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Steev

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Posts posted by Steev

  3. MB6582 Psu option C, a few questions

    in MIDIbox SID

    Posted

    Since it looks like Wilba doesn't much recommend the Option C approach, and since the bulk PSU order seems to have hit a snag, has anyone come up with any noob-friendly PSU designs?  For example, could something like the MB-Sid optimized PSU be supplied with separate 9v wall-wart + 5v wall-wart, and the outputs of that supply the 6582? 

    And, to get even noobier, what kind of bad things would happen if one were to just hook up a 9v wall-wart and 5v directly to the relevant inputs of the MB-6582 or the MB-SID?  Is it just a little noise or will it blow out the SIDs?  For the MB-SID optimized circuit, my understanding is there is some power conditioning early in the chain of the optimized circuit such that it can take AC and turn it into DC .

    Or, let me ask it this way - for those of you who tried Option C, how did it work out?

    Sorry for the questions - just one of those "everything you wanted to know about PSUs but you've been too afraid to ask for a few months" questions I've had.

  4. Audio of (fried?) SID

    in MIDIbox SID

    Posted

    Wow - this was perfect!! Even I could understand it.  All I can say is *thank you* for your perfect help ;D ;D ;D ;D.

    Anyway, based on that I guess my suspicions on how I had wired up the audio jack were well founded.  I originally did not have the jack wired to the ground but to the other peg on that jumper.  Apparently, that is what was causing the massive amount of noise (actually, I think the noise floor is still there but the signal was very very low, hence the result.)  I am EXTREMELY pleased to share the first notes of my Midibox SID!  It's a bit like Christmas in June over here so I thought I would play something appropriate through the MIOS Studio keyboard.  Anyways, I am psyched!  /Tilted/, you are the BEST!!!  Another happy Midibox ending  ;D ;D ;D ;D

    A very siddy Christmas.MP3

    A very siddy Christmas.MP3

  5. Audio of (fried?) SID

    in MIDIbox SID

    Posted

    First, thank you so much for asking!  It turns I am not sure what I am doing so it could have been me.  I haven't really gotten the hang of reading the diagrams and when I put the project down for a few days and come back, it is like starting all over again.  It's not easy being "green" ;D

    I tried the interconnection app and I have MIDI connectivity.  The chip did respond to MIDI input so that's good.  I checked all the voltages and they were fine before I put in the chip.  But I may have shorted it when I plugged in the guitar cable to the audio jack.  The whole audio jack part was pretty fuzzy to me. 

    Here's what I gathered from a couple of rounds of reading.  From the wiring diagram at

    http://www.ucapps.de/mbhp/mbhp_sid_c64_psu.pdf

    it looks like you wire SID jumper J3, pin "O", to the jack.  I have the Smash SID R3A board but it is not labeled "O" and "Vs" like in the PDF file.  Rather, the left pin is + and the right pin is -.  So I had to start making some assumptions.

    In the wiring diagram it looks like the signal comes out of the "left" pin, O, and then another line is connected to the ground to complete the circuit.  So I guess the + and - on the SID board are not what I thought they were (i.e., run the connection from + to - like in a battery).  Rather it looks like the + and - on the SID board are to link up the signal to one side or other of the stereo field. I.e., + is "O" and - is "Vs".   

    Also I don't really understand the jack either.  There is a diagram at

    http://www.midibox.org/forum/index.php/topic,11434.msg90833.html#msg90833

    for this kind of jack.  There it says that the ground is the "bottom right" pin. 

    So in summary it looks like I take the SID jumper J3, pin "O" (which is on the left as I look at the board right side up) and wire it to the + pin on the audio jack.  Then, the ground of the audio jack needs to be wired back over to the Core's ground, or the SID board's ground.

    If you happen to know if I am on the right track, that would be great.  At least I can start ruling some things out...  Thanks again for asking - with all the helpful Midiboxers maybe I will actually get sound someday. :)

  6. Audio of (fried?) SID

    in MIDIbox SID

    Posted

    Haha - aleatoric  ;D  Maybe I will write a book on Aleatoric Projects for SID Chips.

