Artesia

hi drin, im on about various methods of making round keycaps as in the above posts :) I also mentioned about placing a ring of plastic around mini buttons as pay_c has done with his mbseq. as he says; this was done by cutting a length of clear flexable plastic tubing & pushing/gluing it onto the shaft of a microswitch.

thats cool :) My method of making the custom larger buttons seen here consisted of takling the generic standard grey MEC buttons (got a ton of them for pennys at a radio show). drilling a 5mm hole in the middle with a drillstand, then filing the top flat & gluing on a slither of frosted perspex recovered from some of those frosted blank cds found in spindles of cds. Then the button is pushed onto the head of a suitable sized bolt fixing & loaded into the drill as a drill bit would be. Then the keycap is spun in the drill against a coarse file & afew grades of sandpaper to grind it down to a perfectly rounded & smooth finish :) Will try the hole saw method too; though iv'e not seen many smaller than about 3/4 inch...

I would like to suggest the concept of creating a configuration layer (specific to each MIOS application) which could be converted & sent as a Sysex message/file from within MIOS Studio, etc. The initial intention, being to simplify & clarify the process of customising the input & output options. ie: Button/control/LED mapping & basic LCD configurations. Although editing the basic options in the 'source code' & recompiling a version to upload to the pic maybe adiquate. Installing & getting to grips with the ins & outs of the compiler/code maybe difficult for some people; particularly those new to coding. Being able to edit a 'standard default' configuration table in a text editor &/or editing the settings in a configuration table within mios & then (converting+) sending the result from Within MIOS Studio would make the process as streight forward as possible. I expect the following is asking abit much.. However maybe later on this process could also be extended cover the complete on screen menu structures & layouts... etc. ...Basically anything which is about interfacing the underlying program code with the world outside the pic & hardware mandatory to the mios application in question. And of course, Anything which fundimentally changing the program & is about adding to / changing the core program behaviours beyond user (specific) interfacing; belongs in the usual source code.. Does this sound feaseable/useful ?

:) Thanks for correcting my misinformation.. i had the vague notion that might of gone back a little further... The cdrom bay idea crossed my mind sometime back too (the idea of pc-sid appealed).. Noble cause, It would be great to see a mios project built into one. However i opted for built in control surfaces & putting everything into rackmount compatable boxes (rack ears can be added). This way i can access the controls for everything sitting in one physical space alongside exhisting commercial hardware.. without a computer.. and without ending up swaring at the mouse pointer for typical pc reasons :)

That's a shame :/ Will ask around and see if i can find assistance/clarifycation as to a solution.

Yes.. come to think of it; it would be similar to what i understand granular synthesis to be. (this post is probably getting abit off topic now.. :) ) However as far as i know granular synthesis usually seems to slice up millisecond range snippets of sound & move them around in time like (grain) 'clouds' attached to a rubber band. Whereas im proposing to allow changing the playback order of every last single bit in a 'sample' for the maximum creative potential/flexability over the standard approach of playback which usually goes from a>b or b>a. Although if this approach is not 'understood', it could frequently result in completely 'useless' sounds. It empowers the user to -discover- genuinely useful patterns :) As for Granular Synthesis; I'll refresh my understanding of this process soon. If i recall correctly; this concept of audio manipulation was originally thought up by Two guys during the 70's, predating the nessursary (computer) hardware to impliment it. To hear granular synthesis at work; listen to Two Lone Swordsmen - Blue Sparks (think thats the one). They appear to have just used some of the standard presets in Crusher-X; however its all quite pretty & fits in well with 'their sound'. ..I love Two Lone Swordsmen, in all their weirdness !

