pyromusical... possible to daisy chain 12 or more cores?; at what distance?

MIDIbox HUIs
1

I am working on something slightly different from what a midibox is supposed to do.

I am building a firing system that will be able to trigger several outputs at different times all operated from a PC over a long distance.

This will trigger a max of 1000+ outputs in 12 different locations. (12 cores daisy chained, max 128 o/p each core)

I would like to know what is the max distance possible between one core and another, or if it can be converted to rs485.

I am also looking for a software that will be able to program firing cues and output midi notes at programmed times to trigger outputs.

A long time ago I met something similar on the net, with the only difference that it was a musical fountain.

Thanks a lot

2

Hi,

according to the MIDI spec, the maximum cable length is 50 feet (see  http://www.midi.org/about-midi/electrical.shtml)

If this is not long enough, it makes sense to get use of the RS422 approach (bipolar Rx/Tx line). There are converter chips available, e.g. from Maxim: MAX489E, which should work, but I never tried this chip by myself…

Best Regards, Thorsten.

3

Can I connect 12 cores with a different address each. I am under the impression that the max is 8 cores. Am i right?

What about the coregraphy software?

Thanks

4

No, the number of available MIOS IDs is 128 (00..7F)

Best Regards, Thorsten.

5

So, that’s great. I assume that the modules needs to be preprogrammed and cannot be done from lcd, right?

Also is there a way that I can monitor the outputs if shorted to ground from the pc?

Which software is ideal to address and output?

thankx

6

Yes, you have to assign different MIDI channels to the MIDI outputs. This can be done with the mk_midio128_syx script

Monitoring would only be possible if you would use DINs which are directly connected to the DOUTs. In addition, a special software would be required which is able to request the DIN values, and to compare them with the DOUT values.

I don’t know which software is ideal for your plans, but I guess that any MIDI sequencer could be used.

Best Regards, Thorsten.