nebula

That's the one I was talking about. I inadvertently linked to his older site.

I don't think it will do MIDI and DIN sync at the same time. It won't talk MIDI and DCB at the same time. During the era of the Juno 60 Roland was pushing the JSQ-60 DCB sequencer ... the MSQ-700 was always kinda clunky. I think it's a great enclosure to build something in. It has a built-in power supply, pre-punched holes for MIDI jacks and stuff, a nice big display window ... it's practically crying MIDIbox! I seem to remember there are lots of jacks on that back panel, which might make for a really nice MBCV, or trigger-to-MIDI box, or something like that.

You know, that Juno filter sounds really sweet, thick, lush. It will self-oscillate but in a remarkably musical way. It kinda got me thinking ... You may already know that each voice on the Juno-106 uses a custom Roland IC called the 80017A, which is essentially a combined VCF and VCA. The reason many know that is because the IC is very prone to failure, and when it goes it causes the dreaded "I lost one of every six notes" syndrome. Roland no longer makes them, but in an effort to "save the Junos", some people have tried to clone the long since discontinued Roland IC. If I'm to believe everything I read, one guy has actually managed to get close enough that you can't hear a difference, using readily available parts. With the Juno-106 service manual it should be a cakewalk to figure out the pinning on an 80017A. So ... you could probably stick 8 of these filters on a board with an AOUT ... filter each SID from your MB-6582, or maybe use it as the basis of a Juno-106 clone.

I think you're on the right track. It's a pretty counterintuitive sequencer by today's standards, and won't even do MIDI to DIN sync. But it's a very cool looking enclosure!

Hi Brother, I have the envelopes and it appears that I am able to put up to 7 displays in an envelope. I plan to send the overseas invoices tonight. There is a bit of a dispute about the rate, which I am going to sort out. The invoices should look like this: number of displays (up to 7) x $4.00, + $2.00 handling, + 11.00 shipping. If you want more than 7 displays, add another $11 for shipping. All paid-up domestic orders but one shipped out on Saturday. There was one large order I couldn't fill because I couldn't get enough displays tested in time. (BTW there have been no defective displays so far). All remaining orders will ship this coming Friday or Saturday.

If you have the latest Acrobat reader I think it will tell you the special font you have to have installed to view that pdf, and prompt you for it. But there is also a pdf with just the drawing: http://www.optrex.com/SiteImages/PartList/DRAWING/ue_20116.pdf

Hi Seppo and all, I would be content to use that USPS Priority Flat Rate envelope. I'm not going to stick bubblewrapped displays right in the envelope and ship because I don't feel it's enough protection, but I would stick a small box in there. With that I'm confident I can fit 6+ displays into a package. I've got lots of little boxes. I would ask that you send me an email with your address and requested quantity even though we're still not 100% sure about shipping costs. I will assess the cost of shipping for you this weekend and send you a PayPal "invoice" back. If it's too much, then just don't pay it! My plan was to have much better shipping quotes last weekend, but in a very unusual set of circumstances I didn't get to the U.S. I will be there this weekend and next weekend for sure, though. By the way I also promised Canada Post shipping rates. For an untracked international package to any international destination, insured for $100, 4-6 weeks delivery: 250-500g (up to 3 displays): $7.50 up to 1 kg (up to 7 displays): $12.60 up to 2 kg (up to 16 displays): $18.50 ... so if you're not in a huge rush for delivery, I can ship out to international buyers at this rate TONIGHT. Otherwise I'll verify the USPS envelope for you this weekend.

As of now I'm caught up with all domestic invoicing. Nothing has shipped out yet because I didn't make it into the U.S. last weekend (which is extremely unusual). All orders which are paid up by 4 PM Eastern Time on Friday, September 28, will be shipped on Saturday September 29. All others will ship out by the following weekend. All overseas orders will receive an invoice this coming weekend, and if paid, will ship out by the following weekend at the latest. For everybody else who wants them but hasn't emailed yet ... well ... there are less than two days left!

Ilmenator: I'll check it out. I am in Canada and I will be getting more USPS tonight or tomorrow. The best thing you can do right now is send an email to the "slapback" address on the first post, give me your address, and mention that you want me to pursue that option. I have a stack of small boxes I still haven't packed. The only way I'd try it is to put the displays in a thin box, inside the envelope, because I'd be worried about the package being crushed, bent, dropped or tossed. But I will try.

^^^ those look expensive! may i ask where you got them and how much you paid?

I will be going to the post office tomorrow, and I'll get exact pricing on an untracked shipment to Europe. Canada Post has a feature called "international small packets" that I think will be acceptable - but I'll let you know for sure tomorrow. ALSO: I'm behind right now in sending out PayPal invoices, so please be patient.

Have you seen the current LCD group buy? Prices are pretty similar, but these ones are blessed by a MIDIboxer.

That was tough for me. When I heard that these displays are not compliant I immediately concluded (prematurely?) that I would not want to risk being fined for shipping the display to Europe. But I just looked at the web site at http://www.rohs.gov.uk , where the governing bodies behind RoHS seem to want to post their dogma. In their FAQ section I shockingly found this: I'm willing to run with that if you are! So ... I am prepared to ship to you, on the condition that you assume full responsibility, should the package be confiscated or what-have-you due to RoHS non-compliance. I will also require that buyers pay for trackable packages with proof of delivery when shipping to Europe, as with all other destinations outside of U.S. and Canada.

