Technical questions for the MPC2000xl and the MPC2000
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By b.read Mon Nov 28, 2011 5:17 pm
Maaaaan that chump (chumps? Chump... :lol: ) can eat a poo sammich...
By JVC Mon Nov 28, 2011 5:50 pm
Envisionelec,

I'd like to say thank you and congratulations. Now we, MPC-2000/XL users, don't have to worry about the screen of death!
Also, I want to say that thank you for trying to keep the price of the replacement LCD screen to be affordable. I hope the new screen will be available for long period of time, as I don't know if I can afford the new screen right now (my MPC's screen is totally fine right now, but I want to replace it to the new one.)

envisionelec wrote:We've been notified that there are some folks out there that plan to reverse engineer the display so they can build their own or tell people where to buy it "off the shelf".

There have been many attempts (or maybe just talk) to remake the LCD screen, but no one has made it to the reality - until now. I don't think those lazy folks who're trying to steal your hard work can provide the LCD screen that are lower than yours.

By the way, this means we'll probably see a lot of used (original) MPC-2000 LCD screens on eBay in near future...
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By mr_debauch Mon Nov 28, 2011 5:54 pm
furthermore, I doubt one of the leaders in mpc parts sales would be stocking any competitor's screens though unless yours sold out and were no longer being made... right? so you already have an edge there anyways.
By envisionelec Tue Nov 29, 2011 2:07 am
mr_debauch wrote:furthermore, I doubt one of the leaders in mpc parts sales would be stocking any competitor's screens though unless yours sold out and were no longer being made... right? so you already have an edge there anyways.


Correct. The exclusivity contract goes both ways for a period of time (currently 2 years). If we decide that there are problems with either my ability to deliver on time or their ability to provide good customer service (I'm not talking onesey-twosey stuff), then the plug can be pulled and we both can seek competitive avenues. This is part of the contract.
That said, I am a reasonable person and want the best possible relationship with my distributors and customers. I consider grace before greed - every time. I'm low maintenance, and I intend to stay that way. Money comes and goes - and it always goes a lot faster if you're a jerk and don't value the people that made you. I recognize and live it. Peace. :wink:
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By mr_debauch Tue Nov 29, 2011 2:15 am
another mod (off topic from this thread due to the mpc model) or expansion you may be interested to look in to ... though I dont think the demand would be as high as this but something tells me the work would be much less as well... is manufacturing a VGA output for the 3000... the expansion already exists but seems to be rare... though sought after to a certain extent. You rarely ever see them for sale due to ... there not being many floating around that people are willing to part out of their machines.

Not sure what that would entail, but it may interest you.

I look forward to seeing these screens on some MPCs..
By envisionelec Tue Nov 29, 2011 2:17 am
tapedeck wrote:yea really where did you hear that? not around here for sure.

is modsman / jimmy2bts talkin **** again?!


No, not around here. I received word from a reliable source. :wink:

I can't suggest reverse-engineering as an alternative to a cheaper product. I think I've done it as inexpensively as possible. Can you save money by cutting out the dealer? Maybe. But think about it this way: I'm a manufacturer and I don't:

1. Warehouse product
2. Have a customer service center
3. Have a internationally-recognized website

These items are valuable to me - to the tune of the profit that the middle man makes. So even if you were to cut mpcstuff out of the middle, I would charge the same to cover the same costs. Net result: no savings at all and a bigger headache for me.
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By b.read Tue Nov 29, 2011 2:19 am
I second the taking on of 3000 vga cards after this endeavor. :D
By JVC Wed Nov 30, 2011 2:39 am
locotesmjr wrote:
mr_debauch wrote:another mod (off topic from this thread due to the mpc model) or expansion you may be interested to look in to ...

the 8MB upgrade for the 2K's it is also extremely rare and lots of people looks for it

I don't know how beneficial to have 8MB upgrade card. Sure, for MPC-2000 classic, it means you don't have to load OS image from floppy disk, etc., but for XL users, I don't think it is very beneficial. It is not like your MPC-2000 become 32+8MB RAM anyway.
By envisionelec Wed Nov 30, 2011 3:18 am
b.read wrote:I second the taking on of 3000 vga cards after this endeavor. :D


OK. From what I can tell from looking at various images on the net, the original controller uses a series of custom configured Lattice GAL chips which are obsolete. The common replacement these days is the FPGA. We can do that.

Someone want to loan us an IB-CRT and MPC3000 for evaluation? :)
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By mr_debauch Wed Nov 30, 2011 3:18 am
JVC wrote:
locotesmjr wrote:
mr_debauch wrote:another mod (off topic from this thread due to the mpc model) or expansion you may be interested to look in to ...

the 8MB upgrade for the 2K's it is also extremely rare and lots of people looks for it

I don't know how beneficial to have 8MB upgrade card. Sure, for MPC-2000 classic, it means you don't have to load OS image from floppy disk, etc., but for XL users, I don't think it is very beneficial. It is not like your MPC-2000 become 32+8MB RAM anyway.


from what I understand... while the XL can take the f-rom .. it requires an adapter (from what I hear) ... none the less... it is an extra bit of storage built in. Sure it isn't much, but in the XL maybe it could be used for a custom template (ie: tracks pre-named, sequences pre-named, tap averaging set to 4.. or what ever) I cant remember if anything would be autoloaded or not on the xl but that would be pretty neat.

however an f-rom for the 2000 classic? Hell yes. I have seen an f-rom on ebay for sale once in over 5 years...
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By mr_debauch Wed Nov 30, 2011 3:20 am
envisionelec wrote:
b.read wrote:I second the taking on of 3000 vga cards after this endeavor. :D


OK. From what I can tell from looking at various images on the net, the original controller uses a series of custom configured Lattice GAL chips which are obsolete. The common replacement these days is the FPGA. We can do that.

Someone want to loan us an IB-CRT and MPC3000 for evaluation? :)


I suggest posting your city location... if someone in the area has a 3000 with the vga output... maybe they would be down to help out.
By envisionelec Wed Nov 30, 2011 3:25 am
mr_debauch wrote:
envisionelec wrote:
b.read wrote:I second the taking on of 3000 vga cards after this endeavor. :D


OK. From what I can tell from looking at various images on the net, the original controller uses a series of custom configured Lattice GAL chips which are obsolete. The common replacement these days is the FPGA. We can do that.

Someone want to loan us an IB-CRT and MPC3000 for evaluation? :)


I suggest posting your city location... if someone in the area has a 3000 with the vga output... maybe they would be down to help out.


Dayton Ohio. I'm willing to drive to Indy, Cinci and Columbus.
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By b.read Wed Nov 30, 2011 3:57 am
Shoooooooot if I had one, I'd send it over for a bit to help the cause. They're rare as hens teeth these days though. I'm fairly certain there would be a pretty high demand for them if you can keep the price affordable.