djjonnyjams

To anyone who did not recieve their SIDs, It's true. I took more orders than I could fill, and the last lot of chips that I ordered to finish the sale were never delivered. I lost more money than I could afford to repay, and I didn't know how to fix the situation. I didn't know how to tell my customers that I didn't have their money OR their SIDs. I'm sorry for not communicating. I still don't really know what I can do to fix this right away. Aside from the SID sales, I've had several other financial problems, but I've recently gone back to work, and I will be finishing a few modded commodore 64's to sell on ebay next week. I have to retest and recount, but I do have a few SIDs left. They are the SIDs that I was saving for my personal projects, but I have to sell all my stuff now. I will begin issuing refunds for the orders that were not recieved as soon as I have the money. I'm sorry. If you didn't recieve your SIDs, please e-mail me at DJJonnyJams@gmail.com so that I can make arrangements to get you your SIDs, or your money back. Perhaps I have some other parts or things that will be useful to you as well, I'm going to make sure everyone gets what is owed to them, plus something extra for the hassle. ~Jon

I am finally done with the SID sales, and I've also deleted the yahoo account I used for most of my correspondences during this venture. If anyone needs to reach me in regards to their purchase please do so at: djjonnyjams@gmail.com Thanks ~Jon

Yes it will work, please understand that you're combining the 5v DC with the 9v AC so you end up with 14v (which is more than enough to power 6581 modules which require 12v.

I have never coded anything in my life (except a website...) Does anyone have an example of the code that would tell one of the inputs to be used to control cutoff or resonance?

I read that part before I posted, but It means very little to me. What have YOU done with J5?

With 8 pots connected to J5 on the core? (I don't have an AIN module yet) Is there documentation that describes what these 8 pots may be used for? Link?

Ok, I am familiar with midi, I own several midi controllers that I've got programmed to control my various synths/software, and you are correct that values above 63 toggle on, but what confuses me is that several functions on the midibox SID manual are assigned to the same CC: look at this: (8 and 9 are the CC# - I don't understand what the bits are about) how can I control these functions independently when they are assigned to the same CC#? 8 | 08h | Filter Channels | | Bit 0: Filter for Voice 1 on/off | | Bit 1: Filter for Voice 2 on/off | | Bit 2: Filter for Voice 3 on/off | | Bit 3: Filter for Audio In on/off 9 | 09h | Filter Mode | | Bit 0: LowPass on/off | | Bit 1: BandPass on/off | | Bit 2: HighPass on/off | | Bit 3: Voice 3 off

OK, sorry for all the questions but, lets say I want to activate filter on the different voices, I know I wanna use CC#8 but this seems like something I'd wanna use a toggle for, so say to turn voice 1 filter on, I would have it send a value of "0" then how do I turn it off? same message again? so my button for that function would have a msb and lsb of "0" ? and each time this message is sent, it would toggle the filter on/off in the midibox? And, can I set it up so my midibox (with no banstick) uses the bassline engine by default? (Instead of lead) Thanks

You guys are the best. That's all there is to it. You are all really awesome dudes. You're my heroes. So I didn't have the proper components to finish my optimized PSU, I am using the 5v from the commodore power supply, but my SID module is being powered by a wall-wart which puts out something like 13v dc (It works fine and the 7809 doesn't really heat up at all) After grounding the audio input I barely hear any noise at all, but then again, I AM used to commodore 64's that are noisey as hell. I just want to say that this whole project is brilliant. The PCB's from smash are really nice, You can desolder a few times if you make a mistake, and the pads still stick to the board. I mucked around a bit with one of my keyboards, just playing with that preset lead patch (no bankstick) The midi CC chart is kind of hard for me to follow because I don't understand hex, but I got a few things working, and I had a lot of fun! Question: I have another SID module to build, and I kind of wanted to stuff it with a 6581, but my guess is I'd need another core with the 6581.hex. Correct? I mean, I understand that they require different filter caps and 12v instead of 9, but is there any way to have one core control both revisions, or would it just sound crappy because of the filter calibration? My plans for today is to start mounting the stuff in an enclosure. I think I'm gonna hold off on the control surface and just see how far I can get with MIDI. My idea is that I can make a little automation clip in ableton that will send all the CC data I need to create the sound presets (kind of like a patch) Also, my midi controller lets me store snapshots, so I could also use those like presets. Anyone every done it like that? One last question, I went through the CS page, but couldn't find any info on a minimal control surface for a 4x20 LCD, is it possible? How would that work? Thanks again guys. ~Jams

Oh my god..... I checked all the thingas you told me to and they were correct. I guess I just assumed that all the text on IC's would read the same way on a circuit (like in commodore computers....) the optocoupler was backwards. 8580hex succesfully uploaded. Onto the SID module. Thanks dude. You were so very helpful and I really appreciate it.

