John_W._Couvillon

On most pipe organs, the volume of the pipes is controlled with swell shades. These shades are similiar to window louvers or dampers and are controlled by a servo motor which opens and closes the shades in response to the setting of a potentiometer attached to a foot pedal (similar to the accelerator on a auto). the MB Hardware Platform list contains an MF module which I assume is for "motor fader". Could this module be used to control a servo motor on swell shades? The pot is usually 10k. Johnc

Hi Reiner, I am also interested in what you have done, and would greatly appreciated the info. My email address is jwcouvillon@cox.net. Thanks, Johnc

Per S, Thanks, I'll try it. Should make thanks much easire. johnc

Help Would someone please explain the impact of this revision. I think that I understand what it does but am not sure. Thanks, Johnc

Davidmarks, Still don't understand what you are doing. What is the source of the midi stream that you are decoding with the midio128 to drive the pipes? Is it a computer running jorgan, miditzer,or some other virtual organ program? To connect two cores together in an output application, assuming core 1 receives a midi stream from some remote source, you connect the midiout of core 1 to the midi in of core two. That way anything coming into the midi in of core 1 will pass on through and be decoded depending on your ini file setup. I am doing the same thing with three ranks of pipes.

Another titbit of data: Connected the midi out of the keyboard encoders directly to the midi in of the pipe decoder cores and experience no latency at all. Evidently the latency must be coming from jorgan. Any comments from any of you jorgan users? Thanks, Johnc

This is a joint situation inbetween MBHP and jorgan. My organ project is nearing the end of the line and this is a rather unexpected problem. Organ setup: midified console utilizing two midio128 programmed cores as key encoders for 2 manuals, pedals and stops. PC running jorgan running version 2.3, with USB/ midi interface. ( midisport 2x2) two midio128 cores with dout/uln2803 drivers programmed as outputs driving pipes. Problem: With jorgan running with key encoders, no problems at all with any soundfonts, etc. etc. with jorgan running with key encoders, and the USB interface/midio128s set as the external soundsource, all pipe drivers functiion individually, no problem. with a jorgan electronic stop selected, both the pipe and the electronic pipe sound together, no problem. However, the more notes that are played simultlaneously, the more the latency builds. With two five note chords and a single pedal note playing the latency is 1 to 1.5 seconds. Troubleshooting already done: Checked the wind system for the pipes to ensure regulation. wind pressure does not vary from 3"wc. Checked power supply regulation on the uln2803 driver supply. Voltage is 18vdc steady state, drips to 16 volts with 11 outputs open at one time. Issues that may have a bearing: the ouput cores are daisey chained. One of the cores has the same id as a core in the encoder side of the system, although the pc and jorgan are between. It appears that the jorgan electronic sound can be heard ahead of the actual pipe sound when 11 notes are played. However, with only one pipe sounding, there is no latency and the notes sound together. Help! Johnc

Johnh, No problem with the higher voltage. I am using the R3 design with a separate 12vdc for pipe magnets along with the 5vdc from the pic. The ground from core and douts is connected to the negative side of the 12 vdc supply. My system uses jOrgan as the master control system since it will output to my pipe drivers. Good luck, Johnc

TK, The pic was programmed by Smashtv and the id was set at that time. I do not have an LCD to connect, nor do I have access to anyone that has a programmer. I located a pic that I thought was "dead" (id 00) and plugged in in to the core and behold, up came the clear to upload string. Hopefully it will accept the aps and ini files, if not I'll get a new pic from SmashTV. Thanks for the help. By the way, the dout pcbs I am using are modified standard dout pcbs with the uln drivers installed in place of the resistors. My setup has 4 of them connected together to a core and are driving two ranks of pipes (128 total outputs) using the jorgan software. Works great! The new boards from Smashtv have been redesigned to accept the drivers and should be very attractive to all those forum guys that are interested in driving pipe magnets. Thanks again, Johnc

TK, Thanks for the reply. Yes, the core was working at one time with midio128 and the .ini file. Had a problem with a dout pcb and it began doing as described. I resolved the pcb problem on the dout, changed to a different pic, loaded the software and all is working so I know the hardware is ok. Having got the first core working with the douts and ULN2803's, I put the problem pic on a different core that was working before, removed all connections and the test results is as on my first post. Yes, I used mios studio to upload mios and the aps on both cores. I also tried to upload midio128 again, but the pic doesn't seem to accept the upload. johnc