Hi everyone :) Interesting comments all round.. Fair comment about the S&H chips, yes the best solution would be to use a compact stack of AOUTLC's for this idea. However as noted further down; someone has suggested an arrangment which maybe simpler to construct than a AOUT>VCA... However in favour of this solution; it maybe able to execute lightning fast volume/modulation changes without any weird artifacts... (Ie: ability to use as a shaping/gating tool; as well as a mixer) Thinking this one through.. My programming skills are rusty to say the least. At one time i was quite fluent in Pascal, Basic & dropped C before i got accoustomed to it. I would be more than happy to actually do the coding; however i will have to become familiar with the language & also the structure of the MIOS code in order to get some serious work done... Part of the problem, is that looking at one small snippet of code/one file in the function set.. is that its hard to understand in context to the whole program structure without knowing what everything else is doing - which it relys on. however, it is definately easier than tredgeing through raw assembler :)) As for juggling pcbs for the most compact layout - i feel i have the nessursary skills to acheive this with Eagle Light. Also i note that my strong points may lie in the realms of Graphics & Interface Design , Some Hardware Design ....aaand Developing ideas & Concepts ? I really do wish i could be the 'one man band' affair & have the skill to see the entire processes through from start to finish by myself.. but i may not acheive that.. I managed to miss those posts; theres alot of stuff on these boards :) ...will look them up... With regards to realising a audio mixer, the pga2311 would definately be a simpler & better solution. i like that idea :) However two points may counter this. Firstly the VCA soloution may provide faster volume/envelope control without articfacts compared to the 2311; Which would make it useable as a fast signal modulator as well as a mixer - will have to find out how the 2311 handles from a current user.. Also Secondly each chip is £10-6 (rs & Farnell) each for two channels of control. whereas the VCA is £4.70 for 4 channels - however the additional hardware required for the VCA puts the price up overall.. So the remaining deciding factors are Overall price, complexity & flexability... My vote currently favours the 2311 :) The matrix chip is a really interesting idea. It would be a useful consideration for this concept. in allowing the ability to re-route signals internally. Possibly useful for selecting from many devices to mix togeather ..or where to send the signal to.. or even as a even more basic MIDI controlled 'audio patching bay'. Though ultmately in the end, MicroMixer should probably be developed to accept a number of suitable 'standard' modules Ie: Mixer (main mix / send), Matrix & Eqaliser, Etc.. For Which the hardware configuration could be setup quickly - through changing afew settings in the code; or ideally through a remote configuration sent via a firmware MIDI SYSEX dump maybe..

Thanks :) Hey, Pay_c you've come up with some really nice designs there too :) Thanks to your post, i've just been reminded of the neat trick you used to ring illuminate small push buttons on your midiboxseq. Given that im a complete sucker for illuminating every button possible (partly for easy visability in the dark); i will have to borrow that idea for my up and coming interface designs for the mbfm & mbsid :) Incidentally i have already designed them around the microswitch buttons. I think i may have been inspired by your transparent mblc buttons when i 'modded' the custom larger buttons on this very seq :) Btw what -exact- tool did you use to cut out the perspex circles ? Hopefully tommorow when i get back, the next lcd display order will have arrived & i can submit the final write-up on this little project to the forum :) Have been working on the designs & panel designs for the mbfm & mbsid; all are designed to sit next to eachother in one aluminum suitcase... and for the challenge (+ studio space), have been minaturised as much as possible without comprimising ergonomics. The mbfm was fairly streight forward to re arrange; however the mbsid panel has proven to be -extremely- difficult to re-organise... My hat goes off to anyone who comes up with a custom re-design that they are 100% happy with :)

