jamram

Hi Rah, maybe, you were aware of this thread: http://www.midibox.org/forum/index.php?topic=4387.0 It's the same kind of assumption, that made me commercial from Smash's point of view. Last year this made me feel like midibox is a kind of religion or something like that with TK as a god, wether he likes or not, and all contributors as priest, wether they like or not. I don't want to trade midiboxes, just for correct understanding. This was my strike-back flaming to SmashTV, so i said "wag the dog!". I have already started my own project with PIC and SID, though it will take some time to get it "midified" an really operating like a synth I have in mind. Producing a sound does just take 80 lines of C18-code and on the breadboard only few parts are required. Making it a synth takes a lot more and a good concept, of course. The MBSID implementation is interesting, so I built one (and the first one I sold on ebay). But the ideas I have about the SID differ very much from the MBSID step3. So I have develop everything myself. I'd have liked contributing, but this community gave me the feeling of something like Jehovas witnesses or so... "you're a good boy respecting everything we want, and no discussion about it". Now I try to make my own way, maybe i'll suffer, but I hope i won't. PS some plots about my recherches yet: - anyone wants a cheaper D/A converter than MAX525, look at analog devices homepage... they offer free samples of several devices and the quality is really good (eg: AD558 (8Bit parallel, very oldskool but often used) or AD7245 (12Bits). You can make them "serial" if you use the famous 74595 *g* - controlling everything via a databus and 3to8 converter (74138) makes the timing much faster (100k samples per second or retriggers for the sid... (since the firmware has not very much to work yet) Well, so far. I want to respect everybody, but I can't understand most of them. ;o) bye, jamram

hello rah, It's exactly my opinion. I think, a few people haven't understood the GPL and neither have their attorneys. And some people live in an other reality. I don't understand why somebody would spend any money on legal discussions about midiboxes. Take a look at the specs of the MOS6581 for example. You'll find a reference design for the circuitry. Same thing for the PIC. It took me one day to get a pcb out of EAGLE, everything layouted by myself. The development depth of the core-board circuitry is maybe slightly above public domain. PSU development in MBHP way is state of the art. The only thing concerning the SID, that could be worth an attorneys effort would be MIOS and SID-application. But both of them are GPL. Anybody, who likes to sell a midibox compatible hardware platform and is willing to spend one day in redesign, can do this without fear of legal harrassment. If this wasnt intended, it shouldn't have be GPL'ed. SmashTV knows about the redesign efforts. He said he has done this. And so have I for myself. But I will NOT present it to a community with this kind of ethics. If you really want to start a business, I can take over the trading in Germany, if u like ;o) (Is it that, what you wanted to read from me, SmashTV? Okay, here u are!) greetinx, jamram

Hi Smash and others! I think, you know, what you wrote, but it's way too cool not to quote it again: Maybe we have just some difficulties in understanding each other. Maybe the semantic construction of the word -irony- is unknown in american english, or at least so much unpopular, that you are not used to it. Hm, i think, i never said "commercial" about my midibox. Yeah. Suppose, I said exactly the opposite. You said, I'd be commercial. So I only repeated it. But also, I love lying, it makes the world go round. Yeah, I love lying. Lying next to my boyfriend. AND: This posting is not related to my production line in china. - What production line in china? There is no such thing like a midibox production line in china! So wag the dog! okay: [/irony] Talk about legal issues and keep the project going on. Keep knowing, what you need to know and everything is fine. Pay your attorney for the legal issues, if you think he's worth it. I think this discussion is lame, and if not, at least extremely funny. And if you don't want to stand reality, just delete all my files. ...paranoid. bye, jamram.

Hello Smash, do I understand you right: You say the "hardware" and the layouts are not GNU-GPL licensed, and maybe the circutry also? This would mean that I can use the MIOS in any way i like. I do not see any copyright infringement by rah, if he wants to use MIOS. Noone can be forced to respect any ethics. If thats the only reason, why one cant build any midiboxes, i'm waiting for the smart chinese guy with his assembler skills. PCB's that are not marked with "MBHP" are very cheap to manufacture in china, too. And since any circuitry is reference design by commodore or microchip with minor changes, your attorney will have a hard time in court... I'm really amused seeing your problem growing bigger now, after my so often produced extra expensive commercial midibox, I sold on ebay. Maybe thats, what you have to live with, if something is licensed as GPL. best regs, jamram

Hi, normally voltage regulators are known that they need an input voltage thats about 1.5V for lm317 (up to 3V for 78xx types ) higher than the output voltage. Maybe the low drop voltage regulator LM2940 is a solution, but there is some extra circuit necessary (there are a lot of examples around in the www) but notice also: 1V difference between input and output is needed, too. Maybe it's enough to put a dull diode that can handle 200mA directly behind the battery or some z diodes... ... it would cause a drop of 0.6V (and then youre in the working limits for pic...)? greetinx, jamram

