goyousalukis

Yeah, since you are getting those back I guess your midi in is working. Do you have pin 32  tied to +5? Pin 31 to Ground? Pin 1 should be tied to +5 via a 100 ohm resistor too. Pin 11 should be  +5 and Pin 12 should be ground. Pin 6(not pin 5) should be connected via 1k to +5v I don't think you need to ground pins 2 through 4. I don't have them grounded on my breadboard and it is working well. It shouldn't hurt though. Justin

You are right. I just blanked out my PIC and after I load the MIOS, it only sends one sysex string on boot up. It doesn't keep sending it. I would guess that something is messed up on you midi in. Double check your connections. Is your diode oriented correctly? Also I have switched the two leads going to the midi jack. Make sure it is connected as if you are looking at the back of the jack. Just some ideas. I hope you get it working. As far as an application to load to check if you are working, you can load the Magic Midi Delay program. It starts sending a stream of midi timing events on power up. Good Luck.. Justin

Hey guys, I just finished my first SID, and I also used the C64 PS. Everything is cool and it is nice and quiet, but there is one weird thing. After I play a sound, I can hear the sound continue on very faintly. This is particularly evident on the Wave Table sounds i.e. The Alien Groove Patch, but is present on all of the patches. If it is a Wave Table patch, the wave table keeps executing. Is this typical behaviour? I have tried it with two 6581's so far, and I get the same result. The sound will continue until I either play another note, or until I change the patch. Thanks for any help. Justin

I'd be happy to buy some and ship them out to anyone. I have already purchased from the seller here in the US. I can accept paypal. Justin Ahrens

Yeah Richard, I haven't thought of any. I just finished the basic SID step A, I want to make the Control surface like TK's, but I think that I will use the push buttons on the encoders to change the various items. I think that the most usefull implementation of the push encoder, would be on a mixer type platform. You could have the encoder change Aux Send One normally and then Aux Send Two when Depressed. I guess it would make more room and save one hole. I haven't found any cheap knobs yet. I have a bunch of .25" non D style knobs. I may try to modify them to fit, but they aren't very attractive. Coincedently, the jog knob from my Yamaha MU128 synth mod fits perfectly. I wish I could buy a bunch of these! Justin

On the core page, Thorsten recommends: So a 9v 500ma should work great.

Hello, since you mostly want to control software synths and hardware, I would recommend that you not try to build the motorized fader portion at first. I would think that they are mostly useful for controlling a recording software i.e. cubase with automation. I definately recommend you go with the premade PCB boards available. They save a ton of time and headaches. I just got my second core in the mail, and I had it running in an evening. It will probably take you a bit longer though. The great thing about Thorsten's design, is that you can start with a very minimal controller, and then add on as you gain experience. I think a great thing to start with is a Midibox TC http://www.midibox.org/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=mios_toy;action=display;num=1047332441 the connection diagram is very easy: http://www.ucapps.de/mios/midibox_tc.pdf All you need is a core, din (Digital Input Module), LCD, 6 buttons and an encoder. You also need a JDM programmer to load the bootstrap loader first. As far as configuring the midibox TC, you just have to change some text files. All of Thorsten's programs are written in microchip's Assembly language, although Thorsten has hinted that there might be a C option in the future. I hope this helps a little. As long as you have a soldering iron, and a digital multimeter, you can build these projects. There is a ton of support here on the forum too, so if you have questions, just post them here. Justin

Yeah, that's the same thing I did, just removed the little plate. I had the same idea as you about using the push button to choose a different value to change with the encoder. I don't think it would take too much code to check the button state when the encoder value changes. I don't know if I up to doing it though. At the price we got these encoders for, I'll just use one for each parameter and use the button by itself. Justin

Ok, I have some .25" knobs here that fit my .25" pots fine. They aren't D's but they are loose on my encoders. I might try to rig em up and stick something in them to make them D's

That is a good deal, but I don't think they'd fit. The encoder shafts are 6mm - a bit smaller than .25". I wish they did fit. The same knob and caps at mouser cost 29 cents and 33 cents apiece - over $100 for 200!

Hey.. those are the same ones I got! I haven't tried removing the detent, I'll try that today. I can vouch for the quick shipping and good deal with the seller though. d2k ... Let me know if you find a good source of knobs for these babies. I only see one (ugly) one in my mouser catalog, and they are pretty expensive. Justin Edit.. I just removed the detent, and they are very smooth! Also, they are easy to mount on a pcb. They fit on a regular board, just by enlarging two holes.

