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Building a MIDIbox SEQ V4 (Wilba Control Surface) - Photo Tutorial


Hawkeye
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Hola,

 

it has been a while since the last photo tutorials - I really wanted to do this for some time, but there was always work or some other distraction... but now, there is some time to spend at the solder station :smile:.

 

This will be a documented one-time build for a MIDIbox member, who is an industrial designer and wants to create his own MBSEQ enclosure and frontpanel (thus the non-standard control surface LEDs). Am very eager to see the end result :-).

 

Each step will be photo-documented and contain parts lists, where possible - hope you enjoy the build documentation and that it may be some help to other people wanting to build a MBSEQ, who may yet be intimidated by the amount of parts necessary, the soldering or the software configuration.

 

I will try to structure this tutorial in such a way, that progress is quickly visible - and that you do not need to assemble everything before "turning it on" the first time. The faster some progress is visible, the higher the motivation to continue building... :-)

 

The MBSEQ is the most awesome piece of music gear, that I own - many thanks to TK. and Wilba, who made it possible!

 

Enough talk, let´s get started :-)

 

Many greets,

Peter

 

Here are links to other existing photo tutorials:

Custom SEQ V4 (DIY control surface, VFDs, ebony wood carrier):

 

MB6582 Control Surface:

Edited by Hawkeye
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Step 1: Core Works

 

Parts Used:

* MBHP Core LPC17 Module

* USB Cable

* A computer with a running version of MIOS Studio

 

Description:

* Build the core following the very detailed description on ucapps.de:

http://ucapps.de/mbhp_core_lpc17.html (photo 1)

 

* Alternatively, you can use an old STM32 (version 1 Core32) board and refer to the photo tutorial linked here:

Note: this core is deprecated and should only be built, if you have old STM32 boards in stock.

(Despite it being deprecated, many people still use it in their MBSEQ V4 units - and they work perfectly! :smile:)

 

* Another alternative is the very new STM32F4 Core, described here:

http://ucapps.de/mbhp_core_stm32f4.html

 

* After assembling the Core (and writing the MIOS32 Bootloader, as described on the construction page), attach a USB cable and launch MIOS Studio. Select the MIOS32 MIDI IN and MIDI OUT interfaces as MIDI IN and OUT Interfaces, respectively (photo 2) - the MIDI interfaces can have slightly different names depending on your operating system, core board version, bootloader and MIDI drivers :-). Just use the new MIDI devices, that appeared, after you plugged in the USB cable :smile:.

 

* Now download the newest version of MIDIBOX SEQ V4 for your core from

http://ucapps.de/mios32_download.html

TK. releases compiled versions ready for installing to all different (and supported) Core boards - which is very nice, so we mere mortals do not need to compile ourselves :-)).

For this build, we used http://ucapps.de/mios32/midibox_seq_v4_083.zip MIDIbox SEQ V4 Version 83, which is the current version close to Midsummer 2014! :smile:

 

* After downloading, unpack the .zip, and within MIOS Studio click "Browse" and select the .hex file you just extracted from the directory matching your core architecture (here: from the directory MBHP_CORE_LPC17). After a few seconds, MIOS Studio will be ready to upload (photo 3).

 

* Press "Start" to upload - after the upload, you´ll get a nice green message, that the upload was successful (photo 4).

 

* Congratulations, you´ve just installed the MBSEQ V4 app on your Core (in the console window of photo 4, you´ll see the version number)!

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Edited by Hawkeye
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Step 2: No Tape Drive found? Use SD Storage!

 

Parts Used:

* SD Card Adapter, e.g. harvested from a CHEAP USB-SD Reader:

http://www.reichelt.de/Card-Reader-and-Adapters/CARDREADER-SD/3//index.html?ACTION=3&GROUPID=5262&ARTICLE=144560

 

* 10-pin flat ribbon cable:

http://www.reichelt.de/Flat-Ribbon-Cables/AWG-28-10F-3M/3//index.html?ACTION=3&GROUPID=3328&ARTICLE=47668

 

* 10-pin crimpable IDC socket:

http://www.reichelt.de/Header-and-Tray-Plugs/PFL-10/3//index.html?ACTION=3&GROUPID=3231&ARTICLE=14571

 

Description:

* Search the 10-pin J16 socket on your Core board - this will be our interface to the SD card.

