Futureman

Has anyone tried one of these? http://cgi.ebay.com.au/3-Terminal-5V-1A-Switching-Voltage-Regulator-Power-Supp-/390106044649?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0 With my new sequencer using VFD's and plenty of backlighting, my 5v regulator gets rather hot, and will need a heatsink the size of a small country. I was thinking of something like this instead. Any ideas?

I don't know why you'd want to try and "re-invent the wheel" so to speak.. For $20-$30 you can pick up a 4 octave midi controller.. Cut off an octave. done. The only thing that annoys me about what I've done is that the doepfer midi-cv doesn't have note memory. so, if you play a C, then while still holding the C, play a D, then let go of the D, nothing will play (Even though you still have a C held down) Even the simple/cheap Synhouse MidiJack has a 4 note memory. very annoying sometimes. Regards Mike

I did exactly that. Mine didn't have a keyboard and was in a not too pretty state when I got it. I installed a cut up midi keyboard -> Midi Merge -> Midi to CV -> into CV in's on Minimoog (The merge is so that I can sequence it, and play over the top easily) + Heaps of timber work. Now I've got a Minimoog that responds to Midi, spits out Midi and looks awesome. For ease of use, I used a Doepfer Midi-CV from their modular range.. though you could use midibox CV. I've got a few extra knobs near the mod wheel that I use to route velocity to Filter and amplitude. Best of luck Mike

The price is frigging right! it's almost offensive how cheap they are from some sellers.

Maybe they could be permanently attached to the MB-SEQ via a nice diamond & gold chain, so as not to loose them.

Like this http://shop.ebay.com.au/?_from=R40&_trksid=p3907.m570.l1313&_nkw=13mm+tact&_sacat=See-All-Categories

No need for you to remove the rectifier or caps. Leave em in. (If you took em out, and you can, put em back in) The rectifier will rectify the already DC into DC & will drop the 15VDC down by 0.6V and then feed this new 14.4VDC past the caps (Will smooth out the already smooth DC) and then into the 9V regulator. No big deal. no harm done. Leaving the rectifier in will protect your caps and regulator incase you get the polarity of your switchmode wrong. Regards Mike

True, but you didn't mention $5 - $15 being your budget. I guess if you fork out $60+ on a power supply, you'd hope it'd have better performance than a $5 special from a junk shop. Most of the geezers racking up channel strips are using 2x laptop power supplies to give them +/-24 v DC. those power supplies are not toooo expensive, say around $30 each. Regards Mike

When I built my MB6582, I A/B'd between a switchmode power supply and a C64 power supply.. And even with the gain right up, the change in background noise was negligible. Many people who are racking up Neve / Calrec / SSL / Ward-Beck etc channel strips are using switchmode power supplies, so I guess they can't be that bad. I guess YMMV. Cheers Mike

Good to hear.. Well done.

Whoah.. too many variables.. Why are you using a 5v Regulator? The C64 outputs 5V.. if it's crapping out with too many SID's installed, the C64 power supply is not so good. (It happens, they are old) How about running your MB6582 Option A (C64 Power supply) with only a two SIDs in.. do you get hum? (I asked earler, is the noise / hum on all outputs, you never replied regarding that) I can't see how your 9v AC can be bad.. it's just AC from the C64 transformer.. then it gets rectified (turnt to choppy DC).. then smoothed by the caps.. (Bumpy DC) then rectified by the 9v regulator = Smooth 9v DC. (regulator c o u l d be faulty.. only a $2 part, maybe worth trying) If you used a 5v regulator to get 5v DC.. and you are say feeding it 9vDC, and a fully stuffed MB6582 pulls about 1amp on it's 5v Rails. The voltage drop across the regulator is gonna be say approx 4v x 1Amp = 4 Watts of heat. that little guy ain't gonna cope being a small heater for too long.. lol. If you use a switchmode PS as you mentioned, and feed that 9vAC input on your 6582 with 15v DC, that'll be fine.. the regulator may get warm / hot but should be ok to try. Regards Mike

