I need a little help...

[gustavoturm]

Hey, i'm new to making MIDI controllers, i know a little about MIDI, a little about electronics, a very limited knowledge about microcontrollers and programming and, i don't know even how to start =(

I'll be very grateful if someone help me, even if the help is to make a "just 1 knob" controller.

I need something simple to understand the MIDI controller building.

Thanks

[Just Phil]

welcome to midibox.org

we have been putting together a wiki with all of the information needed to get started...

http://www.midibox.org/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=what_is_a_midibox'>http://www.midibox.org/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=what_is_a_midibox

thats a link to the introduction.

here is a link to the whole wiki, go through part by part.

http://www.midibox.org/dokuwiki/

and here another site made by the original midibox creator Thorsten Klose.

http://ucapps.de/

all these links are in the bar at the top of this forum. look for home | wiki | uCapps | ......

also what kind of controller are you thinking of building? look at uCapps.de and look at teh current available projects? or do you have something different on your mind?

[gustavoturm]

For instance, i want to build something very simple, and in the future, i plan to make more advanced MIDI controllers, adapted to my needs.

What i plan for future is a kind of drumpad controller, with another kind of button disposition, more adaptable to the hand, and, to create a technique for it, like Piano, in Piano we have books to upgrade our skils in speed, musical theory and accuracy, like Bona or Pozzoli, then i want to creat something like that.

What do you think of the idea?

Now i'm going to read the Wiki ^^

Thanks for it ;)

[Screaming_Rabbit]

For instance, i want to build something very simple, and in the future, i plan to make more advanced MIDI controllers, adapted to my needs.

It looks to me, that you have no idea about what you want to build (except of a leter drumpad project)... you just wanna build :D - That's cool.

If I where you, I would just buy all of the basic boards (e.g. Core, DIN, DOUT, AIN for the beginning), some switches, encoders, pods, LEDs and stripboards and just experiment. - No need of a case, just wire and rewire, upload apps and customize them. This is the best way of learning and it feeds your mind with creative ideas and visions.

Greats, Roger

[Max Romantschuk]

Yes, I'm getting started as well, and have ordered a core, AIN, DIN kits and an LCD. After sourcing the other parts locally I'm just going to experiment to learn about the platform before trying to build the project that I'm planning in the long run. :)

I've also gotten C programming and electronics books from the local library to help me out, but I do have programming and soldering experience so the basics are there... Hopefully! ;)

[This N°9]

I'm just going to experiment to learn about the platform before trying to build the project that I'm planning in the long run. Smiley

I just setup a test - board with a core,LCD 4 encoders, 32 buttons , 32 LED's 2 DIN modules, 2 DOUT modules. This is my "midibox-test-suite". You ever played with LEGO ? :-)

[Max Romantschuk]

I just setup a test - board with a core,LCD 4 encoders, 32 buttons , 32 LED's 2 DIN modules, 2 DOUT modules. This is my "midibox-test-suite". You ever played with LEGO ? :-)

That's a sweet setup! :)

I see you're in Europe too. Where'd you source your ribbon cables and (especially) connectors? I've been looking for a good source, could probably order online from my local electronics supplier but too green to be sure which parts are right yet... ;)

[This N°9]

I see you're in Europe too. Where'd you source your ribbon cables and (especially) connectors?

actually I ordered all the stuff from smashTV.. For the banksticks, you will pay quite more in europe than @ smashTV,

if you order not just one or so, this counts.. the ribbon cables are quite common, also the plugs. check

http://conrad.com/  or https://www.distrelec.ch/ishop/StaticHTML/shared/distrelec/ or http://www.reichelt.de/ ..

also http://farnell.ch/ has a lot of stuff. I just ordered some flash-memory stuff there.

[gustavoturm]

Well, i'm from Brasil, and i guess that the buying of the core modules and all that is a little inviable, however, maybe i could buy the microcontrollers and the boards and make it on my own, is it possible?

By what i understood, you buy ready to use boards, right?

Thanks

[Futureman]

you could make your own boards etc, but it is a lot more work involved.

Also, If you by the PIC's from Smash or Mike's, they already have the bootloader "burned" in... otherwise you will need to do this yourself = you will need an Pic burner etc for that... http://www.ucapps.de/mbhp_burner.html

My advice, by the boards/kits from these guys.. it'll save you a fair bit of headaches.

Regards

Mike

- edit - I see Smash doesn't list Brazil as a destination... bugger.

[This N°9]

maybe i could buy the microcontrollers and the boards and make it on my own, is it possible?

that's exactly what you do when you buy from smashTV. you buy a "Kit", that means the printed board, all the parts you need and the PIC with the bootloader. The price is very modest, I doubt that you will get all this cheaper if you buy it separate (and you will save the time to search all the stuff). Mind that smashTV can buy the parts in bigger amounts, therefore cheaper (?). a complete core-kit with PIC costs $26.95 @ smashTV, I think this is a very ok price.

check it out: http://www.avishowtech.com/mbhp/buy.html

By what i understood, you buy ready to use boards, right?

you can also buy just the PCB without the parts. but as said I doubt that this will save you anything (time/money/nerves)

[gustavoturm]

Well, i already tried to buy things from here, and the procedure is unknown by me, even using PayPal, it's a little bit difficult, the i probably will have to make it all on my own, however, this is going to be really fun! ^^

I've seen the circuits board of some MIDI controllers, and they seem to be simple to make, the only step that i thing will be hard is the soldering.

