tag:amongstmyselves.com,2005:/blogs/9th-october-2015?p=39th October 20152023-12-14T11:26:14+10:30Amongst Myselvesfalsetag:amongstmyselves.com,2005:Post/73188952023-12-14T11:26:14+10:302023-12-14T11:26:14+10:30An Abandoned Day - released<p>An Abandoned Day has now been released. Thanks to the support so far from fans, radio programs and reviewers. There a two notable reviews out so far from Michael Foster @ <a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.ambientvisions.com/1232023.htm?fbclid=IwAR1JFZOGbJo0jXiNIjUt2bkjWTZeZQCY3xaS4yy54iU8JE2sdiouHDtuUt8" data-link-type="url">Ambient Visions</a><a data-link-type="url"> and </a><a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.sonicimmersion.org/amongst-myselves-an-abandoned-day/" data-link-type="url">Bert Strolenberg @ Sonic Immersion</a></p>Amongst Myselvestag:amongstmyselves.com,2005:Post/72962202023-10-31T10:09:06+10:302023-12-14T11:25:41+10:30An Abandoned Day - The wheels are in motion<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/412780/f557919fd2cdd598ab1cd7fadbd73ac5c2f5f95e/original/img-9115.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_l justify_center border_" />The CDs are back from the manufacturer, a big thank you to <a class="no-pjax" href="replicate.com.au" data-link-type="url">Replicat </a>for their high quality service. The international radio copies are on their way as are the reviewer copies. The website is almost ready. The big day is the 1st of December though the my two stores (<a class="no-pjax" href="/store" data-link-type="page" data-link-label="Store">here </a>and <a class="no-pjax" href="https://amongstmyselves.bandcamp.com/merch" data-link-type="url">bandcamp</a>) will be opening earlier, so keep an eye on them.</p>Amongst Myselvestag:amongstmyselves.com,2005:Post/72097852023-05-16T16:53:00+09:302023-10-31T10:06:58+10:30DittoX4 Interface<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNy-xI7ESx1icxIHEJRGOLzEhIU07nYyKLYy5dXRm3w1R--zLd-AlVhfxhqF8Ws7VfcfoYQl1lkXDZ6suo855D-x9bXksAo7p1LV5O3Tqxo57685Tt4D-bUlGAvp2B0EZkBPyPAyB04UB39VM7wPRPUcwy5C7fh0TgrxzYOQB1WvU4ndqSJ5vvf3XQ/s1920/IMG_7781.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNy-xI7ESx1icxIHEJRGOLzEhIU07nYyKLYy5dXRm3w1R--zLd-AlVhfxhqF8Ws7VfcfoYQl1lkXDZ6suo855D-x9bXksAo7p1LV5O3Tqxo57685Tt4D-bUlGAvp2B0EZkBPyPAyB04UB39VM7wPRPUcwy5C7fh0TgrxzYOQB1WvU4ndqSJ5vvf3XQ/w640-h252/IMG_7781.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="252" width="640" /></a></div><p>This unit takes various CVs (control voltages) and Trigger signals and controls various functions of a TC Electronics DittoX4 looper pedal. The purpose of this unit is to allow standard modular synthesizer controls to affect the various modes of the looper which is part of my matrix mixer based effects chain.</p><p></p><p>The unit's hardware is relatively generic in its construction. There's an Arduino Pro Mini at the heart of the unit. It has four trigger inputs, four control voltage inputs, two control voltage outputs and four trigger outputs. It contains a previously design PCB from my TMNSD project which hosts the trigger inputs and the cv outputs and I created a daughter card which mounts to this board to give me the trigger outputs and CV inputs.</p><p>The trigger inputs are protected from overvoltage as are the control voltage inputs. The control voltage inputs are configured to take LFO voltage ranges of -5v to +5v. The trigger inputs will trigger at 3v. These are all hardware adaptable.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgOBwgFocuvAk6aAq51HAlCiQeyte1PhKAzmeX79URSFukU0JlVt3h69VVM3UnTFax1ycDXxBEMjQWLNcf3G--eNChrhttdhkBJSsQ3Zi2QqNEllsv_CDs1NtNSFYDNbln8l9Uo4_CMFXbwLSvejecJ0rDqU9zRxLEwWlpGRC7yT1hRhE0NBAhId5X/s1920/IMG_7784.