Wilba

I did a lot of experimenting with the touch sensor feature of MIOS, with mixed results. One single touch sensor worked fine, but when I tried to expand that into an array of touch sensors, I got lots of false triggering, and spent a long time trying to work out what was going wrong, and eventually put the whole idea on hold. I'm not trying to discourage you, but warn you before you spend a lot on a front panels or PCBs to experiment fully... don't just think that because one sensor works that ten or twenty identical ones will work fine. There's also the issue of touching two or more sensors at once, which you will want to do with MB-SEQ I think... it may not work that well. I think what happens is J14 outputs a high pulse just before the DIN registers are sampled, and so untouched sensors will stay high (through some effect of the 47k resistors) but a touched sensor will be low because your finger just absorbed the current (that's the capacitance bit). So if you're touching two sensors, then your finger might not absorb enough for both sensors to go low. I wouldn't even begin to start experimenting again until I borrow another oscilloscope, or I'd go nuts trying to work out why it doesn't work >:(

hehehe I never called it "Mighty"...

That should work fine, some of those lock washers will stop the nuts coming loose... the ones that look like a ring that's split and bent apart. But have you considered using IDC headers with 90 degree bends, so the connectors fit horizontally?

I can craft some cool patches with my MB-SID, but I'm not that good at trying to copy a sound I've heard somewhere else. For example, check out the Moog Little Phatty and the sample called "Robot Sync". http://www.moogmusic.com/detail.php?main_product_id=227 It's an awesome looking synth, and only Moog could market a two-oscillator mono synth these days and get away with it ;) and surely a humble SID could produce something close to this "Robot Sync" patch, right? But for some reason I can't quite get it... There must be someone here who knows how to get this kind of sound out of a SID... so here's... MB-SID Patch Challenge #1 Make an MB-SID patch that sounds like Moog Little Phatty's "Robot Sync" http://www.moogmusic.com/detail.php?main_product_id=227 (click on the little ">" button to scroll through the samples) There has to be a prize for achieving this... I'll give away a spare PIC18F4685 (for MB-SID v2). Maybe I also will give away a 6581R4AR (which might have a dead filter, I'll have to check). Terms and conditions: The judge's decision is final. I am the judge. There can only be one winner. The patch that sounds the closest to the challenge patch will receive the prizes, but it still has to sound like the challenge patch, i.e. if I only get one entry and it's nothing like the challenge patch, no prizes will be awarded. Prizes not redeemable for cash. The winning patch may be tweaked and included in the default patches for MB-SID v2 (with credit).

I'll take that as a nomination! (I nominate the monodeck II in this category, that thing is awesome!)

I got lucky and found a newer one that's already black with a black cable ;)

So many people ask about those knobs in the other forums too. They're from Alltronic/ALBS. None left exactly like this, but the red ones like on TK's gear are still available. I'm sure I've posted about these knobs a dozen times at least... All my spare 6582 SIDs have gone on sale and been sold. I'll add you to the list of people wanting them if I get more, but there's no certainty I can!

Yes, eight "zzzzching"s every startup can be a little redundant. I think originally the idea was you inserted a BankStick into a port and it makes a sound like plugging in a USB drive or mouse ;) but when they're all hard-wired in, there's no need for it I guess. Look for the call to SID_TUNE_Play1 in sid_bank.inc and delete it. You could probably call SID_TUNE_Play1 just after the call to SID_SR_Init in main.asm (if you want a single startup sound).

I can't really help you with that... I don't know where to begin with calculating current requirements of the filters or op-amp stuff... I've been getting along just looking at max current values in datasheets. I do know that other people have worked on a circuit for supplying mixed voltages like you want, and dealing with the power drop from 12v to 9v and 5v... check on the forum, there's some good info there about how to put a high power resistor to drop the voltage without overheating the regulators. That's essentially your biggest challenge, how to use a 12v 2A transformer (which will be 12v at full load, and much higher when less loaded) and converting that into the lower voltages.

I use the C64 PSU (big black external transformer) which generates 9v AC at 1 amp and 5v regulated DC at 1.5 amp. This plugs into an original C64 power socket ;) There was no chance of fitting the required transformers into this case, and having it external is a neater solution even though it is a huge transformer! The drain on the 9v supply is not too bad... it is 25-40mA per SID, plus whatever the audio buffer circuit consumes (not that much I think), and on the 5v supply, it's 70-100mA per SID, although I can't see how it gets up to 100mA, maybe if it was switched to output on the data pins, or maybe it varies based on the oscillator frequencies or filter use (there's an internal resistor ladder made of MOSFETs for the filter control). So even in a worst case scenario, 320mA on the 9v supply, 800mA on the 5v supply... but you have to be careful because the "optimized C64 PSU" circuit adds the 9v to the 5v to generate 14v, and then regulates it back down to 12v or 9v... so some of that 320mA could be coming out of the 5v supply too (not in my case because I just regulate the 9v AC from the C64 PSU directly).

I forgot to answer this: Yeah, now that I have an excuse to YouTube something interesting, I might just do that... I just have to work out how to gaffer tape my camcorder to my head. ;)

I knew someone would eventually ask me that... ;) I didn't remove it, it's still in there, just turned off. I have to admit that it's too much distraction with them all illuminated, even just a little bit... the LEDs of the control surface get lost amongst all the light from the knobs. Perhaps if the panel was pale, like aluminium or grey or white, or if the knobs glowed white instead of blue, then it would be a nicer effect. One knob in isolation looks nice and pretty, but fifteen of them all glowing is just way too much!

dj3nk: I think he can buy them easily enough. Sasha: I don't have hundreds, just too many. I have lots of spare chips lying around not being used. Get the 24LC512 if you can, much better for MB-SID V2 anyway (and get some PIC18F4685 you need for V2 also). If you can't get them, PM me and I'll donate some chips to you.

