seppoman

mike's shop works for me - maybe you deactivated JavaScript or some other technology on your browser? btw you know that this USB module is obsolete (outdated) and won't get much support in future? Check the GM5 instead. S

http://www.midibox.org/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=where_to_order_pre-made_printed_circuit_boards_pcbs_and_parts_kits

IC3 pin 3 comes directly from the DAC when the jumper for channel 3 is set to unipolar mode (one jumper horizontally). You mean there's a short to GND, right? Is it present if you remove IC3 and the channel 3 jumper? If not, maybe the short is located around the DAC. If yes, maybe while soldering you've damaged the green protective laquer somewhere and made a connection with a large tin blob? If you don't find the short yourself, maybe you could post some hi res pics of your board? S

all sold :)

That's a great product, I want one, too - wonder if there's a DIY kit version available? I'd need it for my school project! 8) S

you can relieve the 7805 by following this pdf: http://www.ucapps.de/mbhp/mbhp_core_power_fix.pdf. This is working fine but you'll still need a good heatsink. I mounted that 7809 onto the back panel of my case using heat transfer paste (the stuff you use for computer processor coolers, too). That PT regulator is a switching regulator, so everything that is said about possible noise issues of switching PSUs applies here, too. There are several parts on the market that provide similar specs but are much smaller, e.g. the Recom R-78xx series (http://recom-international.de/pdf/Innoline-2008/R-78xx-1.0.pdf, available at Conrad) or the CUI V78 series (http://www.cui.com/pdffiles/V78XX-1000%20Series.pdf, available at Digikey). You might be able to use these with success, but they will introduce some noise to the 5V supply that maybe needs to be filtered out (some coils and capacitors necessary). Usinge the above cirquit with good heatsink is certainly the easiest way. S

Rutger, that's a fantastic machine :o Glad you finally finished it. I also think your demo tune is just great, you should definitely do an extended version of it that doesn't end so abruptly :) oh and btw, please also share your mbsid patches as you're obviously one of the few people who doesn't just use the presets ;) S

I'm not calling anyone anything (and no, I'm not even a member of AH so I'm not associated to that link). But if you read that link closely, you'll see that half of the posts are about Chipsforbrains who is called a good trader there and still some people wrote they got nonworking stuff from him he didn't even care to replace, and the other half is divided evenly between people saying HKSS is a good trader and people who are saying either they heard something or they got wrong stuff but didn't report back if they got a refund or replacement. I'm not saying nobody ever got wrong or counterfeit parts there, but I guess that's a risk you're needing to take if you're buying long gone parts from anybody. At least my impression is that his quota of good to bad parts is not bad enough that anybody should claim that he purposefully and mostly sells crap. He's selling a lot of stuff - maybe he doesn't check his sources too much in depth and/or doesn't care too much if the stuff is original... Anyway, what I asked from you is (and that was the original topic here, no?): do you have any evidence (or at least a link to hearsay ;)) that this x0x seller is in any way associated with HKSS? If yes, please post it. S. oh and P.S. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caveat_emptor this has nothing to do with monarchy :P

Hi, first, a "user project" is defined as a project that is aready started and progressed to some extent, and has some documentation online on the Wiki. So this thread needs to be moved to the Design Concepts section of the forum :) Creating a low cost AOUT that is easier to build and better than the AOUT_LC is a nice idea. The MCP DACs would probably be suitable for that. But I'd suggest using the MCP4822 instead - it's only DIP8 and has an integrated voltage reference. for the 4922 you'd need to add an external reference which makes the module more expensive and more complicated (good references cost a few dollars and are mostly available as small SMD parts). Other than that, the MCP4822/4922's specs should be ok for such a project. Setup time/latency is no problem here (actually, slower signals might even smoothe the CV a bit which is desirable). For communication, you'll need to write your own MIOS driver that supports the DAC's SPI protocol. You can find information in the part's datasheet. It's a quite simple protocol. Perhaps it's a good starting point to take a look into the AOUT_LC's and AOUT_NG's MIOS driver while reading the TLV5630's datasheet. Good luck :) S