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgOBwgFocuvAk6aAq51HAlCiQeyte1PhKAzmeX79URSFukU0JlVt3h69VVM3UnTFax1ycDXxBEMjQWLNcf3G--eNChrhttdhkBJSsQ3Zi2QqNEllsv_CDs1NtNSFYDNbln8l9Uo4_CMFXbwLSvejecJ0rDqU9zRxLEwWlpGRC7yT1hRhE0NBAhId5X/w640-h388/IMG_7784.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="388" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The front of the unit showing the 3.5mm sockets</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br><p>The CV OUTs and the TRIG OUTs have no purpose in controlling the DittoX4 as this is controlled via MIDI CCs but it made sense to take advantage of a unit which could also provide for extra MIDI to CV abilities within my setup. This says that there is also a MIDI INPUT on the unit as well as a MIDI OUTPUT which controls the DittoX4.</p><p>I have modified the DittoX4 to only have the loop audio coming out of the unit without the input being echoed. For some information the DittoX4 is a dual looper with loop based effects ie: reverse loop, half and double speed. There was no facility to do this without hardware modification.</p><p>What I am actually controlling on the DittoX4 is the play, record of the two loopers. There are four "effects" that I also control. The effects affect both loops at the same time and can be used together. These include Reverse, which will reverse the direction of the loop playback, HOLD, which repeats a small section of the loop, HALF and DOUBLE which playback the loops at half and double speed and finally the DECAY which will fade out the loops.</p><p>Here are the functions that the DittoX4 will do based on various Trigger and CV combinations:-</p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>Trigger a Loop - this uses Trigger Input A and CV input A to start/dub/rec a loop - the CV chooses the loop and the trigger activates</li>
<li>Stop a Loop - Trigger Input B and CV input A - stops a loop playing - CV chooses the loop and the trigger activates</li>
<li>Turn on the HOLD effect - Trigger Input C - this turns on the effect number 7, HOLD.</li>
<li>Control SPEED effects - Trigger Input D and CV Input C - turns one of two effects on or off - these are DOUBLE and HALF SPEED</li>
<li>Turn on the REVERSE effect - CV Input B - turns on the effect when the CV input is high</li>
<li>Sets the loop DECAY level - sets the value of the DECAY based on the input voltage of CV Input D</li>
</ol><p></p><p>In practice the setup is quite random which was always the purpose. One of the nice effects to changing the loop direction with the reverse effect which can slow progress the loops position. Manually recording the loops seems to be a better approach but due to the nature of how the pedal works, this isn't simple. The MIDI CCs emulate the buttons on the pedal mostly. So for example if Loop 1 has no loop in it then the CC code will put it in record and another press will send it into play mode. A further press, the same CC, will overdub the loop. Of course I would have preferred more accurate controls but I had to live with what I had.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCT6PrnNa6sTXoyAih0WqmCGIaZimElAqyydMN4_v4w-hspY_J3AUSnKl715Y3eyiWmYrx32DjoDmF4uFEG2p4VpXLmPYUfmHYrwhiNwZ7P37CG04SpOf8s2JK6EHNR-kk5j6cs73rYF_gJXAldaBcerY_F9_c9aqp7-xFtjsZvoc12lFwmVN1Bd8e/s1920/IMG_7785.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCT6PrnNa6sTXoyAih0WqmCGIaZimElAqyydMN4_v4w-hspY_J3AUSnKl715Y3eyiWmYrx32DjoDmF4uFEG2p4VpXLmPYUfmHYrwhiNwZ7P37CG04SpOf8s2JK6EHNR-kk5j6cs73rYF_gJXAldaBcerY_F9_c9aqp7-xFtjsZvoc12lFwmVN1Bd8e/w640-h402/IMG_7785.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="402" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rear view of case showing power connection and MIDI - Someone's feet and tail in the background</td></tr>
