Silverfish

Hi folks. This one is really, really OT. I've had a roland sp808 for a while now (it was my first piece of real gear), and I don't think I could ever part with it. The problem is that Roland thought 100mb zip drives were a technology that would not soon be overtaken. I've searched for a number of replacements, among them a compact flash drive (unsuccesful), a larger zip drive (known to work, but only partially solves the problem), and using a hard drive. The sp808 is very similar to the VS series mixers roland released, and a number of folks have successfuly used all of the above to bypass their limited zip drives. Roland made a model similar to the 808 for video production, the A6. Rather than having a zip drive, it had a small hard drive (6Gb?). This would seem to indicate that a hard drive will work. I haven't tried it yet, but a few other ideas popped into my head: 1. Is it at all possible to emulate zip drive firmware on a hard drive? The goal being to trick the 808 into thinking there's still just a zip drive. um... I guess that was my only question for you wonderful programming-type people. I appreciate any info you may have on obliterating this confounded zip drive (although, truthfully, I should be thankful the zip drive still works). Thanks, Silverfish

Okay- I'm really new at this. How did you reroute the Quattro switches? I'm stuffing my MBLC with a midisport 2x2, and I was going to desolder the components. Is the desoldering necessary? Or can said rerouting work? Thanks, and nice box.

Lol. Since I'm really young (I can count my years of electronic music on just over one hand), I'm quite fond of software. As I advance along with live performance and other things, I am realizing how vital hardware can actually be. My biggest regret at the moment is that I don't have enough time to crank out more Midibox projects!

Hi all- I took a quick look at the info for the NI Kore stuff today, and I must say that at almost $600, it doesn't do a whole lot. Atleast it looks cool. I guess I'd rather build my own. What do you guys think of the thing? Silverfish

Hi- I'm not really sure where to post this, so here goes... This is a link to huskervu, a software Mackie Control display. I tried it and it seems to work pretty well. I don't have a fully enabled MC system around, so it's kind of hard to test it hardcore. http://www.xmlconsulting.co.nz/husker/huskervu.htm Enjoy, Tyler

Hi. Just curious if it would be possible and reasonable to create a diy midi interface similar to m-audio 8x8 or some of the MOTU stuff. Searched around a bit and didn't see a lot, so maybe it's not something worth persuing. If anyone has any info or links it would be very helpful. Thanks, Tyler

Silly question time- MB64e CAN use pots/faders. Does this absolutely require an AIN module? I only need one analog part (a crossfader, for now) and wouldn't mind passing on another module to assemble. Thanks, Tyler B

Hi- I know a few people have been working with joysticks in their Midiboxes, and I seem to remember them having troubles finding handles. In addition to the plastic ball handles, you can now add these to your considerations. http://www.meci.com/product_info.php/products_id/3208043 Enjoy! Silverfish

Hi again. As I'm patiently waiting for design revisions from SmashTV's shop, I'm curious about a power supply, etc. I searched the board and I now know that I need between 7-10 Volts, 500mA. Here's the fun part- I'd love to just play around and learn as I go, but I'm afraid that wouldn't be very wise when dealing with serious electricity. I'm building a multiple core LC or 64e, and I bought the BGMicro 40x2 lcds that require -5v. So- 1) What type of power supply is best suited for this? (linear, switching, etc?) 2) Rather than creating a negative voltage converter, is it possible to purchase a power supply with both positive and negative? 3) Does anyone have parts numbers for a supply from Digikey, Mouser, etc? 4) I'm forgetting my other questions.... Thanks again,

Hi- Spent some time searching the forum, trying to figure out how to connect a laptop mousepad as an xy controller. Do any of you pros know if it's worked and what it would take as far as further programming and hardware construction? Thanks, Tyler Brown

Thanks. I'm attempting to build a Mackie Control clone and squeeze in a few more things (like crossfade, xy pad, D-beam, or 16 more rotary encoders) with out building another core. I'm still up in the air between MBLC or MB64e. Can Core port J6 be used for another DIN? I think I read something about that somewhere around here. How many total inputs does a MC clone utilize? And how do you replace 9 motor faders with encoders (where do they go)? Thanks again, Tyler B

Hi again- I began looking at schematics for the rotary encoders and did not see anything about the encoder push buttons (perhaps I didn't look hard enough). Do the buttons require seperate wiring to a DINx4 module? Thanks again, Tyler B

Good call. They would seem to function better in theory than reality. Thanks, Tyler B

Hi again. Still in the planning phase of the Midibox creative process, and I am curious what other peoples thoughts were on membrane switches. Alltronics.com has really cheap five-button membrane switches. Could this be set up as a (long-term, reliable) transport bar? And would a iPod like circular membrane work well as a "rotary encoder" jog wheel? Let me know any thoughts or comments you may have on this. Thanks again! Tyler B

Hi. I'm beginning planning on my first Midibox project and was curious about the available functions for the buttons on the rotary encoders. Is it possible to use those buttons for functions such as "mute", "solo", or something similar, or is there a better use for them that I'm overlooking. I've been studying up on the Midibox projects for a while now and I have to say that this is quite an impressive community! Thanks for you time and answers! TB