MIDIbox

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^ **>>** | Temporarly stopped due to lack of parts & free time. ^ **<<** ^
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====== ToS - Traktor 2/3 Controller Blog  ======

^{{http://static.flickr.com/96/buddyicons/82547392@N00.jpg?1160388355}}| Stonehenge is a portable sun dial, if you have enough people on hand to get things rolling. | \\
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This page is still under construction,what you can see here is a scrapbook for buliding/finishing the page when I finish my TDS MIDIBOX.



===== The quest =====
  * Found uCApps
About a year(or more) before this project was started, I accidentaly stumbled upon a ucapps'es MIDIBOX Gallery, back then I haven't realised what this was all about(a free code, open arhitecture, everything on a plate...) so I just carried on.

Traktor 2 made me do it! Traktor made me start a quest for a midi interface that is suitable for live mixing(bkz with only one mouse/keyb and two handz It's....ludicrous to make a mix the way I want it to be). So what else would I use but **G** and within the(mostly crappy) search results was, yees u guessed.
At first I wasn't aware what I've stumbled upon, just copied the link for later, but, after few days I came back and read about the project, the variety of layouts, the beauty of it all. Since I'm good with electronics(well...better than many) & computers I've decided to make myself one.
  * Made a layout
Layout below is aproximately a version 2, 2.5 and there are still changes to add(mostly Traktor 3 compatibility).

^{{http://img130.imageshack.us/img130/9923/midibox19ex.th.jpg}}| 22pots/fdrs \\ 30buttons \\ 2 encoders \\ and few leds | outdated, keep reading... |

  * Ordered core chip (there were nowhere to be found in my town so one of electronic shops oredered 5pcs just for me to buy one :D, hopefully that won't be the las one I bought )
  * Ordered other electornic parts 
  After one week, when a chip arrived, I made a list of all parts and went to the electonics shop(like 10minutes before they're supposed to close). \\ 
The part of dialogue was: \\
-clerk: "What, you niid all this NOW?"(worried face) \\
-me: "Weellll,(stalled a bit) no." \\
-clerk: (sigh)"Goot, drop by tomorow, it will be ready for you." \\
The ting I like about that shop is that there is like 3,4 female clerks and they are all nice to the customers. Tomorow i didn't brought enoguh money(actualy almost no money) luckily I had a friend with me so we managed to cover the price(using the coins(nickles, dimes)).
  * Ordered PCBs, after 2 weekz, got them. [core, AINx4, DINx4, DOUTx4, BURNER]
  And then there was this stall bkz I couldn't decide what to do about etcinhg, to make PCBs or to order them to be made for me by professional etching workshop. I'm quite glad that the descision was the latter one(and a bit expensive).












