Dolphinicus

And I just came into a supply of 1,000 9mm tact switches. :D Should be arriving in 1 to 2 weeks. :) Wonder how many MIDIbox SEQs I could build with that? :o LOL Right Angle LED mounts would be excellent. With my preference for different colours (using no Red LEDs at all) though, I may be limited to colour choices I could get. :( I was just looking at my LED supplier ( www.lsdiodes.com ) for dual colours and it's only 3mm red/blue, blue/green or red/white. :-\ I was hoping for blue/yellow. Oh well. Single colour LEDs it may have to be. (Local supplier yesterday only had red/green, in all of their duals, as well.)

Printing of the labels, aye. :) The full idea to try today, as I'd decided on yesterday for the LED'd button - described from the top to the bottom of the button by layer: - clear silicone - printed label (within button's diameter) - black lettering on white paper - LED contained within more clear silicone, legs pointed out the bottom My standard panel thickness in my 19" modular's rack, is 5/16" (currently using Maple). I would like have to the tops of the buttons sticking only a few millimeters (between 1/16" and 1/8") above the surface and rounded. I'm roughly figuring that the entire silicone portion of the button's length will be 6/16" (3/8") to 7/16". The legs out the bottom of it will be bent at a 90º angle, where the button will be seated just above the tact switch, and then a slight angle down to the soldering points on the board. This should provide a decent spring action for the button, as well as the spring action of the tact switch, to keep the button elevated. I'm hoping to angle the legs in such a way, that there'll be as little strain as possible at the solder joints. Mounting the buttons this way also, should free up any need for securing them to the front panel. :) If all goes well, I'll have some Plaster of Paris for making the molds as well as clear silicone, this afternoon. Shall be photoing the event as it goes to see how it all comes about. :)

I had a new angle of thought on the way out for supper this evening. :) What about completely clear silicone? It maintains a fair rubberyness, no? If there's not much of it above the panel, with no 'sharp' edges, it should last for a fair while, no? I'm quite curious about this, as I came up with a completely new 'labelling idea' for each button, on the way out to supper. :) If others think that the clear silicone will work well for the actual 'button' containing the LED, I'll give it a shot and see how well it works. :)

Y'ever needed more than ONE MIDI cable to do something?? :o :o I managed to cobble a connection together out of an audio cable, 4 LEDs (for 1 leg each) and 4 alligator clips to make a 2nd 'MIDI cable', but success it brought me! :) :) My core has the basic skeleton OS uploaded to it and is purring away! My modular synth has the beginnings of it's very first computer! :D :D I am just EXSTATIC! <sic> ;) Photo of it's 'birth' is up on my webpage - addy is in my sig. :) (Not sure how to post pics in here yet.) Off to bed. Hope find all of parts that I need tomorrow for making illuminated buttons for this little gaffer, to use it as a drum machine, as soon as possible. :D:D

Hey George / Stryd! :D Much-o thanks for the drill tip, George! :D I just happen to have a 5/8" chuck Makita, that I'd bought for my previous job. I'd pondered using a drill a work, yesterday, but I weren't sure what to 'carve' the button with, if I did it with wax. Thanks for mentioning as well Stryd, that I can add the wax back if I take off too much! :D I had NOT thought of that. :o Duhhhh. :D I may have to experiment with the speed of the drill. And with the grit of sandpaper, which will plug up very quickly, using wax. I COULD just go with a dowel, in the 1st place as I had thought of - but that'd take a lot more time for carving the button tip itself. (I'd like to do as many button carvings as possible, as I'm hoping to have a button per step for each of 4 channels. That's 64 buttons and 64 LEDs right there. :o :o (Uh oh. I have to order more, me thinks. :o :) ) Now - if'n I'm rem'bering correctly - I'm not using the RTV silicone, as I'm make the mold with the Plaster of Paris. ;) (Have worked with it for molding and carving, in the early 90's). Carving -> Plaster -> Resin -> LED'd button. :D I'm going to try the drill first. If it wont work out properly, then I'll come back to carving / shaping, by hand. Part of the reasoning FOR going with wax, I'm also hoping to carve initials into the Track buttons for each instrument. :D (BD for Bass Drum; SN for Snare and either HH1 / HH2 for Hihats, or something else for the other 2.) And the standard industry shapes for Play, Pause, Rewind, Forward, Stop. |>, ||, <, > [ ] IF, I'm lucky - I'll be able to find tact switches in stock here, this weekend. :) Parts tip for everyone: If you wish to save a fair bit of money for making cables - get yourself some old Hard Drive / CD drive / 3 1/2" drive ribbon cables! :D Theyr'e EVERYWHERE and cheap if not free! :D Whatchya get? A 34 pin (at least) IDC connector at, at least 1 end. You can use a hacksaw or Dremel tool, to split these in to the 10 pin (2 rows of 5 pins) connectors (3, from a 34 pin connector) and you've got a pile of ribbon cable included to boot! :) And a lot of it - already hooked up from connector to connector! :D I scored 5 of them from a co-worker yesterday. :) That's saved me at least $20 in parts. Majorly happy about that! :D Off to reading / more learning and final soldering for my 4 modules. :)