So here's another case of unsubstantiated Partspipe/HKSS bashing... I googled xoxbox/x0xb0x and Partspipe and can't find any reference stating that they've got anything to do with this. And we already had a few threads about them where nobody ever brought evidence of a case where Partspipe really betrayed someone on purpose (except for one competitor spreading rumours). I guess that competitor was quite successful ruining their image in the DIY community as a lot of people "read somewhere" that Partspipe are bad traders and spreads the word further on. Several people here, including me, have dealt with them without problems. Even if these kits should be of mediocre quality and even if they're sent from Hong Kong or China, you know these countries have quite a lot of citizens ;) So if you've got proof that the seller is in fact Partspipe, then show it. S

Have a look at the topic of this thread and you will notice that this is about a CONTROL SURFACE PCB :P - that means, there's no core module included on the PCB so you'll need to build a core and connect it to this PCB :) S

I've got about 15 PCBs left, so if you still need some PCBs, follow the instructions here: http://www.midibox.org/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=ssm2044_pcb_bulk_order First come first serve :) S

well you're replying to a VERY old post. Back in these days the Midi filter was still running on pic16, but that has changed. The midi filter/processor page now is more or less a starting point to coding MIOS in C, and both these infos mean, everything that is written there is meant for PIC18 (MIOS never existed for PIC16, just like there was never an official way to write apps in C on PIC16). I don't know exact numbers, but with only MIOS loaded, there's a lot of space for your custom application. I really doubt there's anything you'd want to do to only 16 Midi channels you couldn't fit into a PIC :) Banksticks are not useable as direct code space. They're meant as a means to store patches for e.g. a synth. If you wanted to have like hundreds of completely different filter setups, you yould use a bankstick as storage for that. S

Midi connectors are already on the core module (or are you talking about a USB Midi interface?). From a minimal control surface you can adjust every parameter of sound including filter/osc. But you will need to go e.g. to the filter menu page, select cutoff and then adjust etc. So that's the minimal solution, but you can of course add more encoders and buttons if you want direct access to certaion parameters. S

Well that's what I meant by "refurbished". I wouldn't call them fakes because they're still SIDs, the only lie about them is that they were made to look like new ones and are sold as such, so you might expect most of them are in perfect working condition, which they're not because they're pulls from old C64s. So with these out on the market, Wilba's SIDs are the only ones you can actually buy and be sure that they'll work. Buying SIDs from other sources who claim they're working is gambling as long as you don't have any means of testing them upon arrival. But even if yours would be this kind of "fake", they might still be perfectly working. S

I don't think there's reason to beleive you've got fakes - there are various versions coming from factories in different countries in slightly different plastic bodies, as far as I know most of them have some kind of country marking on the bottom side. I'm not sure if there really were any confirmed cases of fake SIDs (fake in the meaning of "any other DIP28 ICs that had a different function but were relabeled as 6581"). Lately, some "renewed" 6581s get sold, I've gotten a few of these myself. But these still are real 6581s. They only were kind of refurbished from the outside, i.e. they look like new old stock but there are some hints they're not original state - e.g. they're a little bit too black with a very bright white printing. But these still are real SIDs and many of them work fine, chances to get working ones are not much different to buying used C64s. Do you have any links to people stating they definitely got fake 6581s? S

That's right, only problem is that it sounds like crap as 6581 and 8580 sound too different for stereo sounds. Actually even different 6581s sound very different (basic sound, different behaviour on filter sweeps etc), so if stereo is important I'd suggest using only 8580 or 6582. The other question is: Do you really need stereo for a minimal setup MBSID? In my opinion, the possibility for stereo sounds is a nice addon, but to experience the raw power of Sid sound, I still prefer a single (mono) 6581 to any stereo stuff. That's because even the "newer" SID revisions don't sound predictable enough. On one hand, that's a good thing and brings life to the Sid sound, but it also leads to a blurred, less "in your face" sound if you play the same sound on two sids in stereo. Of course that's a matter of taste. For a really minimal setup, I'd suggest to start with a single core and sid module, and a minimal control surface, i.e. a 2x20 LCD, 9 buttons and one encoder (to connect these you need one DIN module). You can always add more sids/cores, complete control surface etc later. S

that should probably be ok as long as the switch is a "break before make" type - although to be on the safe side I'd try to avoid that. I never had any issues with plugging in modules while power is on, but there might be a difference in ground potential between the two boxes if they were running on their separate PSUs without a connection which could cause short overvoltages if the switch closes very fast. S

