It costs mere pounds to make a handful of boards yourself and there’s a lot more room for experimentation! If something goes wrong and you’ve connected the an output to the wrong input, you can just re-design the diagram and start again that night.

Take a look:
DIY Double Sided PCB/Circuit Board Etching

• Circuit-Diagram

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• Diagram Printed

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• Mask Board Size

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• Prep board for transfer

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• Cut out magazine paper

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• Iron design onto the copper

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• Remove Paper

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• Succesful Transfer

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• Mask back of board with Brown Tape

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• Fill In Mistakes

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• Etch the Board

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• Remove Toner

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• Completed Front

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• Completed Back

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• Drill Holes

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• Cutout and Drilled

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• Sand/Prep for Tinning

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• Tin the Board

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• Completed PCB

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Complete Set

Complete MidiBox Modules

I got a new set of modules from SmashTV (the last pack were from Mikes MidiShop) and build them all up. I must say I love these ones as you don’t have to make your own bridges or solder capacitors onto the bottom due to them being double sided!

All the ICs are now packed and the core is talking to the wonderful new MIOS Studio 2 which gets around the problem of the Java Midi thing (Thanks TK).

I have attached these boards to a bit of perspex that SHOULD fit inside the boxes, but I’m going to have to make room for the GM5, PSU and the ports, so recon I’ll have to stack these vertically.

Machined Boxes

Machined Boxes!

I got this picture back straight from the factory the other day and nearly wet myself! It’s really exciting to finally see something more than circuit boards and cables.

So all thats left on the case side is for them to powder-coat it black and apparently the perspex faceplates will be done this week!

Click for Layout of all PCBs

Custom PCBs

I have been designing my own PCBs in Illustrator and doing test boards using the Toner Method (more on that in another article).

I have now designed all the boards for the first box, needing only slight modification for the second.

In the coming weeks I should be able to finish all of them off and have a fully working prototype waiting for when the boxes arrive!

LEDs in the Light

LEDs & Buttons!

The first board has been etched and hooked up to the DIN/DOUT modules and I’m happy to confirm it’s all working!

The CORE is currently running MIDIO128 as a test program, which turns on corresponding LEDs when a button is pressed. I’ve also done some quick tests in Traktor and can map the MIDI command to trigger que points or whatever I want. Haven’t tested sending MIDI OUT back to the controller yet, but it’s on my To-Do list.

Whats Next?

There is still a lot of work ahead to get this up and running, but I’m happy with the progress so far! Next I have to etch the rest of the boards, hook up all the LEDs/Cables and then get down to buisness with MIDI Mappings.

Once the boxes come I’ll be able to start planning out the layout of the “Modules” inside and hook them up properly. Then I should be able to work out how much space is in the for the PSU and IEC ports as well as finding room for the GM5 USB module.

I decided to go for the kits from Smash TV as they were screen printed, double sided boards which meant I wouldn’t have to run bridges around the place like on a single sided board, making my life that little bit easier. If you’re in Europe it might be easier to just go with Mikes MIDI Shop and avoid the import tax and long delivery times; Both sets achieve the same results.

MIDIBox Core

The Core

This is the brains of the operation; Based on a PIC18F452 microcontroller, this unit sends/receives data from the other modules and handles all the MIDI data as well as distributing power to everywhere else. In short it’s the boss.

Both SmashTV and Mikes send the chip to you with a bootloader already on it, so it’s easy for you to get up and running.

GM5 USB Module

GM5 USB Module

This board will give your controller a USB interface so you only need the one cable. It supports the “USB MIDI Protocol” so there is no need for any drivers etc and connects straight to the MIDI IN/OUT on the Core.

You’ll have to surface mount the chip, which isn’t as hard as you may think. With a bit of liquid flux and copper braid it’s a really quick job.

DIN Module

DIN Module

The DIN module receives button presses and passes them onto the core. It detects a button has been pressed when it completes a circuit and receives a current on one of the pins.

It can handle up to 32 buttons per module and you can use 2 per core for a total of 64 buttons.

