Jurbo

Haven't used it myself yet, but doesn't the ring modulation feature do that? Not sure, though...

You can connect potentiometers through an AIN module, but I don't know if anyone has done it or written an application for it. If you only need a couple of pots (max seven or was it eight), you can connect them straight to the pins of the AIN connector on your Core. Then you must change the MBSID app to suit your needs. I use a joystick for filter cut/res, as do some others. I was able to do it by implementing a code by Twin-X (if I remember correctly, maybe it was his and TK's co-work), I'm no coder myself. You will find information on the forum by searching for "joystick" and "filter". Good luck! :)

Wow! Totally professional - molding your own knobs and all! Probably the neatest work quality on the forum yet! 8)

The shrunken C64 case looks really funny (in a good way)! 8) You have done a really neat job shortening it! Everything else looks neat and tidy as well. Is the panel white or is it metal reflecting light? Anyway, a nice job and I'm sure you'll have a lot of fun with it, giving hell to those large buttons! :)

More SIDs means that a greater number of different sounds can be played simultaneously. But in practice, the MBSID engine is so powerful and versatile, that you have a very broad range of sonic possibilties by using even just one SID. I'd say that one SID with the full control surface will get you a lot further into the SID realm than four SIDs with minimal control surface, as the exploring and and fine tuning the sounds is so much more fun and easy with a decent set of knobs at your hands. ;) About the different chips - the 8580 and 6581 do sound very different, and even the 6581's have much variation between them (the 8580's seem to be more similar to each other). So you really have to HEAR the different chips to know what YOU prefer. I started my box intending to build a 1x8580 / 1x6581, then ended up building it a 2x8580 but just some days ago I switched back to the original configuration with a 1x8580 / 1x6581 configuration which I think I'll settle with. Do a search - there is a thread on this forum where people excange their opinions on the different SIDs - but you can't really know how the chips compare by verbal definitions only. You have to hear them side-by-side yourself (by the way, comparing SID chips is a big part of the fun)! ;D

You can use 1 to 4 SIDs, just as you please (a 4 SID configuration will cost quite a lot to build as you need a Core and SID module for each SID chip), a 1 SID system can be very cheap). Don't know if it's any actual use to have four, I have two on mine (now it's 8580 and 6581, used to be 2 x 8580) and it fits my needs perfectly. More on this topic can be found very easily both in the documentation and the forum - it's best to carefully go through all the available information and let it sink in. Then you'll know what you want and can get to the building part! ;)

There probably aren't many vacant SIDs floating around anymore, as you know the Sidstations are also made in very small numbers because the SID stocks are pretty much used up by now. So you basically have to scavenge them from C64's. But as you can see, there are lots of cheap C64's going around on eBay and the like, both fully functioning and malfunctioning. Even a non working machine may have a perfectly healthy SID inside, so they are worth checking out, too. Ask the sellers before bidding, that they will check that there is a SID chip inside and which type, and ask if they are willing to send just the chip. Many are willing to do this. Just last week, I bought a 6581 from a non working c64 from a friendly soul, he even offered to send the chip for me to check out and pay if it worked, otherwise I would have just paid the postage (but this is rare showing of trust to a stranger, I'd say!). And yep, the chip worked. There may still be some batches of SIDs in the warehouses of (specialized) repair shops, but it will take some trouble to locate them and they are probably aware that enthusiasts will pay good money for the chips. Anyway, spend some time stalking eBay and you should be able to secure a couple of chips for not too much money!

Checked the video - finally a respectable form of computerised physical exercise for the old skool types who think a Nintendo with a dance mat is ridiculous! :P

A nice, simple design. I only hope that the OC118N drive was already beyond repair... I had one of those as a kid, nowadays I have a 1541-II... Â :) How the hell did you have the patience to make the vector board??? Nice integration of the circuits there! Â ;)

@ Steven C and Twin-X - Thanks for your kind comments on my MBSID. You know, I too played with the thought how much should my Midibox cost to be able to get real profit from it and thus call the transaction commercial. Well, I spent 400 euros for parts and roughly 100 hours building the machine, so I think that the bidding should start at 400 + 100 x 10 =1400 euros to actually get any kind of decent pay for the building work. Ok, now that I have built one, the next could be built faster, maybe even in 60-70 hours. So the price could come down to about 1000-1100 euros. Selling at this kind of prices I would call commercial, but in my opinion no-one is getting any real profit from selling an (although simple) MBSID for 140 euros, really. But to clear any possible misunderstandings, I do think that the Midibox (as well as other similar projects) should be enjoyed as it reads on the label: DIY. Thorsten has given us rights to do that but nothing else with his intellectual property. By the way, I think Thorsten gets paid for Midibox just the way he wants, it's just not in money: he gets huge respect and admiration for his skills, he is actually kind of a superstar to the people that know his work. Everyone here looks up to him, he is considered a genius and a guru. And that kind of position in life is more difficult to get than lots of money, I'd say. ;)

