Making a controller instrument!

MIDIbox HUIs
1

Hello, this is my first post here!  :slight_smile:

Nice place, btw!

So, im building a sort of instrument. It will look like a guitar, but with pots and joysticks, and trigger buttons on the neck. Controlling instruments, sequences and samples with Ableton Live.

It will have 4 or 8 joysticks, 8x keypads with 16 keys from grayhill etc, a stripped BCR2000, and a wireless midi system from MIDIjet.

I have taken apart my bcr2000 a couple of times, and it can get a lot slimmer, actualy. I bought it for this purpose, so its no problem taking it apart!

I have no clue how to put this together into one system though, and was adviced towards this place! I would be most gratefull for any imput on the matter!

Id like to get totaly wireless, but ive realised it will need a lot of batteries when using a lot of lights. But I can live with one power cable. The midi should be wireless. Reason is I will be moving around with this device when using it. Though of cource the optimal system would be with batteries.

Do I need a spesiffic part to solder this together, or can I use the BCR2000 as the motherboard system? It would be nice to be able to save presets as you can with it out of the box, with the included joysticks and keypads.

Heres links to the parts so far:

http://www.businessvision.net/edge/Main.asp?D=%7BBE60A8B9%2DF546%2D4D43%2DBE79%2D7D29681EC588%7D&PageType=Product&SKU=13%2DMID%2DWMJ%2D001

http://www.elfa.se/elfa-bin/setpage.pl?http://www.elfa.se/elfa-bin/dyndok.pl?dok=125953.htm

http://www.mgrind.com/900keypad.html or  http://store.yahoo.com/membrane-switches/tacmemswit.html or http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3859807361

http://www.behringer.com/BCR2000/index.cfm?lang=ENG

Kim

2

I have taken apart my bcr2000 a couple of times, and it can get a lot slimmer, actually. I bought it for this purpose, so its no problem taking it apart!

Funny, I’ve considered getting a “BCF” for that very reason. ;D It’s almost as cheap as buying all the parts.

I had always figured they had smushed those things down as tight as they could get, but evidently not. :wink:

Too lo-tech to help much on the questions, but I can try:

I would guess the power thing should be possible in “theory”, but you’d need to get a total of the amperage and all between it , and the wireless MIDI guy. I’ve got a feeling it might get sort of “heavy” on power. :cry: I’ve occasionally wondered what could be done with laptop battery packs. I’ve got a few here, as well as a big, brand new, external thing for an old Mac PowerBook, which supposedly holds a much longer charge.

I’m pretty sure that if you’re changing the layout much, you may need to take a short ribbon or something from the main pot board to the part(s) or board(s) you use (soldering). Don’t know the inside like you do, but if all that junk is on one board, and you keep the layout, it’d be easiest just to use theirs (except the switches or whatever). It may also already have a removable ribbon thing headed to the board inside it (easy).

You’re getting sort of complicated, if you’re talking about adding any types of parts which aren’t already on the Behringer in some form. It looks like a bunch of encoders, lights, and buttons, so for joysticks or something, you may have to be one of those lunatics who can dig other people’s program code out of ROM or flash chips, rewrite it, and modify/add all the digital circuitry and crap. In that case, I’d probably try to build a machine that could fold space or something (might be easier and more useful).

That wireless thing looks like it’s more money than the knob box. Probably also smaller than itself inside. I’ve thought about that before and wondered if there were any existing DIY projects already out there. I know there’s all sorts of other serial wireless projects, so I would guess so. Sucks that you have to bump down to 31kHz “wired” MIDI before making the transmission. If Behringer had it onboard, it may have been something better between the two boxes.

Check that Grayhill thing for pinning. A few of us have the one with the removable clear caps, and it’s regular individual  momentary contacts with a common pin. Make sure it’s not a matrix hookup or something, as you’ll be dealing with their code and circuitry.

Most of those parts will probably have some common supply and ground pins, so if you go with a daughter board or whatever, you’ll probably get less wires than what it looks like, but you’ll still have a bunch, so be prepared.

I like your keypad better than mine. Why don’t you go ahead and buy that 20 piece batch for me? ;D

If you make him an offer on any singles, let us know what he’ll take. He’s only got a hundred and thirty-four. ;)   

Good Luck (and Welcome)!

George

3

Thanks! :slight_smile:

I see your point with the bcr code, did not think about that!! heheh ::slight_smile: Though the hardware should be usable!

The power suply and the midi i/o is the only thing that makes the device twice as thick. If you put it on the outside, it can be a lot slimmer. You can also take of the side pannels. It then turns into a squear metal box, wich choud be eazy to fit in my guitarish device thing.

I was under the impression that you did not need to program any code when building a midi  device, but I can see now that for saving programs, you of course need a software system! So im skipping that idea!! Maybe it is possible to save programs in midi ox/midi joke etc?

And back to my main question, I still dont know what I need to get the bcr, the joysticks and the keypads to work as one device!

All I know so far, is that I can eazily use a usb gamepad as a controller. I tested it and it worked 100% fine on my old mac, with a translator software similare to midi ox. It run pereftly with the hosts I tried it with. So if that worked, it should be possible to get theece things working together!