DOUT Module

DOUT Module

The DOUT module handles LEDs which you can use as status displays for visual feedback. It receives information from the core telling it to turn a certain LED on and gives then gives it some juice.

It can handle up to 32 LEDs per module and you can use 2 per core (same as the DIN) for a total of 64 LEDs.

AIN Module

AIN Module

Lastly, the AIN module handles potentiometers (Knobs, Pots). When you adjust a pot, it adjusts the voltage going back to the AIN for that one pot, which is then used to work out what the value is.

Same as the other two, this board can handle up to 32 pots per module and you can chain 2 together for a total of 64 pots.

Complete Set

Complete Set

This is a full set of boards for my project consisting of 1xCore, 2xDIN, 2xDOUT and 1xAIN as well as a GM5 to make it all USB.

Having completed this I’ve done some preliminary tests with the new MIOS Studio and seem to be able to communicate with the Core perfectly. So now I just have to connect all the modules together with cables and stuff the IC Sockets (then the real fun will begin).

I hope this might inspire someone to go and do their own projects as I barely knew how to wire up some LEDs before I started! But the guys over at UCAPPS are really helpful and the wiki is invaluable!

I sent them some sketches/dimensions and they did a bit of CAD magic, creating all the schematic diagrams for me. It took a few iterations to get things right; It was mainly the box that was causing me issues as the supporting ridge for the faceplate made it a very tight squeeze for the circuit boards to fit in, if not impossible. The solution was to just have “beams” for fastening bolts through the faceplate instead of the ridge, this gave more room for the boards (after a bit of modification anyway).

The idea is to have all the MIDIBox circuits, the CORE, AINX, DINX, DOUT etc secured to a length of perspex inserted into the bottom of the case. Then there is two layers of perspex, a bottom layer that’ll sit flush in the box and have all the button/pots attached from the underneath and a top layer which is purely for aesthetics, hiding all the bolts needed to attach everything and also have embossed labels for each control.

I hope to get a semi-professional look out of the case, even if the internals will be a bit of a mess. The plans were sent off to manufacture today, so hopefully should receive the finished result within a few weeks!

View Blueprint Gallery

You can visit my soundcloud page or listen to it here:

I took some pictures while building it and have just made an instructable documenting the procedure. It’s a really cheap way of getting a custom desk to hold all your crap and doesn’t look too bad in my opinion.

Check it out here.

The buttons themselves are ingenious, based on the ones used for the Monome. They are made of Silicone rubber that is moulded thinner at the bottom so they collapse in on themselves when pushed (which feels really nice). On the underside it has a conductive circular strip that completes the circuit when it hits the PCB, which consists of two circles, one for positive and one for negative with inter-locking “cogs” to make sure wherever you hit, it’ll make the connection.

The circuit boards from sparkfun only come in 4×4 squares, so I’ll have to make my own boards in the different sizes needed, but they have kindly given away the Eagle files which make it a lot easier to do.

The thumbsticks are just like the ones used in the Playstation controllers which I’ll be using to kick off multiple effects at once. They consist of two regular potentiometers on their sides at 90 degrees to each other as well as a regular button, so they’re compatible with the MIDIbox64 and easy to wire. I bought the breakout boards as well to make things even easier and make sure they’ll put up with some punishment.

Now I’ll have to get the case and faceplates made up and finish off the MIDIbox circuit boards so I can get these working!

If you are going to use this I’d suggest having a quick read through the entire post, which has a run down of what everything does, so you don’t ruin your set and curse my name because you thought the kill button did something else!

XONE:1D Traktor Map

Lets start with the buttons at the bottom. These are your most important buttons and you need to pay attention to which one you hit last as they will set which deck is currently active. Most of the other buttons will work on the current deck, so you could really mess things up if you’re not paying attention. They also act as your Play, Cue and Sync buttons when paired with the shift modifier (the blue button above the wheel). The button at the end is free for you to add your own MIDI command to if you like.