Thank you greatly for all of the ingredients that you mentioned, Moxi! :D Thinking about it whilst I was at work today, I'm going to see about getting either Wax or Balsa Wood, to carve the shapes of my buttons on. I'll then set them down on a flat area and pour Plaster of Paris over them. When it's hardened, I'll then insert my LEDs and fill the remainder of the button holes with the resin, which I learned from work, where I can pick up. :) I'm going to go with larger buttons, to make them easier to hit quickly (when needed) as well as large enough to hold 5mm LEDs, which I have 7 colours of. :) (As well as 2 shades of blue and 2 shades of green - for 9 colours. :D ) If all works well, I could have my Core, DIn, DOut and 2x20 display up and running for testing, this weekend. :D (Not with the buttons though, as I don't have any tact switches yet.)

Which'er me hopes! :) I'm going to stick to the 'drum controller' thoughts on my current collection of modules. My modular is ready. :) I just got my Ken Stone Cynare Drum Simulator completed last weekend, and my modular is happily playing a Bass Drum / Snare Drum / Hihat groove, from my divide by 7 counter and 8 Gates out sequencer. But I can't WAIT until I can control the thing from my MIDIbox contraption. ;) Now - if I only had all of the parts that I needed NOW - I could complete it in a couple of days ...... alas. ;) Ryk http://www.sdiy.org/damian - my modular synthesizer's homepage

Oh! :o Now this is quite the curiosity, as I was originally intending on DUMPing Reason 3.0.3 to come back to the hardware world, completely, after 5 years of using nothing but Reason. But controlling stuff within it FROM my coming MIDIbox world? Hmmmmmmmmmmmm. :D Ryk http://www.sdiy.org/damian - my modular synthesizer's homepage

Hey Moxi. :) Are you still doing illuminated buttons for others here? :D I'm just in the very beginnings of putting together my first Core and sub modules for my first MIDIbox. (Definately planning on doing more than 1! :D ) I've been working out designs for my own buttons over the last couple of days. Whilst I've definately decided to go with tact switches, until I saw YOUR method, I was going to make buttons out wooden dowels, with a a disc on each end of a dowel and a spring between the discs, to keep the disc on top of the panel, pushed up. (All of the panels in my modular are made of wood - which I'm preferring to stay with, in as many ways as possible). But NOW that I've seen your illuminated buttons, I LOVE THAT idea!! Actually - thinking it through further - it might be better if I made the buttons myself. (My panels are 5/16ths of an inch thick, and I would need buttons to be at least that high, to come through the panel.) Could you list the ingredients that you use to make the compound around the LED? With myself using (potentially) all other colours except red (for LEDs), as well as possibly dual colour LEDs, I think it'd be better if I made them myself. That way I could do as many button colours as I will be requiring, for each function. Anyhoo ...... thanks for any help. :) I hope to have the very beginnings of my first MIDIbox up and running within a couple of weeks. (Just have to get the rest of the parts that I need, first. ;) ) Take care, Warmth and Peace, Ryk http://www.sdiy.org/damian - my modular synthesizer's homepage

:o :o Now THAT (to me) would be a wonderful controller for a drum sequencer!! :o :o :) I'm definately going to be keeping my eyes open for THAT as a kit, in the future! Great work on that one TK! :) Take care, Warmth and Peace, Ryk