* Obtain a SD socket/card adapter - a respected method is by ripping apart one of those cheap SD card readers (~1.45€) and desoldering it.

* Crimp the IDC socket to the 10-pin ribbon wire - here is a description how to crimp these:

* Study the MBHP_SDCARD schematics: http://ucapps.de/mbhp/mbhp_sdcard.pdf

* Following the schematics, wire every ribbon wire cable to the appropriate SD card adapter pin - end result: photo 1.

* Connect the SD card adapter to your core (J16) - photo 2.

* You now have the possibility to store your SEQV4 hardware configuration, your sequencer sessions, MIDI Files, SYSEX dumps and a very secret copy of your personal diaries on your MBSEQ! :-)

 

* Using a computer, and another (still operational :-)) SDcard reader, format a SD card with the FAT32 filesystem.

* For the beginning, just copy the file MBSEQ_HW.V4, which is located in the downloaded zip from Step 1 in the hwconfig/wilba directory to the root directory of your SD card. 

* Remove the SD card from your computer and insert it into your new SD card adapter already attached to your core.

* In the (still running) MIOS Studio terminal, you should see a message "SD Card connected, loading session DEFAULT"

* Now type "sdcard" in the MIOS Studio terminal command line - the MBSEQ app will now dump a few SD card specific information items. The last line should say: "File /MBSEQ_HW.V4: valid" - photo 3

 

* Congratulations! You now have a working storage subsystem on your SEQ! Also, the base configuration file is present (and has been recognized by the MBSEQ). This configuration file is used to determine the frontpanel hardware characteristics (LEDs, tactile switches, encoder placement, ...) of your frontpanel. Fortunately, it has been standardized for Wilbas frontpanel and there is nothing much left to do.

 

* Grab a cold beverage and enjoy! :-)

 

Edit: brackets - please do upload any 3D sketches + designs! Am interested! :-)

But before going into exact work, I would recommend to wait until the final unit is ready - so you can take exact measurements! :-)

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Edited by Hawkeye
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Hola,

 

Here you go:

 

PDF Plans for the Control Surface CS:

http://www.midibox.org/dokuwiki/lib/exe/fetch.php?media=wilba_mb_seq:wilba_mbseq_pcb.pdf

http://www.midibox.org/dokuwiki/lib/exe/fetch.php?media=wilba_mb_seq:wilba_mbseq_pcb_dimensioned.pdf

 

And DXFs:

http://www.midibox.org/dokuwiki/lib/exe/fetch.php?media=wilba_mb_seq:wilba_mbseq_dxf.zip

 

The LED size (seen from top) is 5mm (wide) x 2mm (high)

 

Regarding LED vertical alignment, I´ve attached a picture showing the vertical measurements of your board! :smile:

 

Your frontpanel can be elevated with spacers to 8mm above the PCB, and be 2mm thick - so that its upper edge is flush with the LEDs (at 10mm), and the tactile switch buttons and the encoder shafts emerge above it.

 

Then your frontpanel would need cutouts for

 

* the LEDs (cutout bigger than 5x2mm! Recommend 6x3mm or else they will be *very* difficult to insert, there are >40 of them! :smile:)

Within small limits, you can bend the LEDs in place, so maybe you could get away with 5.5 x 2.5mm cutouts, when even smaller, it might get difficult to attach the frontpanel without stress and an extra dose of caffeine :-). Please note, that the assembly is not done by an industrial robot, so there are tolerances :smile:.

 

* the encoder shafts (diameter 6mm, make the cutout hole 9mm, the knob will cover it)

* the tactile switch buttons (which are 12x6mm - recommend the cutout to be 13x7).

 

---

 

Edit: another (quite cool) alternative would be to use transparent (e.g. black smoked) acrylics and to not cut out the LEDs (but let them shine through the acrylics),

In this case, you´d need to just cut out for the encoder shafts and the tactile switch buttons - this would also reduce cost a bit!

You could then mount the acrylics panel on 10mm spacers, and lift the encoder buttons a bit (to 14mm would be possible), so a 3mm thick acrylics panel would work.

In hindsight (and for uniqueness reasons), i´d recommend to go for this method - there are already so many aluminum panels out there :smile:

 

Many greets!

Peter

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Edited by Hawkeye
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Thanks, TK.! :-)

 

Step 3: Displays FTW!