Recent developments with mios CV control & my other ponderings regarding automation & audio resulted in the following idea.. I figure that it might be really handy to have a Fully midi controlled compact Mixer for dealing with multiple synth outputs, getting them into the same 1 or 2 channels of audio... and having the option to completely recall or automate the mix in a variety of ways.. without splashing out on a substantial digital desk to do the same... Or at least make better use of the big desks inputs ;) The basic design i've cooked up here should with abit of luck fit into a 1/3rd (rendered) or 1/2 1U rack module space. In this design i have gone for 8 mono channels in & 1 stereo output; although other people may only be intersted in mixing to one mono track (which halfs the hardware needed). Also, with the inclusion of a built in user interface; iv'e designed it to fit onto a 16*2 lcd for economy ...and because in my view it'd work :) Getting to the hows this proposed idea might work.. it'd probably be best adapted from the mios CV firmware; and the intention being to use the most economical AOUT solution possible (AOUT LC + S&H?) to control the 4 VCA chips (voltage controlled amplifers). The proposed VCA is the Analog Devices SSM2164; which contains 4 VCA's (normal opamps are not easily controlled by voltage) which can be biased into class a easily, perform well & are available at RS for an okayish £4.70 a pop (somewhere else would probably be cheaper). See this document for further information on SSM2164: http://www.analog.com/UploadedFiles/Data_Sheets/15183786ssm2164.pdf ancilliary components omitted from diagram; simply here to illistrate the overall configuraation. link for larger, legible version: http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/5540/mbmicro25ov.jpg Also following the same principle which is used to double up hardware to mix to two channels for stereo panning ..the same form of banking up can be used to add 'aux sends' ..to send a variable portion of each individual incoming channel to an effect processor.. etc. The output levels could be depicted on the display as something like the three little bars below the pan icon. Also these could be used to depict basic equalisation settings for each channel. It would be possible to use these vcas to do this in a fashon... however its a battle against available hardware space & financial outlay. Also as you may notice, this is a 20x2 lcd below rather than a 16x2... the extra space as illistrated could be used to display the value of the last edited perameter of the given channel without interfereing with the rest of the display.. as a possibility Another idea to still be able to see the fine detail of perameter trimming - without the extra characters; would be to have a one pixel wide bar appear one editing (hanging to the middle right, of the larger vol bar section) ..and have it cycle through the subincriments/single decibels. (maybe this idea could be used to display fine perameter adjustment in other applications too ?) This concept could also be completely integrated into the likes of the MBSID or MBFM firmware + hardware - as a way of mixing internally as a one box solution. This of course leaves the option open to saving levels and automation of this section as part of a sound patch too. Yup.. its another case of putting an idea out there.. views welcome..

Not many hours work to get it to this point ..most people could probably build this in a short evening from scratch. What really took the time to build was my midibox sequencer ...theres alot of stuff that goes into one of those ..more than one would think ! i dont envythose building the big LC desks ;) ...mind the case engineering was tiresome too.. i may consider shaffer for some panel fronts in the future.. This wont be too much bother to put togeather; theres less bits to this than with the 4xsid on the way... i'll be trying alright :) will do some background reading on the matter soon.. though taking a guess from what i remember.. the wave table may well go a long way to getting there.. however if i recall the megadrive fm chip also used a crude method of dac audio playback for some sounds... which sounded rubbish in a great way :) sort of a really crude waldorf ppg in a way i guess... This is probably where the stumbling block will be... Would be great to have a diy synth that worked like the ppg.. allowing the user to create & load their own source 'wave shapes' to improve on the short, simple.. built in ones usually provided... ..however would have to avoid it simply becoming a sample playback device. The key to making it really interesting (i think i talked about something like this before).. would be to be able to not only play the small snippet from start to end ...or backwards ...etc. ...but be able to edit a table; whereby every last frame in the sample can be moved around to any order the user likes. Then a way of making that process kick up even quicker results ...is to apply some simple maths to the order of those numbers & have it as a variable preset to see what it reveals.. And if editing on a pc... could hack in some maths into a spreadsheet program to come up with new number patterns & pasted the result streight into the playback address table to see what happpens...

