glitched

So, I've decided to make my design mainly screwless (like Wilba's), aside from the corner screws. On that subject, I have a question about screws and standoffs. I know that I'll need standoffs 10 mm in length (this is close to the 3/8" length of the radioshack ones), but what screw size? I suppose that depends on the hole for the LCD. In that case, the holes are 3.5 mm in diameter. Does that mean I should get an M3.5 sized screw or a M3 screw? According to this chart, the major diameter of a M3.5 screw is 3.479 mm...so am I right to assume M3.5 is the size I want? Here's what I came up with: http://www.mcmaster.com/#94868a022/=1f1awc By the way, why are these things so damned expensive? $2.59 each?!?! Let me know if I'm on the right track. Thanks! I appreciate the help.

Very well done! That wiring job must've been a headache! Everything's very well organized. I'm starting to think the MIDIbox platform can be used for anything!

Hello, Hans: Thanks so much for your reply. You have certainly given me some ideas. I like your idea of gluing the "standoffs" (I think that's the word you were looking for; maybe "spacers"?) for the LCD to the underside of the front panel, eliminating the need for screws there. Heck, I may even carry that idea through to the rest of the design and hide all the screws. I suppose the only issue is finding the right height of spacer for the stripboard that holds the tactile switches. Obviously, I want them to protrude through the faceplate somewhat. Speaking of the design, I don't want it to look completely monolithic, so I will probably leave the four corner screws on the faceplate. At a later juncture, I'll possibly add gfx or whatever. Oh, Wilba used the JB Weld technique to achieve his screw-less front panel design: http://www.midibox.org/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=wilba_mb_6582_control_surface_construction_guide By the way, I did look at the data sheets in the design process, but the strange thing about the LCD drawing was that it did not include measurements from the screw holes to the outer bezel of the screen (or to the "viewable area"). Anyway, I did a few "real world' tests on paper and the LCD port looks good. Gee, I guess there's not that much else to talk about. I'll take a look at your other thread and come back here with any additional questions. Thanks again. Regards.

I hope I don't derail this thread too much, but I, too, am going to send a design to FPE. I'm new to the DIY front panel thing, so I was wondering if you could take a quick look at it? Actually, everything tests pretty well (on paper), but wondered if my measurements and positions for the holes matched yours. If you'd like to take a look, I've uploaded my .fpd to this thread: http://www.midibox.org/forum/index.php/topic,13297.0.html Direct link: http://www.midibox.org/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=13297.0;attach=4893 Thanks. Regards.

Maybe someone can give me a start. How much "wiggle room" should there be in my measurements? 0.1mm? 0.5mm? Would you say Front Panel Express is pretty precise?

These are the components used in the project. Pactec PT-10: https://www.pactecenclosures.com/Plastic-Enclosures/PT-10.html Datasheet uploaded. LCD: http://mouser.com/Search/ProductDetail.aspx?qs=sGAEpiMZZMt7dcPGmvnkBodJ4P%252bCTn9wxzJSnT%2f4Rm4%3d The component drawing PDF has been uploaded. 6x6 mm Tactile Switches with Caps: http://www.mouser.com/Search/Refine.aspx?Keyword=101-0200-ev Datasheet has been uploaded. 10 MM Standoffs (for the space between the LCD and frontpanel): http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2102860 I also have an ALPS encoder that will be attached to the front, but it's panel-mount; no problems there. Thanks again. drw_PT-10.pdf microtipsLCD.pdf switchcap.pdf drw_PT-10.pdf microtipsLCD.pdf switchcap.pdf

