bilderbuchi

while we're on this topic, maybe this one is also interesting (all the more so because it's already available afaik): http://www.solid-run.com/products/cubox Named by combining the words 'Cube' and 'Box' and while being less than 2"3 in size, the platform can stream and decode 1080p content, with desktop class interfaces, all in less than 3 Watt (*) and less than 1 Watt in standby. The platform is based on Marvell Armada 510 SoC and includes the following key features - Linux based distributions like Ubuntu, Debian and others Android 800 MHz dual issue ARM PJ4 processor, VFPv3, wmmx SIMD and 512KB L2 cache. 1080p Video Decode Engine OpenGL|ES 2.0 graphic engine HDMI 1080p Output (with CEC function) 1GByte DDR3 at 800MHz Gigabit Ethernet, SPDIF (optical audio), eSata 3Gbps, 2xUSB 2.0, micro-SD, micro-USB (console) Standard Infra-red receiver for 38KHz based IR controllers. No JTAG required. Unbrickable for Developers (**) 100€, so not a 15$ supercheap gadget. including PSU and case (and µSD card), though. projected 15$ price for the rhombus thing is really barebone, full-100k-pcs-volume-discount price, so I kinda doubt they'll reach that..

Sorry to see you got scared away by the trolls. :sad: I'm quite confident you won't get banned by a mod (for what, really?), after all, TKs attitude to the whole thing was positive. Take care, and good luck with your project!

Wasn't that the one used with old floppy disk drives?

I always take my pipe wrench (rohrzange), a small one with flat gripping surfaces (backen), not the heavy duty curvy one. It's adjustable in grip width, so it's actually pretty parallel when squeezing the IDC connector. Works surprisingly well..

I meant hacking a LED wall controller or LED wall itself (and put the leds themselves wherever you want them), then hardware and power, communication requirements probably would mostly be satisfied.

buy a LED wall? :rolleyes: :thumbsup: btw, you missed a "v" in the URL...

Basically, read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Sound_Control - especially the Motivation and Features section. Implementations if you want to know what you could interface it with. I like human-readable addresses, "native" transfer of strings (yeah i now that's probably possible with sysex or nrpn or something in midi), transmission over wireless (potentially to another continent if i wish), control of a variety of devices with your mobile phone/tablet (touchOSC)... What I meant is mapping certain midi messages to OSC messages to allow interaction between osc-enabled and midi-enabled devices/software. like osculator does, for example, just in hardware (therefore, no cpu load on your pc). the missing link also goes in that direction: http://wifimidi.com/. it's also nice to look at libmapper and see what those guys have done: http://www.idmil.org/software/libmapper Mapping Midi/OSC would be useful because most everything understands midi already, but the world is moving forward and more and more devices support OSC (and its innovative use) nowadays - a mapping/translation will enable midi-only devices to still be used in an OSC-centric context.

In this day and age I would also like to see OSC capability on the list of desired features ;-) - could make for a nice hardware OSC<->midi translator/router/mapper. Will you also open source the schems/pcb designs?

http://ucapps.de/ http://www.midibox.org/dokuwiki/ after that, search the forum for any questions.

ha that scope looks awesome :D

ha, so I'm not the only one using these "cases". :thumbsup:

...and that's exactly how I have envisioned it when we discussed it in the other thread... good job! :sorcerer:

frankly, i don't get the arduino-hate and paranoia on here. sure, the approach of this peter lindener was not very subtle (or reasonable), but after a quick ruffling by the community at large he grew more reasonable. also, this thread here shows how it's done , imho (hats off for that btw!). cigue is nothing but corteous, did his homework,... and for the record: i fully respect and understand TK's attitude towards commercial proposals. but i also understand how the midibox community can appear intimidating and abrasive-looking to outsiders at times, so i can see why some threads derailed the way they did. edit: furthermore, the arduino license is far from unrestricted.. a mix of CC attribution-SA, GPL and LGPL.

don't need to automatically convert licenses... many licenses are compatible with each other...also, two projects talking to each other don't need the same license. also, unrestricted commercial utilization is not desired by TK and the midibox community as a whole (and i'd think you'd know that?). why would you want to do that?

or the other way round...? I don't see how two open systems talking to each other can hurt either. next thing i know, i'll control my garden sprinkler with a midibox sequencer.. :sorcerer:

hm, i gotta try kicad again next time.. :-)

Which software? Eagle would be kinda standard, excellent package, but the free version is size-limited. This pcb was _just_ small enough for the free version: Fritzing was also something I evaluated, but was not mature enough a year ago. They had a handful of releases since then, though, so it may be worth checking out again. edit: whoa, fancy image link!

