Custom Din/Dout LEDs problem [solved] - some more questions

MIDIbox SEQ
1

Hello there! It looks like a busy day today :slight_smile:

Great news about ipad/midiboxing - Thorsten, you are forcing me to think that I need an ipad :slight_smile: in which i’m not interested otherwise :slight_smile: But I think it has no other connections than wireless (its usb is for its cam only I suppose), how you think you will connect it to midibox - through PC?

OK, down to topic

Today I finally launched my mbox sequencer. It looks like main board functions OK

  • I uploaded os4.2

  • sequencer restarted

  • screens are also functioning and it said it found SD card

  • buttons and encoders seem to work fine

but the problem is with leds - only GP leds function as I intended, others behave odly despite I edited MBSEQ_HW.V4 file on SD card and then uploaded sequencer os hex file once again.

for example:

  • in standard V4 config file it says LED_BEAT 1 7

  • in my V4 config file it is LED_BEAT 1 0

however sequencer still uses as it is written into standard file and beat led functions on SR 1 pin 7 not on SR 1 pin 0 as I stated in my config file, so it looks like it ignores my led settings (except GP which are fine) and used default ones.

Is this a software problem, or my settings file problem, or hardware problem?

My Din/Dout board is soldered as follows:

  1. SI and SO are chained accordingly

  2. RC and SC has two branches:

A is connected to In2 and In5,Out3 (and there are two 100pF caps in the branch between SC and VS, and RC and vs)

B is connected to In1,Out2 and Out1 and In3 and In4 and In7,Out4,In6 and In8,Out5 and Out6 and In9 and In10,Out7,In11 and Out8,In12 (and there are two 100pF caps in the branch between SC and VS, and RC and vs)

  1. there is polarized 100uF cap between VS and VD,

  2. pins for DOUT are soldered as follows:

SR1 0 - BPM (responds to forward)

SR1 1 - fast (responds to pause)

SR1 2 - loop (?)

SR1 3 - rew (responds to pattern)

SR1 4 - stop (responds to rewind)

SR1 5 - play (responds to loop)

SR1 6 - pause (responds to parameterA/C)

SR1 7 - fwd (responds ?)

SR2 0..7 - GP right (work fine)

SR3 0..7 - GP right dual colour (work fine)

SR4 0..7 - GP left (work fine)

SR5 0..7 - GP left dual colour (work fine)

SR6 0 - not used

SR6 1 - not used

SR6 2 - record (responds to stop)

SR6 3 - all (responds to song)

SR6 4 - song (responds ?)

SR6 5 - pattern (responds ?)

SR6 6 - mute (responds ?)

SR6 7 - solo (responds ?)

SR7 0 - edit (responds to parameterB/C

SR7 1 - step (also responds to parameterB/C)

SR7 2 - triggerA (responds ?)

SR7 3 - triggerB (responds ?)

SR7 4 - triggerC (responds ?)

SR7 5 - parameterA (responds ?)

SR7 6 - parameterB (responds ?)

SR7 7 - parameterC (responds ?)

SR8 0 - track4 (responds to gropup1)

SR8 1 - track3 (responds to gropup2)

SR8 2 - track2 (responds to gropup3)

SR8 3 - track1 (responds to gropup4)

SR8 4 - group4 (responds to track1)

SR8 5 - group3 (responds to track2)

SR8 6 - group2 (responds to track3)

SR8 7 - group1 (responds to track4)

My configuration file is attached (zippped)

And yet another issue

My laptop WinXP finds sequencer SD via USB and mounts it, but it says it can not open this SD card. When I remove it and open on PC with card reader windows opens it fine. Is this a windows problem or sequencer?

Best regards,

Gunars

[MBSEQ_HW.zip](< base_url >/applications/core/interface/file/attachment.php?id=7447)

2

Great news about ipad/midiboxing - Thorsten, you are forcing me to think that I need an ipad :slight_smile: in which i’m not interested otherwise :slight_smile: But I think it has no other connections than wireless (its usb is for its cam only I suppose), how you think you will connect it to midibox - through PC?

I’m not sure if the MIDI option is supported by Windows, but I’ve already implemented an OSC->MIDI proxy which should also work on a PC.