Sorry about that! The color didn't do what I hoped it would do. The system reset is yellow and the two pitch bend messages were dark pink. The display was: Timestamp IN PORT STATUS DATA1 DATA2 CHAN NOTE 2 -- FF -- -- -- --- System Reset 2 -- EO 78 40 1 -- Pitch Bend 2 -- EO 41 75 1 -- Pitch Bend 2 -- FF -- -- -- --- System Reset ( Repeats same output over and over, incrementing the timestamp) Thanks, Johnc

Pic problem continuing: mios 1.8 voltage: 5.07 vdc on J2 Connections: All connections removed, core isolated. Software loaded: Bootstrap by Smashtv Mios 1.8 midio128 Main midio 128 ini file Midiox Display: timestamp IN PORT STATUS DATA1 DATA2 CHAN NOTE EVENT 2 -- FF -- -- -- --- System Reset 2 -- EO 78 40 1 -- Pitch Bend 2 -- EO 41 7F 1 -- Pitch Bend 2 -- FF -- -- -- --- System Reset (repeats same thing over again every two seconds) Core seems to be working. How do you reset the core back to just the bootstrap loader so that mios and apps can be reloaded, or is that possible. Tried reloading midio128 and the .ini file and got several strange outputs then it settled back down to the display above. Any suggestions would be much appreciated. johnc

hello Davidmarks, I have just completed installation of midibox cores with digital outputs driving darlington drivers (ULN2803A). Works great! Check out Smashtv's lineup of available kits (MBHP.avishowtech.com-home) There is a dout designed and configured to have the darlington chips on the card with the shift registers. Works Great! You did not describe how you are developing the key signals. Are you using jOrgan or a virtual program? I find that jorgan functions perfectly as a pipe organ master control program. Not only that, It functions as a hybrid, with electronic stops as well as real pipe ranks. My setup uses a midio128 with 64 outputs for a 16' bourdon, 64 outputs for an 8' open diapason. A second midio128 will give me 64 outputs for a dulciana with many available as spares. These are daisey chained, midi out to in, and finally to a midisport 2x2 output port. Regards, Johnc

The pic on a previously functioning core outputs a reset every 2-3 seconds. Pic was programmed with mios, midio128. The pic doesn not return the F7...F0 ready to upload string when powering up, only the reset plus two odd outputs. The bad pic was replaced with a new one on the same core, programmed with the correct ini file, and is working fine. Has the core lost mios, or has it been corrupted? Can you reset the core in order to reload mios and apps from scratch? Thanks, Johnc

Smashtv, The new board with ULN2803 drivers for relays, magnets, solenoids looks tremendous. Congratulations!!! Johnc

Jim Henry, Do I understand that miditzer now supports driving pipes? Would you explain how to do this. Jorgan allows you to output to a soundsource which can be a remote midi device. In my case it is a midibox Core with Dout cards attached. The output comes from a midisport USB 2x2 adapter and feeds the core directly. Does Miditzer work in a similar fashion? Can you set which channel you want to output on? For those that are also interested in driving pipes, congratulations goes to Smashtv for the new Revision 3 to the Dout cards. One option with the cards is to install ULN2803 darlington drivers.

I checked that and in and out port were correct. How do you attach a jpg file to your post? Regards, johnc

General Question on this same subject: I am using midio128 with two keyboards and pedal: I used mios studio for loading mios and found it worked great. midio128 and the ini files were loaded with midiox. With mios studio the core sends a message as shown on the post above ending with the F7......F0 request for upload. When I use midiox, I don't get the F7...F0 string, but do get keyboard data in from the keyboard. Is there something to turn on in midiox, or something else to get the acknowledge string? I am trying to send keyboard data through the midiout on one core to the midiin on a second core remotely located. the second core with douts to drive relays. with midiox monitoring the midi out of the receiving core, the note on/off keypresses are displayed exactly as pressed, however, there is no output from the dout. Is this sufficient response to assume that midio128 and the ini files loaded correctly? What are the correct settings for the ini file for the {inverse-inputs] and [inverse outputs]. I assume that the output from the dout is active high. Regards, Johnc