UPDATE: After this project and the SID one sat languishing for 10 months; due to a lack of enthusiasm to go about the painstaking control surfaces assembly. I decided on a rethink & concluded that i should dispense with making the full control set for now. Opting to edit via pc for the meantime. So, i decided that maybe both projects should be stuffed into one box ..to save potentially wasting rackspace on empty case space ;) ..thus the resulting design below: If i do build a control surface in the end, it will be in a sepperate box & will probably look much like the below 2u module (the matrix editing buttons need a final bit of sorting out - not quite right): More to come soon... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Here's the Current draft for the panel design; its 1u high 16 in wide to give an idea of size: Click on this link to see it much bigger: http://img362.imageshack.us/img362/2984/ymf2627bs.jpg Although this is pretty much there... im not entirely convinced its finished yet.. any layout suggestions welcome.. Note: the forthcoming designs are indended to mesh togeather with that of my MBSEQ ...looking forward to making some other more varied designs in the future... maybe Traktor controller sometime ? ..who knows. more to come soon. See 2nd page on My MB SEQ posting to see how the above buttons are constructed (pay c's cool idea!): http://www.midibox.org/forum/index.php?topic=5818.15 Hi, Making good progress wrapping up unfinshed projects here... Yet another MBFM has been brought to life... working okay on my bench.. making the usual array of sounds ..only wish i could coax megadrive type fm sounds out of it ...i expect thatll not happen :/ ..ah well. Tho as the demos show so far.. im quite sure its capable of some very interesting sounds of its own :) Yup.. Another great project TK :) Well.. next up; a case & interface - but as far as midi sees it.. its already there :)

hi machinte.. ...as it is; it already makes a pretty neat midi controller :) - as well as a good digital mixing desk for those without £2,000+ to spare ;) :) Talking of insides.. heres what goes into one of these mixers: http://www.behringer.com/DDX3216/index.cfm?lang=ENG Put aside the politics over behringer.. and you get an awful lot of good stuff in a small slab, for money that'd only just now.. buy a shoestring budget pc. Okay i'm a little tired here :) ...i'm probably going to go on a ramble that repeats what iv'e already said to an extent.. tho here goes... It's already wired fairly well for MIDI as noted - most of the important controls send & receive midi signals + ...it is possible to fully remotely control & recall -every last setting- of its mixing functions within a sequencer program ..and also possible to use its controls (to a lesser extent) to control other things & programs.(it seemed abit illogical for me to build another box with motorised faders & rotary led pots - when iv'e got one already) Also note that its designed to link up with 16 track adat recorders (and interfaces) ...and record live mixes streight to them. - ..including a time code ..Which can be used in conjunction with the onboard automation recorder to record all the controller & mixer changes that occur during the recording... without the specific need for a pc.. These can then be played back later & further refined / changed opon making a final master of the recording... this is why the desk has (midi) automation built in to begin with... (although in this day and age; itd be built in anyways) The point being that it would remove the need in making the fader bank, rotary controls & some button banks + assoc. circuitary in a Midibox LC/MCU.. by having a cut down Midibox LC/MCU receive the signals for those controls from the mixing desk. ...and any controls which can not easily be received by midi, will be provided on the bolt on LC/MCU box surface (i may hack the solo/rec/sel buttons due to not sending midi tho) :) It just figured here that it would be very useful & economical to merge a "100%" LC/MCU compatable control layer into a digital mixer which shares alot of the controls anyways. The idea being to allow immediate access to both a live or studio mix through the mixer ...along with all the hands on signal processing & effects it already provides ..and at the click of a button be controlling the automation & settings of a Sequencer program on a pc ..without having to entirely devote the mixer as a midi controller (with greatly reduced control compared to a LC/MCU). ..the circuitary required to acheive this adaptation would be far less than that of a standard LC/MCU ...however it would require afew new bits & more programming than anything else... Just waiting here to see what other people have to say on this slightly odd project ...Im considering taking this one up -seriously- and from what people have to say in their wisdom weighs up in favour; i would commit to making this project work.. & if theres the general interest in this... it gives the oppertunity for other people to replicate the project. (without the development headaches..) Tho for now iv'e got a 4xsid & mbfm on the bench waiting to be buildtested & cased appropriately ..my mbseq is ready in a way of sorts now; one duff lcd & some logos to add & its done. Btw TK ..excellent job on the SEQ ..its a lovely gadget & more than i could of expected :)