@ Mr Chombee: I don't know about the joystick data being sent out, but I suppose it should be possible if it already isn't working. After all, the analog signal from the pot is turned into digital data on the PIC, so it should be "just" a matter of programming. :P A vinyl cutter is a computer controlled machine that cuts images or text or whatever on a sheet of thin adhesive vinyl with a tiny blade. After cutting, you manually dig or weed away the parts of the vinyl you don't want on the design. Then you stick the weeded design to the target surface with the help of transfer tape (a bit like masking tape but as a sheet of suitable size). So basically the lettering on my MBSID is tiny letters that are cut out of adhesive tape. Seems to be durable, but it's possible to scrape it away using your fingernails with some force. And you can't do as small letters as you can with some other methods. But it seems to work just fine for me!

Thanks, guys! 8) @ Meta: About the filter joystick - yep, it's not all that original, and I couldn't have implemented it in the first place without the help from the people who had done it earlier, that's for sure... Why I just had to have it - coming from guitar background, I just knew from the start that I wanted something like a wah pedal at my fingertips (now that I think of it - I could wire a connector for a filter cutoff pedal...). It sounds very cool to play an arpeggiated chord and spice the treble end up by tiny realtime adjustments of cut/res on the stick. Adds a lot of expressiveness. I could play a single chord for hours, just wiggling the stick listening to the beautiful little alterations in the sound. ;D And I built my box mostly for realtime playing, expecting not so much use connected to sequencers and such. I'm happy with the stick, but sure, it might not be very useful for everybody. :)

Sorry, Thorsten, if I sounded like another crying baby joining a long queue of crying babies, which I really wasn't trying to do. Actually, I was trying to include some humour and even tried to show that I understand your situation. I have huge appreciation for your dedication and effort, and I'm even more impressed by the fact that you are giving the less knowledgeable a chance to build these unique musical instruments for free. My problem rose from the change of version from MBSID 1.6 to 1.7. The old conversations, that the links point to, that pulled me through with 1.6 don't seem to help now with 1.7. Okay, that's my own problem, no-one has any obligation to help me out there. Reading between the lines of your answers, I suppose the AIN driver does lie somewhere in the files of the 1.7 and I just haven't looked deep enough - none of the file names really point towards anything involving AIN and the files which I have gone through and partly understood don't do that either. I will go through every file and try to understand it all (which won't be easy, but well, life always isn't). About my own contributions to the community: yes, I may not be one of the most valuable members of the community, since with my expertise (or lack of it) I can't really do a lot for the more advanced, but to help the beginners with the more simple questions. And that I have done and will do. I don't think I'll ever be much of a Midibox guru. But anyway, I'll try to dig deeper into the files and sort it out, I'm still hoping to get the joystick filter. I really didn't think I was making a stupid question (I have done that in the past, that's for sure). Thank you Thorsten for everything and all the best (and hey, why not take a some time off every now and then to rest that over-revving brain of yours). :) Oh, and just to sum up my feelings so that there is no misunderstanding - ALL MIDIBOX STUFF RULE BIG TIME!!! :)

No-one able to help? Not even the Big Man, Thorsten (ok, I know you have one thousand and one projects going on, but I think this would benefit others too)? My hardware is now 100% complete, I only need to activate the joystick... It's strange to feel excited and full of joy, but yet in desperate need, all at once. I guess this is only possible in the Midibox world... ;D ??? :'( :P

Hi again! I hope I'm not missing something obvious here, tried searching the forum but couldn't find any help. So, how do I modify the MBSID 1.7 app to accept my analog joystick (2 pots, of course) to control the filter cutoff/resonance? With the kind help of you guys I managed to do it with version 1.6, but it doesn't seem to go the same way with 1.7. For starters, in the 1.7 zip package there doesn't seem to be files like sid_init.inc and sid_ain.inc, that could be easily modified to accomodate the joystick. I tried fiddling around in the main.asm file of the 1.7, and borrowing some lines of code from the older files and the sid_ain.inc file, but as I'm no programmer, it didn't work (I didn't really expect it to, either)... Some simple programming, like reassigning DIN pins went ok, much to my surprise! I hope this joystick thing isn't actually impossible? Please, don't let it be so... ???

