marcvangend

That's probably true in 99.99% of the cases. But you got me thinking... (as you know, stryd_one) I am planning a midi footswitch to select channels on my bass amplifier. This footswitch would only have to be on at the moment I'm switching channels, which is maybe 10-20 times during a gig. Mechanically, it cannot be difficult to link the power supply to the momentary switch, meaning: when you push the button, power comes on and the midi signal is transmitted. When you release the button, the power is turned off again. This would save power, probably making it possible to power my switch with a 9V battery, which is sometimes a convenient option on stage. Now I have to remind you that I'm only a newbie. I don't know if there's a time lag (a startup time) between power-on and signal-transmit. Maybe this whole idea is impossible for reasons I can't even imagine. However, I wanted to share it with you... I'm curious what y'all think!

Thanks to all of you for the input. Nebula, I like the idea of creating a dumb pedalboard and keeping the electronics close to the amp. I guess there won't be enough space inside the amp, because it's a pretty compact design: However, I am still wondering what kind of cable/connectors would be the best option for this solution. Would a shielded 10-conductor cable suffice for 5 buttons + 5 leds? I'd like to be able to detatch the pedalboard from the 'core box'. Which connector would you use? I understand DIY might not necissarily be the cheapest option (although I own most tools already) but I am certain that is is the best way to get a footswitch exactly the way I want it. All the reading and thinking over the past few days made me decide to take the sensible approach: I will make sure I have plenty of time on my hands before I really get started. I have to resist the temptation to start right away... Th0mas, thanks for offering your assistance, I am sure I will need it once I get started.

In Amsterdam kan je voor plaatmetaal terecht bij de "Amsterdamse Staalmarkt", http://www.forceren.net. Je zou het ook kunnen proberen bij de betere modelbouw-zaak (bv. www.muco.nl), daar hebben ze vaak ook metaalwaren, vooral de kleinere afmetingen.

Thomas, Thanks for offering to program the app in C. I have no skills in C at all, I wouldn't even know what software you use to write it in... I'll know where to find you once I've decided on what I want. I don't quite understand what you're saying here. Maybe I'm thinking too simple, but if I want 5 buttons and 5 leds, wouldn't I need 10 I/O pins?

Hi everyone, thanks for helping me on this one. So, that would be even simpler than the low-cost version below, mentioned in the wiki (http://www.ucapps.de/mbhp/mbhp_midibox64_lc.gif): Sounds good, but as illogik points out: where would you connect the buttons and leds?

Hi, I'm quite new to midi electronics, especially to making it myself. I hop you can help me decide if I should go ahead and build something myself... I have a Yamaha BBT 500H all-digital bass amplifier. (more info: http://www2.yamaha.co.jp/manual/pdf/emi/english/gtamp/bbt500h_en.pdf) It's got 5 programmable presets which I would like to select using a floorboard. Unfortunately, there is no regular footswitch available, but the amp does have midi-in for this purpose. What I would like is quite simple: a floorboard with 5 buttons (one for each preset) and maybe 5 leds (indicating the chosen preset). I am sure this can be done with a MIDIbox64, but seeing the countless possibilities, I wonder if this might be 'overkill' for such a simple floorboard. Even after reading a walkthroughs ans FAQ's, I cannot really oversee how much work it would be to realize this. It is also hard for me to estimate how much it would cost to build a floorboard like that. Browsing the internet, I came across two other options for my needs: - building something myself, based on the Pocket Electronics component from Döpfer (http://www.doepfer.de/pe.htm) - €80 + case & controllers - buying a rocktron Midi Xchange (www.rocktron.com), a 3-knob 'smart controller' - €90 I hope your reactions will help me make a sensible decision between cost, function and the amount of energy I'll have to put into it. Thanks!