===== The torment =====

  * built the burner
  When I got the PCBs I was happy like a little girl discovering an orgasm(though I don't know hou it looks like), nooo, I didn't ran of to home and my (untrusty) solder. I've finished all the bussiniss that I had and then headed towards the home, easily. Came home and soldered deeply into the night.
  * problems powering the burner
  See, I don't have mone to waste so I've decide that I dont need two(stinkin') 9V batteries(after all, I can buy for that much money 2-3 pots). So when the burner was done I searched around the house for a power supply with enough voltage so I can fryyyy mie PIC. Guess what, I found it...a Pentium 1 AT power supply. You see, thiese supplies have +12 and -12 volts output and I tought to myself, "Well, that should be enough...". It was enough but it made sparks, fireworks out of my MBHP_BURNER's PCB. **People don't make this mistake!!** \\
[[http://www.midibox.org/forum/index.php?topic=6906.0|Forum link with details]] \\
  * Flashed the pic
  * midi cable out of mouse cable
  * switching +5 & ground
Since I was using J11 to connect CORE with gameport with standard 3 pin CPU Fan connector CORE side i accidentally switched sides of J11 and connected: \\ J11[IN] <-> PC[IN] \\ J11[OUT] <-> PC[OUT] \\ J11[Vcc] <-> PC[GND] \\
Funny thing, I got the problem with swapped IN/OUT and swapped them on connector but i got another pcb line burned out. Luckily, MIDI is built to send data in negative logic(high voltage is logical 1 and low is 0) so there was not much inverted polarity. Nothing happened to the PIC. [To bE CONTINUEd...]
  * troubles about uploading MIOS
[[http://www.midibox.org/forum/index.php?topic=6974.0|Forum link with details]]
  * got LCD from Sasa Djuric
  * found a reason why MIOS upload wasn't workin'
I've replaced CORE R6 (1.2k) with 100R and since the MIDI sending is done in inverse logic the PIC wasn't receiving enough-ly variable voltage while sysex was beeing sent.
  * start of programming & case quest
I've decided not to make cables nor connect modules to the core until I find a good case to be recycled for my BOX.
  * casing
Soo, one less Commodore 128D on this planet. It is the American version with full metal casing. It's heavy, darn heavy and has a built in PSU so I don't need to bother. The plan was to, strip everything that can be stripped from the main board (resistors, caps, diodes...) except for the integrated circuits, then make holes in the C128 pcb so I can mount CORE and other pcbs ontop of existing ICs the way that they are used as spacers. To tell you the truth, it works like a charm, it is easy and fastest mounting I've ever done.
I have evicted the 5.25" FDD and used It's [door knob] hole for front headphones jack. Don't know how to seal the 5" floppy cut.
Now I have a large case with built in PSU(euro connector(aka PC style), power switch, sexy red power diode included) and ~midi connector on the back that was left on the old board and wired to the core. Usefull dimensions are: 415(w)x309(h) mm
^[[http://www.flickr.com/photos/tosys/211407406/?#preview|{{http://static.flickr.com/81/211407406_0d547ce60b_m.jpg}}]]| 40 pots/faders \\ 54 buttons/touchsensors \\ 2 encoders \\ and 28 leds |
Heh, I have space, why not use it.
  * pots from sasa
received 35 fine pots, nice hardware, nice price.
  * fried the 4x20LCD
Ever tried to swap data lines with control/voltage lines, well, dont! I did(unintentionally) and the result is fully functional LCD with input logic fried. No LCD for the next month.
  * idea of connecting front plate with electronics [3x40 pin-EIDE connector style]
with so many soldering I'll probably go nuts but the final product will be...clean and easy to dissasemble. And there is no need to buy new flat-cable cause I can use my old IDE cables all with connectors attached. Hassle free.
  * effects selector [just a pot, needs research / coding]
This function is specific for TDS3 since it has 6+1 effect for each channel.
Efects selector(pot or encoder) should have a custom function assigned to it(along with sending CC value), so when you switch with it to another effect the 4 effect-buttons-state-LEDs should change their state to the one that was last time that effect was on. So on affect change there is: \\
--store current state of buttons (for old effect) \\
--restore selected (new)effect's state \\
--send CC \\
  * VU meter
testing...
  * x-fade
I found a mixer crossfader(StageLine MPX-460) for reasonable price (8€). The initial plan was to install a 4.5cm Infinium optical xfader but this one will do the trick just fine, at least for starters.
  * jog dials
I must find something for jog dials or molest moxi to make something that i like and then get them from France.


^ **>>** | Temporarly stopped due to lack of parts & free time. ^ **<<** ^

===== Elements to add / Ideas =====
**LED/Analogue VU meter** [got one, AN6884, -10 -5 0 3 6 dB] \\
**Switches on each transport** so you can select which player you want to control [for TDS3, needs reprogramming] \\
**Scratch/wind/select plates** [needs research & development] \\
**touchsensors on scratch plates** [research how to connect rotating touchplate with nonrotating signal wire] \\
**touchsensors instead of some buttons** [how to make sensors, what material, how to mount?] \\
**hardware reverse switch for some pots** [draw picture, check wether that would cause jitter] \\
**for some of the pot's a middle indication** wia led(ie. Equaliser, Filter-Q, Pan). [needs programming and is quite a problem to wire-up & set up on faceplate] \\ \\
**Scan tunrtable spin rate with optical mouse
**Use PDA for interactive menus
**Rotary switch with ressistors


===== Thanx to =====
^             TK|for creating such'a lovely project & intensive support |
^    Sasa Djuric|for sendin' me this lovely 4x20 LCD and pots and for sharing loads of valuable information |
^  MIDIBOX Forum|there are few really special members out there, I should not name anyone as I might overlook someone |
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