RoyalScam Posted February 11, 2006 Report Share Posted February 11, 2006 Hi All!I've been reading about the MIDIBox project for some time and have been fascinated with the whole project. It's been close to 15 years since I've actually built anything electronic, and I decided to see if I still had the chops, so to speak. Late one evening, two weeks ago, I realized the I had just about everything I needed to complete the PIC Burner, so it was time to get off my backside and see what I could do. First I created a PC board using the toner transfer method, etched and drilled it(no. 60 bit was too large, 1/32 would have been better), fixed all my bad traces assembled and tested, it worked! I guess I'm not so out of the game as I thouhgt. While waiting for a shipment of PICs and a few other goodies from Mouser I bulit an OptimizedPSU and set about etching a Core and SID module. This time around using a 1/32 bit, and a hotter iron for the toner transfer. My boards were looking a lot better. When the PICs arrived I popped one in the burner and it worked first time out of the box! I then set about to put the bootstrap on all my PICs, just becaused I could, and it failed each time. Two days of head scratching until I finally tried my main PC. Success each time! The PIC Burner and my very old compaq laptop just don't like each other. Now for the Core. Built with no display programmed via MIOSStudio, wonderfully. Now for the display.....that was three days. You see, I don't really get started until about 10pm I get off work at 8:30 to 9 and I need some time to decompress. So it's usually about 2am when I'm finishing up with the soldering iron. You really should be in a fresher state of mind when doing these things, I must've gotten that darned LCD wired backwards 4 times. Current score 1 PIC Burner 1 PSU 1 CORE module 1 LCD display. Now for the SID. I completed the SID module last night, DL'd MIDIBox SID sucessfully and no sound. So, what to do? Tonight I DL'd the SID interconnection test, realized my mistake and fixed it(two wires in the wrong position on SID J2), loaded the test tone app, and BEEP! I was so happy. I've now been amusing myself with the MIDIBox SID app and a MIDI Keyboard controller. Also, I've been playing with the SIDPlayer app, and JSynthLib! Too much fun! It should be noted that MIOSStudio and my MIDI Keyboard controller do not have a fine enough resolution for the modulation wheel, I used MIDIox, that worked very well. I can't thank you enough, my passion for electronics is back, and I can't wait to get started on all the other projects in my head. For now though, it'll be a control surface perhaps 4 SIDs, I have them, but I may make two units for my nephews for thier Christmas presents this year, we'll see. Also a MIDIMon for me, And I just scored the chips for a MIDIBox FM! There's no stopping me now!I'll be ordering up a bunch of Banksticks as well. The coolest bit, when you want to change the device, just fire up MIOSStudio and change the app, how cool is that! TK you're the best! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moebius Posted February 11, 2006 Report Share Posted February 11, 2006 Congratulations!Reviving old skills went easy for You and looks like You're hooked on solder fumes again ;DMoebius Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave_Wheeler Posted February 11, 2006 Report Share Posted February 11, 2006 Well done, the satisfaction of getting something to work is worth the late nights :)Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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