TK.

Sounds like two PIC pins are connected together, one outputs 0V, the other 5V Potential candidates are: [tt] Name | Class | Core Port | Dir | additional informations ------+-------+-----------+-----+--------------------------------------------- RC0 | B | J6/J7:RC | O | used to address the AIN multiplexers or the | | | | MF module. In both cases driven by an | | | | interrupt service routine. | | | | RC1 | B | J6/J7:SC | O | used to address the AIN multiplexers or the | | | | MF module. In both cases driven by an | | | | interrupt service routine. | | | | RC2 | C | J6:SI | O | used to address the AIN multiplexers, driven | | | | by an interrupt service routine. | | | | This pin is stuffed with an external 10k | | | | pull-up which could be useful for an | | | | application which uses this pin as input | | | | RC3 | D | J7:SO | O | used as serial output to the MF module, driven | | | | by an interrupt service routine. | | | | RD0 | E | J8:SO | O | serial output to the DOUT chain, driven by an | | | | interrupt service routine if MIOS_SRIO active | | | | RD2 | F | J8/J9:RC | O | serial latch output, used by an interrupt | | | | service routine if MIOS_SRIO active | | | | RD3 | F | J8/J9:SC | O | serial clock output, used by an interrupt | | | | service routine if MIOS_SRIO active | | | | RC4 | G | J10:RC | O | free for applications without restrictions | | | | if second CLCD not used | | | | RC5 | G | J10:SO | O | free for applications without restrictions | | | | RD4 | E | J10:SO | O | touch sensor strobe signal, used by an | | | | interrupt service routine if MIOS_SRIO | | | | active and TS_Sensitivity > 0 | | | | RD5 | H | J10:MD | O | address signal to LCD, clock output to | | J15:RS | | BankStick | | | | RD6 | H | J10:MD | O | RW signal to LCD | | J15:RW | | | | | | RD7 | I | J15:E | O | enable signal to LCD (exclusive!) | | | | RB0 | J | J15:D0 | IO | LCD data line #0 RB1 | J | J15:D1 | IO | LCD data line #1 RB2 | J | J15:D2 | IO | LCD data line #2 RB3 | J | J15:D3 | IO | LCD data line #3 RB4 | J | J15:D4 | IO | LCD data line #4 RB5 | J | J15:D5 | IO | LCD data line #5 RB6 | J | J15:D6 | IO | LCD data line #6 RB7 | J | J15:D7 | IO | LCD data line #7 [/tt] The same could happen, if one of these pins is connected to ground or 5V Best Regards, Thorsten.

On some LCDs this can happen very quickly, others are more stable. I remember that I plugged J15 the wrong way on a noname device (from Conrad) some time ago - it destroyed the LCD immediately. Just one week ago the same happened again with another LCD, I already was swearing because of my silliness, but what a luck: the LCD still works! Best Regards, Thorsten.

Hi, this is the typical screen of a non-initialized display. Maybe MIOS isn't uploaded yet? See also the bottom of thi spage: http://www.midibox.org/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=what_is_a_midibox Best Regards, Thorsten.

There must still something wrong, maybe the ground is not connected to the core, or the multimeter is not in the right mode. You could try this out by measuring the current through the power LED, it should be about 10 mA Best Regards, Thorsten.

And this is the MIDIbox SEQ built by dcer10 in a nice shining "acid green" case, it's really good work! :) More pictures are available here: http://www.dcerecords.dnsalias.com/gallery.html

This is the MIDIbox SID of dcer10 - the front panel fits nice to the mouse pad, no? :) http://www.dcerecords.dnsalias.com/gallery.html

So, you are using the optimized C64 PSU circuit? Did you connect the 5V at J2 or J1 (J2 would be the right one here, and note that the 7805 has to be removed in this case!) Current drain of 0 doesn't sound correct. To measure it, you have to remove one supply cable (e.g. the 5V connection), and you have to place the multimeter in between the break. You should measure ca. 7.5 mA w/o the PIC, and ca. 25 mA with the PIC. During code upload, you will measure short peaks of ca. 30 mA Best Regards, Thorsten.

Hallo, der PIC18F452 muss durch einen PIC18F4620 ausgetauscht werden. Bootloader und eine angepasste MIOS Version befinden sich im MIOS Update Package - falls Du den PIC nicht selber programmieren kannst, einfach bescheid geben, hier gibt es Leute, die das kostenlos tun (vielleicht auch in der Schweiz) Danach kannst Du auch schon die V3 aufladen - ein Link auf die Beta Version findest Du in der MBSEQ Sektion (neue builds gibt es fast alle 2..3 tage) Wegen des EUSART Bugs (Hintergrundinformationen und FAQ hier: http://www.midibox.org/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=mios_pic18f4620) benoetigst Du dann auch noch mindestens ein MBHP_IIC_MIDI Modul Die beiden Prozessoren (PIC18F4620 und PIC16F88) kannst Du bspw. bei farnell.ch bestellen Gruss, Thorsten.

Hi Robin, programming a BankStick takes a little bit more time than programming the internat flash. If acknowledges are missing, it could be, that MIOS Studio already sends the next block before the current block has been programmed. Increasing the delay between SysEx messages, e.g. to 750 mS or more, should help Best Regards, Thorsten.

I also think that this is a power problem - we had the same case some time ago. Chris: what are the specs of your Power Supply unit? (Voltage/Ampere) Best Regards, Thorsten.

Very nice! Sooner or later I will build a footcontroller as well, because it can become very handy, when one hand is tweaking on MBSEQ, the other on MBSID knobs :) Time to hunt for a case @ ebay Best Regards, Thorsten.

