smashtv

Hi guys, Late to the party as usual, I'll quote/reply on a few things.... This is an artifact of auto routing on a different grid than placement and requires hours/days of manual cleanup. Not crucial for making the board as long as all the connections are complete in the fabrication files (trace meets pad/no gaps) - but it can make the DRC useless which can hide more serious problems. and If you guys could come up with a basic spec for LED count and spacing something modular as a permanent shop offering would be workable. You have to specifically include it in the eagle CAM processor when generating the fabrication files, some of the default CAM processor settings are missing some layers vs. a 'full spec' board. This is a good price for small quantity.... my supply/vendor chain is more suited for large runs with high NRE/setup charges that do not make sense at lower quantity. I am happy to help with a bulk order for this without markup/at cost..... I can pack & ship to destinations where it saves cash or modify one of my ordering scripts to handle pre-payment and ordering, etc..... let me know how I can help. +1. What works fine with 15mA LEDs without drivers might fail hard with 25mA LEDs....lots of factors involved like per chip fanout capacity variance between different manufacturers, trace width, scan rate, capacitance on the LED supply rails, etc. Absolutely..... this is a very good first effort. Some of the aspects of the design make me nervous, like 10 mil traces with 8 mil spacing..... but I live by manufacturing rules where I must consider issues like over-etch or a speck of dust on a photoplot affecting yield percentages. If you are stuck on the routing after the driver addition(s) let me know, I'll give it a try. Sometimes I can get the high score on trace tetris. :) Does a .sch/.brd version of this exist that has the schematic changes from your last post and the LEDs and encoders still in place on the board? Best regards Tim

Just noticed your "status update" on this....... It could also use a correction (as well as anywhere else you might have posted this). Best regards Tim

kristal= now that you know the whole story, would you mind changing the title of the thread to something that provokes a little less fear/uncertainty/doubt? The new guys might not realize I have been doing this for a decade without injury or incident. Best regards Tim

Hi guys, I will do my best to reply without opinion or comment about "security" etc. Many other more suitable places on the net for talking politics and bureaucracy. :) The list they are feeding the sorting equipment (typically known as the "consolidated screening list") is not the US no-fly list you hear about on the news. The full consolidated screening list is freely available here: http://export.gov/ecr/eg_main_023148.asp as plain text or CSV. A name match like this is actually quite rare (3 or 4 times over the last 9 years), and is usually handled without issue. Typically one of the agencies with a three letter name asks me for info about what I am shipping and what it is used for. This is the first time I know of them contacting a builder instead of me for more info. As you can see from that list the dude they are looking for made it on the list three times with various addresses and variants of his name. 5 minutes on google shows he made similar lists in many countries including a UN list. (http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2008/sc9484.doc.htm) Lots of countries share these lists (including Germany who put dude on the list). Wow... Now I want more info. Found: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_bomb_plot_in_Germany Oof. Now I want less info - I'll scrub this post for direct references and leave only these links so you can look for yourself. Reason: I would rather this thread not show up in google searches for those nifty "security" watch words. Short answer directly to kristal=: Considering the list is shared by many countries, and this dude's buddies are/were making direct threats against Germany demanding his release, adding your middle name to any shipping or banking will definitely reduce the odds of -automated- bureaucratic interest in you. It definitely should have been investigated without contacting you (considering he is incarcerated), but bureaucracy and logic are often mutually exclusive. To everyone else: If you are contacted by any security agency about a parcel from me, your country or mine, let me know. No need to be intimidated. I operate in compliance with local/state/federal/international laws and I can answer any questions they have about use. I don't collect any personal info aside from name and shipping address, so any answers besides what it is and how it is used are not mine to give. Again without comment about governments and automated "security", in these times shipments of electronics will sometimes get a second look from various agencies. The cool thing is that when MIDIboxers are asked at the postal counter if a parcel is potentially hazardous, we can proudly answer "no, but the music it generates might be". :D Best regards Tim

Thomas (Seppoman, the designer) told Techobreath (the guy who did the layout you have) not to distribute/upload production files who in turn gave you the same restriction. Why are you are publicly offering files you know are meant only for closed/private testing?