Hows about adding a 'forum user profile' section - which allows everyone to provide information about the things they have built... etc, & provide links to them within the board ? Would be nice to click on someones profile and immediately be able to navigate to the things theyv'e made / things they would like to bring to profile viewers attention. ...could of course just put it on own website; however :)

a very impressive & professional project ! On the note of transparent MEC switches.. i have used them in the projects im working on ...got them for free from a boxload of demo boards. They are great switches; however a little bit stuff on actuation for some peoples liking maybe..

Got a suggestion here... Something which i may undertake myself. If i can get to grips with app writing for MIOS anytime soon.. I have a Behringer DDX3216 Digital mixer here.. and figured that it would make a great control surface for applying to the LC/MCU type applications. Although it is possible to setup most sequencers to accept the midi signals that the desk sends; to control them - it does not provide the full ammount of flexability that the LC/MCU appears to... So how about rigging up a MIDIBOX LC/MCU with just the displays (and any non duplicable controls built in) & have it accept the desks signals on one side through the program layer usually used to map to the in built button controls of a typical MIDIBOX LC/MCU. Additionally.. by switching the desk control plane over to control the 16 additonal channels that the desk doesnt have built in by default; it is possible to use it as a digital mixer & switch between LC/MCU & MIXER mode at the press of one button on the desk ! Also i beleive that the desk will receive signals to set the fader positions & encoder dial positions. ..thus complete interface integration should be possible without any comprimses of any major consiquence... ...Sounding good ? http://www.behringer.com/DDX3216/index.cfm?lang=ENG Given that this very flexable, clean desk can be had for £399 & given more than one purpose ..what do people think to this idea ? I'm sure this principle coule be adapted for people that already own other desks.. basically the point being to avoid building more hardware than is actally needed; whilst maximising the usefullness of a digital desk.. New additional thoughts: If (2x) 2x40 or 4X40 displays are used (& situated) below the faders.. They could not only directly communicate the information for the 16 sliders in LC/MCU mode ...but could also leave an option for developing a 'Channel Label Bar' in Mixer Mode... saves getting out that masking tape & pen ;) ...also, going along that path - it could be possible to save 'label bars' for each show/gig/setup the desk is used in.. note %2: As vagely mentioned - The desk has full midi automation built in (with the ability to record automation internally - to a memory card). note %3: Just checked again to see which controls send data via midi... as half suspected; only the faders, mute & pan buttons send data... the select/rec/solo buttons would have to be hijacked; if used ;) ..ah well - it could of been even easier :)

