JargMarbin

Looks great!

OK, I've just got back from vacation. I'll check out the single suggestion I received today. thanks stryd_one

I've uploaded the main.hex from lcd_interconnection_test_v1b.zip found on: http://www.ucapps.de/mios_download.html . I have performed all the pin tests, and my J15 header passes all 11 tests except the one for RS. I get 0.89v for the RS header, which connects directly to pin 28 of the PIC, which also reads this same 0.89v. Once again I'm stuck! I have no idea what is causing the PIC to produce only 0.89v at pin 28. I'd love to hear some suggestions!

Thanks for the help, guys! I'm going through these great suggestions now. I'm convinced it's a wiring issue, because I rewired it after posting and now it flashes black and goes out. I'll post my results soon.

Hmm. So I plugged all the modules together. I powered up, and I realized I have no idea if this thing is going to work or not, because I believe the LCD may have been destoyed! Should the LCD light when powered on? Mine does not. ???

OK, so here is the update: Most recently TK suggested a software (MIOS Studio Internal Routing) config change may lead to a solution. Also sineSurfer suggested changing MIDI cables. I have done both. Also, my E-mu 1616m has 2 MIDI OUTS and 2 MIDI INs. I was using MIDI 1 OUT for PC MIDI OUT and MIDI 2 for PC MIDI IN. I put them both on MIDI 1 and retried Smart Upload, and IT WORKED ! HA HA!! YES! I'm going to play with it a little more to see if it can actually do something now, I'll update soon. Thanks for the replies and the feedback everyone, this has been quite a crazy journey so far.

Everyone quit their day jobs! :D

My MIDIbox CORE module does not work like it should. Some evidence indicates the MIDI IN pathway is not functioning, even though it passes all the tests. A bad optocoupler has also been suggested even though it passes all the tests. After one week of heavy troubleshooting I've concluded my MIDIbox CORE kit has a failure which no active contributer to this thread can diagnose. I'm writing to the distributer of the kit for any last minute help before replacing it.

any more suggestions before I order a new CORE kit ?

BAD LCD? Well, I've continued to hack away at the completely assembled CORE, but to no avail. The CORE is from a kit by SmashTV, I've gone through all the troubleshooting guides, everything should be working, but the LCD is totally blank, and I've double checked the wiring. I've seen no troubleshooting guide for the LCD - how do I know if it's burned out? BAD SOMETHING ELSE? Also, MIOS Studio receives one sysex msg from the CORE on power up, but Smart Mode hex upload does not (never has) start. When Manual Upload is performed I can see the sysex messages in the OUT window, but I receive no feedback at all from the CORE. I've gone through the MIDI IN troubleshooting section exactly as recommended by TK, and my results are here: http://www.midibox.org/forum/index.php/topic,13512.0.html it seems to pass the troubleshooting tests, but it is still not working. HELP! I've gone through all the trouble to build it, it would be nice to see it work. Can somebody please help me?

I've been working on this thing for hours. When the DIN, AOUT, and LCD are all connected to CORE, CORE sends no MIDI SysEx message. When the LCD is removed, that same single Sysex msg is received by my PC. Is this normal? Also, uploading using Smart Upload still does not do anything, I've used Manual Mode several times and rebuilt the .hex file to match my encoder and J5 preferences (building the hex file instructions do not include having to copy p18f452.inc to the directory where make is run, mine failed until I copied it from c:\program files\gputils\header\). My LCD doesn't display, so I have no idea if this thing is working or not. I'll go through the LCD information about debugging that component next. Probably not until tomorrow, I can't work on this any more tonight. I'll get this thing working!

I think uploading MIOS may have worked, because I did see reply messages after every packet sent, and also I'm only seeing one sysex message upon power up. I'm going to continue as if everything is working now, I'll reply to this thread with my result!

I also get a sysex message from CORE upon power down now.

Do my test results indicate user error with the software? I'm testing it again now, and I no longer get a repeating sysex message from the CORE, just one at power-on. I don't know what that's all about, I hope I didn't break it!