As there's already two Midi outs on the core32, i.e. 32 midi channels, and that is even expandable, wouldn't it be easier to just define once for the whole song what port/channel/instrument a track is routed to? In my opinion there's enough channels to do really complex arrangements with a lot of sounds (as long as you could e.g. insert patch change events into the patterns). I'd say making things as flexible as possible is sometimes making things harder to use. Obligatory separate settings for each pattern is too commplicated, and the idea global instrument definitions might seem a nice feature. But from my experience with the rather complicated memory structure of older Korg synths like the Wavestation - the WS was very annoying because if you used a basic voice in more than one patch, you couldn't change one patch anymore without possibly affecting others and so you always would try to use only the most basic sounds more than once. I'd say keeping things integrated to a patch sequence is probably the easiest way. Maybe a function to copy settings from another sequence would be handy :) S

if you take a look at the mb-6582 docu on the wiki and forum, you'll notice that mb-6582 is (mostly) just an implementation of the regular MBHP modules put together in a clever way to a unified pcb. All the regular core module's headers are there and can of course be used just like on regular separate modules. [edit - Warning - while you were typing a new reply has been posted] which core are you talking of? Do you want the box be usable as a standalone MB CV, too? for that you could use a 5 throw dual pole switch to connect the aout_ng either to that integrated core module or to the connector for the mb-6582. If that wasn't your idea, yoou don't need an extra core on that box. oh and btw, that aout box will need an extra bipolar +/- 12V PSU. S

If you didn't intend some unexpected connector pinout, I'll have to annoy you again ;) I.e. if the input connector should reflect the "natural" order of transformer outputs, you'll need to change the schematic in order to have the outer both pins connected to the rectifier while the center tap is used as + for the 7805. other than that, the cirquit looks good. I'd probably keep it like that. Cloning the C64 PSU would mean you need a different transformer (2x9V without! center tap), plus you wouldn't be able to keep all the heat outside the midibox. The original C64 plus "PSU_optimized" is not the only way to happiness, it's just a clever way of making use of the C64 PSU which many people get for free while buying used C64s. Re the layout - looks good :). I'd maybe change the Isolate value of the gnd plane to get more clearance around the pads (lower probability for manufacturing errors) and try to get the thermals a bit wider (the little traces connecting gnd pads to the plane). It's always better to have a good connection to gnd to achieve a silent supply. If I remember correctly, this is done in Eagle by changing the "trace" width of the gnd polygon. S

that sounds like a baud rate issue, i.e. you're receiving crap because the pic sends the upload request at 38400 baud while your midi interface expects the standard 31250 baud. That's because of the 100 PIC ID, which selects the to-com interface via LTC module. I'm afraid there's only two possible solutions: 1) get the to-com/LTC interface working and upload the ChangeID application via serial Midi driver or 2) use a PIC burner to reset the ID. S

sure, if a MB supports the AOUT_NG, you can connect anything CV-controlled you like. I'm not sure why you would want to do that though, apps like MBSID or MBCV are probably better suited for that. You should use NRPN to control the cutoff, the 127 steps of regular CCs would sound very steppy. I didn't try this out. The procedure will be similar to the one explained on the Wiki. Maybe it would be easier to first calibrate the modules using MBSID like described, and afterwards change the app to mb64. S

uhm yes sorry, just forget what I said ;) I think the solution that you already built, with some added capacitance, is still not a bad idea :) S

would you mind to consider telling us what exactly you mean? m00dawg: no need for using a simple transformer - you're on a good track now. 4700uF is surely enough, but maybe two 2200uF ones are better because you could keep the profile low. I also simulated a version with a diode on the center tap but didn't really like the result. What I meant with two rectifiers is: just use two rectifiers, same input of both connected to one end of the transformer, the other end connected to center (for 7805) and other end of transformer (7809). then connect both the negative rectifier outputs together right after rectification to get a common ground. Except for loading the transformer halves differently, this would work exactly the same way as you'd do with two separate transformers or a transformer with multiple secondaries. S