Ok, I got my encoders today, and I am just trying to get one to work on my test board. I only have one hooked up to one 74HC165. I do have all the 10k resistors on all the inputs. I am using the din_enc_v1 firmware from the test programs portion of the MBHP. When I turn the encoder, it registers the correct one - #1. The Inc Value is always $01 or $FF depending on the direction. I assume this is not correct behaviour? Two questions - do I have to wire anything different since I'm only using one IC? I do have the 10k on pin 10. Do I need to change any of the code since my encoders are detented? Thanks for any help.. Justin

Yes, I will certainly burn one for you if you need it. I'm in the US. Since the SID runs on MIOS, once you burn the bootstrap loader, you can load new versions via SYX.

Yes, but you need a PIC programmer in order to burn the hex into the PIC. You can either build the JDM programmer board shown under the MHBP section, or buy a pre-built (more expensive) pic programmer.

Hey d2k - Thanks a lot for finding the spec sheet. I searched the panasonic website, but I couldn't find it. I went ahead and bought 64 of them for $20 us. I figure I can't lose. Since it is only 15 pulses, does that mean it takes more rotation to change the valuse from 0 to 127, or does that mean a lower resolution? Thanks again Justin

Ok, I understand. I also realized that I can set the note number down to zero to create patterns. Thanks. I can't wait for the 18F MIOS version... Justin

Hi, can anyone tell me if these encoders will work? The price is right if they do! http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2547490807&category=26211 I've searched for a spec sheet, but no luck. Thanks!

The PIC is the only chip that needs to be programmed. The SID just comes right out of the C64 as is. No, you would just need the bootstrap loader. After that, you can load any of the programs, including the SID via midi. I believe so; like pay_c said, you can change patches via midi program changes. That is correct. Just ask him to burn the bootstrap loader. Remeber that you will need to build a power supply to power up the SID board and the Core. Thorsten has plans for how to do this using the C64 power supply.

Hello, I agree that you should use the JSynth at first until you get your sid running, and understand it well. Then if you want to use your controller, go for it. I think that parts kits are available from Mikes PCB shop, but if you go to http://mbhp.coinoptech.com/ , you can order the boards, and SmashTV also has complete parts lists with links to the parts at http://www.mouser.com . I have bought a ton of stuff from mouser, and haven't had any problems. You can also buy the PIC 18F from SmashTV's site, I think he will even program it for you if you ask. Remember that you will have to get your SID onm your own, you can't buy them. You also have to build or buy a programmer. Justin

Hello, I have a question from someone who is using the MBseq. In the description of the sequencer, it says 4 independent tracks, which I understand to mean that each track can have its own pattern of mutes. On my sequencer, all 4 tracks are muted or unmuted when I push a button, regardless which track is the active track. Is this how it is supposed to work? I thought that the mute leds would change based on which track is active, but they don't. This makes the sequencer not very useful as a drum machine, but it has the drums preset? Also, the mute patterns are not saved with the banks, is this correct as well? Thanks for any help... Justin

Well, Like clockwork! 20 min after posting to the forum, I found the fault: one of the leads to a pot was shorted to the can of another pot. Now I just have to figure out how to use the sequencer...

Hi, I have completed my mbseq project, but I am having trouble troubleshooting a problem. Here goes: If I load the MBSeq, I get all kinds of pot jitter. All the LEDs and Switches work fine, and the sequencer runs and outputs midi fine, but the screen flickers with the changing pot values. If I load the AIN test program, and all the pots are at 0, there is no pot jitter. If I turn any one pot to around 10, it will oscillate between two values i.e. 10 & 11. If I turn the same pot to a higher value like 100, it will stay steady. When I start turning multiple pots up, I get the pot jitter. I have tested the voltage at the extreme pots, and they all come up at 5.02. I have also checked, rechecked and checked again all the solder joints. Anyone have any ideas? Thanks for your help.. Justin

Hello, I have built a mb64seq with the old PIC. I have run the AIN test program, and it works great, but I am trying to get the dout test program to work. I would like to know whether all the LED's are supposed to flash on boot up or not. On mine only two flash quickly. Then when the program starts cycling, halfway through the cycle, those two LEDs light and stay lit. No other LEDs light. Also, does it matter that I am only using 16 LEDs? The test program cycles through 32. Is this a problem? Thanks for any ideas... Justin

Just a note from my experience: grab a scrap piece of wood or metal and drill some test holes to decide how tight you want your pots to fit in the holes. This will also help you decide on the spacing for the pots. Justin

Wow - your website kicks @$$ ! I wish it was around 6 months ago. I got some major headaches going through the Mouser catalog looking for the parts! Thanks for your time and effort. Justin