 

Parts Used:

* 2x 40x2 LCD (HD44780 compatible), e.g. the ones below, but buying off ebay is cheaper!

http://www.reichelt.de/Hintergrund-blau/LCD-402A-BL/3//index.html?ACTION=3&GROUPID=3006&ARTICLE=53953

 

* 16 pin flat ribbon wire, e.g.

http://www.reichelt.de/Flachbandkabel/AWG-28-16G-10M/3//index.html?ACTION=3&GROUPID=3328&ARTICLE=47655

 

* 4 pcs 16 pin crimpable IDC socket:

http://www.reichelt.de/Pfosten-Wannenstecker/PFL-16/3//index.html?ACTION=3&GROUPID=3231&ARTICLE=14573

 

* 2 pcs 16 pin dual inline pin headers:

http://www.reichelt.de/Strip-Connectors/SL-2X50G-2-54/3//index.html?ACTION=3&GROUPID=3220&ARTICLE=19500 (one item is enough, cut it with a sharp knife)

 

Description:

* Starting with displays is always a good idea, regardless of the MIDIbox project! This allows you to see what is going on, have a glimpse on the UI, before the unit is finished, and simplifies testing newly added compontents.

 

* Ready your displays and cut two 2x8 pin headers with a sharp knife (photo 1).

 

* Solder the pin headers to the backside of the displays (photo 2).

 

* Prepare two display cables with 16-pin IDC connectors on both ends, as shown in photo 3. For this project, I´ve made some extra-long display cables, to allow flexible placement of the Core - don´t know how the case is going to look, yet :smile: - Normally, you can use shorter cables.

 

* Connect and test everything as shown in photo 4. Easy and very gratifying to see the startup screens of your new SEQ! :-)

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Edited by Hawkeye
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Step 4: Diode Droptime! :-)

 

Parts Used:

* MBSEQ V4 Control Surface PCB from SmashTVs MIDIbox shop (SEQ CS PCB):

http://www.midibox-shop.com/buy.html

 

* 58x 1N4148 Diodes:

http://www.reichelt.de/Diodes-1N-UF-AA-/1N-4148/3//index.html?ACTION=3&GROUPID=2987&ARTICLE=1730&SEARCH=1n4148&SHOW=1&OFFSET=16

 

Description:

* In this step, we will begin to work on the SEQ control surface PCB - photo 1.

* Let´s start with the tiniest components, the diodes. Soldering from small to large parts will make the assembly process a bit easier.

* Pre-bend the diodes and drop them aligning the "marked end" of the diode with the dotted mark on the PCB (photo 2).

* To simplify the component dropping process, you can lift the PCB by a few centimeters by placing it on "spacer objects", like books.

* After dropping, you can fix the components with a bit of packaging tape on the topside of the PCB (photo 3).

* Check the diode mark alignements one more time, then turn over the board, and cut the pins (photo 4).

* Then solder, slowly counting to 116 :smile:. After you´ve reached that number, you can be certain, that you´ve soldered every connection.

* Photo 5 shows all diodes installed and soldered.

 

Note:

* As my friend jojjelito noted, a cool speed-up-trick with through-plated holes is to just top-solder on the "elevated pcb" - you can then skip the fix-with-tape step completely - and cut off pin remains on the backside of the PCB after soldering. Cool trick! :-)

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Edited by Hawkeye
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Step 5: Caps, Sockets and Resistors

 

Parts Used:

* 8 pcs small 100N capacitors

http://www.reichelt.de/Multi-Layer-Leaded-Z5U-20-/Z5U-5-100N/3//index.html?ACTION=3&GROUPID=3163&ARTICLE=22986

 

* 8 pcs 16 pin dual inline sockets

http://www.reichelt.de/Sockets-IC/GS-16/3//index.html?ACTION=3&GROUPID=3215&ARTICLE=8208

 

* 12 pcs 220R resistors (matching your LEDs)

http://www.reichelt.de/1-4W-5-100-Ohm-910-Ohm/1-4W-220/3//index.html?ACTION=3&GROUPID=3064&ARTICLE=1382

 

Description:

* Let´s place and solder the LED brightness- (and current-) controlling resistors first. You might need to employ different resistor values, if you use different LEDs - but for the Kingbright DuoColor LEDs we are about to use, these values work fine.