The “Scratch Wheel” scrolls through your track list as well as scrubbing the timeline of the current deck with the shift modifier. If you click the wheel down on the left it will expand the browser window, right will expand the selected folder tree and up/down will skip the track list a page either way.

Next, the rotary incoder; Turning it will scroll through your playlist tree, pressing it will load the currently selected track into the active deck and a shift press will preview the track.

Moving onto the shift key, you should now know what this does. Holding it down will swap any button or knob with blue writing next to it to that function. The two FX buttons will swap your current effects section from FX1 to FX2 (I have FX1 set to “Chained” and FX2 to “Advanced”). It will make the effects knobs control only the side you have chosen as well as turning off the other side for all decks. And the kill button does not destroy anyone demanding you play their favourite song, instead  it will cut all effects and loops on all decks (handy when everything starts going wrong).

Next on the controller is the FX:On buttons. These will turn the current FX chain (chosen by the red FX buttons) on or off for decks A-D. Above those, the Cues will jump-to/play your stored cue points 1-4 and 5-8 with the shift modifier for your currently active deck.

This next bit is the mixer section with the volume sliders doing the obvious, as well as the filter which doubles up as a key changer with the modifier on, all working on their individually assigned decks. The Effects knobs will modify the effects section you have specified with the FX buttons, changing between FX1 and FX2.

The Loop encoder on the final row will set the loop size of the active deck when turned, set/activate the loop with a push and will activate/deactivate looping without setting a cue using the shift button. Lastly Effects 1-3 will choose which effects you are going to use (only the first one will when in FX2 mode) and turn on the effects with a push.

There will be numerous different ways you could map this controller and this is just my take on it, but I hope it helps a few people out when they first start using the 1D and then they can add/modify it to their own needs.

Download:
MONSTA – Xone:1D Traktor Map

]]> http://www.monstamusic.co.uk/2009/09/xone1d-traktor-map/feed/ 1 http://www.monstamusic.co.uk/2009/09/midi-controller-project/ http://www.monstamusic.co.uk/2009/09/midi-controller-project/#comments Sat, 12 Sep 2009 11:01:42 +0000 MONSTA http://www.monstamusic.co.uk/?p=9 I’ve been searching for the “perfect” controller since making the transition from vinyl to digital a year ago and so far nothing has come close to providing the kind of control I desire, so I’ve decided to design and build my own.

After months of research, scrapped plans and much confusion  I thankfully came across the MIDIBOX project created by Thorsten Klose. These guys had been making MIDI instruments for years, before Traktor and Serato even existed and because MIDI is a tried and tested standard, one completely integrated into most Music Production/DJ packages it was a perfect place to start.

The MIDIBox website is full of information on various types of related projects, including Synthesisers and Controllers. It has a regularly updated Wiki as well as a really good forum with knowledgeable and friendly hobbyists who seem to be more than happy answering Noobish questions to help you on your way. You should spend a lot of time on here, looking at the Wiki, reading other peoples posts and asking your own questions before you consider making your own.

I’ve tried out a few controllers in the past, but currently have the Allen & Heath XOne:1D which I use with Traktor Pro (download my MIDI Map here). Unlike most of the other controllers on the market, that are usually meant to replace your mixer and turntables, the 1D is made to complement  your existing setup, sitting either side of your mixer, which I feel is a natural progression from the traditional turntable setup.

Controller 2D Mockup

I wanted to keep the same dimensions as the 1D, but with a new layout that would give you complete control over 4 decks, effects, looping and global options without having to compromise on usability.

After numerous designs I came up with the layout on the right and later the 3D concept at the top. The bottom half of the units will control four decks, with 8 cue points and transport buttons for each. Middle left you have general options and a row of filters; right is a whole section for loops and the top section will handle effects, including PS3 thumb sticks for X/Y control of multiple parameters. I will go into more detail of all the functions in the future as there are too many to list in this post, but hopefully you should get a good idea by enlarging the image to the right.

The project is currently in it’s early stages and I will be documenting each step along the way to its completion in the hope that it will provide some useful information for anyone wanting to design and create their own controller. Feel free to ask any questions in the comments section below.