Arkhan Posted June 11, 2007 Report Share Posted June 11, 2007 Heya. I am looking to upgrade my SID music capabilities.....Right now, I am running two C64s. One has Prophet64 and the other has Cynthcart....I came across the MIDIBox (and then SIDstation, but thats a mother F***ing ripoff)....What I am looking for essentially is a Roland like setup. I have an alpha juno 1, and while I like it, it isnt the SID sound. (I also dont like that you edit in a menu ...i prefer knobs)...anyways, I see there are two types of MIDIbox made/showcased on the main site. Some are just a box with an input, while others (The first one shown) have knobs and LEDs and whatnot.I want to get the eleborate one....so I can plug a MIDI keyboard into it, and tweak settings, and then jam.This is possible right? It will essentially work like a Roland synth where I can tweak on the fly by moving the knobs around?Also, I know im probably really reaching for this one, but ...is anyone willing to build this for me? ...I am no electrician.I would pay of course (parts + labor!), and I could supply a C64 shell for it.....If noones willing to, I understand of course!....PS: The full blueprints are available on the official site right??:)Thanks guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthernLightX Posted June 11, 2007 Report Share Posted June 11, 2007 Also, I know im probably really reaching for this one, but ...is anyone willing to build this for me? ...I am no electrician.No, you won't find anyone here willing. If you would have searched the forum a bit you'd have noticed that such questions pop up from time to time, and the answer is always the same. It is even considered impolite to ask. Apart from being a great toy, MidiBox is also a learning experience, so feel free to start building. The answers to your other questions could also be found on the site and the forum, but to give you a short summary:- You can control a MidiBox with everything that sends out MIDI (keyboard, PC, etc.) and with a MidiBox you can control everything that receives MIDI. If it will work without work on wiring/programming I cannot tell, you'll have to find out yourself, but there's almost nothing that can't be fixed.- The MidiBoxSID is real-time tweakable for sure.Cheers, Alex. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sinnsyk Posted June 11, 2007 Report Share Posted June 11, 2007 read read read read read till you can't see any letters anymore, and then get your hands moving and start building.It will be very very hard for a n00b, but in the end, you've got a working MB AND you lost your n00b status.. And believe me, even if you haven't seen a PCB before, it's really fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arkhan Posted June 12, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 12, 2007 Well the most work ive done electronics wise is soldering guitar pickups in...im currently attempting a SID2SID....Im not going to lie, I looked on the mainpage and dont see instructions for the MIDIBox. I must be retaded.I figured that I could basically order one of every kit on the SmashTV website and be good to go... (excluding the LEDs and knobs which I obviously need more of...)... is this right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stryd_one Posted June 12, 2007 Report Share Posted June 12, 2007 Keep reading mate, it's all there :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Therezin Posted June 12, 2007 Report Share Posted June 12, 2007 I figured that I could basically order one of every kit on the SmashTV website and be good to go... (excluding the LEDs and knobs which I obviously need more of...)Not quite... visit http://ucapps.de/midibox_sid.html and scroll down to the "hardware options" section. Step C is the full control surface, and that secton lists how many of each module you need. Note that you can build step C without building step B, meaning you can still have the full control surface for controlling only one SID chip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arkhan Posted June 12, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 12, 2007 ah see im no electrician . All those diagrams are over my head. Im working on making sense out of them lol.too bad there isnt a "hold my hand" manual for this, it would help retards like me! :-DHere goes nothin!edit: how did I miss that MIDIBox walkthrough thread sticky. -_-. wow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stryd_one Posted June 13, 2007 Report Share Posted June 13, 2007 how did I miss that MIDIBox walkthrough thread sticky. -_-. wow.It's easy to miss stuff when there's so much info... If you're like me, I know it feels like you're drowning ;) but stick with it, and it will all tie together before you know it.http://www.play-hookey.com/ That's a favourite of mine for learning about the electronic components (especially the DC Electronics section) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arkhan Posted June 13, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 13, 2007 ohh. cool cool!I think im going to start by building the MIDIbox with control step A. into a C64 shell.This will make it function EXACTLY like a Roland Alpha Juno 1 (menu to edit parameters, dial to change actual values), which is the synth I am used to using...its the only one I own!....and that has MIDI out, soooo it can drive the midibox with it.yay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arkhan Posted June 14, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 14, 2007 http://www.crystalfontz.com/products/2002l/index.html#CFAH2002LTMIETis this a usable LCD? Because that color scheme does a Commodore related item justice! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthernLightX Posted June 14, 2007 Report Share Posted June 14, 2007 please try to compare the datasheet (http://www.crystalfontz.com/products/2002l/CFAH2002L_Yxx_one_to_one.pdf) with the info on lCDs on uCApps, before asking everybody over here to do all the searchinf for you.A question like "This LCD has controller acbxyz, that works, right?" sounds so much more interested that just "hey does this lcd work?" - at least to me, but I'm a cranky old bastard (quote from respectable forum member) ;D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arkhan Posted June 14, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 14, 2007 If I knew what you were talking about there, I probably would have mentioned it lol.I didnt know there was controller differences.......I just noticed that the board itself was a different size than the one someone else posted... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBanner Posted June 14, 2007 Report Share Posted June 14, 2007 If I knew what you were talking about there, I probably would have mentioned it lolso that means you need to hit the books my son!start searching and reading, everything you need to know is on the site, but ppl round here aren't gonna do the work for you.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthernLightX Posted June 14, 2007 Report Share Posted June 14, 2007 Just to give you a nudge in the right direction:Go to http://ucapps.de/mbhp_lcd.htmlIn the first description of character LCD screens the hitachi HD44780 or compatible controller is mentioned to be the most used controller, and compatible with midibox.Now open that PDF I linked for you and try to find the text "HD44780" - if it's in there, chances are good it's a usable LCD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dubka Posted June 14, 2007 Report Share Posted June 14, 2007 I seem to remember reading something about being able to switch something so that an lcd with negative voltage or polarity or whatever (like that one) would work... but I can't remember where I read it coz I quickly opted for a +5v one that I knew should work. But yeah, I gather any HD44780 can be made to work, one way or another.Martin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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