 

* Drop and solder the resistors in the center area of the PCB in the slots named R1-R8A:

R1 220 Ohm bicolor LED (green) R2 220 Ohm bicolor LED (red) R3 220 Ohm bicolor LED (green) R4 220 Ohm bicolor LED (red) R5 220 Ohm single color LEDs, left side R5A 220 Ohm single color LEDs, right side R6 220 Ohm single color LEDs, left side R6A 220 Ohm single color LEDs, right side R7 220 Ohm single color LEDs, left side R7A 220 Ohm “Beat†LED and J3:1 (cathode=J3:2) R8 220 Ohm single color LEDs, left side R8A 220 Ohm unused LED at J3:3 (cathode=J3:2)

 

* Ready? See Photo 1 for comparison - note, that R5A and R6A are not in this photo - they are a few centimeters to the right!

 

* Let´s continue with the shift register IC sockets and the capacitors, which are located within these sockets. It is important to get very small 100N caps, so that they can fit within the tight space (photo 2 shows how it could look like, when finished).

 

* Insert the eight shift register 16-pin sockets first (make sure you align the socket notches to the PCB-printed notches - so you later know how to align the shift registers), then turn over the PCB and solder 8x16 pins (photo 3).

 

* Then drop the capacitors, potentially bending them, so they fit inside. See photo 4 for a bending trick to fit 2.5mm capacitors into the 5mm spaced holes.

 

* Fix the capacitors with tape - turn the PCB over and solder - done (photo 5).

 

Congratulations! You´ve just soldered the foundation for the shift register input and output matrices of your SEQ V4 control surface - these will accept tactile switch presses and encoder events,  as well as drive all LEDs later on.

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Edited by Hawkeye
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Meanwhile, survival tip of the day: If the PCB has thru-plated holes I'll just solder if from the top :O

This saves lots of time. Then it's time to turn it over for some snipping. Any missed resistors or diodes will fall out, much merriment! Of course, once those things are out of the way there's only so much that can be done upside down.

Edited by jojjelito
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Thanks, j! Tip added to the "drop diodes" step!


Step 6: Them Switches! :-)

 

Parts Used:

* 58pcs tactile switch E-Switch TL1100F160Q (Digi-Key EG1821-ND)
* 58pcs button cap PE BK (Digi-Key 401-1152-ND)

 

Description:

 

* This is a very easy step and we do it while waiting for other ordered parts :smile: (Normally you´d want to solder in the resistor networks first, but never mind)

* Push the tactile switches into their slots (photo 1) - there is only one way they will fit, no need to think hard :-).

* Before soldering, make sure, all switches are pressed flat to the PCB - just push every switch button once again with a little force.

* Solder 58 x 4 connections (photo 2).

* Add the button caps later on, so they will not be in our way when soldering in the next parts!

* It´s beginning to look like a SEQ CS, right? Right! :-)

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Edited by Hawkeye
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awesome work. exactly what i was looking for, as i am not experienced in soldering and stuff like that. but i stumbled across the seqv4, and it seems to be, what i am looking for. been looking into ucapps dozens of time to get a clue on what parts are required and used for what purpose, was very confused, but this tutorial is perfect for noobs like me. thank you so very much :)

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Thanks Antonio, EsotericLabs and Kosh! :-)

 

Step 7: Resistor Networks, Shift Registers, Case Considerations and the First Test!

 

Parts Used:

* 12 pcs SIL 6-pin Resistor Networks 10K

http://www.reichelt.de/5-Widerstaende-6-Pins/SIL-6-5-10K/3//index.html?ACTION=3&GROUPID=4497&ARTICLE=17791&SHOW=1&OFFSET=16

 

* 10-pin ribbon wire

http://www.reichelt.de/Flachbandkabel/AWG-28-10G-3M/3//index.html?ACTION=3&GROUPID=3328&ARTICLE=47637&SHOW=1&OFFSET=500&

 

* 2 pcs 10-pin crimpable IDC socket

http://www.reichelt.de/Pfosten-Wannenstecker/PFL-10/3//index.html?ACTION=3&GROUPID=3231&ARTICLE=14571&SHOW=1&OFFSET=500&

 