It should be possible to run the joysticks and the keypads on the bcr power, right? So I need to figure out how to conect the parts together, and send midi signals all together.. Is there a tool kit I need, that could fitt this project? Im green on this!  :-\

4

I have to ask… Why are you bothering with mashing together existing stuff? Why the BCR2000? Why not just build it out of the MBHP? Would be MUCH easier!

5

I have to ask… Why are you bothering with mashing together existing stuff? Why the BCR2000? Why not just build it out of the MBHP? Would be MUCH easier!

Well. besides that I thought it would be much eazier, the lights looks realy cool in the dark! lol :smiley:

No, but seriously its looks have some performing eye-candy value!

Ok, I understand the words “Much eazier”!!! Can you explaine why? Im okay with the design as it is, just could do with some added joysticks and triggers. I admitt openly that the leds that lights up around the knobs on the bcr apeals to me! I can maybe pick them of the circuit board, and re-use them, but would that be eazier?

6

You could reuse the hardware… you can also make your own LED rings, and aren’t limited to what they have already done.  Also you can buy joysticks that connect to the midibox you make and don’t have to use game controllers and such  ::)  It’s much better and more creative and plenty of eye candy to be done if you DIY.  Just look around.

7

Well. besides that I thought it would be much eazier, the lights looks realy cool in the dark! lol :smiley:

No, but seriously its looks have some performing eye-candy value!

Ok, I understand the words “Much eazier”!!! Can you explaine why? Im okay with the design as it is, just could do with some added joysticks and triggers. I admitt openly that the leds that lights up around the knobs on the bcr apeals to me! I can maybe pick them of the circuit board, and re-use them, but would that be eazier?

Fair enough, looks can be important… But if you look at the gallery, you’ll see that how it looks, is entirely up to you. You could easily have a faceplate just like the BCR’s built, and build the LEDrings for yourself, etc etc…

Why would it be much easier? well… to use an analogy:

You want a Ferrari (MIDIBox with customized features), but you really like the dashboard in your old ford (BCR). So you’re trying to soup up your old Ford, so it runs like a Ferrari. Much easier to buy a Ferrari, and customize the dashboard, no? :slight_smile:

The good thing about this, is that the Ferrari is also much cheaper!

8

You could reuse the hardware… you can also make your own LED rings, and aren’t limited to what they have already done.  Also you can buy joysticks that connect to the midibox you make and don’t have to use game controllers and such  ::)  It’s much better and more creative and plenty of eye candy to be done if you DIY.  Just look around.

Yes, if you look at the links in my first post, I have found some pretty desent joysticks, me thinks :wink:

9

Why would it be much easier? well… to use an analogy:

You want a Ferrari (MIDIBox with customized features), but you really like the dashboard in your old ford (BCR). So you’re trying to soup up your old Ford, so it runs like a Ferrari. Much easier to buy a Ferrari, and customize the dashboard, no? :slight_smile:

The good thing about this, is that the Ferrari is also much cheaper!

Why didnt you say so earlier? Thats just what im looking for! So where can I get this Ferrari? Remember, its the first time im on this planet :wink:

Take me to your leader!

10

Hi Sleepwalker,

I was under the impression that you did not need to program any code when building a midi  device, but I can see now that for saving programs, you of course need a software system! So im skipping that idea!! Maybe it is possible to save programs in midi ox/midi joke etc?

It’s not so difficult at all.

You can download a C-based ready-to-start Project. If you have some experience in any programming whatsoever, you might learn some C basics in one or two days.

The ability to store (and fire) PRG-CH isn’t a very complicated thing to implement in code.

And back to my main question, I still dont know what I need to get the bcr, the joysticks and the keypads to work as one device!

Yes and no.

The easiest would be to (internally) connect the MIDI-OUT of the bcr to the MIDI-IN of your DIY-MB.

Easy solution, isn’t it?

A “melting” of the two devices into one is not possible, except you only use the Interface Elements.

But I’d really check if buying pots and faders as parts isn’t the preferable solution instead of ripping apart a functioning Midi Controller Device… 10k pots are not so expensive!

Regards,

Michael

11

It’s not so difficult at all.

You can download a C-based ready-to-start Project. If you have some experience in any programming whatsoever, you might learn some C basics in one or two days.

The ability to store (and fire) PRG-CH isn’t a very complicated thing to implement in code.

Well, the thing is I have a concert with my band coming up soon, I have a new lable coming up and lots of tracks to finish for it, 1 big party, and one festival to arange towards the summer, so im realy-realy bizzy very soon! Of cource ive expected to use some time on this projet, but I did not expect all this so soon!

But it would just be killer to have that gitarish controller ready for the summer concerts…

Maybe someone would be interested in the work?

regards,

Kim

12

Hope im not sounding rude by asking for this, and I can ashure that the fee will be bouth respectable and atracrtive.

Anyway, its just a sugestion. I wish ofcource to do this myself for the lerning involved! Its just that time is running to fast for me now, thus I would pay almost anything to get some help with this, because it is esential for my band. If not I see this project quickly being pushed into the next winter already…

Maybe im such a noob on this right now, that everything sounds like chinece to me! But I know that its a fact that it will take a lot of time, juging by the tutorials posted around here! Months…