toneburst

I think the GM5 would be overkill for this, to be honest. a|x

Thanks for getting back to me ilmenator. I have an old PIC-based Core anyway, so I'll just use that. I was just interested in the possibility of having a USB MIDI input. It's not a priority, particularly as I've never done any MIOS coding. Cheers, a|x

Anyone know if the SpeakJet board will work with the STM32-based MIDIBox Core? a|x

Anyone come up with any sort of UI for this project (other than the very impressive hand-tracking device, of course)? Also, I'd be really interested to see what people have done in terms of housing the unit. a|x

Can anyone tell me if this chip is suitable, and if so, which variation should I go for, '+- ND' or, '+'? http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?Detail&name=MAX232EEPE%2B-ND a|x

Ah, cool, thanks for the tip. a|x

Hiya, I'm in London, UK. I used to visit the forum regularly, but haven't been for a while. a|x

Hi, just bought a SpeakJet chip, and am looking forward to MIDIBoxing it! This is a big ask, but could anyone possibly sell me one of the PIC16F88 chips with the SpeakJet firmware already burned onto it? I know there was talk about SmashTV stocking them, but they don't seem to be on his site. Also, I'm having problems tracking down the MAX 232 EEPE. Anyone know of a UK supplier for this item? a|x

Hiya, dredging this thread up from the depths here ;) I've been away from MIDIBox, and general music-related stuff for a while now, but recently had a bit of time to work on an old track in Live ( if anyone's interested), and I got to thinking about this old problem again. It turns out some Python boffins have been looking into this, and have discovered a way to send Sysex out of Live by writing custom MIDI Remote Scripts. It should be possible to then send and receive arbitrary sysex messages from a Max4Live MIDI Effect instance. I bought M4L a while back, but never got around to trying it out, but once I get my head around how it works, I should be able to knock together an Editor for the EX-8000 that can be used on a Live MIDI channel, and automated in the same way as any plugin in Live. I've just bought a 2nd-hand Novation ReMOTE SL Zero, so I'm also hoping that it will work nicely with Automap, so I'll be able to select the M4L patch in Live, and see all the parameters for my EX-8000 come up, nicely named, on the ReMOTE SL's screen. Here's the (ongoing) thread on the Ableton forum http://forum.ableton.com/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=133983 a|x

Cool, thanks for the advice. I will get some of those, then, I think. Cheers, a|x

Ah, I see. You didn't find you were having problems with the wires getting stressed where they were soldered into the board then? Which board did you solder the connectors, the CS board of the mainboard? a|x

Cool. I've found them at Conrad They're at least twice the price though... http://www1.conrad-uk.com/scripts/wgate/zcop_uk/~flN0YXRlPTIwNDY1MDU0Mw==?~template=PCAT_AREA_S_BROWSE&glb_user_js=Y&shop=UK&zhmmh_lfo=&zhmmh_area_kz=&product_show_id=743100&gvlon=&p_init_ipc=X&p_page_to_display=fromoutside&~cookies=1&cookie_n Sorry to fire loads of questions at you but did you solder the wires directly to the board at the other end, or just buy the same assemblies for each end, and connect the two wires together (or crimp the free ends and stick them into the other sockets)? a|x

Hi again lucem, do these things come with both parts seen in the photo (ie header plug and socket)? I'm having problems tracking down anything similar with my usual UK suppliers. a|x

Hi lucem. Ah, I see. I guess you used 8-way versions, though. Can you get ribbon-cable and 'clamp-on' connectors for this format, too (I mean like the ones used for the LCD cable), I wonder. Thanks for the tips. I will have a look at that. a|x

It was the connectors again- should have checked before I posted. Those Mauser 8-way connectors are really delicate. Just had to desolder all of them aften I noticed lots of the wires had broken I don't know what to do now. I've tried two different kinds of multiway connector, and both broke before I'd managed to get the two boards properly into the PT-10. I was really hoping to have got this project finished, and with sparx's amazingly generous help, I was nearly there. This connector issue is really bugging me though- I seem to be taking steps backwards every time I sit down to work on this. Every time I have to desolder I end up damaging more pads, too... :( a|x

I seem to have killed the control surface on my mb-6582. I think this is the result of one or both of these very stupid mistakes. 1. I connected the LCD cable 15-way plug upside-down. The display survived this time, to my surprise. 2. I had the display fitted in the CS board (though not actually screwed in), without putting any insulator over the contacts on the front of the LCD board, so I may have shorted something out here too. Now, the display works, encoders work, but some of the buttons no longer seem to work, and some LEDs don't light. I'm assuming I've burnt out one or more components on the mainboard, but I don't have any idea where to start tracking down what. Is it likely to be the 74HC595Ns or the transistors between mainboard and cs? How would I check? alx

All the multiway connectors mentioned here are considerably longer than that though. a|x

Wilba, how long are the connectors in your photo? I have something similar from DigiKey, that's 2" long, but I'm wondering if your connectors are shorter than this (they look it from the photo... a|x

Anyone had any success with these connectors to connect the two boards on the MB-6582? http://media.digikey.com/pdf/Catalog%20Drawings/Wire-Cable/A9AAT-100.jpg I went for the 2" ones, because they look nice and neat, but they seem too long. Anyone used them successfully with the Pactec case? a|x

Thanks Wilba, I'll have a look at that. The ground connection is the first one on the 2-way connector, isn't it? a|x

I'm pretty sure it's not the shift-registers, as I've tried taking all the ones not related to the LEDs out, rearranging them, and putting them back in again. If it was a problem with one of these ICs, I'd have expected something other than the encoders to stop working when I rearranged them. It didn't have any effect though- everything else still worked, but the encoders still didn't. I've double-checked the connectors, by continuity-testing the solder pads at either end of the connector, and they all seem OK, so I know they're intact. It's possible that some small washers may have fallen under the mainboard while I was testing stuff, so it's possible something got shorted-out. Anyone any advice as to what else I should be looking at? a|x

Could it be a problem with one of the shift-register ICs? Would these ones be adequate replacements? http://cpc.farnell.com/fairchild-semiconductor/mm74hc165n/74hc-cmos-74hc165-dip16-6v/dp/SC08965 a|x

Hi, I had a fully-functioning MB-6582, but now all the encoders have stopped working. They look physically OK, and I've resoldered all the pads on both ends of the connecting cables between the mainboard and the CS, but they're still not working. The LCD, all LEDs and the tact switches all seem to work fine. What else could have gone wrong? I've tried reseating all the ICs in that section of the mainboard too. The ribbon cables I'me using to connect the two boards are quite stiff, and a bit too long, so there's quite a lot of mechanical stress involved in getting the panel to lie flat in the top of the case, but the connections at either end of the connectors seem OK to me. What else should I check? a|x

Hi Wilba. I may take you up on that. Now I know what the knobs are though, I'll see if I can source them more locally, though. Cheers, a|x

Thanks for the kind offer. It's the knobs themselves I need though. Cheers, a|x