* 1 pc straight 10 pin "box-header"

http://www.reichelt.de/Pfosten-Wannenstecker/WSL-10G/3//index.html?ACTION=3&GROUPID=3231&ARTICLE=2281&SHOW=1&OFFSET=500&

 

* 6 pcs 74HC165 shift registers

http://www.reichelt.de/ICs-74HC-DIL/74HC-165/3//index.html?ACTION=3&GROUPID=2930&ARTICLE=3155&SHOW=1&OFFSET=16&

 

* 2 pcs 74HC595 shift registers

http://www.reichelt.de/ICs-74HC-DIL/74HC-595/3//index.html?ACTION=3&GROUPID=2930&ARTICLE=3269&SHOW=1&OFFSET=16&

 

Description:

* In this step, we will link our MBSEQ control surface board to the core and test the tactile switches, we installed in the previous step.

(You can skip the test, if you want to go for the quickest-possible build-time. But I think, it is always great to see successes, while you are still building).

 

* First, obtain and insert twelve 10K resistor networks into the slots RN1-RN12. The resistor networks are marked with a dot, which determines the common pin - it must be aligned with the marked pin on the PCB (there is a square around that pin) - see photo 1 for an example of correct alignment. Double-check the alignment of all inserted resistor networks!

 

* Temporarily fix/attach the resistor networks with tape to the neighboring IC sockets (photo 2), turn the board over and solder 12x6 pins.

 

* Time for some case/space considerations...

The J1 header (photo 3) will be used to connect the CS board to the core - we can´t really insert a big regular vertical "boxed header" connector to the top of the board, as the height (with a cable installed) would be greater than the height of the tactile switches including the switch caps - so there would be no way to install a frontpanel.

 

Therefore, we solder a boxed header connector to the backside.

It does vertically offset the PCB a little bit, but not a big problem. A small word of warning - if you are using a very tight case, such as the Heidenreich case - you might want to consider using 90-degree angular connectors here - this helps save a few millimeters - fortunately, for this build we are better off, as a custom case will be built - therefore we can use a standardized and easy installation method!

 

To wire everything up, we just crimp two 10 pin IDC connectors to a 10 pin ribbon-wire cable (identical to the display cables, only 10 instead of 16 pins). We made this cable longer, too, for maximum case design flexibility later on! :-). If you know where your components reside (Core relative to CS PCB), you can of course also use a much shorter ribbon-wire cable!


* Now, the testing fun begins - insert six 74HC165 shift registers into the sockets you soldered to U1-U6, and two 74HC595 shift register ICs into U7 and U8 - take care, that the notch on the IC aligns with the notch on the socket. It might be necessary to bend the IC legs on a table, so that they fit more easily. Insert them firmly and double-check that all legs are in their respective slots.

 

* One simple step is left - connect the Core J8/J9 header to the SEQ control surface PCB using your newly built cable and apply USB power - now you can start testing by pushing the tactile switches - I did so and turned on a few C-3-notes in the first 16 steps of the active track (photo 4)- just push the tactile switches below the displays to do so - and some notes should appear. This confirms, that you have correctly connected the CS to the Core, and that the shift registers are working fine - you could test most switches and expect to see different display reactions.

 

* Congratulations - you´ve just completed another major step - the SEQ is almost ready to use!

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Edited by Hawkeye
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Step 8: Adding Encoders!

 

Parts used:

(* 17 pcs Alps 12mm encoders (with push-button function)

http://www.reichelt.de/Rotary-Pulse-Encoder/STEC12E08/3//index.html?ACTION=3&GROUPID=3714&ARTICLE=73923&SHOW=1&OFFSET=16

These 12mm encoders are not recommended anymore, especially, when used with a STM32F4 based core. They have a different pinout, and while the "DETENTED1" decoding method works in many cases (and flawlessly on my LPC17 board), sometimes the encoder values jump back. If you have already soldered in these encoders, see the second page for an easy fix (swap middle and right pin with wires).

)

 

**OR**

 

* 17 pcs Alpha 16mm encoders (without push-button function)

Mouser P/N 318-ENC160F-24P

 

Note:

* 16mm encoders are a bit easier to install - but need precautions with the datawheel encoder - see below.

 

* For this build, I preferred the 12mm encoders for three reasons:

 

1) I have used the exact same type of Alps encoders in my other SEQ since ~4 years - they are rock-solid and have never let me down (but the Alphas in my MB6582 are really solid too, even after years of use, so this is no real argument! :-)).

