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Custom MB-6582 - Work in Progress


Futureman

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Did I mention I'm left handed?

I actually suspected you were. All good then.

SoftPots are touch-sensitive strips that work like normal potentiometers, except the wiper is not permanently touching the resistive strip.

The Stribe http://www.soundwidgets.com/stribe/ is a good example of what's possible... combined with LED arrays underneath it looks pretty damn cool, but the LEDs are not essential. TK got The Stribe hardware working with MIDIbox so it's theoretically possible to connect one (or maybe up to five) directly to the MB-SID application to control the "knobs", it might need a bit of extra coding though.

http://www.midibox.org/forum/index.php/topic,11130.0.html

You can get them in various sizes. As I have a lot of spare 170mm ones (I had a GAS attack when the bulk order was happening), I can toss some your way if you're interested in putting a few in this keyboard, for some real-time controllers like a "virtual" mod wheel or pitch bend wheel. I advise you play with them first to see if you like them before modifying any case design to suit, just in case you can't get them to work as you like.

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I can toss some your way if you're interested in putting a few in this keyboard

Cheers, but I think I will pass for on your kind offer.

I don't want to get bogged down on trying to use something I'm not familiar with + implementng the code for it (Which I'd have no idea where to start)

I know this is the wrong place to ask, or even ask at all, but does anyone know if it will be much longer before (Or even if) smash will be selling the CS parts?

If it's going to be soon, then I'll hold off self sourcing the tact switches etc..

Regards

Mike

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Cheers, but I think I will pass for on your kind offer.

I don't want to get bogged down on trying to use something I'm not familiar with + implementng the code for it (Which I'd have no idea where to start)

I know this is the wrong place to ask, or even ask at all, but does anyone know if it will be much longer before (Or even if) smash will be selling the CS parts?

If it's going to be soon, then I'll hold off self sourcing the tact switches etc..

Regards

Mike

It has being a few weeks since i was talking to him, but he still hadnt found a good enough deal on encoders and switches then.

the only way this can be speeded up is if people help find him a really good deal on these, and from a fully reliable and dependable supplier.

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Ok..

Well, I've got the encoders already (without the push action built in tho..)

And I just bought these..

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=330280842408&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=014

I got my base board components from smash yesterday (Thanks smash!) so I'll start construction of that in a day or two.

Regards

Mike

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  • 3 weeks later...

I had a few quiet nights at work, [i hope my boss don't read this.. lol ] so I finished off the baseboard etc.. and tested it with just one Pic placed in IC socket.

I'm presently running it off a C64 powersupply, but eventually, I'll construct my own.. I like the jumpers on the baseboard to configure it in a variety of ways.. nice.

The Blue LCD worked perfectly.. I got the nice "READY" message.

The Black & White one not so good.. All I got was 2 rows of black squares.. (For a split second, it looks like the word "READY" or some other short word appears in the black squares upon power up.)

I've quadrupled my checking of it's wiring...

I'm not hugely fussed, because the blue one works/looks nice, but I would like to know why the black one does not work so great.

http://www.zyscom.pl/katalog/ym2004a.pdf.

I'm a little bit confused about uploading the application to the Cores as well.. but I'll do a bit of reading and hopefully find the answer.

I got a few parts in the mail as well.. the tact switches off ebay

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=330280842438&ssPageName=STRK:MERFB:IID

And some 3mm LEDs.. (I'm a sucker for red, so thats what i'm using... I don't like the superbright ones either, so these are old fashioned red ones that look red when they are not going)

No huge advancements on the construction phase.. I'm looking at the best way to physically mount the keyboard as the B&O case is not the easiest bit of metal & wood & plastic to work with.

Regards

Mike

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Maybe you got the EL backlit version?

The backlight on the b&w lcd is LED, and it works just fine.. just the display shows 2 rows of black squares after powering up.

At first I thought that the PIC did not have MIOS installed, but when I soldered up the blue one, I got the nice "READY" message..

I'll have another look tonight.

Cheers.

Mike

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The backlight on the b&w lcd is LED, and it works just fine.. just the display shows 2 rows of black squares after powering up.

At first I thought that the PIC did not has MIOS installed, but when I soldered up the blue one, I got the nice "READY" message..

I'll have another look tonight.

Cheers.

Mike

My LCD did something like that when I had it configured in 8 bit mode rather then 4. However, I'm not building the MB-6582...
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My LCD did something like that when I had it configured in 8 bit mode rather then 4. However, I'm not building the MB-6582...

