seppoman

Yes, it's electro-magnetic interference. that case would be only partially helpful, the ventilation slots are quite large - EM radiation can escape through any hole that is more than half the wave length in size. so if you wanna keep high frequency noise away from the rest of the box, you should try to have the ventilation slots go to the outside of the box and in all other directions there should be as much uninterrupted metal as possible. This will certainly make the situation better than before but I still guess that a part of your problem is wire-bound noise. S

one way of removing a great part of voltage ripple from SMPS is to add a so callled Pi Filter to the PSU's output, that's a combination of two (preferrably low-ESR) electrolytic capacitors and an inductor (coil) inbetween these caps. The primary side cap should be medium-sized to limit the capacitive load on the PSU (they don't really like having to drive too much capacity directly, some will have startup problems or even get damaged), so use e.g. a 1000uF one first, then the coil (which must be able to take at least the neccessary current), then another, bigger cap. distributing some local caps is generally a good plan but won't really remove the overall noise in the system power. so either smoothe the power like explained above or go for a linear psu - but building a linear PSU that can provide 4 A is a non-trivial task and will generate lots of heat. S

Hi and welcome :) I'm not the right person to advise on Traktor controllers, but I'll answer a few questions anyway: SmashTV's shop is the only place where you can get a Core32 kit. But the Core32 is still very new and the only (beta) application that is ready to use is the MB SEQ, so far there's no firmware to use the Core32 as a Midi controller. This is a matter of time, I guess a year from now most applications will be ported to the new platform. (I guess it would be a good idea to point this out on the Core32 page more explicitly and in bold letters because this question comes up all the time in the last few weeks since the release). Anyway, a lot of people have built Traktor controllers so far based on the good old Core8 and with great results, so I guess there's not much use in waiting for a 32 bit version. Regarding faders - crossfaders don't make sense in a Midi controller, you need a regular (linear 10k) fader for this. This fader will control the actual crossfading that is done inside Traktor. Good luck, S

I said it's bad to make a connection between the synth's GND and the Earth prong. For a separate PSU case made of metal, definitely connect that case to the Earth, but still make sure there's no connection to the output GND. The terms "Earth" and "Ground" seem to suggest both are the same potential, but usually that's not true. S

today I stumbled over this amazing web page: http://www.discretesynthesizers.com/nova/intro.htm - this is one of the most extreme examples of DIY synth repair/restauration I've ever seen! :o I never heard the name Novachord before, obviously it's the very first subtractive polysynth that was ever built (production started 1938!!!). And the sound of this very unique instrument is just beautiful: http://www.dairiki.org/HammondWiki/HammondNovachord S

so did you try disconnecting the earth - GND?

it's supposed to protect the user in the unlikely event of a live AC wire touching a metal case. But if a case is made completely out of plasic, or even the PSU is in a separate case, you will gain no safety at all but only introduce troubles by this connection. Earth should never be connected to the system GND, only to a metal case if there is one. There's billions of all plastic wall wart PSUs in use without such a connection, so I guess the chance of a malfunction that is severe enough to cause a connection between the AC side and the output is really minimal, especially with traditional (transformer) ones. Just make sure that the transformer and the connecting wires are held firmly in place, i.e. use hot glue, cable ties, epoxy, whatever to fix the wires :)

"GND prong from the AC side" - do you have a 3 contact wall plug and you connected the safety GND to the synth's GND? If yes, you should definitely remove that connection! The GND of a rectified AC supply is just some voltage reference that doesn't need to be on the same potential as the safety GND, so there's probably current flowing via this connection (if you're curious, disconnect and measure AC and DC voltage and current). As long as the PSU is in a separate box that is made of plastic, there's no sense in connecting earth GND to anything. S

uhm... never post before the first morning coffee is finished ;) I don't know how the factor 8 came to my mind, of course 110v/1A is 110 Watts, not 880 :D - still, with that fuse you should be able to draw at least 2.5 A on each rail before it faints out, so better check what's wrong. S

Welcome to the wonderful world of Apple!!! >:( My girlfriend also has an IPod Touch and as far as I know there's NO WAY to transfer music from an IPod that has been synced to another computer before. I really think these machines are cool toys and have a very nice user interface, but because of exactly this issue, I won't ever buy an IPod. I want to have access to my music like it was on a removable drive, and Apple just won't do that because they want to be in control of things... You can, however, copy mp3s that were not bought on iTunes store from the other PC to an USB stick/other drive, and I think if you setup the iPod to be synced from the new computer on the same iTunes account, you can re-download everything she has bought so far. But it's definitely not possible to just plug in an iPod to some new PC and sync it - it will always ask if you wanna format the memory or cancel the operation. S

as the fuses are on the primary (110v) side, 1 A should really be plenty. That's 880 Watts! Even if the efficiency of the transformer is not very good, that's still maybe 300-400 Watts before the regulator, that'd be at least 20A on the 9V and the 5V rail, or more than that on one of them. I think the standard fuse of the C64 brick is 300mA, and that's with plenty of headroom. So I suppose there's something seriously wrong, either the psu is broken or you've got a short somewhere. Are you sure no part on the pcb or the psu itself are getting seriously hot? S

if you're not in a hurry, you could add your name to this page: http://www.midibox.org/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=ssm2044_pcb_bulk_order I won't start the next bulk order in the next two months (there's another project in my pipeline that will probably get a pcb bulk order, too, so I'll probably do a combined pcb bulk order when this one is finished), but I promise to start a bulk order sometime this winter... uhm, as this is a quite international forum, I should probably add that I'm living in Europe so I'm not talking about the next Aussie winter :D S

