grahamg

TK, any chance you'd be willing to share your Xcircuit files? thanks! Graham

hi moxi, thanks, but i'm looking for a schematic file (.sch for eagle). -graham

Hi Everyone, I need to make some modifications to the AOUT module for a MIOS project that I am working on and would love to avoid having to re-create the schematic file for the AOUT board design. Does anyone know where I can find a copy of the Eagle/Protel/whatever schematic file? I'd prefer Eagle's format, but anything would be helpful. thanks! Graham

Stigmata, That was exactly the problem. Thank you so much!! I was under the impression that the core module was completely compatible with both the 16f and 18f pics. Didn't realize that there were these subtle differences. Again thank you! -Graham ps. is this difference documented somewhere on the site?

Just to clarify: MIOS doesn't seem to even see my bankstick. The core never tries to format it and if I try to call MIOS_BANKSTICK_SetCtrl, I get an error code of 2 (bankstick not available). Has anyone had this problem? Any ideas for what could be causing it? Thanks, Graham

Despite my best efforts checking and re-checking wiring and parts, I cannot seem to get the bankstick module to work. I'm just trying to verify that it works with my core module by running the bs_xfer code in the download section. I can compile the main.hex and convert to a syx file just fine, but when I upload it to the core (either using MIDIOX or sysexbox, I get errors returned from the core). Sysexbox returns error codes 0A 00, 0A 3A, and 00 45. I have tried several different 24LC256 chips and have double and triple checked the wiring. I've also tried both MIOS 1.7 and 1.8 RC1. Help! thanks, Graham

Thanks Thorsten! Everything works great with the old SDCC release. :) -Graham

I'm getting some stange LCD behavior with the wrapper: calls to MIOS_LCD_PrintCString result in black spaces between each character in the string. For example, "dog" prints as "d_o_g" where "_" represents a solid black block. If I use MIOS_LCD_PrintChar, everything works fine. Any ideas??! -Graham

Howdy everyone, I'm working on a project which requires that I be able to make use of features in both the sequencer and midio128 applications. I need to be able to load a pattern from a bankstick and play it back (and be able to adjust the BPM in real-time), BUT the playback should be used to drive a whole bunch of leds. I would especially like to be able to load a different DOUT pin mapping for each pattern (ie. keep the mapping in the bankstick as well and load both of them before playback). Can anyone give me an idea of how doable this all is? Is this something I should be able to do with minor tweaks to the seq or midio128 apps (and which should I use?), or am I looking at something requiring a more substantial coding investment? Many thanks, Graham

Well, I rewired the LCD for the third time and voila, clean, clear, and sensible text! This time I swapped out the entire cable and that did it. I've been using IDC cables so I guess there must have been an internal short. Now I can finally get crackin' on the rest of my design! Thanks again everyone. -Graham

I'm pretty sure that the data lines are correct, but will check again. I just got the EL inverter for LCD in the mail yesterday and have tried it out, but am otherwise testing without it. Am I correct in assuming that the brightness pot on the core should not work with this type of backlight? Don't have a PIC programmer (got the PIC pre-programmed from SmashTV, but just ordered the JDM), so I can't try wiping the chip, although this sounds like a good idea. I'm starting to think that the display is just busted; maybe I'll just bite the bullet and order a new display....

Hmm, the on info I have on the display is that it is made by Micrologic Vikay under P/N 2420STELYGBN. Here is a link to the ebay page if it helps: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=26206&item=3827659029&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW So, the problem you had was that the display didn't actually conform to the HD44780 specs?