 

2) They offer "pushability". So you can add "temporary push acceleration" - which is really handy, when adjusting parameters with only one hand available. Both encoder types will have a resolution of 24 steps/clicks per turn, which would allow for an octave of note adjustment per half-turn. Now, when you are able to push the encoder, you can configure the MBSEQ to multiply this effect by a given factor - for example allowing for three octaves of note adjustment instead per half-turn. I experienced the benefits of this feature first on the Elektron Machinedrum - and grew used to it - up to the point, where I wanted to push the encoder in my car radio to speed up the volume adjustment :-). Of course, there are other (pushable) encoders available - but I only wanted to list these two encoders, because they never failed me (both Alps and the Alphas).

 

3) These encoders are a bit smaller, allowing us to "top-solder" the datawheel encoder. This is not advisable with the 16mm encoders, where the datawheel encoder needs to be soldered to the underside of the PCB, otherwise the big datawheel "dial" will be elevated too much above the frontpanel.

 

* If you decide to go for 16mm encoders, you might jump to the next step (LEDs) now and come back to this step later. It will be a bit easier to solder the LEDs first. But when using 12mm encoders, I´d recommend to solder them before soldering the LEDs, because we need to top-solder the encoder pins, and that would be difficult with the LEDs already installed.

 

Description:

* Choose your preferred encoder type - 12mm or 16mm? Both will fit (after a bit of adjustment for the 12mm type) - see photo 1.

 

* If using 12mm encoders, they need to be bent with a caliper. First straighten the notch on the center metal "fastener" pins. Then bend them at a 90 degree angle (parallel to the bottom of the encoder). Then bend them back in a 90 degree angle 2mm away. After a bit of training, this will work without problems and will only take about one minute per encoder - see photos 2 and 3.

 

* Also, you need to bend the three main encoder pins a little bit - see photos 2 and 3. Do not bend the upper two (push-button) pins - they fit perfectly and allow us to properly align the encoder.

 

* To install the encoder, insert the lower three pins first, then click in the middle "fastener" section, then the top two pins - see photo 4.

 

* No use of force is necessary - the encoder will just "click in" - if that does not work, go back to the bending steps. It is not too difficult (re-examine photos 2 and 3 in case of problems) :-)

 

* After installing an encoder, check its alignment and also make sure, that the encoder base is pressed flat to the PCB. When done, solder the backside (3 encoder pins, 2 push pins and 2 fastener pins).

 

* Turn the PCB over and solder the three lower encoder pins from the topside (photo 5) - this is necessary, as the left and right lower pins may not be long enough to reach through the PCB to the bottom - and we want to ensure a proper connection.

 

* When all is done, your encoders should be aligned nicely - see photo 6.

 

* To enable "push to accelerate", open the MBSEQ_HW.V4 file (on your SD card) with a text editor and search for the line

BUTTON_FAST2  0   0

Change that to

BUTTON_FAST2  6   0

Also, i´d recommend to set

ENC_AUTO_FAST        0

which will enable FAST2 mode for note entry on the standard note layers, when the encoder is depressed.

And:

ENC_GP_FAST_SPEED 5

to increase the encoder speed a little bit more, when the encoder is depressed (The default is 3).

 

For the Alps 12mm encoders, please also change the encoder type to DETENTED1 throughout the file:

ENC_DATAWHEEL   6   2   DETENTED1
ENC_GP1   1   6   DETENTED1
...

 

Now save the file, insert the SD card in your SD card adapter and restart the MBSEQ.

 

You can now test all encoders and the temporary push acceleration - a really *very* nice feature - thanks again for implementing it, TK.! :-)

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Step 9: LED Illumination and Final Assembly! :-)

 

Parts Used:

*  44pcs Kingbright Duo LEDs rectangular 2x5mm Area LED, buy 50

Reichelt LED 2 RG-3

 

* 16pcs 10mm - 13mm encoder knobs

http://www.reichelt.de/Control-Knobs-Collet-Fixing/KNOPF-13-164B/3//index.html?ACTION=3&GROUPID=3139&ARTICLE=73963

 

* 58 pcs button cap PE BK (already introduced in step 6)

Digi-Key 401-1152-ND

 

* 1pc ALPS Datawheel

(ask Kristal=, our Forum ALPS dealer :smile:)

 

Description:

* The Kingbright duo-color LEDs consist of three pins - the left and center pin are necessary for green LED operation, the right and center pin are necessary for red LED operation. For the 16 step LEDs, we need all three pins to be soldered. Insert the pins in a way, that the short pin is aligned to the left side of the CS PCB (seen from above) - see photo 1.