TEST IN1: PASS: all 3 resistors have the correct color bands and my multimeter reads the correct resistance value for all of them. TEST IN2: PASS: I tested the midi ports on the CORE, and they are both wired the same way and have identical placement and polarity. They are mounted onto the top of the PCB from SmashTV with 5 pins, not 3 as in the figure. If the rear of the midi port is shown in the figure, then both are reversed. I mounted the plugs on the top of the PCB as shown in the figure here: http://www.avishowtech.com/mbhp/mbhp_coreR4d.html . Near the bottom of that page is a figure of header J13; the traces in the figure show how the reversal is accomplished. I don't think my CORE fails this test because both midi ports are the same and one works. TEST IN3: PASS: I soldered the LED as pictured in the figure. With the power on the LED lit right away and stayed lit. Using MIOS Studio I performed a Manual upload of a .hex file with a 300ms Delay between SysEx messages. Monitor:IN window continued to show "F0 00 00 7E 40 00 01 F7" every two seconds and the LED flashed OFF each time a SysEx packet showed in the Monitor:OUT window. I also performed the same test without the LED in place, and the output from the CORE changed! Monitor:IN window showed many lines of "F0 00 00 7E 40 00 01 F7" and a new message, "F0 00 00 7E 40 00 0E 0B 01 F7". TEST IN4: N/A: LED lin in test 3; I skipped this test TEST IN5: PASS: The LED flashed ON each time a SysEx packet showed in the Monitor:OUT window. TEST IN6: PASS: The LED turned on when CORE powered up. it turned off when M- of MIDI in connected to ground. TEST IN7: Switch closed: 0.04V Switch open: 5.26V TEST INOUT1: FAIL: I connected my PC MIDI interface MIDI out to MIDI in. I used MIDI-ox to send/receive a sysex message. I received the same message. I then soldered Rx to Tx on the CORE, put the small chip back into the board, and removed the large chip. I connected the CORE to my PC and sent the same message and did NOT receive it.

ABOUT THE HARDWARE SETUP All the hardware for my MIDIbox CV project is completely assembled, the PIC is from SmashTV labeled "BSL V1.2B MIOS V1.9F PIC18F452 0000 0000 0000 0000". I've double checked everything, and worked through all the documents on this subject I can find, it is safe to assume all hardware setup is correct. TESTING MIDI I/O I now have just the CORE module correctly connected via MIDI in/out to my computer, and it is powered up. I get "SysEx: F0 00 00 7E 40 00 01 F7" every two seconds in the MIDI Monitor: IN window of MIOS Studio. UPLOADING MIOS (mios_update_v1_9f\pic18f452\midi\update_without_installed_mios.hex) OK, so the next thing is to upload MIOS via MIDI. Here's what I'm doing: I opened the MIOS Hex File Upload window and checked "Wait for upload request..." and "Smart Mode" "Device ID" is set to "0". I selected file "mios_update_v1_9f\pic18f452\midi\update_without_installed_mios.hex", and I get the following text: "Starting upload of update_without_installed_mios.hex Hex file contains code in MIOS range, forcing reboot for upload via 1st level bootloader! The reboot request will lead to an error acknowledge, please ignore! Waiting for upload request..." I power down the CORE module, clear the monitor windos, click "Start". I see the following text in the MIDI Monitor: OUT window "SysEx: F0 00 00 7E 40 00 02 00 00 00 00 00 00 F7" then quickly power up the CORE module. I see "SysEx: F0 00 00 7E 40 00 01 F7" in the MIDI Monitor: IN window, every two seconds. I then clicked "Stop", cycled power on the CORE module then clicked "Start". Same result in the MIDI Monitor: OUT window, same result in the MIDI Monitor: IN window. TRYING A DIFFERENT FILE (midibox_cv_v1_2b\setup_default.hex) I clicked Stop, and powered down the CORE, then selected file "midibox_cv_v1_2b\setup_default.hex" from the unzipped MIDIbox CV download, clicked "Start", powered up the CORE, received same 2 sec. response in the MIDI Monitor IN window, text in Hex File Upload Window read " Starting upload of setup_default.hex Waiting for upload request". I don't know what to try next! :(

Go to a local TV/VCR repair shop and ask where you may find one. We still have small shops like this here in my city. There is a high probability somebody there has experiance taking apart many electronic devices. They may even give you one for free!

When I tried ordering MAX6007B it was going to cost over $1000 dollars because the mimimum order is gigantic. This is too much money and too many parts. I needed an alternative. I've seen a few postings where people are using LM385D-2-5 in a TO-92 package (http://www.midibox.org/forum/index.php/topic,11647.0.html, http://www.midibox.org/forum/index.php/topic,4026.msg26638.html#msg26638), but this reference is set to 2.5V (http://www.onsemi.com/pub_link/Collateral/LM285-D.PDF), which is not the same as the 2.048v of MAX6007B (http://www.datasheetcatalog.org/datasheet/maxim/MAX6006A-MAX6009B.pdf). The LM385 is also less accurate then the origional MAX6007B part. The one I ordered to substitute is LM4040A20IDBZR, it's more accurate then the origional part, and the same voltage and package (http://focus.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/lm4040a20.pdf). I found it here: http://mouser.com/Search/ProductDetail.aspx?qs=VBduBm9rCJS7ix0kTeCDJA%3d%3d

I'm currently in the process of exploring my options for a bipolar power supply capable of delivering +12v and -12v for my MIDIbox CV project. I've never built one before, and I don't want to work with anything dangerous. I found the following kit: http://www.paia.com/proddetail.asp?prod=9770R-12 Would this kit work? How much does it cost to build one?

very impressive! I love the space-age design!

6 months! wow. It apears to have been worth it!

Great result, it looks fabulous!

whoa. Amazing result!

Great work, and nice pictures! I just built my AOUT (MAX525) module this past weekend; seeing this post makes me excited to finish it!