reincarnate

Ah, Obi Wan has taught you well..... Thorsten has already taken care of it. If you look under MB Hardware Platform on the navigatgion bar on the left on the uCapps site and click on an individual unit (e.g. Core Module), there is a section called "Used Components". Here Thorsten has put a link to his Reichelt order list. I think there is one for every module. Here's the link directly to the USB order list as an example of what they are like http://www.ucapps.de/mbhp/mbhp_usb_orderlist.txt I was going to get an order lists together for Farnell, but this was going to take me 3 days, and I think it would still take that amount of time for anyone to order from them! Don't know about the motor faders, but search on this forum because theres been a lot of talk about it. Steve

;D ;D Thanks Pay, very useful. The technical stuff was good too ;D But I'd really like to finish my MidiBox before I die ;) I'm in London - have a look at this from another thread! http://pub30.bravenet.com/guestmap/view.php?usernum=2503882551

Yes - I've got one of these in a Roland Handsonic. And I've been thinking about the same thing - I intend to make a MidiBox with one in. I thought OpAmps needed +/- volts, rather than + and ground (e.g. a +5v supply and a -5v supply rather than +5v and 0v) and I think this is the problem with using them. However, I think you know more about this than me, Pay_C, so feel free to correct! In fact, why don't I share with you my idea for a MidiBox, because I'm going to have the same problems: I want an IR sensor to wave my hands at 2 joystick controls (I like the idea of X-Y simultaneous control of midi parameters) 2 touch strips (again, like the Roland Handsonic and other Roland Stuff) The IR sensors and the touch strips both have the same problem of output voltage range. I think I will have the same problem with the joysticks because the Pots inside wont go through their entire range. I was hoping there was some way of scaling the values in MIOS, but I haven't looked into it enough (at all!) to know if this is possible. If I understand correctly, the PIC ADC converts 0v to 5v to a 10 bit number (0 to 1023 decimal) which is quite a bit bigger than the 0 to 127 usually required in midi control codes. In fact, a change of 1V on the input will give a range of approximately 204 once converted. So 0.4v to 3.1v should give a data range of approx. 81 to 330 decimal. So it should just be a matter of doing some maths in the firmware to get the range you (and I!) want. Heres another possible solution. The PIC18Fxxx data sheet says that the reference voltage for the ADC is software settable. I think this means you could tell it that 0.4v should be taken as zero on a conversion. I've not tried any of this, and I've got to start building my cores before I can even try. If I'm talking rubbish, please somebody shoot me ;) Steve.

Yeah, ordering online was like painting the hallway through the letterbox. S.

;D ;D ;D Just managed to order parts for 2 x Core, 2 x Din, 2 x Dout, 2 x Ain, 2 x LTC, 1 x JDM, 1 x SID at Reichelt in less time than it took me to order 11 parts at Farnell. 70 Euros!! (PICs and power transformers I already have). Just hope they are there when I arrive in Germany this weekend ;D ;D I guess the lesson is....forget Farnell... Steve

Thanks Dan. I managed last night to specify 11 items out of 14 for the JDM programmer, in only 3.5 HOURS!!!!! It took me an hour alone to specify the D-Sub, and I'm still not sure If I managed to specify one with the screw in anchor points for the male D. I will check out both of your recommendations - I could get them from Reichelt and get them sent to my German address to save me cash and postage. I left some feedback with Farnell...it was polite. It will be interesting to see what they say. Thanks again Steve

Ah-ha, So I think when ordering IC Sockets, the 0.6" refers to the width, and the number of pins refers to the length, so that 0.6" 40 way would be required for the PIC, and (if required) 0.3" 8 way would be required for the EEPROM chips 24LC256.... ...it's very quiet in here...am I the only one here? HeHe better get another can out of the fridge  :) Hope someone else finds this useful Sorry, just realised I've posted all this in the wrong topics.

OK...getting some ??? progress....any tips, advice or anything welcome. I'm going to make up an order list whilst I'm here.... ...Steve

Hey Guys HELP!!! I've been trying to put an order together from Farnell - probably a big order (if I can get there ;)) - couple of cores, DIN, DOUT, AIN, SID, LTC. Basically I'm confused ???. I've started with stuff that I expected to be simple, but it just isn't! I've tried searching on things like "D Connector" etc. In this case I had so many results (and few pictures) that I couldn't work out which one to get (even when I got what I thought I needed, there appeared no way to specify 25D or 9D socket). When I try searching on other things (e.g. SIL Header) I get no results. Searching on SIL returns 694 results, most of which without pictures. Again same problem. Can anyone help me on how they have managed with this? I think part of the problem is that the site is particularly un-user friendly. Crownhill doesn't have the range of components. I've considered Maplin, which appears more user friendly, or perhaps RS Components. One more thing (what, more???). Can anyone tell me how to specify the IC sockets? I've realised that I've got quite a few chips of different sizes already, and the sockets don't just get longer, they also get wider :-) If I'm missing something or if there's a Farnell part list on the uCapps site (haven't found it!) please let me know! Thanks Steve

Aluminium knobs that is, not steel balls :D (Sorry I'm a 14 year old boy trapped in the body of a 32 year old man :D)

:D He he. Sure will. I asked someone here the other day if their mouse had steel balls ;D I'm planning on getting some of them soon, hopefully within the next 7 days. When I do I'll let you know what I think. S.

