ultra

awesome! if you guys create this, i'll be one of the first to build it :) this is a very worthy project and i hope it sees the light of day. thanks guys.

i have added a page to the wiki explaining how to use the "DETENTED3" mode to fix skipping encoders. http://www.midibox.org/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=fix_for_skipping_encoders ultra

the encoders now work great, thanks. tomorrow this will go in the wiki and i'll link to it from this post :)

thanks tk, i just wanted to know i can continue wiring up the encoders. the issue where values jump around seems to be better once i put a knob on the encoder (perhaps i wasn't fully turning it and it was responding funny). i'm sorry i don't know what you mean when you say "write 0x82 instead". i'm assuming i have to modify the software somehow, but i'm not experienced with this. perhaps it would be easier for me to ask in the chat and someone can help me through it. currently i'm just using version 2 anyway because i have an old pic (new one on the way). thanks tk!

hi have there been any developments on this? it sounds like a neat tool. kinda what an mmt-8 could do (?) but quicker to use!

i am having encoder issues on my seq. when turning the encoder, values seem to jump around, or skip a value, or go in reverse. it's hard to tell exactly what it's doing but it's not incrementing/decrementing notes like it should. also, it'll change notes if i simply wiggle the encoder around. i'd think that i just have a bad encoder, but this one is brand new and it has happened with others. according to the data sheet (http://www3.alps.co.jp/WebObjects/catalog.woa/PDF/E/Switch/Encoder/EC12E/EC12E.PDF), the middle pin is common, so i believe i have it wired properly. has anybody else come across this?

i would not do it as you suggest. there's two ways to do this (i've done both), and both have worked. the first way is to make two cables, put a connector on each end, and then rewire it in the middle, soldering the wires together. the other way is to make a straight cable to a header on a perfboard, then route your wires to the pins of another connector, and another straight cable out to your lcd. doing it the first way took me longer because i was more confused about how the wiring went together. the second way unfortunately adds another board, but is easier to see when you're wiring it and easier to troubleshoot. takes more hardware though. either way, it's up to you. if you do it the first way, i would use a continuity tester each time from each side to ensure you're wiring it properly. ultra

so let's do this!

i am definitely in on this order if it's anything but red. but i'd only need like 20 of them.

my first and only hardware synth is a roland v-synth xt. i've really only just started digging into it because i've been working on my seq and other projects, but i like it a lot. i also really like reaktor. i'm curious about building an avr-x synthesizer.

banana hammock i really hate this thread and i wish i never posted in it because now it always shows up in my unread replies. is there any way to remedy that besides searching for my post and removing it? thanks

these knobs are said to be not recommended for the sequencer because the base is big, but wouldn't it work out anyway with the top of the knob being more thin?

wilba, do you mind if i ask where you got the knobs? do they fit on a standard d-shaft alps encoder and have no indicator mark? very nice midibox. congrats! drew

how is the sound actually being made?

i believe i have seen those knobs (or similar) on a midibox. does anybody know where to get them?

try foxit reader rather than adobe reader. it's free.

that's terrible. why can't you sell outside of serbia? not to turn this into a political conversation, but what is it like there?

i think that most midibox projects can be done by someone without any electronics experience. i'm finishing up on my sequencer and didn't have any experience before i started it. it's probably a safe bet that if you started your project, you'd quickly want to add more than just transport features once you have an understanding of things. you can have knobs to change eq or whatever else in ableton live, buttons to browse clips, etc. the project can be as small or as big as you want (ok, with certain limitations). illuminated buttons are also very possible. i'm using the TL1240 made by e-switch and they look very nice and classy. there are many other models of illuminated buttons out there as well. this is the kind of thing that often takes a lot of time to search for if you want the right switch. search the forum for this as well. unfortunately all i've built is a sequencer, so i don't know which modules you'll need for your particular project, but at least a core module, dout (digital out) module, and din (digital in) module will be necessary. the core is the brains of the beast, the dout module is what lets you use things like illuminated buttons and other led indicators, and the din modules accept button presses. also, to add any kind of knob control using potentiometers you would need an AIN (analog in) module. all of these modules are available from smashtv in easy to assemble kits that include all the parts and preprogrammed microcontroller. here are my recommendations to you: 1. use smashtv's kits if you're new. it will save you a major headache. in fact, all the experience in the world won't get me to NOT buy his kits. they're just very good and easy to assemble. 2. figure out exactly what kind of control you want to have for ableton live. you can't know what kind of kits to order until that is done. think bigger than just play/pause. you can do quite a bit with just a little more work. there's no "guide" available, but there are many people on the forum who have made live controllers. search the forum to see what others have come up with. 3. just jump into it. dont' sit around and wonder if you're capable of doing this kind of project. just jump in and start doing it. it's not one big project, it's many small projects that come together for a bigger cause. everything can be learned in small steps and this midibox community is very good about helping others out. don't expect to be done overnight. i've been working on my sequencer for quite a while. 4. there is a ridiculous amount of information buried in this forum and on the wiki. it's all searchable, so use it to your advantage. good luck!