Yes.... when I see an order with 4 PICs + 6582 boards I ship the PICs with 00-03 IDs, bootloader and MIOS written, tested and ready to load an app via mios studio (unless specified otherwise). Best regards Tim (aka SmashTV)

Not at all.... some of the best builds I have seen are in recycled enclosures. :thumbsup: $11 for the LPC core PCB only - $17 for PCB and MagJack. I realize that $27 for the parts kit causes some sticker shock, simply put quality parts and local lot testing costs more. Too many years as a tech replacing junk parts in otherwise good designs taught me the value of a verifiable supply chain. Quality fade afflicted connector plating and inferior capacitor catalyst might be acceptable for mass produced disposable junktronics, but I want these kits to live through tour use and work as expected when you pull it off the shelf 15 years later to show your kid/grandkid. :) Best regards Tim

Hi Jay, USPS to Canada has the usual GST/HST/PST but no brokerage fee. There is a fixed handling fee of $5 for airmail or $8 express that Canada Post adds for parcels subject to tax/duty. The couriers have some crazy random brokerage fees! Best regards Tim

Hi guys Doug seems to be listening on another forum http://www.electro-music.com/forum/topic-49667-75.html Hopefully a few public words from you there will lead to a quick resolution. Best regards Tim

Not at all.... honestly I have a stack here ready to go and was already planning to put them in the shop Thursday, but did it Tuesday instead. Recent discussions were a reminder I likely needed to not be quiet about it though. :) The kind words from every direction remind me why I do this. Thank you. Best regards Tim

Hi all! Time to clear the air about the seq cs waiting list and hopefully answer a few questions. First off many thanks to the guys who are patiently waiting an unreasonable amount of time. I finally got far enough ahead of things to buy enough boards for both shelf stock and ongoing shipping to the guys on the list, so I added the boards to the shop a few days ago. I wish it could have been sooner but money is tight and it took a while to generate a few thousand extra $$ to make that happen. To be clear: if you are on the list for a kit but would rather build now and self source the parts please do! Do not view it as some commitment that must be honored especially considering the unreasonable delays and lack of stated time frame. Let's call it an 'interested' list rather than a 'promise to buy' list. If you do go that route, I would really appreciate it if you would take a minute to remove your name from the list, as it would collectively save me some effort. If you do want a kit no worries, nothing has changed and you will eventually get a 'yours is ready' email from me. I could do some blame shifting here and talk about waiting 3 months for switch caps or 4+ months for lite-on to produce more bicolor LEDs, but there were things I could have done better to minimize some of it. It's much easier just to call it my fault and know that I learned some things about avoiding delays. I have been too quiet about progress and what happens behind the scenes, working under the concept that most would rather have my attention focused on their order not writing a blog about it. Quite a few have shipped and I'm obviously not done.... I am somewhere around halfway through the names. Fire away with any thoughts or questions, but understand I don't know when I will make it to your name so I would rather not guess and get it wrong. That answer depends on the guys before you (everyone gets 7 days to respond) and how much I can get done in a day with a full inbox to answer. Best regards Tim

Hi Napalmtree, One quick thing to check: If using a SIL/single row connection @J1 make sure you are on the row of pins with SI (closest to the edge), not the inner row with SO (that is a passthrough for mixed DIN/DOUT chains on the same cable). Best regards Tim

What was Thorsten's response to your plan? Please work that out before shopping for a third party to produce his work. We went a few rounds with Touched By Sound over commercial clones shown at musikmesse due to similar misrepresentation of IP ownership.... not looking for a repeat. Technobreath saw what seemed to be a plan to circumvent my effort as the underlying tone. Sharing the demand for these kits would break the economy of scale driving cost up. The people defending me here know I have large time and money invested in SEQ, and are understandably tweeked about you jumping in on the last mile to capitalize on the demand. Continuing down this path now that you know the story is what we are reacting to. They are likely reacting to what looks like you pushing me. 'best intentions' would be asking where we need help. The word community in the title is no accident. Would your reaction be similar if someone stepped up telling (not asking) what they are going to do with your work/time/money? What if they continued to debate even after you gave them a solution to their stated problem? How long would it take to decide who's best interest they were pushing you for? You are absolutely right, I don't know you. Take this chance to define yourself as either asset or issue here. I like a peaceful forum and I did not enjoy writing that line about your history. Sometimes I use pointed words to shortcut to truth..... Correcting the stated issue (immediate availability of the boards, two days earlier than I had planned) revealed a different motive. If you truly want to contribute just ask, there is plenty to do. Two paths ahead: 1) If you drop the production plans everyone takes a step back, cranks down the tone and plays friendly. I would love to just call it a bad day all around and move on. 2) Move the whole thread to the 'Sale Requests' forum. Choice is yours

I do not see your name on the list.... maybe you changed identities? It may not seem like anything is happening with these, but that is far from reality - they are actively shipping to the guys on the list. I just shipped 5x seq kits, about to pack 6 more, and I am $3000+ already into the parts for the next 50 kit run. I'll leave it to you to read my past writing here on the forum about why it is taking a while to make it through the rather ancient list, and to do the math to figure out how many thousands in cash I tie up in these kit runs for YOU while paying myself less than minimum wage for the effort. Don't let me discourage you from building your own, but also don't expect anything friendly when you show up with only 13 posts talking about poaching the effort I continue to sink into this while listening to constant bitching about how long it takes to do it right. Believe me it's very frustrating on my end to send out these "your kit is ready" notices, give them 7 days to reply only to get a 1 in 10 response. I had hoped that ratio would change as I got further down the list. So what is fair? Should I scrap the list and go free for all, knowing the turnaround time on my end will push into weeks due to demand spike or possibly months on things like waiting for more keycaps to be manufactured? Is that fair to the guys who have been patiently waiting?

