Goblinz

It's really important to use a primer. The C64 case plastic should be lightly sanded with a fine grade wet and dry paper before a couple of coats of primer are applied. Leave it over-night and then apply several thin coats of normal paint. G

Thanks for the tips, I saw the EUR150 and thought it was some sort of insurance statement! I can't believe how cheap Reichelt is in comparison to Maplins or Farnell. I used to get componants through a shop that ordered from RS which seemed a lot better value, unfortunately the shop closed down recently so I RS is out of the window. G

I'm looking at ordering a few bits and pieces from Reichelt for my first attempt at building a single SID. I don't speak German though and was wondering if anybody would be able to help me. I need to know how much postage is to the UK. G

Great, thanks for the explanation, I thought it would be something like that, but could not get me head around the complexity of even thinking about designing an 8 layered board. I don't think I'll ever need to go beyone a dual sided board. G

Well.. maybe not professionally finished0 boards of that quality. How does this layer ing thing work, it's not a term we used in GCSE electronics. I thought double layered was the same as a double sided board... How can you get 4 layers on a board? G

I found some info on getting lowcost PCBS produced in China and though that it may be of benefit to people on here... Here's a round-up http://research.techkwondo.com/?p=337, giving details of the ordering process and here's the link to the company http://www.goldphoenixpcb.biz/quote2.php Obviously this isn't going to be as cheap as producing the boards yourself. They do a 1000Cmsq board, and you can send in a PCB design, and then they will replicate it and lay it out on the board as many times as possible. They can do more than one design on the board for an extra fee. It looks like they even cut them all out for you too. They do 4 layer boards too........please could somebody let me know how you can get 4 layers on to a board... do you have to sandwich layers? Anyway, a board of 1000cmSQ, with the same design replicated, with a single side silk screen will cost just short of $110 which seems really good, especially if a few people got together to get some boards done. there's free shipping to the states or very reasonable shipping elsewhere. Hope this is of help. G

Thanks for the info. I knew that it would be just down to me getting confused. ::) G

Here's the link http://ucapps.de/mbhp_sid.html "MBHP_SID_V2 In the meantime, the SID module has reached it's third version. There are some minor improvements in the circuit and layout. However, the old modules can still be used. For the convenience of users who haven't populated an old board yet, a special webpage has been created which contains the old documentation." I'm guessing that 3rd version means that there has been 0.X 1.X 2.X ???? The link from there (http://ucapps.de/mbhp_sid_old.html) adds to the confusion "Differences between MBHP_SID_V3 and MBHP_SID_V2" and here's the schematic http://ucapps.de/mbhp/mbhp_sid_v3.pdf Am I making a very basic error in that these are referring to the SID pcb design (or something similar)? G

Has V2 being skipped? Not too long ago I was holding back starting a SID as V2 was coming out. UCAPPS now seems to have a V3 design available, yet there is still a V2 wish list on UCAPPS. When people were talking about waiting for the V2 version were they just meaning for the V2 boards that were being designed here? Can somebody clear this up for me as I don't know where to start now. I'm thinking of doing a V3 single (/double) SID on a breadboard to learn what I'm doing and then maybe move down to the V2 when the boards are ready. Cheers, GobzZzie

Amazon :D

I'm going to a week long festival in Berlin next week and then staying in Berlin for another week after that. I know that i'm definitely going to have to check the zoo out as i've not been to one before and somebody has suggested the Tachele which is a huge squat come art gallery. Can anybody reccomend and good places to visit? I would like to find osme decent night-clubs, either Goth/EBM, Dirty filthy Elektro or Techno/Psytrance, any pointers would be very appreciated. GobzZziE

Darn! I've been looking on ebay for old C64's and the cheapest I can find are around £20 including postage,,, the cost is going to soon add up as I'm looking at building the 12 SID synth mentioned on these boards. I'm thinking I'll just start with a measly 2 SID version and add the other SIDS as I can afford them. G

Can anybody confirm whether these commodores contain a SID chip. I've been unable to get a definite answer about this when looking online. These computers seems to be going for a lot cheaper than what the commodore 64/128s do so could be a good way to keep the SID cost down. Thanks, Goblinz

I'm having problems locating some reasonable priced SID chips in the UK, mainly because I don't drive and P&P on ebay is so much. All the same, i'm holding out as I want the original SID sound. I've been thinking about this PIC synth and all those pillaged C64s that must be laying around. If this could be made cheaply then it would be good to replace the SID chips which have been removed from C64s and therefore make a fully functional console to sell on/give away rather than scrapping it. G

I have my chips! Will probably have some spare ones left over which I will either play with or offer on the forum :D I'd just like to clarify a few things before I start buying the other bits so that I don't end up wasting a lot of money. My understanding is that the old style machine's had inferior 6581 SID chips in them and the newer ones had 6582 chips. Some synth base soundcards came with 8580 chips built in, but these are hard to find. Wilba's uber-sexy MB-6582 synth requires either the 8580 or 6582 chips. Is this correct? I'm having problems soursing UK SIDS at a reasonable price, commodore 64s seem to be going for about EUR40 over here including P&P and although I accept that I may need to pay this I'd rather get something cheaper. Also, can anyone let me know if wilba's design will run the SID v1.xx firmware or will it have to be the beta SID v2.xx firmware. I'm thinking of building a single SID synth on a breadboard without the control surface simply as a way to get to grips with this whole concept and as a way to learn about pic chips (which i'm finding a bit daunting). I should think that by the time I finish messing around with the breadboard v1 synth that the v2 design will have been finished for a while so should give a nice step up. G