Alternatively, use a MBHP_CORE_STM32 together with a MBHP_ETH module to run a MIDI (and CV!) proxy (the appr. MIOS32 application is already prepared, but not released yet)

Or even better: run the MBSEQ V4 application on a MBHP_CORE_STM32 module and control it remotely from an iPad - this is probably the most efficient solution which guarantees best timings. :slight_smile:

But since you already built a control surface, using an iPad for a virtual BLM16x16 will probably be a better idea.

There are many possibilities… :wink:

however sequencer still uses as it is written into standard file and beat led functions on SR 1 pin 7 not on SR 1 pin 0 as I stated in my config file, so it looks like it ignores my led settings (except GP which are fine) and used default ones.

Is this a software problem, or my settings file problem, or hardware problem?

Did you power-cycle your MIDIbox?

The MBSEQ_HW.V4 file will only be read during the boot phase.

A short status message will pop up after boot which displays the loaded files, is HW marked with 1 or 0?

  1. RC and SC has two branches:

A is connected to In2 and In5,Out3 (and there are two 100pF caps in the branch between SC and VS, and RC and vs)

B is connected to In1,Out2 and Out1 and In3 and In4 and In7,Out4,In6 and In8,Out5 and Out6 and In9 and In10,Out7,In11 and Out8,In12 (and there are two 100pF caps in the branch between SC and VS, and RC and vs)

Btw.: mixing DIN and DOUT modules is dangerous. If you ever notice flickering LEDs, create a separate branch for DIN and DOUT modules. Keep the cables so short as possible.

If you don’t notice this effect, there is no need to change the cabling.

And yet another issue

My laptop WinXP finds sequencer SD via USB and mounts it, but it says it can not open this SD card. When I remove it and open on PC with card reader windows opens it fine. Is this a windows problem or sequencer?

I’m not sure :-/

All SD Cards I own will be mounted correctly under WinXP

Best Regards, Thorsten.

3

Hello Thorsten!

Thanks a lot for your answers.

Did you power-cycle your MIDIbox?

The MBSEQ_HW.V4 file will only be read during the boot phase.

A short status message will pop up after boot which displays the loaded files, is HW marked with 1 or 0?

I found the problem. It red HW file correctly, but pin order had to be reversed. Form this pdf schematic I learned that stand alone pin is 0, but in fact it is 7. but GP LEDs worked correctly because from this pdf schematic I learned that highest GP number goes to lowest pin. Ironically in reversed order my BPM led setting coincided with default setting - there was a confusion.

Btw.: mixing DIN and DOUT modules is dangerous. If you ever notice flickering LEDs, create a separate branch for DIN and DOUT modules. Keep the cables so short as possible.

If you don’t notice this effect, there is no need to change the cabling.

I’m not sure :-/

All SD Cards I own will be mounted correctly under WinXP

Best Regards, Thorsten.

OK I’ll keep in mind that. Currently LEDs do no flicker. In fact I planed separate lines for Dins and Douts, but due shortage of 0.5mm wires I changed my plans and soldered them in mixed way - so my wires are really as short as possible :). I hope to correct this if I get coloured 0.5 mm wires, which are hard to find here in Latvia (mailorder only seem to sell in rolls).

So my sequencer is up and running and now I have some questions about its functionality:

  1. Parameter Layer C is nearly always active (led is lit) in edit mode but Trigger C is not - is this correct and, if not, could it be relater to mixed RC/SC din/dout soldering or something else in HW file.

  2. How do you edit trigger layer settings? Although I can change trigger layers in upper line of display, the lower display line always show parameter layers so I can access only parameter layers for editing.

  3. Roll parameter is in both Trigger layer and Parameter layer settings - is it the same thing just accessible in two ways?

  4. left/right buttons work differently in different pages - for example, when selecting trigger layers C..D..E… both buttons work as intended left moves cursor left, right moves right, but in edit mode (when editing steps) I can only advance to next step with right button (left is inactive)

  5. I can change midi channel routing for track in track settings, but in mixer page changing midi channel number didn’t changed channel routing is that intended for incoming midi as in Menu/Midi/Routing page?

That’s all so far. I had not time to dwell any deep in to this wonderful beast yet

(just made this little sunday night test jam :slight_smile: - mbox is driving m3 synth ~20mb flashvideo)

and need to build a normal case for it first.

Thank you once again for developing this

fantastic midibox projects!

Best regards

Gunars