Yep, Twin-X, I guess sometimes there can be stupid questions... At least in my case there was... ;D I had a short that wasn't even hard to see once I seriously began to search for one. I was SO sure there couldn't be such a problem. I was very very careful while building the modules, and basically checked each joint after soldering, but this one sucker managed to sneak in... Anyway, it's progressing really well now, I'd say that I have two building nights left at most and my glorious 2 x 8580 will be ready to RAWK N RAWL!!! 8) Oh, damn, I still have to find out how to change the 1.7 application to accept my joystick pots for the filter control... Haven't looked deep into it but it seems it's a bit different to 1.6 where I managed it... At least the other bits of the app seem to have changed, file names, etc... But I'll begin asking stupid questions on this matter later when it's absolutely necessary! ;)

GOD I FEEL STUPID!!! Can't understand how I managed to make multiple checks (even measuring ohms) without seeing the obvious problem of a short circuit caused by bad soldering!!! So my system is okay so far... A lesson learned: After double checking, triple check it!!! ;D

Hi! I have had many months of slow and successful building, but now encountered a problem: The Osc Misc led doesn't light. I push the Osc Control button, and the Env and Asn leds work ok, but the Misc doesn't. The LCD does go to Misc mode. The led itself works, is in the right polarity and I get 220 ohms measured between the led's anode pin and the corresponding pin on the serial register chip. The led's ground is also connected ok. I can't figure what could be wrong, so as a solution I thought that maybe I should rewire the led to one of the free pins on the second DOUT module (I'm using the default wiring for my DINs and DOUTs). It seems that cs_menu_io_tables.inc would be the file to change, but I'm not sure how. Anyone able to help me out? Thanks! P.S. On a brighter note, after changing to SID 1.7 my two bankstick configuration works, I couldn't get the box to recognize the second memory module on the 1.6. :)

Oops, just joined in on your thread on this one, Lo-Fi... Yeah, I just got the caps elsewhere, so that my values match the available schematics. It seems that Claudia's specs aren't up to date... By the way, I think it's strange that no-one else has reported this, as we are six months apart on this purchase - or are the kits so unpopular???

I had the same problem with my SID kits, I ordered mine in August last year. I tried to enquire about it on this forum but no-one answered if I remember correctly, and I never asked Claudia about it... Well, I managed to get the caps from a C64 and a local electronic shop. So it was Claudia's mistake after all... Well, worse things can happen, I guess... :)

Tarzan Boy, my lack of knowledge of your situation brought out the wrong words. My bad. I apologise. Basically all the SID modules have their own voltage regulators (yes, some heat caused by them, but very little), but you could avoid this by regulating their voltages outside of the SID modules. For instance, put one 9V regulator and one 12 V regulator on the C64 optimised circuit board (if you decide to go this way,, you have to design the layout yourself anyway) and take the correct voltages for your SIDs from there and bypass the VR positions on the SID modules. The only thing that stopped me from doing this is the fact that I wanted to do the power chaining of the SIDs the same way as in TK's PSU schematics (just trying to play safe as there are the mystical possibilities of ground loops or whatever that might cause unwanted electrical noise if I changed the wiring). But I really don't see the heat dissipation of the VR's as a possible problem at all. The cores will get their 5 V directly from the PSU, so you will get to ditch the VR's of your Core boards. About the ordering and planning - yeah, I had to do it the same way, much planning trying to order all the necessary parts from as few distributors as possible to avoid huge postages. And still I ended up with some afterthoughts (like a filter joystick) that required additional ordering. It really can be a bitch getting that one part you need that can't be bought locally! Keep on thinking up and then building the SID machine! 8)

Hi! Neither have I ever put together anything as complex as the MBSID, but slowly and surely I'm getting there. First, if you think that browsing the site for a couple of hours is a lot of work, then it might be better to forget about the whole thing... Ok, sorry about that, I don't want to discourage you - but I spent maybe 20 hours roaming around the site before I ordered any parts... This is not a quick one, let me tell you! :) Your questions: You should use the C64 PSU with the optimized schematic, it will be all you need. The circuit will give you 5 V DC and 14 V DC, and the SID 6581 will get its 12 V reduced from the 14 V line by the voltage regulator on the SID module . The SID 8580 will get its 9 V the same way. The CORE module(s) will be happy with the 5 V.

Oh yes, the amperage is printed on the PSU: 5 V DC 700 mA and 12 V DC 500 mA. I suppose this is enough for an MBSID system, right? Anyway, I hope someone will benefit from this information.

Just happened to take a closer look at the PSU of my 1541-II disk drive (PSU type number: DV-5128UP), and it says on the case, that the transformer outputs 5V DC and 12 V DC. What do you think - could this unit be used for powering the MBSID? Of course, a new optimized power circuit would have to be designed, but how about it? The voltages would be just right for a Core and SID 6581. Not that this matters to me personally, as I use my C64 PSU with the optimized circuit, but this might actually help somebody out there. :)

Moebius - what I meant was, that even the "new-bodied" C64C's (II) seem to be divided into two generations. The C64C (II) with the later style keyboard printings and plastic clip cases have 8580. The C64C (II) with older style keyboard printings and screwed together cases have 6581. I'm not referring to the old brown C64's at all, just the newer, sleeker bodied machines that seem to be divided into older and newer generations as well.