It is probably for automotive use..... but UL/VDE/HSE/CE/CSA like ratings listed in AC terms so you end up with some parts like this that should say "3A 12VDC" on the side and be tested vs. a proper automotive electrical standard instead. Best regards Tim

No offense taken, sorry if my reply had the wrong tone.... Just trying to explain why I did what I did. :) I really like keyed connectors on everything and while they might fit the current boards, it is nowhere near optimal with some box headers covering mounting holes and other issues. Absolutely.... I just need to be careful with the timing of revisions due to cumulative NRE costs. I will attempt to minimize the pinheader vs. box header cost difference (by shopping the world for the right supplier/manufacturer). ;) Best regards Tim

I guess a simple "what Ilmenator said" won't do here..... ;) DINX4: Box headers can be used on the input lines also with slight modification (shave the corner off of J3 and J6 with a sharp knife else they will run into J1 and J2) DOUTX4: No mods on any connector positions - drop in some box headers and solder! PIC CORE: J8/9 will likely run into the PIC socket (depends on the brand of the header). Shave a bit off the corner of the header with a sharp knife or file and problem solved. All other connector positions fit without modification. Those layouts were done with an eye towards build cost and drop in compatibility (including size/mount hole spacing) with the official layouts. Low cost shrouded/box headers are a relatively recent thing, but that is no reason to assume that I did not consider them while playing trace tetris. ;) And some design time, and a few hundred $USD in NRE charges/photoplots/screens, and the associated cost to stock two variants of the same module as board and kit etc..... That does not mean I won't do some smaller prepaid bulk-order style fabrication runs of whatever is needed, and I'm always ready to help turn a schematic into a board layout on my dime for any public MIDIbox related project. Best regards Tim

No worries.... I did not read it that way. :) No. The "old" entry is OK. The new list format reflects the difference between the original offer (unworkable due to the effort required for hundreds of order variants and the age of the list) to the PCB only or PCB + parts kit options I have now. Best regards Tim

Quiet just means I am more focused on getting things done than providing personalized answers about the wiki list. ;) I am shipping SEQ kits just as I have been for months, with some breaks when parts go temporarily unavailable. Unfortunately back ordered parts are a post-econofail reality, but that is slowly getting better...... sometimes it's the bicolor LED, sometimes the switch cap, etc. but the lead times seem to be shorter each time all the distributors run out of a crucial kit part. To be clear for everyone on the list: Just like it says on the wiki page, I am actively making and shipping SEQ kits and when I have one ready for you I will let you know. If I don't see a reply within 7 days I offer that kit to one of the next names on the list. If for some reason this changes I will write about it on the wiki page. Best regards Tim

Hehe helmet needs some custom "shaping" ;) W06 is no problem, same part but higher rating. Keep in mind a lot of meters will beep/show a false continuity reading across a working .1µF ceramic capacitor.... guess what we use for bypass caps between +5v and ground.... Seen a lot of guys chase false short circuits due to this back in the coin op days. I'm sure I am reading this wrong, but if not continuity checks are done only when the device is powered off (else your meter will eventually complain via smoke/fire). Best regards Tim

ST = Surface mount in tape and reel packaging (Qty. 200)

That is not a bad idea.... or I can do it. After all it does not seem right for me to sell someone a kit they do not understand (and can't be bothered to learn about). I tend to avoid people with thoughts of entitlement to other people's time, so I'll simply quote an old friend who has been once around the ride already with Joris: Tim

Correct. The 165 inputs only use 8 pull up resistors per chip, leaving two spare resistors when using 6 pin networks. Since 6 pin networks are often easier to find, adding an extra pad so they can fit maximizes compatibility with available parts. Using the spare resistor in the array for the SC/RC serial line pull up is a convenient bonus. This makes me wonder about the networks.... there are several types, 'common/bussed' and 'isolated' are the most common: 6582 (and all past MIDIbox designs) require the 'common' type. 'isolated' will not work.... Is there any chance yours are the wrong type? Best regards Tim

Hi Dreamer, Based on the symptom set my first guess would be to take a close look at the 165 at U20 and all associated components..... an easy test for the chip would be to swap U20 with any other 165 to see if the symptoms change. I have seen wrong polarity on the R38 and R39 resistor networks cause similar issues, as well as using 5 pin resistor networks -and- leaving out R57/R58 (these are pull ups for the RC and SC serial lines on the shift register chain). So everything besides these buttons works as expected? Best regards Tim