First, let me thank everyone for their comments. Getting a MIDIBOX going for the first time (especially with limited electronics experience) can be a frustrating experience! ;) I completely re-wired my LCD and seem to have solved most of my problems, at least I am finally getting stuff on the display. The problem now is that its mostly garbage. Depending on what app I upload, I can sometimes make out what the text probably says, buts there are all sorts of weird characters mixed in. For example, lcd7_clcd prints: 'Jgnno"Wornf#_""" *C+"2226"V.Knosg The first line is supposed to be 'Hello World', right?! I've double and triple checked the wiring as well as checked for shorts with a multimeter since archived posts in the forum suggested these to be likely candidates for the problem. I also tried re-upping MIOS several times... Could it be a shielding issue? I tried moving my test station away from any computers, fans, etc., but didn't seem to make much difference. Maybe the display is just shot and I should try a new one? Thanks! -Graham

Thanks for the reply, Doc! Jumpers are all on and I've got communication between MIDI-OX and the core now (had wiring reversed on MIDI OUT pins, stupid me!). Now I've uploaded MIOS 1.7 which I think is working properly since it echoes F0 00 00 7E 40 00 0F F7 when I send it. However, I don't get any random events in MIDI-OX after starting up the core. Shouldn't the PIC be sending out random readings from all the 'ghost' connections? When I boot, I get black squares on my lcd for 2 second (bootloader) and then it goes blank. I also only get the one single 'ready' sysex message and then nothing else. I've tried uploading all kinds of apps, but the behavior is the same. Shouldn't my LCD display something after the black bootloader blocks? Its a 4x20 HD44780-based display that I got on ebay. BTW, my PIC ID is all 0s. Please help me out here guys, I've read through everything on this site and I'm pulling my hair out trying to get this thing working!!!!

Yes I'm using Midi OX to try and upload MIOS, but I'm not getting any response from the core at all. When I power up, my LCD has two bars of black squares for about 2 seconds after which it goes completely blank. I tried replacing the optocoupler, but still no luck. One thing I'm not sure about is the jumpers on the board. They should all be on for uploads and all off for normal use, right? Any suggestions are *very much* appreciated. Thanks, Graham

Hi, I just finished assembing the core module and am having problems trying to load MIOS. I tested voltages across the important IC 1 and 2 pins and got nice steady 5V. I was also getting 2 nice rows of black blocks on my LCD, presumably indicating that the bootloader was loaded on the PIC properly. Next I hooked up the midi box to my PC, booted up MIDI OX and tried to upload MIOS 1.7 via the bootstap loader. This was not successful and after scratching my head a bit I tested the IC voltages again. Not only does the LCD not show anything now, but IC 1's pins are dead! I get NO potential across connections: IC1 (1)-IC1(12), IC1(11)-IC1(12), IC1(31)-IC1(32). IC2 is still showing steady 5V. What could have happened? I have no idea how to determine what component could have died. I could *really* use some help; getting pretty frustrated.... Thanx, G

Hi everyone, I'm hoping that someone can just clarify one aspect of the SEQ project specs for me. Basically, I'm wondering if it is possible to modify the BPM of a track in real-time while it is playing via an encoder? I've looked through the docs and tutorials but it is not clear to me whether the master clock can be adjusted during playback or not. thanks, graham

I see that MIOS currently supports several types of LCDs. I have a 4x20 character display that is HD44780 based. It is made by Micrologic Vikay (P/N 2420STELYGBN). Does anyone know if this will work with the existing MIOS firmware? Or will the line length cause problems? Thanks, Graham

Hi everyone, I am a fairly experienced programmer with a basic understanding of electronics, but am new to PIC programming so please bear with me if my questions seem naive. I am interested in building a stand-alone sequencer-like device that I could use to control a large number of LED lights (128). I would like this device to be able to load a MIDI file from a swapable storage medium (like the BankStick) and then drive the lights based on the MIDI event sequence. It is important that I be able to control the playback tempo in real-time using a potentiometer or something similar. Additionally, I would very much like to do some pre-processing on the MIDI data so that the mapping from MIDI noteon values to LEDs may not always be the same. So I am wondering if this is all possible with the MBHP? Can anyone see problems with the following or suggest a better setup: use the core module, 4 DOUT modules, a BankStick, and the filter application to do the pre-processing. And possibly the LCD and monitor modules, which would be nice, but re not essential. Can the BankStick be used in this way? How would one load MIDI data from a PC or synth to the BankStick? Thanks! Graham