 

* You can always power up your SEQ and test-drop a few LEDs, and see if the orientation is ok. The LEDs should light up as desired, if not, turn them around (for the step LEDs, if the coloring scheme is inverted). Afterwards, solder the 16 step LEDs, turn on the SEQ and test (you can press play, to see the red step indicator moving around the currently selected track) -  see photo 2.

 

* For the unicolor LEDs (27 normal green LEDs, and one red "BEAT" LED), you have to snip away the unneeded outer pin. Photo 3 shows proper pin snipping for a "green" LED operation.

 

* Test-insert the LEDs and turn on the SEQ before soldering, to verify all is right. Take care regarding LED "L31", which is mirrored, and regarding the "BEAT" LED (which should be red) above the datawheel.

 

* After all is finished, install your encoder knobs and switch caps - your SEQ CS should look like photo 4.

 

* NOTE! For these Kingbright LEDs, I added additional 100R resistors on the backside of the PCB (one on the back of each 220R resistor), lowering the effective resistance from 220 ohms to ~69 ohms. It was necessary, as I only tested these LEDs with 220R resistors in "non-multiplexed-mode". In the SEQ matrix-driven mode, the LEDs are only "on" 1/8th of the time, which lowers the brightness a bit - and I wanted a nice base brightness level for the transparent panel, that will be attached to this SEQ later on.

As a conclusion: when multiplexed, 470R-220R resistors are good for "standard LEDs". 100R-47R are good for "dim" LEDs. - see photo 5 for installing additional resistors on the backside to lower the resistance, if you made a suboptimal choice in step 5.

 

* Much joy! Photo 6 shows the final result.

 

Notes:

If you want to install standard LEDs compatible with a default aluminum MBSEQ frontpanel, you would "drop" round 3mm LEDs in this step, then install the frontpanel, then solder the LEDs with the frontpanel attached, to make sure, they fit right in their slots. Don´t install the aluminum frontpanel after the LEDs have been soldered - it will work, but it will be hard work bending every LED in place.

 

The new owner of this SEQ is an industrial designer - I hope he will continue posting build photos in this thread.

Am very interested, how this sequencer will look in the end.

 

If you have any questions regarding the build, feel free to ask here!

 

Hope you liked this tutorial!

 

Many greets,

Peter

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Edited by Hawkeye
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awesome, thx a lot, peter! i just ordered my "brain"-kit from smash-tv yesterday (?), so slowly, step by step and budget by budget it´s starting to get serious on my side. thx a lot for your tutorial, it finally made my decision to try to master this project. and of course i´ll ask you, when in trouble ;)

 

cheers

 

ferenc

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couple things I would add t this:

 

12mm encoders vs 16mm encoders: This is fine but I HIGHLY recommend you have your enclosure/panel made at this stage so you can check the fit before soldering the parts in.  Whenever you need to do lead yoga and eyeball what is a good fit, it's a lot easier to check your work against the panel before you solder everything in place.

 

LEDS: Same thing,  I never solder in LEDs without using the front panel as a template, yes it's more work to mock everything up initially but way less work than going back to fix misaligned LEDs later on.  Attach your standoffs, screw in the PCB with all the LEDs fitted in their holes, then solder them in..

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Thanks Kosh and Altitude!

 

Altitude: fully agreed - for a normal build, it is highly recommended to install the frontpanel as early as possible - to avoid problems later on.

For this build, brackets will be using a transparent acrylics frontpanel on top of the LEDs (shine-through - not through-hole), so installation is a bit easier.

 

Many greets and thanks for the feedback!

Peter

Edited by Hawkeye
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Just a short note about 12mm vs 16mm encoders. Take care with 12mm types, because most of them use different pinouts than 16 mm ones.

 

- 16mm types: A B Common (this is what the CS was prepared for)

- 12mm types: A Common B

 

So I'm afraid it's not enough to bend it, they need different connection.

 

Norbert

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