yes I agree about the sensible cost. that's really quite the (good) difference. you are right! about the pcb question: please understand, I neither want to rain on your parade or destroy your vision of the project (it's yours after all), but consider these points: 1) you would have to replicate (and route and design) a lot of the already existing and tested lpc-core module - the circuits and components for usb and/or ethernet, power, maybe midi. this is not very easy i think. also, TK has hinted that the proper ethernet socket is difficult to obtain. 2) the routing and components for the blm itself is really regular and homogeneous - a couple shift registers and/or darlington arrays(?); buttons, leds, diodes on a NxM grid. maybe a cap or two. easy to route and design, easy to connect to an lpc_core via ribbon cable. 3) what you have in mind would essentially create a crippled core with blm attached. not extensible (e.g. lcd's or some pots or encoders for people wanting to reuse your design for something different). i think this goes agains the always modular midibox concept. 4) If you create separate pcbs (and plan properly), the design would be easily extensible - already have a 8x8 system set up, but you find out you want 8x16? no problemo, just build another 8x8, connect with ribbon cable, and adjust some software, and you're done. you'd only have to design a 8x8, and maybe a 4x4 pcb. Doing it your way would mean ditching the already built pcb (a total loss), and building another one from anew, but now redesigned for 8x16, with all the testing, new routing, new ordering of prototypes, etc. Also, you'd need a separately designed system for every imaginable configuration - from 4x4 PPG (pocketpatterngenerator :D) up to Jean Lucs megacontroller (and test and order each variant separately - no economy of scale!) 5) when everything is on one pcb, you have to resort to tricks like putting the lpc (and maybe all the components, too - don't know if that's even feasible) on the backside to be able to have a nice frontplate. when it's modular, you just have the minimal blm pcb under the frontplate, and you can put the core wherever you want, maybe even half under the blm to save some space. 6) what do you gain by making one big pcb? maybe (maybe not) some mm space which is otherwise lost to two pcb-edge areas? some space occupied by small ICs and pin sockets you don't use/need? at the cost of nights and nights of re-routing and trimming TKs already tested core design? so, in summary, sorry, i don't see how your approach makes sense (which is why i am so insistent), but now i have said all i could, i will let others speak. maybe some experienced boxers can chip in here with their view? maybe i'm totally wrong actually, and overlook something critical here. in any case, all the best with your project. :) :flowers:

in short: no it's not possible to replace the encoders with pots, it's a totally different technology. pots are effectively axial faders (i.e. a variable resistor), while encoders close contacts for a short time when you turn, depending on turning direction.

oh, the LEDs don't got under the buttons, monome style? that's a pity. :-( You don't want a MB core module at all, but want to design one yourself? Wouldn't it be smarter to make the blm pcb attach to the core via ribbon cable? then you have a production-ready and proven core with all the connectors you need, and could design different version of your blm (4x4 to 16x16) which could easily swapped. I don't imagine you will lose much space with this (even gain some because now you can sink/lower the expresso pcb without problems), but have huge gains in modularity and reduced complexity.

Hawkeye: I see your point. I just checked with my scientific calculator (TI-85). It has 10x5mm buttons (landscape orientation), and 15mm distance (center-center) horizontally, 10mm vertically. The horiz. spacing is ideal (but then, I've been using this calculator since school...), I can push 4 buttons side-by-side at the same time with 4 fingers, I tried the vertical spacing (by rotating the calculator), it's too narrow. Personally, I would maybe add midi sockets, and MIDI(clock) routing functionality (either with the core if possible, or maybe gm5?). Maybe even MIDI-over-OSC-over-ethernet would be interesting, but I don't know if that's feasibly technically. then this would be my one-stop-shop midi router/bpm display/pattern programmer. :rolleyes: a slight btw: is it easily possible to properly align all the switches if they are smd? @physical implementation: for the buttons I mentioned, I found this http://garden.seeedstudio.com/index.php?title=64_LED_Button_Pad (there's a brd and sch file inside), maybe it helps you get an idea.

i like the concept, sounds nice. only thing is, i don't know about the spacing - 1cm sounds awfully close, especially if you have fat fingers, no? I planned to use a couple of those for something similar (man has it been 3 years already??): http://www.seeedstudio.com/blog/2008/09/08/fount-it-monome-monome-monome-monome/ http://www.seeedstudio.com/blog/2008/09/10/monome-like-all-in-one-button-matrix/ I have some at home, but now it turns out they don't sell them anymore. :-(

So you're in Vienna before that? Yesterday, I presume? Otherwise, could have also treated you to a beer here. :-)

super, danke! :-)