toneburst

Cheers Therezin, I'll try and track down some of that plasticard then. I remember polystyrene cement from when I used to make model planes when I was a kid! Thanks again! Alex http://www.toneburst.net

Ah, I seeeeeee..... Is the v.2 firmware available now then? I got the impression from the linked page Thorsten was planning to make a start on v.2 this Autumn, so I'm guessing it's not ready yet. Alex http://www.toneburst.net

Those front panels look nice! I recently thought of going a seperate control-panel for a rackmount SID myself, actually. Great mind think alike, clearly. It just occurred to me- you're going to need some sort of control on your SID front-panel to select which of the 8 SIDs you're editing. Also- do you have enough Core (CPU) boards in there? It looks like you only have 4 dedicated to SID control, whereas I'd have thought you'd need one for each SID board (ie 8 in total). I may be wrong though, and it may be possible to control 2 SIDs with 1 Core module.... Good work though! Looking forward to seeing (and hearing) it! Alex http://www.toneburst.net

I've just been drooling over Jorge's MBSID http://www.midibox.org/forum/index.php?topic=5169.0 and http://www.midibox.org/forum/index.php?topic=5047.msg32059#msg32059 and am thinking of attempting something similar with my SID synth project. Obviously, since I'm not a professional model-maker, I don't have access to the sort of tools he has, but I'd really like to be able to integrate the front panel into the case as he has done, rather than simply bolting it on to the front. I'd also like to fill in the holes in the back of the case. It doesn't have to be completely seamless and the colour of the blanking plates isn't vital, as I'm probably going to end up respraying the whole case anyway. In terms of tools, I have (or am about to have) a dremel multitool, files and scalpels. Anyone any advice on how I should go about this job? I have several C64 cases I can cannibalise, so I should be able to use the same plastic to cover the holes. Any advice on what glues to use, and on any substance I could use to smooth over joins and maybe create the curve at the bottom of the blanking-plates would be very much appreciated. I'm thinking maybe I could get Reichelt to create the panel in plexiglass and somehow fit it into the keyboard area of the original C64 Mk.1 case. There's a groove around the edge of the keyboard, so I thought I could try and cut away the keyboard and fit the new panel into the exact same area.... Maybe this is a little ambitious.... Thanks in advance guys, Alex http://www.toneburst.net

These enclosures look quite nice. http://www.teko.co.uk/enclosures/europult.htm Anyone tried/managed to get a free sample out of these people? I've just submitted the form at http://www.teko.co.uk/service/sample_form.html , but I remember doing the same thing some time ago and nothing appearing. Anyone else had any luck? Alex http://www.toneburst.net

Well done Wilba! that's definitely the one I was thinking of. OK, now I'm depressed- there's no way I'm ever going to get anywhere near that level of perfection.. :( Alex http://www.toneburst.net

YES, YES, that's the one Jaicen!! I'm not so much of a fan of sticking a metal panel on the front of an old C64 case. I was really impressed my 'Mr X's attention to detail, and as you said, the way he made the controls look like they could have been original was really cool. Unfortunately, I don't have access to the tools and equipment he had, but I'd still love to see the photos again. Alex http://www.toneburst.net

Yes, I remember that too LOL Think it was something like 'Delay' instead of 'Decay' on one of the envelopes.... Alex http://www.toneburst.net

I distinctly remember being very impressed, inspired even, by some pics of a completed MIDIBox SID housed in an original C64 Mk.1 case. I remember the maker saying they made all their own encoder caps and buttons, and remember being very impressed by how professional it looked and how they'd made the control surface look completely authentic. I'd like to have another look at the pics, which I'm pretty sure were posted in the MIDIBox of The Week forum, but I can't find them now. Does this ring any bells with anyone? I also remember the person who made it saying they worked in a model-making workshop... Alex http://www.toneburst.net

Thanks for getting back to me TK! I only thought of the 16 x1 LCD idea because I came across an old pager while doing a bit of tidying-up. 16x2 would be a better bet though, you're right. If I just added inc/dec buttons, rather than an encoder (using a DIN1X presumably) would I still not have to change any MIOS code for basic patch-change functionality? Cheers, Alex http://www.toneburst.net