Hallöchen, ich hab ein Problem mit einer SID-Platine gehabt (ich hab sie durch das Löten jetzt kaputtgekriegt, aber es interessiert mich trotzdem). Verbindung zwischen Core und SID = ok, Core an anderer SID-Platine = ok, SID an anderer Core= nicht okay, also SID-Platine fehlerhaft. Und das äussert sich wie folgt: man nehme den Filtered 6851 Patch und er klingt zerhackt. Man nehme die Miami Patches und die LFO "klackert"... Cutoff im Menü auf über 100 und Reso auch = Ton bricht sofort weg und ein Pfeifen bleibt übrig, zurückdrehen und der Ton kommt wieder. Also dachte ich, hmm, schieberegister nicht in ordung - andere reingesetzt: keine Änderung. Also fing ich an durchzumessen und nach falschen Kontakten zu suchen, bin aber nicht fündig geworden (der 8580 ist in ordnung, auf anderer Platine kein Problem). Spannungsregler und Kondensatoren hab ich schon durchgetauscht. Frage: kann das am analogteil (also ausgang des SID's) liegen? Meine vermutung war, es würden ein paar Bits der Schieberegister kurzgeschlossen oder so... Zweite Sache, die mir auffiel: wenn die SID Platine am Core Modul steckt (bei allen Platinen aufgefallen), funktioniert das Update der Applikationen über MIDI nur mit 50% wahrscheinlichkeit, mal kann ich MIOS neu installieren (auch nur wenn das SID-Modul nicht dransteckt), mal gehts beim 2. Versuch. Es geht aber sofort (naja, bisher noch kein fehler bemerkt), wenn das Sid-Modul nicht dransteckt - gehört das so, oder hab ich nen bug reingelötet? MIOS ist 1.7, SIDOS ist 1.7a - wie gesagt, dieses Filterding ist nur bei einer Platine passiert, sonst nicht. Vielleicht ist einem ja was ähnliches passiert... viele grüsse, jamram

Well, though I said, I wouldn't take part in this kindergarden discussion any longer (I thought, we all are adult enough to know where flaming starts and whats the difference to a serious opinion), I have to comment some statements again, because they definitely pointinto my direction :.-( To SmashTV: What next time? Oh, yeah, I remember, must be the 5.000 SIDboxes I've already built to sell them soon on ebay ;-) But it comes better, this is nasty, how would you react, if somebody wants to threaten you like this? Thats is really childish, there are other ways to tell me your discomfort: The lab maintainer is Dieter Opitz (dopitz(at) fh-wedel (.)de), and he knows about all my activities, since I have to ask for the keys first, before I can do anything. Try to bug him, he has got better things to do than answering your silly complaints about something that did not even took place.... Do you really think, I'd make an offer, if I am aware, I wasn't allowed to? What about Microchip? Don't you think they know themselves how to handle samples and whom they send it to? Are You playing kinda community police for some kinda ill ethics just to keep your pcb-shop going, maybe? Yeah daddy, you're right, come on, please don't punish me :-P. If you were able to read properly what I exactly wrote: "i DON'T want to COMPETE with mikes pcb-shop, since he is VERY CHEAP already, but MY COSTS considered the material only, would be LOWER, because i can etch at my college lab.", you see how much commercial I am. Maybe you can afford a studio with plasma-touch screen, there are months i cant afford even paying my very low telephone bill. Thats of no interest to me. I don't care for magic of scale either, YES, i admitted already, it was wrong to sell it on ebay. Sorry! What else do you want me to do now? At Julian: Sorry, I didn't want to violate your copyright license, I have removed it from the server. Since I downloaded this song a time ago and liked it very much, I wasn't aware of the license at this time. and to the whole community: In my idea keeping opensource alive does not only mean coding or working for free and make this intellectual property available to everyone with GPL license (I myself do prefer the BSD License), but also to be openminded. To defend a community or opensource with teeth means, to be a warrior for a better thing. War has never brought anything alse than pain. Well maybe I'm wrong, but openminded in my interpretation means to be able to forgive a mistake. I regretmy mistake, but some of you to allege that I would do more and more bad things, more than even I know about myself - I can't help it. I never meant to be a bad guy. Now I am, and I have to face the consequences. And it seems as if I am your enemy now, too? How many more things in my behaviour are wrong, too? Maybe, it's not allowed to have sex with guys in some countries. I had. Oh, that's not of interest? Ups, I wonder why. So to some of you i send out this: If this is your community ethics, thank you very much, but I have to object - please don't harass me, I won't bother you any longer. Yeah, I know, it's Alex versus the rest of the world, but I'm used to it. best regs and a pacific smile, jamram.

I don't want to argue about who catches the plot or doesn't. I think I have said, what is necessary to say in these circumstances. If you want to interprete my words in a way it cant match your ethics because of your beeing right, I quit any further discussion. I know the idea of opensource very wel for a long timel, and I don't see where I have cheated anybody, especially the ones whose contributions aren't effected in any way. The only one who could claim beeing cheated is Thorsten himself. The linux example is wider than what you derived from it, and you know, I suppose. Hopefully I have emphasized enough, i don't wanted to be commercial, just for selling my own -one- sidbox. If you don't get this, I cant help it. Sorry. br, jamram.