after figuring out why my sequencer reboots itself (heat), i've come across a new problem. the encoders won't increment any values, only decrement (does nothing when rotated right). what's strange is that it worked fine for a while and now it doesn't. could the heat issues i was having affect this somehow? that doesn't sound like it makes sense to me, but it stopped working right after i put in a bigger power supply. if i connect only one set of four encoders, i get the same result. it doesn't matter which set i connect. another problem i have from the beginning is that when i start the seq, change some step values and turn some on, then hit play, it goes back to the default sequence of four steps of C-3 being active. this only happens the first time i hit play and if i change values after that, they stay the same. i know i wired up some of the buttons wrong but i simply put them to the wrong pins, so that shouldn't affect anything. also i have a couple bad encoders which need to be replaced, but i'm waiting on parts. they're bad because if i wiggle them to the side, they change values. any idea what's causing these problems? thanks, drew

does anybody have the part number for the heat sink?

thanks for all the help. i went and got a 9v, 1500mA power supply and it doesn't shut off anymore. with all steps active, pulling the most current, it sits at about 580mA. do you think this is enough to require a heat sink? if so, do you know a part number for a heat sink that fits with the voltage regulator that came with the core module (smashtv's kit)? thanks again! drew

my ac/dc adapter is 500mA and set at 9v (switchable). i do have two backlit lcds. i just tested it without the dout module connected and that indeed solved the problem, so you're right about it being power consumption. any idea what kind of heat sink i'd need for this regulator? i'm not so sure about how to test current, but i can try to figure it out. which pin on the regulator would i measure voltage from? would i use that temporary ground on the core for testing too? thank you. drew

yes it is. i'm running it at 9v and it gets quite hot. i figured it should be. what can i do? i'm not sure it's a heat issue because the sequencer kinda acts funny in general. edit: what's strange about this is that i can run the default sequence just fine and it doesn't reboot. it happens when i start messing with buttons and/or encoders. if i had a wonky encoder, could it cause this problem even if i didn't touch it? edit again: this is really strange, but the sequencer seems to be shutting down when i have 10 or more steps active. usually it's around 12 but i've counted 10 and 13, and it always shuts down as soon as i'm turning on a step. ??? i'm going to try the new software. i just have v2 loaded right now because i'm just testing things out. but i'd imagine that this is not a v2 related bug so i'm guessing i'll end up with the same results. edit: it won't allow me to upload v3.1. it gets an error and aborts the upload. i didn't have this problem earlier when installing v2 software. midi io 128 software uploads just fine.

i'm not sure where to begin looking on this one. my sequencer works but only for a short time. anywhere from 10 seconds to a minute into using it, it randomly reboots itself. i've tried disconnecting each set of buttons/encoders one by one to see if the problem comes from a short or something and i get the same results every time. sometimes when i start it up it doesn't completely boot. it just kinda hangs there. any ideas?

i tried one solution but i'm not 100% happy with it. what i did was buy these things called taper pins that are approximately 1/8" on one side, and the other was slightly bigger and i glued it into the hole underneath the encoder. it works fine except that not all of them were completely vertical and the knob would shift out of place. about half of them work ok though so i think rather than finding new encoders, i'll use the extras i have and try to get the rest to be perfectly vertical. the knobs are the type with two screws in them. i'm not sure of any kind of coupling device but it would be nice to have.