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dont even know where to start :( plz help


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Ok so i'd say I have a lot of knowledge with computers, i've programmed before, mostly web stuff like html, css, php. I also have a little experience in vb and c++. Im also pretty experienced in photoshop. I also built my desktop i currently use (mostly for gaming).

Now for the music. I've worked with FL Studios for years, finally decided to switch over to Ableton and i LOVE IT. I have a keyboard that my friend gave me because he doesn't use anymore and it has midi in/out on it so i use that in ableton as a midi keyboard. I really want to get the Akai APC20 and Akai MPK25, but i am very tight on money and cant either atm. Im under 18, no job, no way to really make money.

I've learned how to make PCB, altho i've nvr attempted it yet because i have no design to put on the board. I really would like to make a midi controller and hopefully use a homemade PCB to save some money.

Does anyone have some advice on a good PCB design i can put onto my PCBoard that will work as MIDI controller. I also have a pinpoint soldering gun and lots of tools and drills of my dads i can use. Im not looking to make anything fancy as my first project but eventually i want to be able to make something cool like Anders amazing controller. I know how to print out the PCB designs but dont really know what anything is and how to use it or how to make my own design because i dont know what any of the stuff on a PCB is. If anyone has any advice on at all on anything in this area, it would be greatly appreciated.

P.S. I have 2 extra keyboards (a USB and a PS/2) and a logitech gamepad which I dont care about and dont mind using there PCB, but id honestly perfer to make my own PCB.

Thanks in Advanced!

-Mark

Edited by markrodgers11
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Hiya,

I'm not sure I really understand what you are after but try these links,you could also consider breadboard construction (reusable) or perfboard/veroboard.

http://tacashi.tripod.com/elctrncs/pcbworks/pcbworks.htm

http://www.qsl.net/k5lxp/projects/PCBFab/PCBFab.html

http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=37519

http://www.rcexplorer.se/page14/page15/page15.html

there is a shit load of info on google but post again if you are stuck.

cheers

Paul

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well no. i know how to make PCB...but like the design...idk what any of it means and what i use it for like...if i were to make a MIDI box, i wouldnt know what marks where i drill a hole and what i solder on it. i dont know anything about the wiring or how it works or what to do once i make/buy a PCB :(

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1st step is patience and a lot of reading both in this forum and at ucapps.de

After that you'll have a bit more idea about what the midibox platform is, and what you actually want to build. If you really just want a small, cheap midi controller, you may be better off looking at (for eg.) the Korg NanoKontrol, or Novation Nocturn

:)

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Hi markrogers11, welcome and I hope you stay with it.

First off, from your posts it seems like you have very little knowledge in basic electronics? Most of the projects here are based on micro-controllers, single chip computers; in addition to the digital electronics there is the analog electronics of the sound chips, the SID and Yamaha FM along with the many other great ideas around here. SO, my advice is to start reading, start on the web, lots of very good basic electronics pages out there. Also start looking up the datasheets for the chips used in the projects you are interested in. Learn what a resistor does, what a capactitor is used for. Learn how to read a schematic drawing, what the symbol is and what the real part looks like. 25 years ago you could go to Radio Shack and buy one of the Engineer's Notebooks that explained simple circuits, in some ways things are much better today, with a little searching, a ton of information is at your fingertips. Before diving into a complex project, build a simple blinky LED kit or a simple amp kit. But checkout the kit's instructions; you want a kit that walks you through the whys and whats. I have seen some kit instructions that do not have any written instructions, just pictures, useless for learning!

At some point you should get a Proto board and a simple selection of basic parts. Search for Atari Punk Console; breadboard the Ne555 circuit and experiment with component values.

Learning Micro-controllers and Micro-processors can be a steep hill; unlike high level programming, you need to know the system's hardware to be effective. But once you learn the basics, it is much easier to pick up a new one. Datasheets and App notes are your friends! Though most of the projects here are based on the PIC, you could look at the Arduino as a learning platform. There is a very large and active community using the Arduino, so there are a lot of projects posted, both simple and complex, to help you learn from.

The MBHP projects are DIY, the designs are well documented and for the most part are ready to run unless you want to modify them. If you can follow directions you can build everything here, but you need to get the basic knowledge to understand the directions ;) There are lots of people here that will help you with specific problems.

Everyone here, has been were you are; some of us have been at it longer but we all started from the same point. Just dive in and stay with it; it will make sense after awhile :)

Van

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