Right-o and thank you muchlee again! I'm just putting the order through now for: 1 x CORE Kit 1 x DOut module Kit 1 x DIn module kit 1 x 20x2LCD 2 x 24LC256 8 x Encoders That should get me started. :) If I'm needing more things later, I'll get to ordering them as well. :) I can't WAIT! :D Thanks again. :)

Ooo! Thanks muchlee for the suggestion, Audio! :) I DID learn the basics in C++ and was able to crawl around in the code for a little while, understanding where I was going. I'll wander over to the Wiki section that you've mentioned, and if all fits - I'll go that route. (Could fit together better, as I'm going to be ordering a system for CV sequencing anyways - greater chances of their working with each other. :) ) Thanks much. :) Edit: Just looking at the modules / etc. listings, at SmashTV's site - (being a complete beginner with this system), do I need to order anything other than, the core kit and DOut kit? I'm placing an order right now (today - before work). :) Or - will the two, allow me to go from the beginning? (I.E. Do I need to order any pots; other modules; MIDI module; etc. to use the unit specifically as a Gate sequencer?) Ryk http://www.sdiy.org/damian

Hey all. I'm going to be purchaing a MIDIbox SEQ kit in the near future, for building. But - with experience in programming in the Basic language, I would like to purchase a PIC / Basic Stamp, to design and build my own simple Gate Sequencer around - at the same time, learning how to work with these devices. Could anyone out there recommend a unit that I could purchase online, that would allow me to use, for designing / building a Gate Sequencer around? Here's what I'm looking to build: - a Gate Sequencer, that would have between 4 and 16 steps of +5VDC Trigger or Gate output - programmable by up to 16 switches (1 for each step - Gate/Trigger On or Off) - playback of that 4 to 16 step sequence - looping, or 1 time only - Internal or External Clock Sync - an LED for each step - software to be programmable in Basic (preferred) or Assembler (which I would teach myself) - software for the device to be simulatable within the PC, before it's sent to (burned into?) the device I have enough knowledge to design / build circuitry for the interface FROM the controller. No troubles there. I would much rather design and build a Gate sequencer around a microcontroller, than with discrete circuitry as I have in the past. I haven't a single CLUE though, as to which controller would be appropriate from Microchip. :( Could anyone recommend a proper unit, that I could go with? If you have any other questions, please ask away - if I haven't been clear enough in what I'm trying to do. :o :) Thanks for any possible help. :) Take care, Warmth and Peace, Ryk http://www.sdiy.org/damian - my modular synthesizer's homepage

Thanks much Stryd! :D Yes, I DID get a reply from him. Everything's worked out, as long as I give my new address in a reply to him, as WELL as in a comment on the purchase. Whilst I'm replying to you: I'd also like to work on designing, my own Gate sequencer, around a Basic Stamp. Could you recommend a kit, that I could purchase, that would give me enough power, for sequencing? (This is for building a drum sequencers with.) I'd like to go the route of learning a unit's version of basic, and doing it all myself. I'm not speaking of MIDI needs here. Pure 8, 10, 12 or 16 step Gate generation. (That many ports, I mean. I'll take care of the Trigger generator for each step, myself.) Also capable of being synced to something else, via an external trigger. Would you know of a simpler board that has the MCU; RAM; interface connectors / etc., available from somewhere, that I could put in an order for? (Not worried about a display for this. I'd rig it for LEDs, only.) Down the road - I'd also like to work on designing building my own sequencer. As I have posted in the design section at my webpage, I'd like to have multiple 4 step sequencers, set up in a matrix. I.E. 4 sets, of 4 step sequencers. Which could then be programmed to run through: - Seq 1 repeating - Seq's 1 through 2, 3 or 4, repeating - Step 1 of Seq's 1 through 2, 3, or 4 then - Step 2 etc. - Step 3 etc. - Step 4 etc. - Repeat As my current existing 4 step sequencer in my modular, operates - each step, can send the 1V/Oct. source through 12 positioni switch, A or B, giving either of 2 notes per step. (Or Gate off, through a separate set of switches, as well.) I'd like to build a Matrix of this, for highly complex sequence patterns. :) Same idea, for drum sequencers, eventually. :D For now though - I'd like to wet my experiences on designing a drum sequencer, around a Basic Stamp - and I'll move further from there, through experience. My quandry thus farly - is which board to buy?? :) It'd be great if you could have any suggestions through. :D If I don't order from SmashTV on this paycheque, I'll be doing it on the next or following. I'm also currently building a monster-PC, a piece at a time per paycheque, and a bass guitar just came up in today's paper, for a good price, which I may buy as well. All looks good now though, for placing an order through Smash. :) Anyhoo - must get ready for work. Thankee for your help and any possible further help! :) Take care, Ryk http://www.sdiy.org/damian - my modular synthesizer's homepage

