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Introducing start of my Midibox SEQ project CHAINREACTOR


Gridracer

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Hello there,

as a complete newbie I started work on my midibox_seq project last weekend:

Here is the panellayout:

3235017090_ca70073514.jpg

The Button LED Matrix is a must have for me. (singlecolour)

Olthough it means awful lot of soldering.

First I started my search for nice, affordable,

illuminated buttons and found this ones, which are availabel at CONRAD in Germany for 1,83€

http://www.sci.com.tw/PRODUCTS/switch/(R13)%20PUSH%20SWITCH/R13-529.htm

I bought some to test them:

3235017266_37c99b2d1f.jpg

They are NON tactile ones but still feel nice and they close contact after 1mm of travel.

They use white LED;s with a coloured cover (blue, red, yellow, green)

I know that I have to change the Button LED Matrix Circuit.

I have someone who helps me to integrate a darlington array at the cathode lines.

I will post the circuitplan soon but I cant't help with details as I did not create it myself.

I know that I have to change DEFAULT_SRM_CATHODES_INV_MASK in setup_mbseq_v3.asm

and some other values.

All parts should arrive untill next week, and tonight I have to finish

the frontpanel layout to send it to SCHAEFFER. Will post the .fpd file when ready.

Now starting the coffee machine for a long working night..........

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Thanks for your ideas on this.

I took quiet similar ones to the MECs into consideration:

http://docs-europe.electrocomponents.com/webdocs/0727/0900766b807274fd.pdf

I also had an eye on this ones, like in the ELKA Synths:

http://www.reichelt.de/?;ACTION=7;LA=6;OPEN=1;INDEX=0;FILENAME=C200%252FDIT1_DTL2%2523ITT.PDF;SID=26qwKbh6wQARoAAHRfiTo6b2ce586a39d2726cb054c0f4774f98b

Regarding the look I like the ones I chose best, they remind me of classic sportscar taillights  :)

But I had big concerns regarding the "feel"

so I spend one evening with pusing some samples of them connected to my beeping multimeter

untill the cat went mad.......

So for my person I can say that i like the feel of this buttons.

And to me they have the advantage of being panel mounted just like the encoders I ordered.

So with mounting the displays directly to the frontpanel I can get along without frontpanel circuitboard.

As i build a desktop design it is easy to mount the module PCBs on the bottom plate, while the frontpanel

carries the buttons, encoders and displays. So I dont have to watch the alignment of the holes in the

panel to any kind of circuitboard.

Frontpanel .fpd file will be finished tonight and ordered tomorrow ...........

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I would always position display at top, so you never block the sight with your hands.

That is an issue,

but my thought was that the LED-Button-Matrix is like some sort of instrument

that you play live like shown in the sneakpreview on the SEQ V3 mainpage.

When doing something else than muting + unmuting, your hands are below the display on the encoders

and GP buttons, while you can now view the steppositions of all tracks one the Matrix which is now uncovered.

At least I hope it will work out like that...........

I also think that having the displays in the middle provides a nice logical seperation of the different

elements on the panel.

And finaly to me it just looks better.

And that is also a killer argument..... ;)

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...I also think that having the displays in the middle provides a nice logical seperation of the different

elements on the panel.

Agree.

And finaly to me it just looks better.

And that is also a killer argument..... ;)

That is very valid argument, often prioritized over functionality. What can I say... I left my MBSEQ in final stage after TK released duo-color BLM. I just wanted to have it, more because it looks cool. It is not that I really need it.  :P

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  • 2 weeks later...
How much did the panel, buttons and wood cost?

What type of wood is that called by the way?

Can we see inside?

Frontpanel was 198,-€ incl. of VAT

Buttons 1,83€ each

Wooden BOX 0,00 €  :D a carpenter and very good friend of mine made this one for me, he used

ALDER wood and oiled it with FLAXOIL. But the box could be done DIY for approx. 20-50€

(if you do not use the break out panel)

I will post pics of the inside soon, what remains to do from today is wiring the panel to the boards and

connecting the displays  :P I think then the interior starts to get interesting  ;)

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  • 2 weeks later...

UP AND RUNNING!

:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

3316468944_7c39c685ca.jpg?v=0

:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

3316466942_94cbffb956.jpg?v=0

:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

INSIDE:

3315638913_452e08d790.jpg?v=0

MORE:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gridracer/sets/72157613814527297/

Here are my documents on this project, perhaps they might help someone,

in addition I will post a "lessons learned thread" soon.

EDIT:fixed Link

EDIT:moved attachments to

http://www.midibox.org/forum/index.php/topic,13118.msg112147.html#msg112147

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