fussylizard

I've used BatchPCB and they were great. I've not tried anyone else.

Interesting. However I just looked at the PCM1725 data sheet via Mouser and it says it is not recommended for new designs. Stock up now I suppose...

And don't forget to opt-out of the new scanning equipment in favor of a pat-down. I did that last trip just to try it and it was great. Just make sure you have money for a tip. :-)

Here's the 5V switcher BTW: DigiKey p/n PT78ST105V-ND It switches at 650 kHz, so should be OK for audio purposes. Altitude has used this and had good results, so I plan to give it a go. Will report back my findings...

So you just do track mutes to switch stuff then?

I'm using a center-tapped toroidial transformer, Digikey p/n TE62063-ND. I can't remember if that was the exact one from the MB-808 or not...I think it uses the 18V version, this is the 15V version. As I mentioned earlier in the thread, I basically ripped off the MB-808 PSU circuit and tweaked it for ease of construction. Hence the capacitor overkill...just wanted to limit the different types to buy. I may put heat sinks on the +/- 12V regs...I'll just have to see how they fare heat-wise. The switching reg for the 5V side should be OK.

Here's the thread about the 4xIIC board: I'm not sure what Altitude's plans are for it. I was already ordering some stuff from BatchPCB so I ordered a prototype 4xIIC board for Altitude at the same time. Maybe drop him a PM?

Oh BTW you can see in the pic that I mounted the caps horizontally to save vertical height in the case. That's why all the caps are along the edge like they are. Worked out pretty well.

Hey all, Just a quick recap on where things are. I got the board made (BatchPCB) and it tests out fine. I went ahead and built it with a standard 7805 regulator which gets *very* hot (not surprisingly!) but I wanted to test it out. I'm going to order a switch-mode 7805 drop-in replacement to handle that problem. They are about $15 a pop, but have very high switching frequencies so I should be OK even if I drive an AOUT_NG and SSM filter (which is the plan!). Two pics to share- Here's the populated board: Here is my PSU board mounted in my MB-SEQ. I'm using the same case that Altitude used, though I'm quite a ways from being 100% complete on it. You can also see in that pic a prototype of Altitude's 4xIIC board, as well as my painting of the base (in-progress...first attempt was a train wreck...) Will let you know how the switching regulator works out... Regards, C

@middleman - Interesting details on linear PSU design, thanks!

One more thing to ask you seq expert users out there. Given that 4 tracks are saved with each pattern, any recommendations on how to best organize things? I thinking I would use G1T1 for drums, G2T1 for bass, G3T1 for lead, and G4T1 for something other stuff. That seems logical but also seems wasteful since I am only using 1 track per group. Any tips on what has worked best for you? Thanks, C

Thanks for clarifying the intended workflow TK. That helps a lot! I was playing with the seq some more and another thing that I think I was overlooking is that you have to save your pattern before switching to a different one. I was confused before since I thought the seq was saving all the patterns for me as I went. But the correct workflow seems to be: - Create a pattern in A1 - Save it into A1 - Save it into A2 (copy A1 into A2) - Switch to A2 via the pattern screen - Edit A2 to create a variation - Save A2 into A2 - Save A2 into A3 (copy A2 into A3)...etc. I am getting much better results now that I'm saving, LOL! Thanks! C

Really excited to see the regular project updates on the www.eight-oh-eight.org site! Thanks Doug!

I'm not understanding how the seq works regarding tracks, groups, patterns, and songs. Hopefully someone can set me straight. I have read (as well as read the manual, watched videos, searched the forum, wasted hours fiddling, etc.) but I'm still stuck. I'm basically trying to start by making a simple song. So I fire up the seq, create a new session, go to the edit screen for group 1 track 1, and get some notes playing on an outboard synth. So far so good. Next I want to copy my synth line and make a variation. I think I need to copy the track, select a different pattern, and then paste the copied track into the new pattern and edit away, but I don't see how to select different patterns. How do I specify which pattern I want to edit? How do I know which pattern I'm editing? Do I need to be in song mode or phrase mode when creating patterns? I tried doing copy, then going to the pattern screen and switching group 1 from 1:A1 to 1:A2 and then doing paste, but that doesn't seem to do what I want either. Anyway, once I have multiple patterns defined, I believe I need to go to the song screen, and select song mode, and select the pattern I want for each step in the song. This part looks straightforward. So I've been looking all through the pattern menu, save menu, and song menu, but I just can't seem to sort this out. What am I missing here? But even without being able to create more than a single pattern, the seq has been super fun. An incredible design. Hats off to TK and the others that made this happen. TIA, C