Jaicen

Hey man, sorry I sort of allowed this thread to become a little old and dusty! I think I did finish the PCB's, after a fashion, but I haven't got round to building any. I think there are a couple of errors on the Hat's board too. I got a job around the same time and it's eaten up most of my PBC making time. Since I already have a DR-110 which i'm adding DIN-sync to, I figured i'd build the 808 clone i've always promised myself first ;) Last week however I did start work on a better version of my DR-55 clone, with all the pots mounted on the PCB and also included a velocity CV input for each sound. So far i've finished the rimshot, but the others could be a long-time in coming. To be honest, I think i'd be better off starting from scratch with the clones. I've learned a lot about PCB layouts, and I think I could make the boards much better if I re-do them.

Yeah I wouldn't dream of using original 808 parts (well, actually... it would be nice ;) ). I figure it's going to be hard to find the textured finish knobs as used on the 808, so i'm thinking i'll just source some black 909 type barrel knobs. Moogah, did you get my mail??

Original C64 cases were of course injection moulded, but I can't see that being practical at all for our purposes. The set up costs would be astronomical for even a modest run. If I wa going for expensive, i'd want injection moulded alloy ;) I know of a place that could do that for me in sand cast form, but i'm not sure i'm ready to commit to a project like that! A cheaper, less robust option woul be to vacuum form the two case halves. It would require some fettling to mate the top and bottoms, but I think that it's a feasible method and not too costly.

Brilliant! Do you accept magic beans??... ::)

First of all, I'll second that 909 comment! I'd love one, especially in so good a condition dammit! Ok, not i've had my rant, i'll congratulate you on a great MBSeq! Looks really well made. The only thing that bugs me, (other than the 909 of course, and the lovely clean workspace!!) is the red LED's. Why not green?

Have you considered the additional levels of solder you're ingesting by sticking to stripboard? A pcb would reduce your solder exposure considerably.

Here's a question for all those following this thread! Does anyone have a source for the correct type of knob as used on the original 808 and the DR-55?? I've been searching in vain for them and don't seem to be able to locate any. Any ideas?

To be honest, i've found that can cause problematic bleedthrough for some reason, possibly due to the oversimplified design ;) I actually didn't finish my last post, I was at work and the boss came in so I had to cut and run! I wanted to say bravo on keeping the MB hardware more or less stock. It should be a relatively easy task to integrate a CV module to add velocity to the voices. I'm sure it's not needed on all the voices, but it's nice to have all the same. Gotta say those PCB's look damn tasty! If I hadn't already started working on my own clone, i'd definitely be interested in getting one. That said, if the price is right.... Two 808's is surely better than one right..? :>

Hehe, keep the gear-porn coming!! I think you've probably got the 808 clone spot on to be honest. Since you're making a clone, it makes sense to have accent as a trigger. If like me, you're making something to fit your own needs, then the accent CV is important as it allows for a more expressive box. The way I see it, is that if I can't afford a real 808, I may as well build something that fulfils my needs better than the original, for example, by having MIDI triggers and Tempo control, and Velocity for each voice. I had also planned to use a classic Ring-mod circuit for a couple of the voices, but I'm not sure wether i'll bother adding that internally or externally yet. I've designed an AD633 ring mod which is very nice, but not as gritty as a real transformer-diode model.

So where's the Bad??? ;D

Exactly! I think I suffer from the 'add as many features as possible' mind-set. In actual fact, Moogah's clone is about 6" shorter than an original 808 which tops out at 20"x11"! As I added in my edit, I actually think that if the price could be brought down enough, it would be a very good option for people that want a real 808 clone with the minimum of fuss. I don't actually want all the voices, so for me it's overkill, but the all in one PCB definitely has its advantages.