Hi, All sorted... Latched down j6/7 & neglected to remember that the chip has its own onboard DAC/AIN section.. Many hours of trouble shooting the ain boards pointed the problem down to some incomplete pcb traces on some diy boards made with a friends etching kit ...and afew chips which came out of the surplus pile & where not tested properly.. A Quick Errata & some check points that sprang to mind: afew symptoms encountered with interface debugging.. 1: Random AIN data during testing as above; was due to neglecting to earth the PIC chips own AIN section; as provided by J7. Linking all the pins togeather on J7; -EXCEPT- the 2nd pin (vd/+5v) (as viewed when the notch on the pic is at the 'top'). 2: Random DIN data transmitted when a 'switch' is pressed... most likely cause is faulty chip; change & see what happens - otherwise check soldering & conncetions around linked chip. 3: No button presses received.. Check connections & soldering; however if it occurs along an DIN board chain whereby some chips are working ok; but the last one is exhibiting symptoms as seen in '2' ..then this chip is stopping any good singlas working their way down the line. 4: Lights Driven by DOUT board behave erratically/ flicker.. as always.. check connections. However also note that it is vital for reliable opperation - that some capacitors are added onto the power supply rail of the board. use one 47-470uf on the main input & as mentioned in the AIN construction article at ucapps.de a 100nf cap by each chip ideally. 5: Two or more buttons trigger the same number on testing... usually just two connection points that are soldered togeather/ touching. Though watch out for any small loose touching wire filaments or tiny splashes at the base of the connection points, which can easily esape detection. 6: constant random signals / afew connections on a DIN board not triggering... Pay particular attention to Resistor (& chip socket) soldering... though all else fails.. try new chip. 7: Some LED's are brighter or dimmer than others. Check how much current your leds can handle (10-30ma is the typical range). and either work out safe resistances with abit of math.. or go for trial and error.. replacing the resistor that drives each concerned led with a larger resistance for less brigtness ...and when decreasing the resistor value to gain brightness; be sure to place a multimeter in series with the LED and make sure that the resistance value used does not exceed the LED's max specifyed current (otherwise it'll change colour (often!) & burn out really quick) 8: make sure that whatever you are using to power everything (ie the measily 1amp reg & diode bridge on the cpu board) are sutibly upgraded (or other supply built into case) to handle all the power used to drive everything. 1 amp regs & connected in parallel to add up the current handling.. however note that for more than 500ma current handling and they get very hot. they need to be bolted to a metal surface to take the heat away.. usually the case is best. however if it is steel; make sure to use a small sliver of aluminum behind the regs to hlp spread the heat out better. Always use heatsink paste to improve thermal conoductivity. 8b: Make sure that whatever ultimately powers the box (wall wart power pack or transformer); that it can provide the regulation circuit with the power it needs too ! :) ...ie a 3.7v 350ma phone charger will not power a regulator circuit that needs 11-20v (12v usually best) at around 800 ma / 0.8 amps. 9: Most problems are bad connections / missed wiring or components..

ok.. sorted now.. AIN latched down properly & DIN trouble shooting has been seen through with much tedious tinkering...

okay, sorry there.. had been getting messages mixed up & failed to read everything available.. it's an awful lot to get to grips with first time round :)

ok.. thanks :) giving compiling that a try.. however im figuring that these two anomalys maybe related at the hardware level ..and telling the pic to ignore the ain at the software level may acheive very little... will see..

Hi, Thanks... Tried switching Din modules ..same thing unfortunately... Also the Phantom Ain signals are only transmitted via midi when using the "ain64_din128_dout128_v1_3.zip" diagnostic tool... Here is a sample of what it sends ..and the following pic is what appears on the screen 004B2C3E 1 -- B1 36 37 2 --- Control Change 004B2C3F 1 -- B1 06 37 2 --- CC: Data Entry MSB 004B2C41 1 -- B1 07 36 2 --- CC: Volume 004B2C43 1 -- B1 0E 38 2 --- Control Change 004B2C44 1 -- B1 10 37 2 --- Control Change 004B2C46 1 -- B1 12 38 2 --- Control Change 004B2C47 1 -- B1 14 37 2 --- Control Change 004B2C49 1 -- B1 37 38 2 --- Control Change 004B2C4C 1 -- B1 07 38 2 --- CC: Volume 004B2C4F 1 -- B1 37 37 2 --- Control Change 004B2C50 1 -- B1 11 37 2 --- Control Change 004B2C52 1 -- B1 13 37 2 --- Control Change 004B2C54 1 -- B1 11 38 2 --- Control Change 004B2C59 1 -- B1 36 38 2 --- Control Change 004B2C5B 1 -- B1 3A 38 2 --- Control Change 004B2C5D 1 -- B1 3A 36 2 --- Control Change 004B2C5F 1 -- B1 3A 37 2 --- Control Change 004B2C61 1 -- B1 0D 38 2 --- Control Change 004B2C63 1 -- B1 0F 38 2 --- Control Change 004B2C64 1 -- B1 15 38 2 --- CC: 21 (E-MU) 004B2C69 1 -- B1 2E 37 2 --- Control Change