Hello: First of all, I hope this post is in the right section. I was going to post it in the SID forum, but this topic is more general. Feel free to move it if you think it belongs somewhere else. Anyway, the purpose of this thread is to ask for your help in "proofreading" my quasi-custom MBSID frontpanel design. A couple years ago, I completed my MBSID, but hastily threw it into a Nintendo NES case, which worked temporarily. Now, I want my MBSID to look a bit more professional. It's quasi-custom because I took some of the elements of standard control surface template and combined them with Wilba's template for the PT-10. It's really nothing major, I just wanted to know from you pro's if my measurements were right (as I'm still very new to this DIY thing). I have some basic questions, as well. I have set up a mini-site, so as not to clutter up this forum: http://drop.io/mbsidv2 . You can help by downloading the .fpd file, looking at the questions I've posted, and using the "comment" facility. (All the pertinent datasheets and part numbers have been uploaded there.) Drop.io is such a great collaborative tool. For convenience, I'll upload the .fpd and post some questions here. And here they are: 1. Have I got all the measurements for my components correct? 2. Regarding the holes and spacing for the 6x6mm tactile switches: I installed them on a standard stripboard (spaced 0.100" between holes). There is a two-hole space between each switch. Each switch spans four holes. In FPD, I aligned the components to the grid, spaced 0.100". The length from the center of one component to the next is six holes. Is that right? 3. Should I add any space or "padding" to any of the holes (to allow for the minor errors in manufacturing)? All the measurements are exact. Notes: 1-The hole for the screw at the bottom of the switch area will secure those control elements to the faceplate. 2-I only plotted two screw-holes for the LCD. In my experience, this is adequate. I won't be moving the box much, anyway. Is there anything obvious I'm missing? Thanks so much for your help. Regards, -d my frontpanel 2.fpd my frontpanel 2.fpd

After reading and searching for a while, I have to ask this seemingly simple question: Is there a way, in the software, to select the "target SID" in a multi-SID setup? I ask because I am redoing my single-SID (potentially turning it into a multi-SID) and would like to know if it's absolutely necessary to add the four extra buttons to the frontpanel. I could verify this if my SID was functional, but as of now, it is resting on an operating table, it's innards strewn about. If there is no option, can I ask why not? Thanks. Regards, -d

After the multiple installs, the build was easy-cheesy. Thanks for your help.

Ahh. See, I ran across that page in my search, but it seemed like it was geared more toward a developer or something because of all the tools you have to install and commands. You used to just be able to open up one app and hit "assemble". Actually, it's not bad at all: just download the utilities and run a command. No biggie. Thanks!

Hello: After not checking the midibox site for quite some time, I decided to download the newest version of the V2 SID application. I wanted to make one minor change (to make the encoder of the type "DETENTED3"), so I edited the setup_8580.asm file and saved it. I ran MPASMWIN.exe with the proper settings for my pic (18F4685), but it will not assemble. 320 errors result, mostly of the type: "Symbol not previously defined" I don't get it. I used to be able to compile, but it seems like something is missing. I'm sure this is very simple. If possible, maybe one of you could attach your *.hex file with the DETENTED3 encoder setting. Thank you.

I'm very happy about this. It will make editing those wavetables a lot easier. Thank you!

Maybe I'm missing something...would one need to buy an AOUT_NG board as well?

Hi: I was happy to see how many features have been added since the last time I was here. I updated the software and now I'm almost completely lost without a visual editor! (Well, I can make some pretty good sounds, but there's so much depth to the OS.) Has there been any progress with the V2 editor?

Uh, gee man. Those are really low-spec'd machines. I mean, those aren't even PII's. They make wristwatches with more processing power. What version of fruityloops runs on one of those? Any audio recording of any kind is probably out of the question. May I ask why you're even bothering? I suppose you could find MIDI-only sequencing software...but I'd just save up the $50 and get a better machine. Oh, and on your linux question: yes, there is software out there, but you'll probably be disappointed if you're into fruityloops (version 0.3 or whatever you're running). Try and find "Musix+Gnu" or something. I forget the actual name, but it's a music-centric linux distro.

This is actually a really good discussion because some people build the mbsid just for the fun of it (weirdos)! I really enjoyed making mine, but haven't recorded one single note. I think I'm probably still in the discovery phase, but maybe I'm not. Even if I don't use the "NES_SID" very often, it's still a great conversation piece. ("WTF is that thing?")

Thanks for the comment! I believe the next iteration will be much nicer. In fact, I have already sourced a new case, also by nintendo, but not an NES. Shhhhh! Anyway, good luck on your build. I think one of the main things is to remember the mbsid project is meant to be fun; don't get too frustrated if you can't figure something out right away. There is always an answer and almost everything is fixable. -d

Wow, that's a RTFM if I ever saw one. The one chapter I didn't look at. Time to buy a few more buttons! Thanks.