First off, can I say that I very much do not want to rain on your parade! I think the work you've done so far with the 808 clone is excellent , particularly for someone with little experience of electronics. I do however have a few issues that i'd like to mention. I can see where you're coming from with regards to the space issue, but in my view the boards are much taller than they really need to be. The reason for this is obvious, but I'd prefer to have just a single board for just the voices, and a seperate board holding the sequencer and MIDI interface. That way, you avoid the wasted space, and the boards can be much more compact. Also, I think that the lack of velocity for the accent is a severe handicap. For my clone, I plan to have both the accent, and certain parameters of the voices under velocity control. For example, the snare will not only get louder, but the snappy level will increase as the velocity increases. Is it possible using your version of the seq to add the jumpers to permit the use of an external AOUT board?? Other than that, i'd say your board is a fine piece of work (even with the components on the wrong side ;) EDIT: I thought it prudent to mention that although the boards are really really big in my view (about the size of a real 808 actually!), a price point of around $100 puts it in the region of the 9090 clone boards, so that's not bad at all. If you could gather enough interest to get a better price break it would be a tempting propsition all-round.

Looks very Tasty I would say! How big are those PCB's? It looks to me like there's a whole lot of real estate going begging on that thing! I guess that explains the price??

Personally I think your initial instinct was correct. I'd be inclined to cut away the whole of the front around the rectangular border, then as a Wilba said. glue in a step underneath where you've cut, and lay your new panel on top. If you make it slightly smaller than the hole, it will look like the original, if that makes sense? With regards to the holes in the back i'd be inlcined just to cut a square piece that will level or just behind the edge of each port. That way you get it neatly blanked without major surgery! Personally, I'd like someone with access to the tools necessary to think about re-manufacturing cases for us without holes, but given the cost I think it's unlikely to happen ;)

Sounds to me like you're using LOG pots where there should be LINEAR, or vice Versa. Most of the mods are simply replacing a fixed resistor with a variable resistance, so it's pretty straightforward. Check the markings on your pots, A = LOG and B=LIN.

Thanks Twin-X, i'm definitely interested in a group buy, for the components definitely and maybe for the case, on that i'd have to see what it looks like first. Ideally i'd want to integrate the 303 board in the same case, but that looks like it may not be possible. Either way, count me in!! Where do I 'lurk' for information on this thing??

Yeah, it was posted over here a few weeks ago actually. That dude does some good work.

Actually I was thinking of all the times i've cursed the manufacturers for discontinuing a vital part!

I does indeed! I have a quick peek at it, but I closed it as it' sall in german. If i'd scrolled down a bit I would have seen it all the first time! Cheers TK!

Yeah that'd be great thanks! I'm assuming that the Seq is based on a PIC of some description? Any idea of the projected cost?

I assure you, i'm not one for noobin as a rule (though it has happened on the odd occasion). I tend to lurk for a while before diving in. That said, the only link I got on acidcode.de took me to the x0xb0x forum.. Those ML's look absolutely brilliant, and whilst i'm not sold on the buttons they use, I like that they have kept the look, while updating it a bit. Sort of like the new MINI or the Beetle. I've actually started work tonight on my own clone of the TB, based on the rough dimensions of the original to try and at least keep the look. I think I have a source for manufacturing cases like the original also which would be excellent, but let's not get ahead of ourselves! I'd like to propose that for anyone that succeeds in supplying me with a working 303 seqencer, i'll in turn give them a working 303 clone, how's that for ambition?!

OK, you've lost me there! What's the deal with the V4, V5 etc?? Versions of what? The seq?? And what's this about the ML303? Is it an off-shoot child of MIOS? That would be interesting. Also, you say the PCB for the 303 is available, do you have a link?? (PM?) It would certainly save me re-inventing the wheel so to speak!

I have a quick question regarding the PIC burner. I'd like to build one to burn a couple of different PIC's for the various projects I plan to work on. The ucapps page says that it supports the 16xx series, but doesn't explicitly say that it supports 16F628 and 16F629. Can anybody clarify that for me, or at least point me in the right direction.

Actually you are correct, the LM31600 is two CA3094's on one chip. The CA3094 is a CA3080 followed by a darlington buffer, I don't know what I was thinking.

Hmm, that's a strange one. I thought the internet was a means of sharing information and helping other people, not for showing off your goodies and excluding others! I don't actually want to buy a clone of the voice board, i can do that myself. Shit, a trained monkey could lay out a PCB for that little thing! I don't see what they're being precious about, look at all that TK has done freely. I'm pretty confident that if he set his mind to it, TK could make up a TB Seq using the MBHP without breaking a sweat, and it would require half as many components! Unfortunately he's not that way inclined, but i'm not complaining considering all that he has provided for us.