There is no special application available to test the memory (you mean: the BankStick), because it's normaly not required. If MBSEQ detects it, the connections are ok, if it doesn't detect it, you can be sure that there is a hardware problem. Maybe you missed to solder the connection between J4:SC and Pin #28 of the PIC? Best Regards, Thorsten.

Yes, I tested the sync feature on a friend's drum machine many months ago. I don't remember which one it was (he as many vintage machines), I only know, that it automatically started once the first clock arrived, and it stopped when MBSEQ was stopped, which was cool - it worked very stable (for my own surprise ;-)) Start/Stop/Continue signals are not implemented Best Regards, Thorsten.

The OPL3 itself doesn't include a filter, they have to be added externally, and controlled from an AOUT or AOUT_LC module. Up to 4 filters are possible (since there are 4 Audio Outputs) The WT sequencer of MBFM cannot send MIDI data, a drum demo can be found on my webpage, in the last YouTube video I used them as well. Don't expect too much - they sound cheap (but I think that this is the special attraction ;-)) Best Regards, Thorsten.

Great! I added the link to the Wiki :) Best Regards, Thorsten.

Sorry, maybe I misunderstood the term "Lead package" - I noticed via findchips.com, that the chip is not available in such a high quantity like the other ones, therefore it looks like it is discontinued. But I could also be wrong... Also S&H is very bad for the performance. Especially for MBSID and MBFM, where I want to control multiple external filters without loading the CPU that much. Under these circumstances I would prefer the TLV5630 before the others, since a LSB error doesn't matter so much here. Really difficult decition! Can't understand, why manufacturers don't use such a perfect interface/protocol like the MAX525 Best Regards, Thorsten.

Within the "pbrenner" documentation all supported PICs are explicitely mentioned Best Regards, Thorsten.

Hm, this sounds really bad, it could be that you've already destroyed the chips! (I don't hope so!) Especially the sizzling sound... hm :-/ It wasn't a good idea to connect both modules together before doing the first voltage checks as proposed in the walkthrough (http://www.ucapps.de/midibox_sid_walkthrough.html), now it will be really difficult and time intensive. I haven't so much time this evening to give you support, but maybe somebody else? I can only say: it makes sense to remove the SID module and to check the core stand-alone. Check it visually, try to find out, which tracks have the expected voltage, which not (then you know where a short could be located), check your PCB against the schematic... If you have luck, the SID is not affected and will still work. Read also the other articles in this forum, there are guys who had similar problems and got an intensive amount of tips - such "stories" could help you to understand the effects better (unfortunately nobody ever wrote a summary about this, but it would be worth a wiki page) Best Regards, Thorsten.

I don't like both of them. The serial protocol of the DAC7614 (especially the LOADDAC# line) will cost too much performance when many outputs should be updated periodically (MBFM, MBSID), and the LTC2620 comes only in a Lead Package, which means, it could happen, that they won't be available in 1-2 years anymore. A quad-DAC on a single board would be ok. Something similar to the DAC7614 (it can optionally be supplied with +/- 5 V, this is really great!), but with serial output and w/o the need for latching the DAC address would be perfect Best Regards, Thorsten.

Hi, as trigger outputs you can optionally use the 8 pins of J5 - this option has to be enabled within the setup_*.asm file Note that the AOUT_LC module is not supported by MBSEQ V2, it requires MBSEQ V3 (-> PIC18F4620, MBHP_IIC_MIDI module) Best Regards, Thorsten.

Hi Chris, it can have various reasons - either the MIDI In of your Core is not working, or the MIDI Out of your PC. It could be a software driver of your MIDI interface, swapped pins on the MIDI In plug, a bad soldering joint, etc... I've written down some tests which help you to debug this: http://www.ucapps.de/howto_debug_midi.html If they don't help, please write down the test IDs and the appr. results - maybe this could give somebody a hint about what is going on. Best Regards, Thorsten.

These a good points, Moebius! In general I'm not sure if the price/quality ratio of the MAX525 is still justifiable today (2 years have passed after the first release), and on the other hand I see users (including me) who just only want to control some CC's (like cutoff, resonance via MBSID or MBFM), where linearity doesn't really matter, and R-2R latters consume too much area if you want to realize more than 2 channels w/ high resolutions. But your point about parallel interfaced DACs should also be considered - are there better/cheaper ones available (I don't think so, but I could be wrong). Best Regards, Thorsten.

The reason why I gave you the link is, that the ML303 is a superior TB303 clone (although it's DIY, even professional musicans own it) which includes a sequencer which can alternatively send MIDI events. This means: you are able to build a 100% look-and-feel 303 sequencer + some additional features, which should be easily connectable to MBSID. The analog board can be omitted... and the digital part gets use of a PIC18F452, which shouldn't be new to you. I just feel that this is exactly for what you are searching for (so long the MBSID V2 breakout box is not available - I guess that this can still take one year) --- yes, the forum is in german, but there is an english section where you could ask for details. Sorry, I cannot give you much more infos, I never built this one, but I know the designer. Best Regards, Thorsten.

I'm not sure here, I never needed more than one MBFM - so, it's really your own decition. If you like the workflow, you could prepare the sounds from a "main" MBFM with frontpanel, and send the ready made patches via SysEx to the other MBFM, which consist of a MBHP_CORE, MBHP_OPL3 and BankStick module only. This can be done from the CFG menu (press the CFG+SyxD button) Best Regards, Thorsten.

Hi Robin, have you already considered to call the DIN_NotifyToggle(pin, pin_value) function, like MIOS would do when a button is pressed? Best Regards, Thorsten.