That's old doco... It is definiately supported in MB-SID v1 (you can use 4x 24LC512 for 8 banks of 128 patches) and in MB-SID v2 (8x 24LC512 for 8 banks of 128 patches) and I thought the MB-SEQ v3 uses it too... it's compatible with the 24LC256, so only half would get used by apps that only require (and know about) a 24LC256. I've been shipping lots of SIDs lately, it would only cost you 1 or 2 Euro. I only offer because I've got heaps that need a good home... you did understand I'm giving them away, right? ;D

Probably Java is doing this, try reinstalling the Java Runtime.

Those yellow-green backlight displays usually have a green-ish background... i.e. it's green even when the backlight is off. That probably won't help reflect red light. If you're hacking ;) the black-on-grey edge-lit LCDs might be your best solution, but they're probably just as hard to find in 2x20 as black-on-red, and you're still stuck for getting good contrast. I think a green PLED would compliment your red LEDs very well, even though it's not red, you'll probably enjoy the much better contrast ratio and view angle.

Get the bigger 24LC512. About the same price, twice the memory, and with patches being twice the size in V2, you'll still have 128 patches per chip. If you just want 24LC256, I have plenty unused ones here ;D

Surely you can get PLEDs and all other exotic LCDs on eBay? Like here? http://stores.ebay.com.au/Sure-Electronics

However, for my MB-SEQ, I'm interested in hooking up the LCD backlight to the PWM output of the PIC (that's what is used in MB-SID to clock the SIDs)... that's got an awesome refresh rate, 10-bit resolution on the duty cycle, and runs in the background so no CPU load! (Sorry, slightly off-topic, what is it with this thread and hijacking? ;D)

I'm not planning a CS PCB batch, because I don't think there's many people who would want both PCBs, or want my "compact" CS design and be tied to exactly the same case and components. Many people create a CS to suit their preferences and component availability and budget. But there's probably enough people wanting to put this base PCB in their current MB-SID box or a new one to make a batch order worthwhile... especially people with quad-SIDs in C64 cases that have no room to put in four more SID modules. [img width=400 height=300]http://www.midibox.org/midibox_sid_blm_photos/04.jpg Does this look familiar? ;D I do have a spare CS PCB which I have no use for... perhaps someone might want it? ;)

Software PWM doesn't work as well as you'd think... I expected the LEDs on my SID to be dimmer with all LEDs in a matrix (so 1/8th duty cycle, 1ms "on" time) but they were still far too bright, and then reducing the duty cycle further made them flicker before they got dim enough. You'd need a much faster refresh to avoid that, not possible with MIOS for LEDs on the DOUT chain.

I'm no genius... ;D The idea actually was more of a discovery, in MB-SID V1, if you turn on OPS and add delays to each osc, you can hear the phase offset being different (intermittantly deterministic!) depending on the note played. When I had a think and worked out why this was happening, I realised you could achieve any phase offset just by "Test" bit toggling. Then I had to explain it to TK, and failed about three times, and finally wrote an app that demonstrated it and sent it, and that seemed to work... I'm sure TK had an "Ahh!" moment when he ran it. So some credit should go to Razmo who suggested OPS in the first place, this is just an extension of the idea.

Great news, Sasha... have fun!

If you recall the "OPS" (Oscillator Phase Synchronization) parameter in MB-SID v1, this would toggle the "Test" bit of an oscillator when that oscillator was gated, which would reset the waveform phase. This could put some or all oscillators in phase. Internally, an oscillator is set to a frequency (pitch) which will clock the waveform generator at a certain rate. Changing pitch does not reset the waveform phase, it is just clocked faster or slower. Therefore, once two oscillators have the same pitch and are in phase, you can change the pitch of both oscillators to the same pitch, and they'll continue to stay in phase. To set two oscillators to have a phase offset, you set both oscillators to the same pitch, toggle the "Test" bit on both (so they are both in phase) and then after a delay, toggle the "Test" bit on the second oscillator, which resets the second oscillator's waveform generator. The amount of phase offset is then relative to the delay and the oscillator's pitch. For example, if the oscillator's pitch is 1 kHz and wavelength is 1ms, then resetting one oscillator's waveform at 0.25ms produces 25% offset, 0.5ms produces 50% offset, etc. (TK actually uses a much higher frequency and much shorter delays, but the effect is the same).

You'll have to describe what you mean by "breadboard" and "perfboard" as both terms are vague... "breadboard" often refers to any kind of board you use to make a circuit (solderless or soldered pads). If "breadboard" to you means those solderless experimenting boards, where component leads are gripped in the holes, and "perfboard" to you means a board with holes, with or without copper pads on the other side.... then... I suggest you don't use either for your "first" MIDIbox. The solderless experimenting boards are just for experimenting. Use it to try out a circuit, test some LEDs, test a switch or something, but you would not want to put that in a box and call it finished. The "breadboard" you solder to, with individual copper pads around each hole, are good for lots of things, like mounting control surface components (you see that a lot here) and even building a complete MIDIbox, but it also means you need to be good at soldering and laying out components neatly and often soldering three or more wires onto the same pad (tricky). Your best option is to buy PCBs or kits from SmashTV and learn to solder, it's not as hard as you think, you put the component in the holes, make the iron touch both pad and lead, and then feed in some solder to the join. A PCB with fat pads and solder mask is easy to solder, and worth the time it would take you to reproduce the same thing with "breadboard" and lots of wires, and with a higher chance of success (no mistakes in wiring, less chance of shorts, etc.)