Good call LW. This issue would be relevant wherever a PIC18F4685 is used, so whether it's MBSID from smashtv modules or wilba's pcb, this is still worth checking. My first impression was a wiring error or a faulty LCD, but futureman said he'd checked the wiring already - fm, was it wired for 4-bit mode?

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On a side note, just so I get this 100% right...

I've uploaded the OS to core 1, because the jumper in J11 was set to core 1 for the midi out..

So, to get the OS on core 2 and core 3 and core 4, I re-upload the MB6582 OS to each core one at a time? Is there anything I need to change in MIOS Studio for each pass?

Regards

Mike

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Is there anything I need to change in MIOS Studio for each pass?

The "Device ID" control. This directs the upload to the right PIC (since all PICs receive the same MIDI In). J11 only directs the serial output of the right PIC to the MIDI Out.

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SUPER DUPER!

I've soldered up most of the control surface. and connected it to the Main board => Everything is great!

The only thing I have not soldered in is the matrix LED's as I didn't buy enough LED spacers.. and also, it'll be a pain making sure the led's line up with the panel holes..

It looks as if everything is working perfectly & I've uploaded the preset patches and thats all good.

My only issue is that i'm at work now (With my MB-6582) and I don't have a keyboard to try it out.. i thought i'd take mios studio on a memory stick and play it off the PC, but I forgot to take the file!.

The work computer does not have DL ability.

Is there anyway, I can get it to make a sound (apart from the start up blips) so I can hear what this thing can do? I see there are some presets called 'Bassline demo' but how do I make em play?

Excuse my eagerness, just very happy at them moment!.

Regards

Mike

(Pics soon)

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  • 2 weeks later...

After heaps of playing with the SID etc, I decided that 2 octave is too small, so I've completely redesigned / scrapped / redesigned.

Although the Wilba 6582 is damn cute, I found the tiny tact switches & compact control surface to small for my fat fingers.. I also really want emphasis on live use, so I made the control surface as large as possible, spanning 660mm x 150mm and using 12x12mm tact switches & 5mm LEDS...

This was spurred on when I found a very helpful (& I feel cheap) laser cutter who also will do all the form work etc out of 1.2mm mild steel.

I drew it up in AutoCad and it's modeled on the Moog Source with a 3 Octave keyboard etc... it's a simple enough design, with simple lines.

I'll include a bit of timber for under the keboard & end cheeks etc.

Should be getting the finished case back in a week or so... (I hope)

Here is the inital sketch + exploded view.

Regards

Mike

Complete for lasercut.JPG

Finished panel with tabs.JPG

Complete for lasercut.JPG

Finished panel with tabs.JPG

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Ordered these knobs from my good friends at "Hong Kong Super seller" ebay.

Do those knobs fit a D-shaft?  It's hard to tell in the pic.  Soundwell / Voti encoders have a "D" shaped shaft (i.e. one flat edge).  Some knobs are meant for a spline shaft (ridged), and others have setscrews.

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Do those knobs fit a D-shaft?  It's hard to tell in the pic.  Soundwell / Voti encoders have a "D" shaped shaft (i.e. one flat edge).  Some knobs are meant for a spline shaft (ridged), and others have setscrews.

They look splined to me, which is good, because my encoders are splined as well.. ;]

FWIW, I got so fed up with trying to find nice knobs for D-shaft encoders, that I just got splined encoders instead.

Regards

Mike

4104_002_jpg11f5315d0fdebb3df4e4554339df

4104_002_jpg11f5315d0fdebb3df4e4554339df

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They look splined to me, which is good, because my encoders are splined as well.. ;]

FWIW, I got so fed up with trying to find nice knobs for D-shaft encoders, that I just got splined encoders instead.

Regards

Mike

Could splined knobs not be modified to fit D-shaft encoders, or maybe the encoders could be modified???

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Could splined knobs not be modified to fit D-shaft encoders, or maybe the encoders could be modified???

I suppose you probably coold get busy with a dremel if you were keen, but it'd probably never be perfectly centered..  I do like knobs with locking grub screws in em, they generally can fit all shafts.. (But generally they are +20mm Diameter ;[ )

On a side note, the dude who's laser cutting & folding my chasis up has finished it, and will mail it to me on monday.. woo hoo!

Kind regards

Mike

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