So, you are using a C64 power supply? I know they are a pain to get, but have you tried another? Maybe borrow someones? I had one 1/2 work, another work, then die, then finally, one that worked all the time. As my 6582 had a built in keyboard etc, I used this http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=MP3108&keywords=switchmode&form=KEYWORD (expensive, yep, and now cheaper alternatives are available online) The 5v Rail sucks a fair bit of juice on the MB6582.. about 1Amp iirc. While the 9v / 12v a fair bit less.. You could try to feed in another supply to the rectifier & regulator (option C).. I'm a bit concerned about you measuring 8.7v instead of something more close to 9v. It could be your multimeter, but I thought a 7809 would be closer to 9v. Can you explain 'the 5v drops to 4.7v-4.9v' ? How about a small audio sample? Cheers Mike

sold and posted

sold & posted

How much gain do you have to give the synth to get it up to a decent level? Is the hum on all the outputs? I recall some issue once with the switch jack sockets being incorrect.. But I doubt this is your issue, unless you have to gain the crap out of it to get a decent level. My 6582 is pretty damn quiet, so something is obviously wrong with yours. Maybe check all your components around the power section.. maybe an electrolytic cap with wrong orientation etc.. It could be that your analog power is too low before the regulator, causing it to sag. What measurements do you get before and after that section. It's not likely the 5v supply. (Could be, but I feel unlikely)

Is it a 50Hz hum type thing, or is it more of a buzz / roar type noise? The SID's are noisey F#@ers. I realise you are using the feedback pots, but disconnect these, and tie all the SID input pins to ground (with the small jumpers) Does the noise go away then? Regards Mike

As others will tell you, Really bright LED's are not a good idea for really anything that you may look at in the dark.. it makes it pretty much impossible to see whats going on when 50 small torches are aimed at your eyes. Trust me. personally, the best option is to go for diffused LED's with a wide viewing angle. Avoid Blue & purple like the a disease. Regards Mike

I've got an un-populated MB6582 Control surface PCB for sale. I bought one when I made my mega SID synth. I was going to use it for the control surface, but ended up making my own from scratch. Never been touched by a soldering iron. $7 + postage. (From Australia)

I got one.. what dimensions do you want to know? Regards Mike

UltraCore PCB. I'm never going to get around to using this. Located in Sydney / Australia. I can't remember how much I payed.. so, how's $15 + postage? Regards Mike

It's been a while since I've hung around here... I hope all is well with everyone? I finally finished off my other DIY projects (2x Mnats 1176's Rev D's) / repairs / Still renovating / Baby on the way. I started assembled my Core32 and pulled my finger out and wired up some of the NOS VFD's I bought ages ago. THEY LOOK LIKE SEX. I'll be using them in a SEQV4, and getting a panel laser cut up.. Here's a pic of the VFD's up close.. although it's hard on my crappy camera to convey how cool these screens look.. Straight out of 1986. Regards Mike

Reminds me of an Ex-girlfriend calling me up to say she wasn't going to call me up anymore.

Search ebay for a Midi Patchbay. It's what I use. It'll let you route any input to any output. Handy if you have a whole pile of midi stuff, and don't want to re-patch all day long. Generally, they are 8 in , 8 out. Only a few let you merge (Roland I think), and if they do, it's only merge a few inputs. Korg made em, Akai made em, Kawai made em and Roland made em. If you want to make a 'Thru' box, there are quiet a few schems out there on the interweb. No real need to use midibox for that. http://m.bareille.free.fr/midithrubox/midithrubox.htm http://www.freeinfosociety.com/electronics/schemview.php?id=1250 http://hackaday.com/2008/11/24/simple-midi-thru-box/ Heaps. Just google 'Midi thru schematics' Regards Mike

D D D Double post.

Going Cheap. http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Creamware-Pro-12-Klangbox_W0QQitemZ200449176030QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAU_Musical_Instruments_Instruments?hash=item2eabb3b1de