Update: Some News (My Beloved and soon to be MB64)

[Pablop]

You may think it’s another midibox, and you’d be right. But for me, it’s the one and only love! 

First some pictures of it’s birth, when it was only some PCBs in a shoe box…

Some close-ups of the hand-made PCBs (photocopy method). They’re harsh, aren’t

they?. Still love them, since they do they’re job!

The day it became alive… I was sooo happy!

Well, not really. That day is long ago (two or three years, couldn’t tell).

Note: The holes in the “board” are the places where the 8 pots were placed.

This was of course a testing start. I tried a little programming, to send RPN or NPRN with 9bit resolution (Pic gives 10, but LSB wasn’t stable)

Values are not stable because of the removed pots.

One of the PCBs bottoms, and the non-pro technique to make them!

(now I’m getting better!)

My designs of the case in paper (Illustrator)

Because of costs, I made them laser-cut in a hard carton (named MDF in my country). Thery’re 3, the front panel, just the buttons stick to it. The lowest panel, where pots and sliders get stuffed, and a medium panel, put there to lower the position of the knobs, so that they are not “flying” over the front panel.

Some pictures of how it should look in a near future. It’s a shame the buttons and knobs I can get here are sooo bad-looking and low quality.  :-  But, anyway, what matters is inside!  ;D

Last for now, some solderings from behind.

I’m willing to get it finished, so I hope I’ll have some news soon.

Ah!! You’re welcome home!

Cya,

Pablop

[cimo]

hey pablo

thumbs up !!

i am working on a DIY version of the CORE .pcb file for people like you who are etching at home..

looking forward to see it finished!

simone

[Pablop]

Thanx, cimo. I have etched my best PCB today! Doesn’t it look good?  8)

looking forward to see it finished!

Me too! I’ll keep working.

[Sasha]

Pablop, are you sure that material is MDF? Im asking it because MDF is not a really carton, it is more fine grain wood dust mixed with alot of glue. My laserman showed me some cutting result of MDF (bit thicker than yours) and it wasnt very good. Apparently MDF have big percentage of glue in it so it is not so good for cutting. Process is slow and generates alot of bad smoke.  :-\

[stryd_one]

Sasha: You’re right, but fortunately MDF comes in different densities, so you can find it with more wood and less glue.

I think I’ve seen this stuff before, it looks similar to the stuff that they use on the backs of furniture like chests of drawers and such.

[Sasha]

I think I’ve seen this stuff before, it looks similar to the stuff that they use on the backs of furniture like chests of drawers and such.

Hmm, we have different name for the material that goes at the back of the furniture. But those two really look alike. I was really disappointed what laserman told me about cutting MDF problem as I really like that material. I find it great for alot of projects and it`s surface is superb. I made some nice furniture out of MDF and there is no any joint or screw visible… like it was casted. I really love it!

I rather rely on laser beam than on the unsharp eye of an carpenters, needless to say you cannot realize small and complex cuts without thin cutting tool - laser beam. I never tried waterjet machine for MDF.

Pablop, sorry if I gone much off topic. I`ll behave.

[Pablop]

Well, this is the way they call it here (Argentina). Yes, I think you’re right. It’s more a synthetic wood. I am very pleased with the cuts, they were very precise.

The idea came from an architect friend of mine. They use this material a lot for the models of their design. As you can imagine, they make lots of cuts for that purpose. As you can see in the photos, the material around the cuts is “burnt”. But the cuts had a precision of aproximately half a milimeter. I think the best example is in the vertical cuts for the faders. Now, behave, and in penalty go check my Bankstick PCB!  ;D Kidding

Cya

Pablop

[Screaming_Rabbit]

For me (as far as I can see on the pictures) it definitely is MDF.

I think I’ve seen this stuff before, it looks similar to the stuff that they use on the backs of furniture like chests of drawers and such

… I think you’re talking about “hardboard” or in German “Hartfaser-Platte”

I never tried waterjet machine for MDF.

… you better don’t. - MDF and its glue doesn’t like water 

Greets, Roger

[Pablop]

News:

All stuff needed to run 32 pots and 32 (DINX4)+ 16 (DINX2) buttons already put in place.

The creature is alive! Some little videos:

www.giboon.com/pablop/mb64/DSCF7330.AVI

www.giboon.com/pablop/mb64/DSCF7336.AVI

www.giboon.com/pablop/mb64/DSCF7338.AVI

Completing the rest of the circuitry. You can see the 4 ICs Bankstick PCB to the right.

New knobs for my baby (those at the right, of course!)

Reaching completion. Latest looks. It´s possible that in a near future I’ll make a design in Vynil (we call it “ploteo”) to stick it to the front panel.

To do: the case!

[Sasha]

Congratulations Pablop. 

[stryd_one]

Yeh well done

[Pablop]

Hehe! Thanx! I’m really thankful for all the knowledge given here. Although I’ve written very little, it’s been some years from now I started working on it and reading in the forum, wiki, etc. I’m playing with it at the moment, and is as great as I imagined, and I hope I will be able to make more out of it. My next step, I think is learning to program it. I’ve done some first steps, when she was in the shoe-box, but now it is more motivating!

You can see that I took the hard way, etching and drilling the PCBs, etc. But I can assure that it has it special flavour when you complete the task!

I’m planning a few expansions for it (a merged midi in, i will be asking in another topic a few questions) and I’ starting to plan a “modular” version. Maybe is not a very original idea, since all the hardware is already modular, but my idea is to build different smaller units, which you could use together or not. Example, a little box for the core and LCD, for realtime-processing of midi data. It should have connectors to plug other boxes that could have DINs for Encoders, or AINs for pots, etc.

I cannot tell when I will be making it, since I want to enjoy my new MIDIBOX, but I like the idea.

What do you guys think?

[stryd_one]

The modular idea is an old one but a good one. There’s a design concept image in the ucapps gallery, and the mawser that followed some years later