XTheWoodX

Dear Nils, Thanks again, my friend. Well, I will burden you with that PM (I'm assuming that I can do that by clicking on the thought bubble below your name) in about a month or two. My father and I are working on this project rather slowly. Time constraints as well as our patience ensure that we will proceed as such. ;) I will definitely post pics of the final product. It would have been a shame to limit the Nessy 101 to the 2x20 display only because I am a bit apprehensive when it comes to computers. Thank you, and remember that if I can help you in any way, you need only ask. ;D Cheers, XTheWoodX.

Dear Cavey, Man, you must've been reading my mind! Those were exactly the reasons why I was ready to settle for the 2x20! Cheers, XTheWoodX.

Dear Nils and Swindus, You are both correct. It is the reticence to changing the code that would limit my creativity here. However, your offer, Nils, and yours, Swindus, are much, much appreciated. :) Indeed, given the current circumstances, I will definitely opt for the 2x40. So, Nils, if it would not inconvenience you in the least, I would be most obliged if you were to find the time one day to create the file that would enable me to use the 2x40 display. I do not know how difficult it would be to grant the following request as well, but would it be possible for you to include a bit of text that would appear whenever my SIDBox powers on? I would like for it to say the following (the message may change in the future, for the list may become longer)... "Nessy 101... created by TK, built/designed by Dad and The Wood, with the priceless assistance of Nils Podewski, Swindus, Frailn, Buhler, and /Tilted/." This would be an alternative to etching/engraving the screen names of all forum members who have helped me onto the back panel of my SIDBox. I always thought that this would be a cool way to remember the names of those who helped me along the way. If it is possible to do this, I would greatly appreciate it. That would be my greatest tribute to all of you who have helped me, and continue to do so, as time goes by. Every time the Nessy 101 powers on (yes, that would be my SIDBox's name, as it shares the nickname I gave my fiancee ;D), your names will scroll across the screen. Without the generous assistance that I have received from all of the aformentioned, the Nessy 101 could not be built. ;) Nils, I can imagine that your time is of the essence; when it is free, I am sure that it is your most prized and sought after commodity. If you are unable to help due to unforeseen circumstances, I would understand perfectly, for your offer is what I appreciate the most. Thanks again. ;) Swindus... Thank you very much. I am confident in your ability to create the file should Nils' schedule not permit it. I hope that my humble gesture - to include your forum name along with those who have helped me so much in a bit of text when the Nessy 101 powers up - is a suitable representation of my gratitude. It is important to remember those who help you along in life, and to be grateful for their efforts and friendship. I am a man of many faults, but gratitude is certainly not one of them. It is my sincerest hope that this is evident. Best regards, XTheWoodX. p.s, three 6581 SIDs received in the mail, one more to go! Then come the parts from SmashTV. :)

Dear Buhler, Cavey, and Nils, Very well, so the 20x2 it is. Now... I'm off to find a white on black 20x2 LCD..... Cheers, XTheWoodX.

Dear All, Which is the largest LCD screen that I can use with a Step C SIDBox without having to change MIOS or making any adjustments through software? Can I use the following LCD, or something a bit larger? http://www.oceancontrols.com.au/panel_meters/lcd/lcd_modules.htm#Purchase Cheers, XTheWoodX.

Dear Nils, Swindus, and Tilted, I think that I am pretty much set on using the white on black 2x16 LCD display available on http://www.oceancontrols.com.au/panel_meters/lcd/lcd_modules.htm#Purchase That one should work with the Step C SIDBox, right? That is, I will only use the 2x16 if it does not require any adjustments in the asm file. After re-reading the LCD Module section, I am still assuming that the 2x16 is the display that can be soldered in and used (solder and play, heheh... instead of "plug and play"... eh, I guess that pun was not that funny.) ;D This would be the only reason that I would settle for a 2x16. However, which one is ultimately supported - without need for adjustments of any kind - by MIOS? 2x16? 2x20? 2x40 (the one that I truly like)? I think that I can bite the bullet with the smaller display, since my Waldorf Micro Q also utilizes a small display and I have no difficulty adjusting parameters. But... gentlemen, if you reeeeeaaaally feel that incorporating the larger LCD is really that easy, I might change my mind and go back to the larger screen. I read your posts several times, though the task, for this rookie, seems a bit intimidating. Lastly, I will download MIOS Studio this weekend and begin to familiarize myself with it. I read some of Buhler's old posts on the forum regarding the Mac version of MIOS Studio and all of the trouble he experienced with it, so I will download the version for PC and work on my Dell instead (though I prefer the former, it is no big deal... I love my PC.) :) Have a great day, gentlemen, and once more... thank you. Best regards, XTheWoodX.

