDI notes. Does the PLAY button only work for SID 1? It would seem if I had other SID engine(s) selected it should play them, too. But I could be wrong here. Sorry to keep bothering you over my noob issues. Thanks!

aHA! I had neglected to put the jumpers back on J1 and J2 after testing the voltages when I was building the base PCB. I knew it had to be something simple like that. It's making beautiful sound now! I'm still having issues getting my MIDI note on/off messages to it, but I'm sure I just need to toy with it more. Thanks SO MUCH! I'll post more on me blog when I get a minute... w

I'm still getting no sound. :sad: Hooked it up to my studio. All connections are correct. I have 4 SIDs installed into the first two cores. I selected a patch onto both cores from the presets that I had installed. Everything is communicating on the the same MIDI channel. My MIDI monitors show that transmission is happening correctly (is there a way to monitor midi signals on the MB6582?) I've tried a lot of different patches too... Not a peep from it. :no: I've also gone into "play" mode and not a sound there either. I've been making some stupid mistakes, so I suppose I could be missing something huge and obvious here (again) but I'm stumped. Any ideas? Thanks.