Hello Paul, I am sure that Per S has given you some good advice concerning your project. I also am a recepiant of his advice and can't say enough about his patience and help. In your research, you should take a look at jorgan (http://jorgan.sourceforge.net) and log in on the forum (http://jorgan.sourceforge.net/forum/index.php?sid=defc131555d02937d23b381073edf5ca) jOrgan is a virtual organ similarly constructed as miditzer, but capable of operating from from a conventional console without need of a computer monitor. The monitor is necesssary and helpful, but not needed at the console. In addition, jorgan can be configured to trigger pipe magnets for use concurrently with the electronic ranks. My project is to build a hybrid organ using jorgan and pipes. My console is a moller 2 manual which was converted to midi using the midibox technology. So far there are 3 ranks of pipes with companion blower, regulator, windchests, etc., and I am in adding the driver boards, etc. for powering the magnets. With jorgan, you have a choice of staying with a classical organ or theater (cinema) organ as you like. jorgan is capable of functioning as the master control system, and can do just about anything that you can do on a conventional organ console. I would be glad to respond in greater length by email if yo so desire ( jwcouvillon @cox.net). Regards, johnc

Hi Thorsten, Thanks for the reply. So we are good so far. Since I entered the long reply, I noticed that each time I attached a magnet to the uln outputs, the usb Bin light on the usb adapter blinked, which didn't make any sense. So i checked wiring between the core and the dout, and found that I had wired to j9 rather then j8. All but the center wire are common to both connectors, so I switched the center wire to j8. This solved the blinking USB Port light, but not the active outputs on the uln's. Any suggestions? Smashtv - Any Comments? If I can get this working, it will be a major development for those needing an organ control system, as jorgan will fill the bill. All done with MBHP devices. I have a block diagram of the entire setup which I can email if anyone is interested. Regards, Johnc

Hello jorgan fans: Version 2.2.1 of jorgan allows you to setup a soundsource using an external midi device. For those that are interested in a hybrid organ using pipes and soundfonts, this feature is significant. With my jorgan pc setup, I use a midisport 2x2 USB adapter. The midi input from the keyboard decoders feeds in to USB ain, and the new soundsource called "pipe Driver" designates USB B out as the midi device. I built a new core running mios and midio128, and added 4 dout cards to provide 128 outputs. In order to drive the 90 ohm magnets, I use 4 ULN2803A darlington driver chips per dout card. The midi stream that jorgan outputs is in two parts: when the stop is selected, it outputs: Status Data 1 Data 2 Channel Event c0 2 - 1 Program Change b0 2 64 1 Control Change I don't know what these commands are supposed to do? When you press a key on the keyboard, say note 18 on the pedal, jorgan sends out: Status Data 1 Data 2 Channel Event 90 18 64 1 Note ON 80 18 0 1 Note off will the midio 128 respond to a note off code of "80" rather then "90"? If not, what can I do to get it to respond? the ini file for midio128 is set up with the midi merger enabled and the other settings at default. The [midi in] list is set for pin 1 90 18..... pin 64 = 90 57, pin 65 = 91 24 ....... pin 128 = 91 63. Jorgan will send the stop for the 16' bourdon on channel 1, and for the 8' diapason on channel 2, hence the "90" and "91". With the new cores programmed and installed, When the power is turned on, the uln2803's pickup immediately. This is without any input from jorgan. Since the inverse outputs in the ini file is disabled, the outputs of the 74HC595's should be 0 or high impedence. Confused? Could jorgan be sending out an active low signal such that the default ini settings cause the core to respond opposite to normal? Any help or comments would be appreciated Regards, Johnc

Anyone, MIOS Studio looks great, and I am ready to use it, however, can't get it to load. As previously reported by "Rene", in windows XP it comes across as a ".ZIP" file. I tried renaming it before download and it changed to a .JRE file. The JRE folder designation shows up in the folder section, so it should open. When I click on it, I see a what looks like a dos window flash open and quickly closes so I can't read what it says. In any event, Can't start mios studio. I did download and install Java 1.5 runtime. Help Johnc