Dear Swindus, Since I have not any experience with MIOS (yet) or with programming, will the data that you provided make more sense to me once I begin to work with MIOS Studio on my Macbook? I noticed that your data refers to an "8580.asm"... I am assuming that since I am using 4 6581's, I will use somehting called "6581.asm." Is that correct? The part on the LCD: ;; number of visible menu items on LCD ;; use: 4 for 2x16 displays ;; 5 for 2x20 displays ;; 10 for 2x40 displays #define CS_MENU_DISPLAYED_ITEMS 10 ;; NOTE: if CS_MENU_DISPLAYED_ITEMS > 5, you have to adapt the DIN settings ;; in CS_MENU_DIN_TABLE below ... appears to be pretty straight forward. However, the part regarding the DIN settings looks a bit complicated. I believe that it all will indeed make sense once I open MIOS Studio. In fact, would you recommend that I download it now and open it on my Macbook, without having completed my SIDbox (since I am still awaiting the arrival of several more parts,) in order to acquiant myself with the interface? Or, must a SIDBox be connected to it in order for the program to open/function correctly? As a precautionary measure, I would like to learn the program before I make any adjustments that I may not quite understand. Cheers, XTheWoodX.

Dear Nils, Swindus, and Buhler,

Dear Nils, Good point. A friend of mine is a cop, and a few of us were talking one night about life in New York City. He worked there for a few years, and said that NYC was an awful place to live. The part of your reply that I quoted above reminded me of a friend's response to the cop's comment. She told him that of course life in NYC seemed terrible and violent to him. He was a cop, and no one ever calls the cops because everything is going just great! ;D Indeed, you are absolutely right. Comments regarding the ease of a project's completion would be hard to come by in a troubleshooting post. I'm sure that everything will work out quite nicely. In fact, when I finish in a few months, I will create a post on how my father and I succeeded in completing the MIDIBox SID V2. ;) I will include pictures of the completed piece as well. So far, the plan is to make the casing out of a very opaque, glossy, black plexiglass/acrylic. The case will be black and the side panels will be white plexiglass/acrylic, and the knob(s) will be short, white plexiglass/acrylic rods. Lastly, the LCD screen will be black (well, as dark as possible) with white lettering. This is quite a project! Cheers, XTheWoodX. p.s, I checked out your web site a little while ago. That is some tuner! Very nice! Did you create that yourself?

Dear Buhler, Nils, Frailn, and Stryd, Indeed, it will be a great experience for the both of us. :) Frailn, I am quite humbled... and pleased to see that you will work on a project with your son. My father was very poor when he was growing up, and never could afford a radio. The son of a silversmith (my grandfather was a great artist), he enjoyed working with his hands and building since he was very young. So, in his desire to own a radio, he used his dexterity to build one out of an old telephone. He would spend many a night listening to episodes of Boston Blackey and The Shadow on it. Too bad he doesn't have it anymore. He went on to build ham radios on his own and today he enjoys a fine career as an engineer. Now, he is designing and gradually implementing a project here in Miami to convert abandoned co-generation plants into bio-diesel plants and to build brand new ones as well. I admire him a great deal, and it is an honor to sit at a table and build a machine with the man who, as a child, once built a radio out of an old telephone. Thanks again, gentlemen. We will talk more as time goes by. I am sure that I will have a few more questions for you; and Buhler, thanks for your last post. I am truly grateful for the time and help that you and everyone else has provided to this project so far. Mr. Thorsten Klose's ideas live on because of people like you, who dedicate time, through this forum and in other ways, to ensure that his machines continue being built. Everyone who has built, or is building, a MIDIBox owes a tremendous debt of gratitude to all of you. Cheers! ;) Best regards, XTheWoodX. p.s, by the way, Frailn, thanks for answering all of my questions back when we communicated through Ebay. Your candor and time are much appreciated.