Not a trouble in reply lateness. :) Let me know where I can send a scan of the 2044's LPF schematic from Barry Klein to via FTP or email and I can fire it off almost immediately. :) In unpacking more of my boxes from my final move, I found ONE 2044 in a unit that a former customer / friend of mine had built for me, for my birthday - 10 years ago. I never completed it, but it HAS given me - 1 x 2044! :D Happy about that, as it'll give me 3 of them in my machine, at least. Muchlee appreciate the offer of a 2044 in trade! :) Don't worry about that though. Scanning and emailing / etc., the schematic, will cost me nothing except a couple of minutes of time. That's not a bother to me. And shipping / packaging for the 2044 for you, would be a heck of a lot more bother as well, anyways. :) AND - I DO have a dead Korg Polysix, a couple of thousand kilometers away. I'd just sent a request to my bud who has it - to dismantle for me, so that he can send me the circuit boards. :) That'll give me 6 x 2044s, and 6 x 2056s (VCADSRs). :) I'm VERY curious about the Soundgin / Speakjet chips! Support systems for - curiosity. It'd be WONDerful to have computer speech in my modular! I'll have to read more at the latter of the sites, to see about any further info., for that. :D Now as to the order - :( Nothing in reply, yet. :( I've had trouble with my Paypal account. :( I'm living at a new address, but my credit card is registered to the OLD address. Paypal, wont let me delete the old address, to transfer my purchasing and shipping abilities / etc., to my NEW address. :( :( If the order went to the old address, the old girlfriend, would either refuse the package, or toss it into the garbage. :( I emailed the dude at the U.S. distributor, asking about ensuring that the order would come to my new address, due to the Paypal problem, and I haven't received any reply. :o It looks though - until I can get Paypal to change my billing address - that I wont be able to use Paypal FOR the purchase of the order. I'm in limbo at the moment - and that is a major bummer. :( I could just look at going back to the original place that the modules are at (Germany), but I don't know what shipping would cost from there, to Canada. (sigh) Any thoughts on your end? Would you know of an alternate email address, for the U.S. distributor, that I could contact? I just wish to make sure that the order would ship to where I am now. I'd send a money order to take care of it, if I had to. :) Thanks for any potential help. :) I have many other questions about software for the PIC / displays / etc., but I'll leave them until I can get my first modules sent to me. :) Take care, Dolphinicus http://www.sdiy.org/damian - my modular's homepage