You're awesome. I am so very grateful for your help. I will run these tests right after work and let you know what I find. Re: taking a break, - I tried to stay away, but I couldn't. Right now I need midi more than sleep apparently.

sorry for my ignorance, but I'm not sure what reading I am supposed to get from those pins you mentioned. It was nothing near 5v.... You were right, when I removed the 6n138 and unplugged the midi cables, the voltage at pin 26 on the pic was normal. So I need a new optocoupler..... I wonder how I blew it... on the other tests you described am I supposed to be measuring resistance? or voltage?

ONLY 4.45 VOLTS on pin 26 of the pic... 5.06 - 5.12 everywhere else. What now? LED lights up when connected to midi out (outer pin + middle pin) and flashes for a second when connected to both outer pins. Midi interface is working properly (loopback passed) when i play notes from my keyboard in midiox, I only get one set of messages, not 2 like in the picture? Help! I have checked my cables, wiring, and midi interface several times. Can we please rule that out? I still get the upload request and midi-out from the midibox appears to function perfectly. I suspect the problem is with my midi-in. protection diode is properly oriented (it's impossible to screw that up on smash's pcb's, black line on the diode lines up with white line on the pcb....) what's my next step guys? Is the 4.45v on pin 26 a clue? Thanks ~J

I just wanna say you guys are great for helping me out. I am taking a break from electronics for the rest of the week. I wasn't getting enough sleep, and my brain has turned to marshmallow.... I haven't smiled since I started the midibox project last weekend, since I decided there's no reason I have to get this thing working right away, I feel less stressed out about life in general. Today I am smiling as I type this. My wifey/family/work/music all get neglected when I spend too much time on the workbench, so I'm gonna enjoy those things for a couple days and then come back to this project with a fresh head. Thanks a lot guys, I'll let you know how it all works out. Till then, I'll leave you with some totally unrelated inspiration:

TEST PROG1: If you are not sure that the bootstrap loader has been burned successfully, use the verify function of IC-Prog/P18 - It's there "ready" TEST CORE1: ensure that you've stuffed a 10 MHz crystal (parallel cut) to your PIC18F core module - I used the one smash sent... TEST CORE2: only relevant for MBHP_CORE_V1 and MBHP_CORE_V2 PCB: are all 5 jumpers connected to the programming port? -what? TEST CORE3: Check it visually for bad solderings or missed junctions - My finest soldering job to date.... TEST CORE4: Check Vdd of the power supply like shown here: mbhp_core_extract_measuring_vdd.gif - yeah, 5v all day TEST CORE5: Check the ground of the power supply like shown here: mbhp_core_extract_measuring_gnd.gif -good TEST CORE6: Check the polarity of your MIDI plugs: mbhp_core_extract_midi_plugs.gif -yes, I even swapped the wires back and forth to be sure TEST CORE7: Check the polarity of the protection diode D1: mbhp_core_extract_midi_d1.gif -It is properly oriented TEST CORE8: Check the resistor values at the MIDI Out Port: R8 and R7=220 Ohm (resistor code: red-red-brown) -yes 220 TEST CORE9: Just to ensure: this diagram shows a crosslink between the core module and your PC: mbhp_core_midi_crosslink.gif -duh TEST CORE10: If you notice a lot of request messages like shown in this snapshot, then there is a short circuit between the Rx and Tx pin of the PIC. Check the tracks which are routed from the MIDI-Link port J11 to the Rx/Tx pins for direct connections (see the layout and schematic), you could scratch with a screw driver between the tracks to ensure that they are not connected together. TEST CORE11: The code upload can also fail if no, or a too small bypass cap is connected to the power rails of the PIC. A possible effect is, that for example "F0 F0 F0 F0 7E F0 00 01" will be sent by the PIC instead of the proper SysEx string "F0 00 00 7E 40 ... F7". Another effect could be, that something is received by your MIDI interface, but not displayed by the MIDI monitor because of the invalid MIDI event structure. This all can happen even when the IO and Software loopback test which is discussed below is passing, If this happens, check that the 2200 uF cap (C5 of the core module) is soldered properly. If you are unsure about the state of the cap, since you've re-used it from an old device, try another one. -I get the correct request code If you are using the optimized PSU for MIDIbox SID, bypass the outer pins of the (not mounted) 7805, so that C5 has contact with the +5V/Ground rails (see also mbhp_4xsid_c64_psu_optimized.pdf)! oh..... maybe I should remove that regulator.... TEST OUT1: Connect a LED to your MIDI Out port and check if it flickers: mbhp_core_extract_out_led.gif TEST OUT2: Somebody noticed in the forum, that the MIDI Out of his core module didn't work because of an "incompatibility issue" with the bench supply he used and the switching PSU of his PC. The solution was to disconnect the middle pin of J12 (ground line of MIDI Out port)