Just wondering, is there was a way to enter the special instrument modes (multi, bassline, drum) without the use of a "shift" button? I just finished my V1, but V2 is working great; the lead engine is so deep! I wanted to try out the different modes, but don't have all the buttons hooked up for V2. Thanks.

Trust me. Once you get into it, it won't seem so hard. I just finished my first MBSID! Read some of my postings to read about my journey. (I was apprehensive at first, but it only took me 4 days to complete the project, sans enclosure.)

Dang! I wish I had read this before I started: This is the result: http://flickr.com/photos/75742538@N00/sets/72157601677467147/ Not terrible, but not what I had in mind. For the next iteration of my V2, I will use a centerpunch and not rush into things!

It sounds great! I'm amazed at the depth of this thing. With V2, the menus seem endless. If you saw this feature set on a Waldorf or Roland, it would cost upwards of $1,000. To tell you the truth, I've attempted to make music with it, but I get caught up in exploring the patches! That wavetable is crazy.

Hi, everyone: Just wanted to let you know that another MBSID has been born! It's called, "NES_SID". See why, here: http://flickr.com/photos/75742538@N00/sets/72157601677467147/ (Take it easy on me...this is just a prototype anyway!) Here are the stats: Experience level: newbie with some soldering experience, but very little knowledge of electronics Apprehension level before jumping into the project: 6 (out of 10) Actual difficulty of project: 3 (out of 10) Most difficult part (conceptual): the optimized PSU Most difficult part (physical): creating the display cable with the proper pinouts, using an IDC header so I didn't have to solder directly onto the pins of the LCD (a good choice) Other most difficult: cutting holes in the NES. The lcd port came out fine, but I couldn't hold my hand steady enough to drill the holes for the buttons. Time elapsed from first solder to sound output: 4 days (and I work during the day, too!) Some tips for first-time 'boxers: +Get the Smash TV boards. Save yourself some time and effort (and money). It's as close as you'll get to "soldering by the numbers". +Buy more than you need at the electronics retailer. You may mess up. You may want to add components in the future. I ran out of those stupid crimp pins and I knew I'd be swapping the boards in and out of cases, so I had to sacrifice some perfectly good equipment for their connectors. Also, find a good wire stripper for stranded wire. +Test everything before moving on to the next step. You don't want to discover that you soldered the wrong wire somewhere after you've hot-glued the thing and sealed your case up, like Han Solo in Carbonite. +Check polarity! Especially on components, such as capacitors. This shouldn't be a problem with SmashTV boards. But check polarity on other things too, like the midi connections. I spend a good hour trying to figure out why MIOS wasn't receiving a signal from the MIDI OUT; swapped the white for the black and it worked. +Search, search, search the forums. It seems like a cliche at this point, but you have to do it. Even if you don't find what you're looking for, you may find a post that will be useful for the future. Other recommendations: +Blue/White 2x20 Microtips LCD - It's 18$, but it's beautiful. +Go to http://www.nuxx.net --c0nsumer's site. He goes into great detail about his project and lists all the parts used, along with mouser links. He helped me quite a bit. (Thanks, c0nsumer!) Anyway, that's all for now. I'm sure I can add to this...and I will. In fact, I will make good on my promise to write something of a guide, but I'm going to start all over and do it right with a completely new kit. Thanks again! -d glitched.org

By the way, here's a pic of my power supply board: Nevermind the unattached wires; they should be on the +5V side of the board (near the bottom of the pic). It looks huge, but it's actually half the size of the core board. I used one of those "box" type capacitors, which took up most of the room on the +9V side. Next time I'll find more space-saving parts. Also, you may notice that I had to bend one of the legs (~) of the bridge rectifier. In this case, finding a PDIP-type rectifier is a better idea, but I didn't have any clue what I needed when buying parts from mouser. Anyway, the SID is working wonderfully and without a flaw. Thanks. -d

This fixed my problem with the Bourns encoder. Thanks, TK! (Also, having great fun with SID V2!)