Help with a 24 channel edrum thing...but only mono?

[mbira]

Hi guys,

I'm new to this forum, though I see some familiar faces from the Group DIY site.  I'm pretty much a midi newbe, so forgive me....

I built midi triggers that are activated through piezo pickups and convert to midi via the Alesis Trigger io.

It works great, but it is only 8 channels.  I want at least 24, and I don't want to have to spend another $300 for two more Alesis boxes...especially if I can build something into a 1U rack space.

I have seen this page:

http://www.edrum.info/

And I saw this (analog board for 8 mono inputs):

http://www.edrum.info/files/eDrum16_analog_v0_6.pdf

But there's very little activity over on that forum, so I don't want to go too far along on a project that isn't well supported...

Any advice?

PS: it would be really great to have this be connected to the computer via USB...

[ssp]

to be honest for more info on the edrum your best going to the edrum forums and asking there, a quiet forum doesnt necessarily mean there is no-one about and that it isnt supported.

there have been many edrums made and the original designer is still there also so who better to answer your questions?

it will be best for you to check there first then after getting all the info you need take things from there, but if you want to build something else in the meantime im sure either smashy or mike would gladly sell you some rather nice kits ;)

[mbira]

Thanks for the reply.  I emailed the admin over there a few months back and got no reply...I tried again this last week and still no reply.  I have a feeling that he must be busy. 

The difficulty is compounded by the fact that I need many less featuress than his kit offers...

I want 24 channels of mono.

I'm not much of a kit guy...have always done DIY from the ground up, though if there was a way to get the digital components I'd be game.

My biggest concern is the digital aspect of things, and that's pretty out of my domain.  I'd need to find a way to get the PICs burned with the firmware that I need...

[Khron_X]

The simplest PIC burner i've come across is the JDM programmer. Assuming you've got a free serial port, you should be able to program the PICs pretty easily, through the ICSP.

http://www.jdm.homepage.dk/newpics.htm

If you want, i can attach / send you the schematic / pcb i drew up in Eagle, for a serial-to-ICSP (so no IC socket on the pcb).

[Lorcan]

You should check this site too, the design is newer and maybe better (haven't built myself) http://www.megadrum.info/

I built an edrum 16 that i'm not using anymore because i got myself a Roland Td-3. I should think of selling it one day, maybe

[lylehaze]

All of the postings so far are for trigger to MIDI converters..

They can take some number of piezo triggers and convert them to MIDI OUT.

You mentioned in your topic line that you only want mono.. the whole mono/stereo

thing comes after the MIDI signals are converted to something you can hear.

Nothing that has been posted so far makes any sound, at least not unless you use

it to trigger sounds from your computer or synthesizer.

On the topic of easy-to-use PIC programmers, the PICkit2 is small, affordable,

supported directly in MPLab as well as from the command line, and works great

right off a USB jack with no other power cords.

The EDrum is cool kit.. I hope you find the info you're looking for.

Good Luck,

LyleHaze

[mbira]

Thanks for the replies guys.  The megadrum looks good and well documented.  I etched the boards this evening and plan on placing a mouser order soon...It looks like the programming can also be done with a serial port-which is nice!