DIY midi-faderbox for JJOSXL

Inspired by the last JJOSXL releases i decided to build a compact no nonsense controller for my MPC1000. It's "old school" midi controller with 8 faders and 5-pin din connector(not USB like 99% of the controllers made today). Built around an ATmega328 you could call it an Arduino standalone. It uses a 4051 multiplexer to allow for 8 inputs. I added a second DC power connector so it can piggy back the power(consumtion is very low) off an adapter for other small gear. It has a voltage regulator and can handle something like 7-15 volts input. Here are some pictures and a video of a song sketch and Goldbaby's MPC60/TR-707 samples.






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Thats cool.

start a proto-type........ & sell me r'ass 1
cool still tho

really, really nice.
you using the twillman midi library?
http://timothytwillman.com/itp_blog/?page_id=240

could you upload your code? i bought a bunch of 4051s a while back to use with the arduino but ive been too busy with other products. i would love to see how you handled them. assuming you wrote this in C++

Nym wrote: but ive been too busy with other products.

hey Nym! whatup? good to see you around again.

i remember you had a couple of homebrew projects going with your 1000. i seem to recall one of them was trying to get full-sized pads working in the 1000 enclosure, and some custom midi controllers as well.

did anything come of these? i'd be interested to see some of the stuff you've been working on.

mr.pleasant wrote:start a proto-type........ & sell me r'ass 1
cool still tho

If there's enough interest i will consider making a run of these. I'd have to look into getting the casing machined and circuit-boards made because most of the production time went into making those.

Nym wrote: really, really nice.
you using the twillman midi library?
http://timothytwillman.com/itp_blog/?page_id=240

could you upload your code? i bought a bunch of 4051s a while back to use with the arduino but ive been too busy with other products. i would love to see how you handled them. assuming you wrote this in C++

Its all coded in the Arduino development environment. Midi output is real simple and i referenced the examples for most of the code. Here's the example for the 4051:

http://www.arduino.cc/playground/Learning/4051

and i borrowed from this for the midi CC output:

http://www.arduino.cc/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaB ... 1165833586

I want to take a fresh look at the code and clean it up. Then i'll post it.

hah real copy n paste job huh? that's cool. that's what arduino is all about.

good to know that the 4051s are not at all hard to get working. when the album is done/out of the house i'm gonna finish my theremin and start building a piezo drumkit. will def need the mux for that.

if you continue working w/ midi on the arduino, i highly suggest that twillman library i posted. for real. if you thought the cc output tutorial was simple, you'll REALLY like the twillman library.

keep making midi controllers.

sooty - hey, good to hear from you. the mpc1000xl is still in my scrapdrawer. i may finish it one day. didn't hit a roadblock so much as i lost interest for the time being. i got it working to the point where the screen was connected via VGA cable to a breakout box. i tell you, powering on the mpc1000xl w/ the screen attached via cable was a trip. i'll finish the project someday even just to get that feeling again.

however, i been busy with an album, a midi theremin, a couple of classes, work, and living the good life with the lady here in san francisco. my goal is innovation. all i'm changing about the 1kxl is the hardware...i figure that doesn't so much improve my use of it as it is "doing it for the helluvit."

Nym wrote:good to know that the 4051s are not at all hard to get working. when the album is done/out of the house i'm gonna finish my theremin and start building a piezo drumkit. will def need the mux for that.

Yeah, real simple. Basically you just tell the 4051 which input to read with binary from the atmels outputs. In the case of the controller i'm scanning the inputs as fast as possible and storing each value then only sending a midiCC if the value has changed since the last scan.

if you continue working w/ midi on the arduino, i highly suggest that twillman library i posted. for real. if you thought the cc output tutorial was simple, you'll REALLY like the twillman library.

keep making midi controllers.

I'll check it out soon. For now i need to get in the studio and make some tracks!

Will wait for a kit, and buy a bunch

Please make a kit!

Oh Defintely - I'd be keen for a kit, or even a step by step for the electronically illiterate..

eimer wrote:Will wait for a kit, and buy a bunch

Please make a kit!

+1

thats cool man! I've been toying with a miduino on and off for a while, but that can only accept 6 analogue inputs. How do you get it read the other two analogue faders.. kind of hope its something simple... but not so simple that i feel stupid!haha

that's what the 4051 multiplexer is for, mikolo - it can be used to turn 1 input into 8.
which leads me to ask if the original poster used all 8 faders on the mux, or 3 on the mux and the other 5 on the rest on the free analog inputs?

nice!

this thread has reminded me I need to put my meeblip together and make a case for it - how did you make your case? this will be the first time I've needed to build a case like that, not really sure where to start!

then I want to rewrite the firmware in C++ so I can hack on it without working in bloody assembler code ...

lagezon - thanks for sharing. that's a nice controller. i haven't got into the whole arduino thing yet, but i'm interested nonetheless. i've been thinking about building a controller for a while as well. but i'd like to add 8 rotary encoders for pan adjustments or effects. my axiom 49 does the job. but there's times i travel with the mpc, so a compact controller that fits right in my gig bag would be ideal.

nym - good to have you back. lookin' forward to catching up with you.

pastor - glad to hear you mentioned meeblip. i was trying to remember the name of that kit after i lost all my favorite links on my old computer. i've been looking forward to having meeblip in the studio. thanks mate.