But it's ok ^^

[This N°9]

Well, i already tried to buy things from here, and the procedure is unknown by me, even using PayPal, it's a little bit difficult

just contact smashTV directly, I'am sure he will help you. Or build it on your own. Starting with kits has the advantage that you can concentrate on what you want to do with it rather than building the PCB, testing and troubleshooting it etcetc. But of course it's also fun to build all from ground up, this gives some extra experience and knowledge..

[Max Romantschuk]

I've seen the circuits board of some MIDI controllers, and they seem to be simple to make, the only step that i thing will be hard is the soldering.

The soldering part is easy to learn. The electronics part, which you need to know about if things don't work right away (they never do ;)) and you have to troubleshoot, that's the hard part... ;)

[gustavoturm]

I got a question on testing IC's, do they can be tested with multimeter?

Thanks

[Futureman]

I got a question on testing IC's, do they can be tested with multimeter?

No.

You can however, check if they are getting the correct voltage while in circuit.

Regards

Mike

[Max Romantschuk]

No.

You can however, check if they are getting the correct voltage while in circuit.

Exactly. The problem is a multimeter tests a signal rather slowly. If you needed to test an IC you'd need an oscilloscope, which can analyze a signal more quickly and plot the signal curve in respect to time. But to make use of that data you'd have to be intimately familiar with how that particular IC should work, etc...

I think it's safe to say that as far as the average DIY-guy goes an IC either works or doesn't.

[This N°9]

I got a question on testing IC's, do they can be tested with multimeter?

You will never have to check digital signal flow with MIDIbox components. If something does not work, you mostly have bad solder spots, forgot to solder something, or you have solder bridges (shortcuts) somewhere, or you put polarized components the wrong way roung.. these things you can check by eye or with a multimeter checking the if the paths are correct.

[gustavoturm]

Well, i understand about the soldering errors, the islands and all that, but i got curious about the osciloscope, here in my coutry they're a little expensive, and, what are the caracteristics of a good osciloscope?

Thanks for helping a noob ^^

I'm most grateful ;)

[gustavoturm]

And, another thing, is there any circuit board that i can assemble, so i can test my IC's?

And, it would be interesant to make it plugged on the USB, so the computer could test it, is it possible?

[Max Romantschuk]

Well, i understand about the soldering errors, the islands and all that, but i got curious about the osciloscope, here in my coutry they're a little expensive, and, what are the caracteristics of a good osciloscope?

Well quite frankly I don't think you need one, unless you have a really good grasp of circuit design and signal flows. (Univerity education level grasp.) I don't think most people building midiboxes have one.

And, another thing, is there any circuit board that i can assemble, so i can test my IC's?

And, it would be interesant to make it plugged on the USB, so the computer could test it, is it possible?

In theory, this would be possible. In practice it makes more sense to get a core kit etc. and go from there.

What you should do now is read the documentation. :)

Start with these:

http://www.midibox.org/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=introduction_to_ucapps.de

http://www.midibox.org/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=questions_and_answers

http://www.ucapps.de/

[This N°9]

Well quite frankly I don't think you need one, unless you have a really good grasp of circuit design and signal flows. (Univerity education level grasp.) I don't think most people building midiboxes have one.

forget about the scope. I have one, but an analog one, I only needed it to debug analog circuits like tape machines etc. , for digital circuits it's useless. Maybe I can see if there is something switching or not, but to track what excatly is happening, you would need a digital scope or a extension device/board to connect to the PC, where you could record the action. and then, you would need the knowledge about the protocoll going on etcetc.

keep it simple, just build a simple MIDI-Box with a core and some DIN's / DOUT's or so and check the stuff out. I promise you will not need a scope for that.

[Futureman]

yep.. A scope is def not needed for midibox day to day stuff.. Multimeter, yes.

Regards

Mike

[gustavoturm]

forget about the scope. I have one, but an analog one, I only needed it to debug analog circuits like tape machines etc. , for digital circuits it's useless. Maybe I can see if there is something switching or not, but to track what excatly is happening, you would need a digital scope or a extension device/board to connect to the PC, where you could record the action. and then, you would need the knowledge about the protocoll going on etcetc.

keep it simple, just build a simple MIDI-Box with a core and some DIN's / DOUT's or so and check the stuff out. I promise you will not need a scope for that.

Thanks for all your help, i'm going to study a little, and try to make something ^^

I hope that it works good, because of my impossibility of buying kits.

Cya ^^

[Mr. Otto]

Hey Gustavo, I'm from Brasil too (found it better to keep typing in english so everyone can understand)

I've desided to build my own from scratch too, the only thing is that I'm not sure about what PIC burner to buy, I've seen that there is even some brazilian ones, much cheeper, and they seam quite nice, but still don't know if they would do the job.

Have you started it already? I know that there is at least one other member from Brasil, since there was a SID chipping to here from Wilba's... maybe that guy knows better.