Sasha

If you live in Serbia like me (hope not) :) you always have to improvise if you want to make something work, and especially if you want that looks good. This is what you can do with old computer keyboard. If you open it you will find very durable separate butons which you have to unsolder of the board. Check out this post: http://69.56.171.55/~midibox/forum/index.php?topic=2769.0 You can use originl caps (big & ugly) or you can easely make this cool illuminated plexiglass ones. All you have to do is to draw shape you like in some vector or CAD program and let laser service cut it for you from a panel. I cut mine by hands for prototipe. :) Try to find transparent gray or brown plaxi, looks best. Coloured plexi is not good since it`s not transparent enough for LED illumination. After you have your buttons caps cuted, sand it with fine (water) sandpaper which makes it better for light difusion, and also nice and round. Veeeery touchy :P :P :P When you finish sanding drill 3-4mm hole on the bottom for 3mm LED, and glue everything on a top of the keyboard button. If you want to make button just right, make second pass with roundered drill or some other tool to move away central dot which leves drill to make it perfect, and also for better light difusion. Don`t forget to make small cuts for LED legs before gluing. Enjoy! I still didn`t make my midibox sing, but untill than... I`m not lazy! Here`s some pics of prototype button glued on a wood board. I think it looks much cooler than buttons on my Korg microkontrol in a background. :) ;)

I`ve been trying to make midibox for a long time. Here in Serbia nobody knows what kind of crystals they are selling. They even don`t know there are two types of it. Also I can`t order online because, again, this is Serbia. Don`t ask me to explain. It is just like that. Belive me, I tried. So, I`m asking a favour. Could somebody buy me a proper 10MHz paralel cut crystal and send it to me? Before that I will send you money fizically in envelope, or maybe I could try to put money on your bank account. There is Raifeisen banks here it should work I guess... F*****g Serbia Thanks in advance.

I checked Smash TV. They also not sending to Serbia! Suprised? I know Nenad, I meet hem especially because of the midibox. Problem with Nenad is that he don`t know much of it. Some other guy made electronic for him. And that other guy have a kid, and no time at all, and bla, bla... I told Nenad I will pay him just to help me. But nothing...Â

Hey Dreamer, did you chek my post. http://69.56.171.55/~midibox/forum/index.php?topic=4190.0 Don`t waste your time wrighting, we have pretty much same problems. :'( Could It be crystal problem? Are you sure you are using paralel cut crystal. In my country nobody knows about it. I m aso stucked, maybe because of that crystal. I wish I could halp you more, but i can`t even help myself. Did you tried everything TK told me to do? Wish you luck.

When I put PIC16F877 programmer gets hot but with 18F452 it is OK. I read out the data and it looks perfectly OK. So I am almost sure bootstrap loader is in it. You right about this, but all this tooked so much time and I feel like I`m not moving forward. Nobody seams knows nothing here in Belgrade about it. Not the one shop worker ever heard about diferent types of crystal. I printed page you gave me but they are still in wonder. Crazyness! Do you think I should post another topic to ask some more direct help? I already have few sets of new parts and PCBs. Only part I suspect now is crystal. I don`t know about situation now but not long time ago you couldn`t order nothing over the net from here, just books. Beacuse of the froads nobody wanted to accept orders from Serbia. We are shitty country, don`t you know that? You`ve seen it on TV surely. Maybe the only thing I can do is to send cash to somebody to buy me a right crystal? Anyway, thank you very much for your effort and time helping me here. I am impresed with your will and enthusiasm! There is nothing in a world I wanted to make more than midibox. And I am still wondering how is so better than any comercial product on a market? I will finish my baby somehow! Some day... Â

I checked connections with meter and also with magnifiing glas. Didn`t find any foulty. I put old (20MHz) crystal again to see will I get those inproper signals or a LED fleshing. But this time nothing!!! I expected to get flashing like first time??? All I done is swap 20MHz crystal with 10 MHz and reprogrammed the PIC again with bootstrap loader. I expected same problems but this time even worse. No any signal. I also tried to burn old PIC16F877 with proper .hex but it seems demaged since blank check fails, and progremmer gets pretty hot. I supposet that means it is not good. Istarted to make new THE THIRD midibox again. The PCB (also made with photo technique) is slightly better but I am sure that`s not a problem. I don`t know what to do else than try to make everything from scratch. Mayby is problem with some micro leyer of soldering paste. I cleaned everything with alcohol after I made PCB, dont know where could be the problem. This project really made me feel miserable and stucked!

I figured out nobody tried to use stepper motor in midibox projects. any other sugestion for "nice feel durable encoder. If I menage to make my midibox work : ) I would like to make 2 bigger size jogs for NI Traktor.