Gone! I stuck the info about connecting two LCDs onto the midibox_seq page ... and I acknowledge it needs to be cleaned up too, but the info is there. A page at a time... :)

In another forum I was asked how I tested these displays. I previously linked to of me testing a few of the displays. I was using a ribbon cable I stole from an old computer. I left the IDC connector on one end and soldered the other end directly to the display pins on a MIDIbox CORE module. As a result, the pinout was correct on the ICD connector. I plugged a dual inline (DIL) header into the IDC connector, which left me some little conductors sticking out. The backlight pins are on the opposite side of the display, and I soldered two individual wires directly to a single inline (SIL) header for that. The SIL friction fit quite nicely into the backlight terminals on the display, and, while holding the display in my right hand, I put a small amount of pressure on the DIL header to ensure all 14 of the contacts made a connection. Finally, with my left hand, I connected power to the core and ensured TK's MIOS copyright message appeared.

This is an incredible value, which I am really proud to offer to the MIDIbox community: Optrex DMC-40267NY-LY Display [+]40X2 Character LCD[+]MIDIbox-compatible (HD44780)[+]EVERY MIDIbox project on ucapps.de will work with this display, and it is required for MIDIbox FM and MIDIbox SEQ.[+]Recognized Optrex Quality[+]Bright LED backlight[+]Does not require the dreaded Negative Contrast Voltage, allowing simple 1:1 connection with CORE[+]Individually Tested by Yours Truly[+]LINK: Datasheet [img width=320 height=320]http://rocky.digikey.com/WebLib/Optrex/Web%20Photos/DMC-40267NY-LY.jpg (click for larger image) Yours for $4.00 each + shipping + $2.00 handling, in U.S. dollars. Shipping varies by weight, destination and method. By default I will quote your best shipping value. An order of 10 displays weighs a lot more than 1 display! I regret the need to charge the $2.00 handling fee. I have already calculated that these displays including shipping and wire transfer fees cost me only slightly under $4 each. The $2.00 handling fee covers the cost of packaging, shipping, and PayPal fees. Since there's a handling fee, there is no minimum order. There is also no maximum number of displays you may order. HOW TO GET IN ON THE ORDER: Send me an email. Remove "MIDI" and "BOX" from the following email address: midislapbackbox@gmail.com Indicate how many displays you would like, your full address, and your midibox.org forum name. You will receive a PayPal invoice for the full amount including shipping. If you would prefer a method of shipping other than standard parcel mail, please say so and I will accomodate. MIDIboxers outside of Canada and USA will be required to spring for a trackable package. Look carefully - the invoice will be coming from my usual (personal) address. I live in Canada, near the U.S. border. I have brought some displays to Canada, however most will stay in the U.S. For this reason I am able to promise I will seek out the best postage between our two countries. While this display is not RoHS compliant, I will ship to Europe on the grounds that it is not to be used in a product to be "put on the market". European buyers assume all responsibility for shipments that get held up or confiscated for this reason! I am not a company who is mass-marketing stuff. I just want to get some nice displays into the hands of MIDIboxers everywhere. (This paragraph was edited, as the bulk order originally excluded Europe). I have enough displays that I highly doubt this order will sell out. If it does, priority will be given to individuals whose payment is received first. All emails will be responded to in the order they are received. I will do my best to answer questions posted in this thread, but if you want displays you must email the address above. Finally: this order will close at 12:00 PM EDT (noon) on Friday, September 28, 2007. I need to have an email from you by that date! If I am left with any displays after this order, I may elect to sell them, but they will cost more.

The bulk buy is starting tonight. You ask a good question so I'll mention my test method in the Bulk Buy post.

OK, I found myself editing this page when I was looking for some Bankstick information, and it occurred to me that this page should probably be merged into "midibox_seq", and then "seq" deleted. But before doing something like that I wanted to see how many links might end up broken! So, my question is: how can I determine which pages link to "seq"?

You only need to do it once, so make sure you follow each individual conductor to ensure it's going to the right place on the LCD. Incidentally, if you are planning to use the Optrex 40x2 LCDs from the forthcoming group buy, there is an accurate graphic of the pinout on this 1-page pdf drawing: http://www.optrex.com/SiteImages/PartList/DRAWING/DMC-40202AZN_drawing.pdf If you plan to mount your LCD to a front panel, remember that you may prefer to put your header on the BACK of the LCD - in which case the pins would obviously be backwards.

My understanding is that it's stable for about 3 octaves surrounding wherever you set the oscillator pitch to. So it's good for bass or lead sounds, but you would need to re-tune the base pitch to change that.

^^^ be really careful there. sorry i don't know the pins offhand, but google could probably tell you. be careful not to plug the sound outputs into something they don't want to be plugged into. That really WILL toast your SID. The more I think about it though, I think you should try to get your courier company to pay you for the whole thing, then find another C64. If the sound doesn't work, it's entirely possible that the shock of whatever happened to it stressed the connections to, or in, the RF modulator. And even if it was a bum SID to begin with, why should you have to replace it when your courier will?

Sorry ... didn't finish my last post ... you're right. That makes total sense.

But does that really matter when you've just got flying leads on the other end anyway?

Yes. And you need to connect them to separate MIDI ports. This is just like how all Logic Control / Mackie Control units work: each 8-channel unit requires its own dedicated MIDI input and output. So you'll need a MIDI interface for your computer that has I/O for each Logic Control / Mackie Control you want to run.

PT-10 would likely fit 1 or 2 COREs and SIDs, plus a complete control surface, but it would be tight! Maybe somebody around here would have an empty C64 case laying around that they could send you for the cost of shipping. I know I have several C64s here, but I need to decide which I'm going to keep as my regular ol' C64. I do have a Commodore 128 case, which probably has enough room... let me know by PM if you want it and I'll send it to you (for the cost of shipping). Otherwise ... be creative and look around ... tere are lots of enclosures you could build a Step C control surface with 4 SIDs into.