Yeh, I just feel a little cheeky though ;D I could see it be a problem if lots of people were sampling and not buying. If they send out free samples to lots of people and don't get an order off the back of it then surely that gives them an indication that there isn't much demand for the chips and could result in them being withdrawn. Maybe I'm being a little OTT here. G

It is the microchip website. To be honest, I'm looking at getting a couple of different chips as samples. That way I can have a play and start looking at how to program PICs without risking frying something that I've bought in for a project. I know it's a little cheeky, but I will be buying chips from then in the future. G

Please excuse the dodgy cut and paste job, the site used cookies to keeo the selection details so I couldn't just include a link. Would the second one in the list be a good start? These things seem to have quite a goof temp range, should I ever want to go to the arctic and make weird noises then i should be sorted :D Thanks for your help with this. G Part Number Leads Package Type Temp Range Packing PIC18F4685-E/ML 44 QFN -40C to +125C TUBE PIC18F4685-E/P 40 PDIP -40C to +125C TUBE PIC18F4685-E/PT 44 TQFP -40C to +125C TRAY PIC18F4685-I/ML 44 QFN -40C to +85C TUBE PIC18F4685-I/P 40 PDIP -40C to +85C TUBE PIC18F4685-I/PREL 40 PDIP -40C to +85C TUBE PIC18F4685-I/PT 44 TQFP -40C to +85C TRAY PIC18F4685-I/PXXX 40 PDIP -40C to +85C TUBE PIC18F4685-ME/PL 128 LQFP 10C to 50C TRAY PIC18F4685T-I/ML 44 QFN -40C to +85C T/R PIC18F4685T-I/PT 44 TQFP -40C to +85C T/R PIC18LF4685-I/ML 44 QFN -40C to +85C TUBE PIC18LF4685-I/P 40 PDIP -40C to +85C TUBE PIC18LF4685-I/PT 44 TQFP -40C to +85C TRAY

Here's another daft question! I'm pricing up bits and pieces. I've never done anything with PICS before, but am wanting to have a play before I start my SID but to still be able to re-use the chips i'm buying in the SID-synth. From looking at an electronics supply website for a particular PIC (PIC18F4685). It's listed with loads of differnt aditional letters after the name (PIC18F4685-E/ML, PIC18F4685-ME/PL, etc). Which one do I actually need to order to ensure compatability with the SID project. Also, what package type would be best? I'm guessing that PDIP would fit the board designs which have been released. Also, would I be correct in assuming that the amount of "leads" is the amount of legs? They're generally either listed as 40 or 44, but one is 128. Thanks, G

Thanks for the advice. I thought the MB-6582 was a V2 (excuse my ignorance) Any ideas how long the V2 developement will take. I'm not being imaptient, just interested in how complete it is, I quite like the idea of possibly being one of the first few people to try out this new design as I can see that it's going to be around for a few years. I think it's going to take me a long long time to get hold of all the SID chips. I already have a new style C64, but can't find any reasonably priced old machines in the local paper, ebay, etc. For some reason people have either thrown out their broken or aometimes, perfectly good machines and the rest have cottoned on to their resale value. I'm beginning to regret that stuff like this has become "retro" as it makes it harder for people to get hold of equipment who don't want it for the chic value. Personally my Atari STE is still sat where I set it up 2 years ago, the only difference is that I now have a collection of interesting hardware to go with it. Anyway, to the point, I've seen some chips for sale on the flea-market board, have you any ideas if there's many people dealing with this kind of thing in the UK? Thanks, G

Hi, I'm new to this forum and there looks to be a lot of interesting stuff here. I saw the Midibox SID on Ucapps a while ago but have been waiting for V2 to be finished before I even start thinking about construction. I followed a link to Wilba's MB-6582 and my God it looks sexy, anyway, in short, I want one! I'm trying to decide whether to follow the ucapps build guide and have seperate PCB's for each module or order a set of the all in one PCBs that Wilba has so kindly made available. I like the idea of being able to have seperate smaller boards to aid testing and fault finding, but like the compactness of Wilba's design (to be honest, I think I've fallen in love with his SID design). Can anybody give me any advise on this? I was wondering if it's possible to add some midi controls to a Midibox SID. I would like a couple of sliders and encoders to control various things on fruity loops. Would this mean combining the SID with a midibox 64 or can I already use some of the pre-existing circuitry. To be honest, I have never attempted a project this big, my electronics experience doesn't go much beyond GCSE electronics but I know how to use an iron and have done quite a few repairs and smaller projects. Any help/advise would be really appreciated. Thanks, Goblinz