I found this page about converting step motor into encoder, and I wonder can it be used as high durable encoder for midibox aplications? LINK: http://www.webx.dk/oz2cpu/20m/encoder.htm

I`ve got new problems as I expected. 1. I brned bootstrap loader again, after werifying it sais OK. When I read data from the pic I noticed changes in config list. It sais: CONFIG1: 2700 CONFIG2: 0F0F CONFIG3: 0100 CONFIG4: 0085 CONFIG5: C00F CONFIG6: E00F CONFIG7: 400F ID was: 0000... What is happening? Did I demaged the PIC? 2. As I didn`t get any signal this time using midiox nor LED on midi out I checked woltages again. This time I didnt get +5V on a pin 25 ? What have I done now??? Thanks for the link for crystals. i will print it, and take it with me next time.

Taday I bought new 10 MHz crystal and I will try everything again. What is interesting that nobody knows enything about serial/paralel crystal! All salesman looked me in wonder, even one electronic student said "trere`s only one type of crystal"!!!

I`m ashamed with my stupidness. What about type serial/paralel. Is there any marking so I can know is it serial or paralel?

I bought crystal i local radio club shop. The marks on crystal are: 20.000 AEC03C

>>Whats about the loopback test, is it working now? It is not working, but midiox receaving something. Here`s the snapshot: www.recycleordie.co.yu/midibox/last_shit.gif >>>Did you also try to upload MIOS with the SysEx tool of MIDI-Ox? Not this time, because loopback seems not working. Should I buy 16F877 and try with old design again? Why nobody make complete and tested midibox, I woud rather empty my pockets and forget about building joy than lose any nervs. It seems so simple but it turns to be to complicate. What should I do?

Could you just confirm me this configuration is OK before I continue. www.recycleordie.co.yu/midibox/routing2.gif What about MIDI in should it be conected somewhere or it is OK like this. Thank you for your help, but I`m almost sure this is not the end because it also faild with serge`s loader!

I hope you will see some light now: www.recycleordie.co.yu/midibox/routing.htm

I `ve done as you said and results you can see on page: http://www.recycleordie.co.yu/midibox I`m still confused about problem.

I forget to tell you... I am using IC Prog with All Pic Programmer. Here is pretty popular but is it good for midibox I don`t know? I am using it because It is tested and it don`t use PC`s power suply. We mostly have chinese PC`s here with bad and unstable power suply and I`ve been told that All Pic Programmer is better because of that separate power suply. All Pic Programmer is build to work with IC Prog, and in its setting you should sellect JDM like you are working with JDM. I didn`t try yet your last hex but I am sending you link to page with screenshots of my last midi imput monitor www.recycleordie.co.yu/problembox.htm

Hi,Thorsten! I will try this as soon as I can. I can`t hury up wery much because I dont have internet at home. Shocked... don`t be. As I told you I`m trying to build this over a year, so I can wait more for you to come from hollidays. I never come here on forum so I didn`t expected that you are actually ansvering our questiont. You crazy freak! If I catch you before hollydays cool, if not have a fun, you dafinitly deserved it. And don`t go to Malasia or around because WORLD NEEDS YOU! ;)Thx. again. Hear you.

Lastn night I had nightmares about midibox and endles reprograming and testing. ??? I am confused about few things: 1. Before uploading bootstrap loader It needs to set ID. Default is ID = 0000000000000000. As I understand I can leave it like that because I want to use only one core, and no LCD. I also try with ID = 0000000000000012 2. What is diference between ID 0x00 and 0x12.For both it sais common MIDI interface/character LCD??? Which one to use for midibox 64? 3. When I "successfuly" burned bootstrap (with IC prog) I read out the data from PIC. Content was OK but ID was always ID = 0000000000000000 instead of ID = 0000000000000012 what I set before burning. Should it always be like that or should I see ID = 0000000000000012? I finish successfuly all tests: +/- curencies, optocoupler midi in out, loopback both midibox and PC. Everything seams OK but I still dont get eny sysex.

Yes, everithing is OK before midi IO loopback. I couldent get signals going trough midibox. I have done midi loopback on my korg mikrokontrol, and it is OK. I used sysex loader for that. What can I do to past this IO loopback test? I was so histerically happy when I found out about this great project, but I stil did not make it work (over a jear). I started with midibox plus. I dont know anibody in my cantry who can I ask for help. Or they know only about PICs or only about MIDI protokol, so it is very hard to find any help. First I thougt my biggest problem is PIC programming. I bought new programmer and get PIC with bootstrap in it, but I am not sure did I burned in it any sysex. As I said I am getting pitch MIDI messages every few secs. but I am expecting sysex, right? Confused! I am electronic hobbist, and I am surly know what is the right side of soldering iron, but cant get it work. When I saw the simplicity of proyect I was amazed and sure about my skills to build it, but I was wrong. Am I so stupid or am I missing something important? Once again... how can I know what I burned in PIC instead of bootstrap loader, and what should I do first to test if it is working. I build one dout modul, but it can have some foulty too.Thx. Sasa

I burned bootstrap loader in a PIC, and I am getting midi signals in a midi ox input monitor but there is no any sysex requests. I tried to send MIOS within a 2 seccond without midiboxes request. After it I am still receveing same signals (Pitch). How can I know do I burned MIOS and application in a PIC. Is there any complete midibox 64 hex to burn, so I dont have to send sysex MIOS, and application. Thanks in advance. Sasa