Well, let me anser some qoutes, too Yes, I understand this. But there is one thing on opensource you should take into your consideration. Thinking of linux and sourceforge for example, noone could ever have installed linux on a company server, if it wasn't allowed to use it for a commercial project. linux is, as we know released on the gnu gpl - the same terms as thorsten klose's MIOS and SID-os. And i know very many linux servers on the whole wide world used in companies, even i know the so called "suse" distribution, which in my opinion is the most commercial next to red hat. all are based on the free linux - how to handle this? are people to be nagged, just because they are not able to configure postfix properly, they should learn this? I dont think so. So it is with soldering, too - my mdibox (and i'm very firm with electronics) took me several days to make it run. how should someboy, who has never held a soldering iron in his hands, get it finished? Whats the point im wrong on? Find me offering the used microchip as SAMPLE! I don't know exactly which of my rd. 15 Microchips I have ordered from Reichelt or received as a free sample. I use the PIC for other purposes than midibox, too.......... :-( Maybe youre right. It's not ethical. I'm very disappointed to get reactions in that way the first. What the hell should i have done to my mbsid, after i finished my 4x one? throw it out of the window and jump on it? Or pass it to the salvation army? I DO NOT HAVE ANY COMMERCIAL INTENT ON IT, I JUST WANTED TO GET THE COST FOR THE PARTS BACK. The money i gained more thatn parts cost - thats the thing to offend me for - tell me what i can do with it to satisfy you. I will tell you when the auction is finished, okay? Sorry, but now, i was getting mad a little - since i had done something on opensource before and never had any ideas in this direction....

hi, well, thats exactly what i have feared all the time, when offering my midibox sid on ebay. my idea was to make a bigger bigger sidbox with a new pcb layout, but i just couldn't afford it, since i'm only a poor college student. It's not fair to say i would do this on any commercial purpose - thats just not true. i wrote "i can manufacture everything you see on ucapps" only to point out, that if somebody wats the 4-Sid option and is not able to make it himself, maybe i can do it for him at little expense - and my idea was to make my midibox sell at least for 100 bucks (and it was a long time on 66 Euros, which didn't even cover the costs for the parts). I know it was better if i had asked before selling this item, please accept my apology for this :.-( and don't get mad at me, by end of may my little contribution (a screwhole-fitting front-panel and main 4xsid pcb will be finished)., i thought even of offering ready drilled and etched boards, but i don't know how to charge for it. (i don't want to compete with mikes pcb-shop, since he is very cheap already, but my costs considered the material only, would be lower, because i can etch at my college lab...) best regs, alex sidow, aka jamram

Is there anything known about the patch format of the SidStation? It looks, as if their wavetable thing there has 64 steps, while we have 32? Maybe it would be interesting to convert these patches to Midibox Sid... but the SidStation is much too expensive for me, otherwise I would have tried already... br, jamram

ieh, das ist ja unangenehm, hoffentlich betrifft das wirklich nur usart... hmm. ich hab mich bisher auch nur an den samples von microchip versucht. das klingt also, als ob usb-pic-midi als kombination so erstmal flachfällt, schade. ich werd dann wohl mal schaun, wie das mit parallel-nach-seriell umsetzen aussieht (und ich dachte, ich könnt mir das schön einfach machen) *grinz*

moin, ich hab da doch glatt nochmal ne frage... ist eigentlich für den USB-PIC schon irgendwas programmiert worden, bzw. schon irgendwelche erfahrungen gemacht? (ich hab da bisher noch nix gefunden hmm...) ich habe als examensarbeit ein usb-interface für einen scanner zu bauen, wobei es da eher um seriell RS232 (statt midi) nach usb umzusetzen geht... evtl. komme ich da in den bereich der win32 treiberprogrammierung hinein (bin immernoch am überlegen, wie es ist, die virtuelle com-schnittstelle von mc zu benutzen... ). naja... so far :o) jamram.

Hi, Also, ja die Platinen sind getestet (da fehlen im Moment grad die beiden SID-Kondensatoren, die ich von der Original-C64-II Platine benutzt hab, die löte ich aber ein, oder andere, je nach Wunsch). Desweiteren: die Abschwingkondensatoren am Netzteil (SID als auch Core) sind statt wie von Torsten angegebene 330nF nur 220nF, was eigentlich auch keine Probleme machen sollte (hatte keine 330er mehr). Und die Bohrlöcher sind nicht so ganz genau..., funktionieren tun die Platinen, hatte ich schon komplett aufgebaut. Für die DIN-X1 hab ich IC-ähnliche 10k Netzwerke verwendet (tun genau das gleiche). Naja, unter 30 Euro würd ich anfangen zu weinen ;-) Also, wenns zusagt.... viele Grüsse, jamram

...braucht man da nicht ohnehin eine vendor-id *dummfrag*...? ich hab bei microchip gelesen, dass da sonst nur dieser virtuelle com-port ohne probleme zu implementieren ist.... hmmm... seid ihr da schon weitergekommen? viele grüsse, jamram