Hello Thorsten, I have a small digital multimeter for measuring voltages which I used at the points you described: 1. RD7 - pin #30, LCD enable line - it should toggle very fast ca. 2 seconds after startup for ca. 500 mS, until MIOS notices that no LCD is connected -the voltage measured a steady 4.5 millivolts dc. 2. RD4 - pin #27, port J14 - should be 0V, if you read another value, then it is very likely that the bootstrap loader hasn't been started - J14 measured 11.2 millivolts dc. 3. Tx - pin #25, the MIDI Out pin - should be 5V, if not, the BSL hasn't been started - pin#25 measured 5vdc Regards, Johnc

Need Help! In my organ midification project, I have installed two cores (id 00 and 01) running midio128 software. Core #00 has 128 inputs (note on/note off) to encode to organ manuals of 61 notes each. Core #01 merges with midi input on core #00 and is also a midio 128 with 96 inputs of a possible 128, and this core serves the pedal board ( 32 notes on and off) the last 32 inputs (also note on/note off) provides for stop input . I do not have LCD's installed. I use the virtual software jorgan. Power supply for the two cores comes from a typical radioshack plug-in hockey puck that provides 9 vdc to the J1 (power inputs) connector of both cores. The 9vdc power module plugs in to a 120volt duplex receptacle in the console that serves also a fluo. fixture over the pedal board. The receptacle is wired through an on - off switch on the front of the console with a heavy lamp cord and typical ac plug. The organ console had to be moved to a new location which had been done, With the console in its new location and with the complete console/computer setup connected together,midi cable connected, computer on with midiox running, and the ac plug at the console in the wall receptacle, the fluo. light did not come on. The on-off switch on the console had no effect. I wiggled the plug in the ac 120 vac wall outler and created a short in the plug with subsequent flash, crash and circuit breaker trip on the outlet circuit. Needless to say, the plug was fried, so I cut off the plug, installed a new plug and plugged it into the wall outlet. The on-off switch worked, the fluo. light came on, and I glanced over to the computer monitor for inputs on midiox, to show the response from the core, and there was none. I rechecked all connections, etc., but found nothing. With power on to the 9vdc module, I checked voltages on the J2 (5 vdc) connector and on the J1 connector (10+ vdc) and voltage was present, but still no midiout to the computer. I thought for sure that the fault had fried the dc supplies or the rectifier or 7805 reg. chip, but all seem to be ok. Both cores have rectifiers and 7805 regulators. The PIC is an 18F452 (kit from smashtv which has functioned flawlessly for the last year or so). Is it possible that the fault sent a spike through the cores that messed up the programming but the PIC is still good? Is there a way to confirm wether the PIC is fried or still good? Or should I just buy two new cores and start over again. Any suggestions will be a big help. Regards, Johnc

Hey Rednas, There have been over 3000 replys on this thread since I asked the first question, and it has been some time since I participated. However, I have a working console, 2 manual and pedal board with working stops and swell shoe, and have been very successful running jorgan, including version 2. My original concept was to utilize midi to construct a pipe organ, and I am still on that course. Presently I have acquired a blower capable of 5 ranks or so, a 16' subbase rank, 4' diapason rank and part of a 2' salicional. I have also amassed a store of wicks and reisner magnet valves. Most of this I scrounged, and I am still in the hunt. I presently have two midio128 cores working in the keyboard encoder area with 4 DINS on one and 3DINs on the other. I received today another DIN to add to the second core so that I can add pistons and couplers. My console is a Moller artiste which I had to partially re-wire. I am in the process of working out the overall design for the additional cores and DOUTS to drive the pallet magnets. I do want to retain the ability to use Miditizer, jorgan or Hauptwerk. The approach I am taking is more straight forward, using the basics of mios and the midio128 without custom programming, of which i know little. therefore, I am very interested in your work with MIOS, in particular for stops, pistons, memory and couplers. My organ must play without a computer attached. Send me your email address and I will share what I have done with you. All of this has been done using other pic processors, boards, etc., by several including petrov, so I am sure that it can also be done using midibox technology and programming. I suggest you read back through the thread on this subject. There is a wealth of good information including the tough of the master, Thorsten Klose. Regards, Johnc