    Chapter 1 - The Dentist's Drill Replicator

    Chapter 2 - The Washing Machine Emulator

    Chapter 3 - The Ultimate Dog Repeller

    ...

    Thanks everyone.

  7. Audio of (fried?) SID

    in MIDIbox SID

    Posted

    Hi all,

    I built a core and sid module.  Everything passed all the voltage checks and the LCD says the default lead patch is active (no bankstick yet).  I am using Smash's kits and the latest version of the MIOS.  The sid I am using is a 6581.  I understood going into it that there was going to be some noise with this kind of sid.  However, the noise is pretty overwhelming. 

    I couldn't build the optimised PSU as the C64 PSU that I have was flawed.  From my reading, the second best option was to provide separate PSUs to the core and the sid, so that is what I did.  The sid has 15V 1A and the core has a separate 9V, 600ma.

    I was wondering if anyone had an opinion on whether this was just a burnt-out sid or whether there is some other problem that I should be looking into.  My guess was that the audio path is messed up, but that is as far as I could take it.  ???

    Only the background noise is heard up until 0:04. Then I played a series of rising and falling notes in MidiOX.  This ends at 0:10 (if you listen carefully you can hear it).  In the remaining portion, you can hear that when I move the "pitch bend lever" in MidiOX, the noise floor rises and falls accordingly. 

    Thanks for any suggestions.

    midiboxsidsample.mp3

    midiboxsidsample.mp3

  9. Smash's IDC connectors disassembly

    in Parts Questions

    Posted

    Thanks, gang - this group is great.

    Radio shack will become bankrupt soon. Just like circuit city..... The easiest thing to do is to cut the cable close to the idc connector and get a fresh idc.

    Yeah, I heard that about Radio Shack having financial problems.  It's too bad because it's a great American brand.  You know, when I was a kid it was a cool place.  I remember they had a "Battery of the Month" club for kids which I was in.  Kids could go learn about electronics things.  I guess they have a little of that now but it's more like a mini Circuit City.  Guess they gotta stay up with the times. 

  10. Smash's IDC connectors disassembly

    in Parts Questions

    Posted

    I have some of Smash's IDC connectors and I messed up the wiring of a ribbon cable.  Now I want to take it apart and can't do it. Here's what I can do.  If I assemble it without the strain relief, by prying the little tabs I can get the two other pieces apart. But once the strain relief is in, I can't separate anything.  I tried putting together another IDC connector to see how it worked, but it locked up on me too.  I have poked and pried.  I even snapped in half a little screwdriver that you use for eyeglasses (my wife is not too happy about this one).

    Sorry for the dumb questions.  Nobody I know does electronics.  Even the people at Radio Shack said to me "nobody buys this stuff anymore.  They just want cellphones."  Sometimes when I go there to ask something, I ask the senior manager and then the other staff will follow him around just to see what the product is (I swear I am not making this up and it has happened several times).

  11. Wiring for noobs

    in Parts Questions

    Posted

    the major difference between the solid wire and the stranded wire is that you want to use solid wire when it's on the board and use the stranded wire when the wire is coming off the board so it doesn't break from movement.

    Perfect - just what I needed to know!

  13. Wiring for noobs

    in Parts Questions

    Posted

    Sorry for the lack of knowledge, but I am working on a Core module (and maybe a Sid someday).  To make the Core bridges, I bought "hookup" wire at Radio Shack.  But when I opened it, it is a solid copper wire under the plastic wrap (not many little silver strands).  Are there any pros/cons to using this kind of wire as opposed to the strand kind? 

    http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2049743&cp=&sr=1&origkw=hookup+wire&kw=hookup+wire&parentPage=search

    I tried a few searches but could not come up with anything on this...

    Thanks,

    Steve

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