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MIDIbox SID Walkthrough


TK.
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Hey all

I've just completed my Seq V4+ (what a beast!) and enjoyed the quality of the code, platform, hardware, community AND this video that I really want a SID V2 now. I'd like to jump straight into the 6582, but happy to be persuaded/dissuaded.

The doc above is great, but I've got a couple of questions:

* I can see that the boards can be purchased at Modular Addict - this is workable, but does anyone know of any EU suppliers?;

* SID chips - aside from wishing I hadn't given my C64 and Vic20 (!) away years ago, getting hold of chips seems very hit and miss on eBay. Any advice on where to/not to go which variants (6581, 8580, SwinSID Ultimate, are revisions important, etc. - I think I understand they can be mixed as long as stereo pairs are matched?) - or if anyone here is looking to sell any! - gratefully received;

* Further to above - can SID chips be tested, in the circumstance where I start buying them on eBay and don't have a C64 or SID synth to test them in?

* Case: can the Wilba cases still be had? I'm pretty happy with acrylic cases, so if there is a set of CAD files I can have one made...

Many thanks, Simon

Edited by SimonSays
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I own some stacks of the old one sided pcbs from mikes-midishop (the same which are pictured in the documentation) but not the wilba. But shipping inside eu isn't that safe anymore and expensive, too. I have just a good feeling by shipping inside germany. 

It depends on your design. It's possible to mix the sids as you want but you need 9v for the 8580 and 12v for the 6581 and 1 core can manage 2 sid modules (left and right) so both sids get the same controller values. If you want that they work independed, you need a core for every sid. The wilba pcb is a system of 4 hardwired cores and 8 sid slots.

I suggest to get a swinsid and if your setup works, you can get and test sids. 

A swinsid is close to a sid but not 100% like a real sid. But cheap and you can use it as 8580 or 6581 by jumper setting.

A 8580 is the newer sid and more precise

The 6581 sounds more dirty and has more bass

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Thanks @Noise-Generator... dirty + more bass is obviously good, but £50-80 per 6851 is going to push my bill pretty high!

I think I'll get the Wilba PCBs from Modular Addict (unless any EU suppliers get mentioned) - it's the Control Board + The Main Board, right?

I like the idea of starting with a pair of SwinSIDs and going from there. Can I build a quad core if I'm only using two chips - or do I have to match 1 core to a stereo paid of SIDs (if I want each pair to be independently addressable)?

From there, I suppose a pair of 8580s and see how I feel about the next pair!

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I strongly suggest making a new thread, since none of this is directly related to TK’s tutorial.

You want the control board and the main board, yes.

10 hours ago, SimonSays said:

I like the idea of starting with a pair of SwinSIDs and going from there. Can I build a quad core if I'm only using two chips - or do I have to match 1 core to a stereo paid of SIDs (if I want each pair to be independently addressable)?

I don’t understand your question exactly. But you can build all four cores regardless of whether or not there are SIDs inserted. Each core can be mono or stereo. You obviously can’t use all four cores unless you have at least one chip for each core. 

Re: type of SIDs... I strongly prefer 8580/6582s. They’re more synth-like and work a little better. They don’t have quite the same overdriven saturation or character but they’re more versatile.

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  • 11 months later...

I'm interested in building my own MidiBox SID. This thread seems like a good starting point, and obviously reading the manual, but I keep running into a problem: nearly all of the links for purchasing parts and boards are dead, and I can't seem to find anywhere to locate boards and PICs, etc. 

So for a new person looking to getting into this, who is actually still selling boards? Is anyone selling flashed PIC chips? 

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On 4/5/2020 at 1:50 PM, SynthularModulus said:

I'm interested in building my own MidiBox SID. This thread seems like a good starting point, and obviously reading the manual, but I keep running into a problem: nearly all of the links for purchasing parts and boards are dead, and I can't seem to find anywhere to locate boards and PICs, etc. 

So for a new person looking to getting into this, who is actually still selling boards? Is anyone selling flashed PIC chips? 

Hi @SynthularModulus - I recently completed two MB-6582 builds (well one was actually an extensive repair, but the other was a completely new build), so I have all of the info you could possibly need and it's fairly well organized.

This includes an up to date bill of materials with all the current part numbers and links to purchasing sources.

I've exported multiple forum posts into word documents for offline reading, such as Hawkeye's control surface construction guide, the Power Supply Option E addendum (easiest power supply to integrate in my humble opinion).

I've also documented some of my own experiences completing processes like flashing the bootloader code to the PIC microcontrollers and changing device IDs, etc.

In keeping with the MIDIbox spirit here of sharing information and enabling each other, I'm more than happy to share what I have...

DISCLAIMER: I'm newbie here myself and my forum posts can certainly attest for the incredible number of mistakes I've made along the way, as I fumbled my way towards completion.

Best of luck to you!

 

Edited by dwestbury
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On 4/7/2020 at 8:58 PM, dwestbury said:

In keeping with the MIDIbox spirit here of sharing information and enabling each other, I'm more than happy to share what I have...

Thank you so much, I would love to read the documentation you have put together. I will PM you my email address.

And thank you to the others who replied. I will be ordering the boards from ModularAddict and then go from there, regarding PICs. Currently I just have a single SID 6581 R3. Can I build it with just one of those, or should I look at getting more chips?

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  • 1 month later...

I am a beginner too and finally got the plan to build a simple setup with just the core and the SID module, and like others, I also found myself struggling to find step by step instructions that show how to do things; but the nice part is that the forum is pretty active and people are super helpful!

If someone has an updated bill of materials for the various modules, that would be awesome to have! Also I am not sure about PCBs... is ModularAddict selling PCBs for the different modules? I found one PCB that say

'SID synth main PCB", although it is quite large and does not look like the core one on the website. I am going for the basic approach; which is 1 core, 1 SID and the midi IO, so I can use it as sound module and make all the changes via midi/sysex.

I am hoping to find a PCB pre-made because I know how to solder but I never made a PCB nor I made a perforated board project before, so I would gladly skip that part :)

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You need the Core and the SID Module and you find everything at ucapps.de —>Midibox SID walktrough, or look at SID Module and Core module there you see the pcbs and a List of what you need. Midi In and Out is already given by the Core. 

Anyway, if you live in the US or can get the pcbs of modular addict without brutal shipping costs, you should buy the midibox sid mainboard of the mb6582 because it is cheap and you can just stuff the minimal operating stuff. And if you choose to upgrade, stuff the rest. And if you recognize that a control surface and lcd is nice, order the control panel.

Edited by Noise-Generator
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