Just testing the water here, but how difficult would it be to create a MBSID with the following very basic controls? • 16x 1 LCD displaying patch name and number • inc/dec or encoder to change patches I'm thinking of making a very simple SID synth as a gift for a friend (who incidentally has a cat named Syd, so I'd probably call it the 'SydSID Synth' or something similar). Alex

Shouldn't that be 'darn'- this site is intended for a family audience, afterall.... ;) Alex http://www.toneburst.net

Ah, you again- I might have guessed! ;) Alex http://www.toneburst.net

I bought a crimping tool a while back (on the recommendation of another MIDIBoxer- hope they'll forgive me for not remembering who they were).... I haven't had a chance to use it yet though, as I haven't had any of the right pins. Gonna put in an order tonight. Incidentally, I just finished desoldering those pins. Took me a little while, but not as long as I'd thought it might. The replacement socket is in there now, so I'll see if it works in a moment.... Wish me luck. Alex http://www.toneburst.net

Thanks again guys, I'll look through them. Think I'll add the joystick to my next Onecall order then. Cheers, Alex http://www.toneburst.net

Smash's rainbow-coloured cable is pretty though. A major consideration, I think ;) Alex http://www.toneburst.net

Hi AndrewMertens, I did somethning similar- used a pair of side-cutters to remove the plastic part of the socket. Unfortunately, I ended up breaking off most of the pins very close to the board too, so there's not much to grab hold of. Hmmm.... I now have some solder braid though to compliment my solder-sucker, so I'll see how it goes. Alex http://www.toneburst.net

I knew you were you were a Londoner too- it came up in another thread (not that I've been stalking you or nothing... I'm in New X, work at G'Smiths, for my sins. Alex http://www.toneburst.net

I agree. I mean, how difficult would it be to put a note on the page with the housings saying 'requires crimp pins cat# XXXXX'. It's not as if they're any use without them.... Anyway, looks like I'm gonna be desoldering all weekend- got 28 pins to desolder from my broken SID socket. Wish me luck... At leat it looks like the weather is gonna be crappy SE London-wise this weekend, so I'm not too pissed-off. Alex http://www.toneburst.net

Would this be what I've been looking for? http://onecall.farnell.com/jsp/endecaSearch/partDetail.jsp?SKU=1022220 Don't know how the price you were getting them for compares, but this catalogue is reduced-priced stuff for education (I work in a University). I get free next-day delivery too, which is a bonus. I'm gonna get my money's-worth by making lots of very small orders, just to piss them off ;) Actually, that's not really my intention. It is what I'll probably end up doing though, as I'm not organised (or patient) enough to make a long list and get all the bits and pieces at once.... Alex http://www.toneburst.net

Dunno- really annoying that! That was my 1st mistake, actually- bought a load of housings without realising the pins didn't come with them. Then I bought a strip of crimp pins that turned out to be the wrong kind. I can find the male versions, in lots of variations, but haven't been able to track down the ones in the pic yet. :( Alex http://www.toneburst.net

Hiya, I'm trying to track down a UK source for some crimp pins like http://www.avishowtech.com/mbhp/images/c3p.jpg I've managed to find the housings, but can't find the actual crimp pins themselves. Anyone know what I should be looking for name and dimension-wise. I'm a newbie, so don't really know what things are called. Cheers guys, Alex http://www.toneburst.net

I see, thanks for that very clear explanation moebius. Alex http://www.toneburst.net

That's a bit extreme, mate.... I know what you mean though. The problem I find doing projects like this is that I'm really only following the recipe (as another forum member memorably said), without really fully-understanding what I'm doing. Which is fine, until something goes wrong. My other problem is I have a boring job, and therefore far to much time to obsess about the colour of LCD screens and what kind of enclosure to use. Alex http://www.toneburst.net

The MIDISpeak board is pretty cool. I have several. Highlyliquid also do MIDI-relay boxes to allow sequencer-driven control of circuit-bent toys, synths etc. Alex http://www.toneburst.net