Hey Stryd. :) I don't have my 2044 schematic up yet? Fudge. I'll have to go and scan it then. It's from Barry Klein's book and slightly modified by myself for Resonance CV as well as multiple CV inputs. :) I'll see if I can get that done today, if not - this weekend. :) (Long weekend. :D ) It's an extremely easy circuit to build. In my current modular, I slapped a 1k SMT tempco onto 1 of the 2, for the first time, to get it tuned to 1V/Oct. It works quite well over at least a couple of octaves. Before I'd built my 2nd discrete VCO, I'd been using the 2044 for a 2nd voice, in sequencer testing. ;) :D With your having 10 of them, build them all! :D When I get my dead Polysix scrapped, I'll be pumping the 6 of the 2044's from it, into D.A.M.I.A.N. :) (They're also GREAT resonance sources for Bass Drum sounds! One of my faves, in that regard. :) ) Initially I was extremely bummed, by the loss of all of my Linear chips. :'( I quickly realized though, that it were my own fault, for not moving that case of drawers, in the first place and I have only myself to blame. (sigh) And - it gives me a good enough reason to go out and purchase all new chips anyways. :D LOL You wouldn't let a single piece of gear out of site, but you STILL lost a hardware seq. AND a PC, AND Star Wars toys? I would have gone BANANAs over THAT! Especially with the latter 2! >:( >:( And the last time, everything except clothes??? :o :o OMG! Them together'er all far worse losses than what I had! Major sorrows for your past, man. :'( Still though - I guess I just weren't meant to have them all. :) I'm carrying on, as per norm. As well - you've mentioned the CEM3396 at the end of the message - more on that later. :) :) Speaking of making a digital synth - scratching my head. Can't remember what I'd babbled where, but there definately are interests in it - having worked with digital synths over the years (Kawai K5000 and K5, still being 2 of my favourites). Speakjet synth module?? Noooo ?? And the Soundgin?? Where the heck have _I_ been??? :o Hahaha. With my new / renewed interest in working with a PIC/Stamp - I'm wide open to idea possibilities for my monster, on other things based around them! :D And the MIDISid! Right! I remember reading something about it last year. There ARE temptations there, when I place my order!! :D (Speaking of THAT - I spent almost 30 minutes before work yesterday, trying to add my new address to my Paypal account, so that I could get the MIDIbox Seq stuff sent to here - and Paypal wouldn't LET me. ???? This morning though - I've received email from them acknowledging my new address - so HOPEfully, that'll allow me to place my order for the modules that I want. :) I was going to go with Moogah's suggested parts only - not being able to get the order through though - on more thought at work - I figured I'll get more stepped attentuators, as I'll be intending on having FAR more than the 17 suggested. :) :) Especially with modifications that I'm hoping to do, to the sequencer software and hardware additioins. :) Now - the CEM3396's! I completely FORGOT about those! That could really be something to get back into, as I LOVED using the CEM3340's over the years. :D I only went discrete THIS time, as I'd LOST my 3 x 3340s, sometime within the last 2 years. :( I've got 8 octaves of rock solid stability in my 2nd VCO, based around the hardware from Ian Fritz's simple VCO that I partially modified, but I'd love to have a Curtis VCO again, as well as the rest of the things on the chip - whether via analog or, digital control. :) Thankee for the welcome aboard, all! I'm still wanting to get the tuning in my own designed sequencer working properly, but from the videos I've watched of the MIDIbox - I'm just about blown away in anticipation of what IT'll be doing for me, once I get my first of hopefully many, BUILT! :D Now - off to see about placing the order again. :) Take care all, Warmth and Peace, Dolphinicus

After all that I've read about the MIDIbox - the functionality potentials are mindbending! Especially looking forward to V3 as well! :) :D Thankyou for making mention on the DACs for the AOUT module! I'll go with the AOUT_LC and not worry about the possible zippering noise from a replaced DAC for it. :) Etching myself is not a trouble, as I've been etching since 1991, for my own and other's modular synths. :) I'll start from your recommendations, and branch out (if required in the future) from there. :) Thankee greatly for your help! :) Dolphinicus http://www.sdiy.org/damian - my modular's homepage

Hey all. I've decided to join the MIDIbox SEQ community, and order modules to build, from the U.S. supplier. My desires are mainly to have CV's / Gate Outs, to control my modular synthesizer with. I DO have a Roland MPU-101 MIDI to CV interface, which could take care of 4 channels of CV / Gate, but that wont be enough, as my modular continues to grow. So - I've thought of going mainly with CV/Gate Outs, to drive the monster with. :) My main question is: which modules should I order (in kit form, to be built by me) from the U.S. supplier? I'm also preferring to go with the dual 2x40 display, to have as much info displayed as possible, as well as hopefully modifying the code within the core for further functionality. :) Please let me know any thoughts, as I'd like to order the core-kit today, at the very least. :) From every thing that I've read on this combination of units so far - I'm blown away by the power potential OF this combination of modules! Excellent work TK! I can't wait to get my first one up and running. :) Dolphinicus http://www.sdiy.org/damian - my modular's homepage P.S. I'll also be mounting everything in my own 19" wooden panel, for it. ;) (So I wont be needing to order the rack case for it.) Thanks for any potential help! :)