Dear Buhler and Nils Podewski, And here is a million dollars for you, and a million for you. Well, they may not be dollars, but for now, I can give you a million "thank you"s. ;D My father is an expert engineer (Naval, Mechanical, and Industrial) so he offered to be an integral part of the construction process. It will be a very pleasant experience to share with him. As much as I would love to build the MIDIBox because it will bring an entirely new dimension to my music, I see this as a great project for the both of us. If Thorsten Klose and everyone who has worked so hard to design this machine and its software are reading, and those of you who have helped me so far, provided reassurance, and answered my questions can view this post, thank you for providing me with a project that I can share with my father and for assisting me in its successful completion. This is more a labor of love than anything else. Cheers to you, gentlemen. Best regards, XTheWoodX.

The Million Dollar Question... ;D Is the optimized PSU necessary for a Minimum Control Surface with Multiple SIDS (4 6581's)? I viewed Daniel Price's web page (thanks Frailn) http://www.danielprice.org.uk/synth-diy/sid_2.htm and in the description is straight forward, but one thing is describing it... another is doing it... I ask this only because after reading Foona's post... http://www.midibox.org/forum/index.php/topic,10805.75.html ... it appeared that his Optimized PSU was causing him quite a bit of grief. I am trying to simplify the building process as much as possible in order to minimize the probability of error and would appreciate any feedback on this topic. I have a C64 with an excellent PSU (well, the cable, big black box, and plug, that is.) The part of the PSU that is inside the C64 is, I am sure, in good condition as well. So... if the optimized PSU is not necessary, what is the simplest solution? Best regards, XTheWoodX.

Gentlemen, thank you for your replies. Tilted, your explanation was spot on; it clarified my issue completely. Swindus... I hope that you received my PM from one or two days ago. If not, I would like to ask you a quick question. I am building a Step B MIDIBox SID and I like the way your V2 box looks. After /Tilted/ brought to my attention that yours is not quite a Step B interface, I wondered how you managed to create your own interface. My untrained eye cannot match your piece to either Step A, B, or C, and I wonder how yours works. Step B has 13 (or 14... I cannot recall at this time) buttons and one encoder, whereas yours has 5 knobs, one encoder, and I believe 9 buttons. What does each part do, and how difficult was it to build yours? Thank you for your time and assistance. I am looking forward to your reply. Best regards, XTheWoodX.

Dear All, I am building a Step B MBSID, and have a question about the schematics regarding the connection of the buttons and encoders. First... (please refer to http://www.uCApps.de/mbhp/mbhp_dinx4_32buttons.pdf ) I assume that a Rotary Encoder (undetented in my case) and a button(s) cannot share the same input. For example, since I am building something as close to Swindus machine, the SID V2 - http://www.midibox.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/swindus1.jpg - with the exception that I will use 4 SIDS and not 2, I will connect a total of 14 buttons (4 on J4, 4 on J6, 4 on J8 and 2 on J10,) I must connect the 5 Encoders to other inputs, such as 4 enc's on J5 and one on J7. Is this correct? Also, should I use more or less buttons? Second... (please refer to http://www.ucapps.de/mbhp/mbhp_dinx4_16enc.pdf ) Apparently, Swindus used a total of 6 knobs (5 smaller ones and one "big knob.") These would be connected to unused inputs, I am sure, but the schematic has a caveat: that this is MIDIBox16E wiring and that for "MIOS based controllers [you] must chain it with the DINX4 button modules @J9!!!" What does that mean? What is the "it" that the name was referring to? What does it mean to "chain" in this case? Just like the above question, should I use more or less encs? Any assistance would be much appreciated. Thank you very much for your time, and best of luck to all of you with your goals and works in progress. :) Best regards, XTheWoodX.

Dear Frailn, Thanks for the tip on the DOUT board. After reading these pages so many times, I did not realize that I left out one major component! I am printing out all of the posts on this thread as well as all of the schematics. In the event that my experiences with Step B help you or anyone on this forum, I will post periodic "progress reports." Remember: if I may be of service to you, please let me know. That also applies to everyone on this forum. I am very grateful for everyone's assistance. Today, I received my first C64. Two lone 6581 chips are on their way from Germany and I am looking for the fourth now on ebay. Friday, I will order everything else from Mouser and SmashTV. By the way, the extra PCB's were a good idea. Room for error on projects like these is quite minimal. ;) I will buy extra parts as well. Best regards, XTheWoodX. p.s, @/tilted/... I am much obliged. Like I mentioned to Frailn, after reading so many pages of information and technical details, I forgot that major detail. :)