Uhm... guys I think you're a bit too much in a hurry - The Core32 is not "early adopters", it works stable etc. but that doesn't mean it would completely replace all PIC applications within a few weeks. For now it's mainly useful to run SEQ v4 on it, all the rest is mostly proof of concept or demos. So as long as there's no official app that makes use of the analog inputs and while the board is only really released since a few days, there's no need to demand documentation about things that are not yet in use. TK has done an amazing job in porting a lot of things to this new architecture and writing a new SEQ version that's 100 times more powerful than the old version. Don't push him to release everything he ever did in the past for the new architecture after just a few weeks. He deserves more patience than that - and just because something new exists that doesn't mean the old stuff suddenly can't fulfill its purpose anymore. A PIC is more than enough to just read in a few pot values. As for using a Core32 instead of a GM5 or even a Midisport 1x1 - doing this would be plain stupid. A core32 is not much cheaper than some M-Audio interface and a lot more expensive than a GM5 (both of these come with a dedicated and optimized driver etc). So if it's really just about not having to solder an SMD IC - either buy the M-Audio thing and be happy or learn how to solder SMD, it's not difficult at all as soon as you loose your respect for it :) S

that's right, the baud rate of input and output are always the same - so taking your "turning pot" experiment into account, I guess the ID is not the problem. If you wanna be sure, you can read out the ID with your burner. Don't ask me how though, it's been a long time since I burned my last PICs ;)

maybe you have the PIC ID set to serial port mode (38400)? http://www.ucapps.de/mios_bootstrap_experts.html S

Smash now lists the new core in his shop - don't know if they are already available now as nobody has announced it on the forum yet, but I guess this means at least that he's taking preorders.

I'm using a Weller WS81 station which is quite pricey at about 200-250 Euros but it's worth every cent if you solder a lot. beware of the blue Jaycar thing, it's way overpriced at 60 AUD. This one is relabeled China crap, available from eBay sellers for under 10 Euros (e.g. http://cgi.ebay.de/Regelbare-Loetstation-ZD-98-180-480-C-48W-mit-Loetkolben_W0QQitemZ390084512514QQcmdZViewItemQQptZDE_Haus_Garten_Heimwerker_Elektrowerkzeuge?hash=item5ad2d94b02&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14). I've had to work with one of these and it was no fun at all - tips wear out very fast, heating is slow and badly regulated, the iron is heavy and plasticy, the cable stiff and not flexible enough and the screw for fixing the tip either gets loose all the time or gets damaged easily. If you plan to solder more than just a few cables per year, do yourself a favour and don't buy the cheapest station you can get. The Aoyue stuff is supposed to be good value for the money, their prices are quite reasonable - looks like they either are the original manufacturer of the Hakko station or did a very good clone of it: http://cgi.ebay.de/AOYUE-936A-Loetstation-200-C-480-C_W0QQitemZ180383691392QQcmdZViewItemQQptZDE_Haus_Garten_Heimwerker_Elektrowerkzeuge?hash=item29ffb4b280&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14 Happy soldering, S

You can't use J5 as an AOUT, but that's not what you want anyway. "Gate out" is just a software variation of DOUT, i.e. the pins give you either 0V or 5V. It's a digital pulse signal that can be used to trigger envelopes etc, or in your case, the tap tempo of your machine. If you don't find any schematics, you could still solder two wires to the pins of this tap button and use a 5V reed relay (that is controlled via J5) to emulate a button press. S

encoders and general supplier list: http://www.midibox.org/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=where_to_order_components all about motor faders: http://www.ucapps.de/mbhp_mf.html buttons - no need to document/list anything as a button is a button is a button. maintaining and updating documentation of this kind is a permanent effort, responsibility to write this kind of stuff lies not only in the hands of "mr admin", if you find out new suppliers, just add them to the wiki yourself. An official "all you need to know" BOM list for MIDI controllers is not really doable as it's all about customizing and designing layouts you'll find suitable for your work flow and depending hugely on the software you wanna control, and most important, a matter of taste. S

click the link in the post above yours :P

What, are there really people who claim 10 Euros is too expensive? they should be ashamed...

yes, BEEP means short :) S

Theoretically it would be possible to connect IIC-Midi modules to 452s, just there's no software support in MB64(e). You'd need a lot of effort and excellent programming skills to add this support yourself. using the LTC schem you could at least add more outs, but this is like a built in throughbox, i.e. all of these outs would carry the same information. S

probably because that's what it is ;) and how would you think they'd be able to protect their intellectual property, is there something as a viable copy protection for .hex files? I guess not. Anyway, the GM5 is quite cheap, not much more expensive than the plain USB AVR and does a great job for the money. If you don't like their way of business for whatever reasons you might have, just don't use it. DIYing a Midi interface, especially if you need only one port (you said "hook up my synth" - singular), won't be so much cheaper than simply buying e.g. a MidiSport Uno. S

well the better link is probably this one: http://ucapps.de/midibox_sid_manual_l.html see the KNoB menu description, you can route each of the knobs to one or two sound engine parameters. Plus, you can use the knob values as source in the modulation matrix. so the short answer is "all kinds of neat things" ;) S