I got my samples from Microchip after 2 weeks, even though they said 4 months, so worth going for even if you think your box will be finished by the time they arrive.

Hey! Nice idea - like it. I live in London Monday to Friday trying to get a job, and I live in Giessen in Germany where my fiance is (and my studio - arrgggh!). So you can see I really need something in the evening to keep me out of the pub :-) BTW it has it's advantages - Germany is cheaper for secondhand C64s on Ebay, plus some other parts too. I'm in Bow in London. Where are you Dan? Steve. P.S. Ian, yes, my first post was not my last :-)

Hey Peshay, I know what you mean. I've found some really nice looking brushed aluminium knobs - although not quite the same as the ones in the picture. You can get them at http://www.maplin.co.uk/ order number YR65V. They come in different sizes, from £1.09 to £1.69 (small bulk order discount). I think I've seen them at Farnell (www.farnell.com), example order numbers being 662380, 662409. Best thing to do is search on "Aluminium Knob" and it will give you the entire range. Maplin is in the UK only (I think). Farnell looks like it's everywhere. Where are you?? Steve

You guys got me thinking....still, the time of action will be coming in a couple of days with boards aplenty from Mike. I've been looking at the joystick problem - that they are expensive and how to come up with something cheaper. I like the idea of 2 axis control and my first box is going to contain 2 joysticks from an old radio control unit. Now to the point. I've got an old MS Mouse here with the cover off, and I think it will stand being turned upsidedown and being used as a tracker ball. It seems to move smoothly with it's weight on the rollers. By drilling into the ball and screwing a shaft into it you have a joystick. Now I know it won't be an analogue type, it will essentially be a two-axis encoder. So what? Well, if another roller and led pair are used, it can be mounted at 90 degrees to the other two. So by rotating the joystick shaft you'll get a endless 36 tick or so encoder. (i.e. x and y axis as per standard mouse setup, then another one on a z axis). So you'll have a 1 handed 3 dimenional encoder control :D I've not started my Midibox yet, so the only thing I'm not sure of is how encoder use will map on to my synths. But I'm really interested to give it a go. Will post some details when I do. To allow maximum joystick range, half of the mouse ball will need to be exposed, which means it can pop out. I was thinking of mounting a magnet underneath, just to give it a bit more "stick" if the midibox is moved. Is this a bad idea for any of the electronics? d2k, was the stuff inside your mouse ball steel? This one feels really heavy, but I can't find a magnet anywhere (and I'm not going to start taking apart my monitors ;) Steve

The track is really good :o. Is this a band or arranged samples? What kit are you using??? Steve.

Excellent - was wondering where to get c 8) 8)l coloured LCDs from - haven't found them in UK yet. Ta! Steve.

I was going to use it to put my sandwiches in.... ;) Seriously, I was considering it for SID (or perhaps a non-midibox project), but I'm in no position to buy one yet anyway. BUT! I have read quite a few old posts on this forum asking where to get 1U racks from. Thought it could help someone. Auction now over - but I will what out for the guy in case he resurfaces and ask about how the boxes are built. Thanks for the feedback. The Future Music plug was a letter telling the magazine they really should do a feature on DIY because all of the incredible stuff going on here. It's how I found you all. Looking forward to building a dedicated control surface for my PLG-AN150. Steve.

Hey Guys, First off - I'm totally inspired - Thanks Thorsten for all your work (and all you forum contributors!). Can't wait to get my teeth into one of these projects. Did you know you got a plug in the letters page of Future Music last month? I've found someone on eBay selling 1U Aluminium cases without front panels - he's asking £18 each, which seems to be cheaper than others I've noticed in this forum. The lot number is 2534673763. I would be buying one myself, except can't start my project until I've got a job (arrrgh!) The bad news is that it ends in an hour or so. He said he had 4 to sell. So far he wouldn't tell me where he had them made, so if anyone successfully buys, can you ask him and post here?? I've also found a source of Pots and Knobs - http://www.omeg.co.uk/. They seem to be the ones used on the TL Audio FatMan compressor. Smooth, but the knobs are maybe a little plain. Not sure about pricing. Hope this helps someone! Steve.