Okay... having some fun getting a Din module chain on a midibox seq to accept more than the contorl dial & first chips worth of buttons. also on further investigation with debugging app ...theres a huge amount of ain signals being received by a Ain module that does not exhist... Note, have installed power caps & am fairly sure that all the tie down resistors & soldering joints are in place as they should be.. See here for the project in question: ( http://www.midibox.org/forum/index.php?topic=5818.0 ) The nearest problem i could find to this; is the one below mentioning Ain jitter/noise.. however this is with a module present... ( http://www.midibox.org/forum/index.php?topic=5486.0 ) To go a little firther into the problem; the first chip on the Din seems to accept triggers fine; however the second one sends the unit cycling through all the menus on any button press... any more chips up the chain & no response... Something to do with the serial chaining of chips i figure... Have also btw tried different pics, on different boards and observed the same issue with random Ain signals being sent en-masse ...anyone have any idea what might cause this freekery ? ..im really quite puzzled

Leds are working ok; you have a point there ..was just a thought :) Back to the DIN section... have tested all the switch connections & the fault seems to occur somewhere in the serial linking chain between the ics.. thing is cant for the life of me; think why this could occur with everything seeming ok.. darn.. really need the scope to hand.. :/ :) will try the "ain64_din128_dout128_v1_3.zip".. although i already know what is not working... however it is a 'why' issue... :) ta.. ...well checked with the "ain64_din128_dout128_v1_3.zip" ..it gets weirder :] ..for some reason every pic thats tested is receiving continuious 'AIN' signals ...even though a 'AIN' module is not connected & the metal mounting plate is earthed ..latching down the inputs for that module & disconnecting the remaining 'din' modules ...does not stop this either :/ okay... all the pics are doing this... in all the cpu boards.. hmm.. ..a little puzzled here...

Another adveancement, another new problem here... Got the led out section working great; however on wiring in the digital in board/s... only the first chip on the first board seems to be receiving signals correctly ..works fine with main control dial. however when the second chip exit button is triggered, it just seems to send random buttton signals and sends the midibox crazy (cycles through loads of the menus). cihps further on do not seem to trigger. Each of the chips has a power line cap added ...anyone have any idea what might cause this freekery ? Would probably be better able to figure this if my oscilliscope was still working :( (new one soon) Something to do with the way each chip is chained to the next i guess.. ...btw a nice bootup feature to see added to the apps; is a little routine which lights up all of the (registered) led outputs on startup. This immediately points out everything which aok ..useful during building; but also handy for determining during in normal use ..if the absence of an expected light is defineately not a hardware issue.

No... This isnt a spam post ...though im sure it looks like one :) www.legaltorrents.com have a huge ammount (about 10gb i think) of legally released 'white label' music hosted. Of which, a good portion is very listenable. They also have several gigs of instrument samples released by someone who allegedly recorded them professionally at a church... Might be worth checking out.. So far one of my favoured releases on there is the 'KAHVI Label' torrent.. another one caught my ear ..though escapes me right now..

Great project there ! :) Sometime back i had been toying with the idea of combining an iatx (notepad size motherboard) with a tft screen & making it into some sort of mixing machine (however this was before i knew of mios) ..ended up just making a all in one multimedia flightcase machine based around a standard motherboard - which integrated a scanner, sblive, tuner gfx card, dvd burner & some other widgetry.. designed to give all the full blown pc wants; in a flightcase not much bigger than most peoples tower computer cases. I have since, on the portable jukebox/mixing front; combined a 500mhz fujitsu 10.4in touchscreen lifebook with a 300gb external hard drive in a half lunchbox sized custom alu suitcase... have to finish the case... though this has got me thinking ..may well add a mios controller to it too :) ill dig out a photo of both soon...