</tbody></table><p>I'm quite proud of the small wood and acrylic case I made for the unit and I am surprise I fitted all the electronics inside. This was made with help from my CNC router. There are way too many wires. If I were to do this again I would avoid wires altogether and make up a PCB which would attach to the front panel 3.5mm sockets. The unit is powered from a 12v DC plug pack which is converted to a dual 9v using a buck converter.</p><br><p></p>Amongst Myselvestag:amongstmyselves.com,2005:Post/71971102023-04-26T15:42:00+09:302023-04-26T16:15:11+09:30The Expanse - Modular Synth Expander<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4pwMVHKm1GJolFsvMs_cwrzaRkwFNZ0jSIC-9UnJVnV3JupwOkHVRW2qsooWImewE88D0dWBzSM77LnKs1ukrCL-9lbg7sSkV6_aWwmA6PNv2j9nfILlmtscxpg8Vbelyy3GSoVCsYayCmSn0EN3QNIKy0ew55Q7e7synf5eD0O0N0tpUCnYX8sDH/s1920/IMG_7723.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4pwMVHKm1GJolFsvMs_cwrzaRkwFNZ0jSIC-9UnJVnV3JupwOkHVRW2qsooWImewE88D0dWBzSM77LnKs1ukrCL-9lbg7sSkV6_aWwmA6PNv2j9nfILlmtscxpg8Vbelyy3GSoVCsYayCmSn0EN3QNIKy0ew55Q7e7synf5eD0O0N0tpUCnYX8sDH/w534-h640/IMG_7723.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="640" width="534" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This shows the Waveform Sequencer at Top Left, Meter Box at Top Right, The Expanse<br>in the Middle and at the Bottom is the Sound Box Effets.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br>The Expanse is a new part of my "modular" synthesizer setup in, what I call, the Analogue Department.<p></p><p>My most used noise machine is the SBE2 - Sound Box Effets 2 which I made back in 2013. No, that's not a spelling mistake, it is French for effects. This contains two of Music From Outer Space's Experimenters boards along with a pile of smaller modules which include Sample and Holds and a couple of SVF modules.</p><p>The SBE2 has four main modules which are all the same. They contain an oscillator, Low Pass Filter, Low Frequency Oscillator, Voltage Controlled Amplifier , an Attack Release generator and two attenuators. These are named Une, Deux, Trois and Quatre which is continuing the French theme. In addition, in the middle, are two PAIA State Variable Filters, two MFOS Sample and Holds, two mixers and six attenuators. Along the bottom of the unit are two more larger mixers and banana to 1/4" socket converters.</p><p>This is a great unit for effects but I wanted more of course. The SBE2, as mentioned, is great for effects but when it comes to more chromatic options, I didn't have any VCO's of note plus the modules are very basic. So, the design of the Expanse began.</p><p>The Expanse is a combination of existing module designs from a few different source - Music From Outer Space, YuSynth, Baton Musical Circuits and a few of my own designs. There are duplicates of each module in all but a few cases.</p><p>Here's a list of the modules:-</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOc6exzC9xDvohU54O43riYBbeZuYlDULwro-RSueolQpnoKphfPEAEoSiCu1hO6yh4s30UfhqT1G7pZ9YtKHkPhp3LOpCZ9EQjE5KXbiUaWqPqOINTF4lpKmWysL66H4B-i-lFGvbUlE4l0_70k7_PDOJolmbVAiR-4cw47PZrhVRyx1jzlXq2yH_/s1417/Panel%20A%20-%20cut%20ready.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOc6exzC9xDvohU54O43riYBbeZuYlDULwro-RSueolQpnoKphfPEAEoSiCu1hO6yh4s30UfhqT1G7pZ9YtKHkPhp3LOpCZ9EQjE5KXbiUaWqPqOINTF4lpKmWysL66H4B-i-lFGvbUlE4l0_70k7_PDOJolmbVAiR-4cw47PZrhVRyx1jzlXq2yH_/w246-h400/Panel%20A%20-%20cut%20ready.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="400" width="246" /></a></div><p><b>PRSA and B</b> - these are pressure sensors to voltage converters. Two resistive pads are mounted on the left hand side of the Expanse. The modules will take that pressure and output a control voltage in my standard modulator voltage range which is -5 to +5v, based on the pressure. There are two controls which set the upper and lower voltages and another control which is a voltage lag control. A switch controls a voltage hold whereby you turn it on while holding a voltage with the resistive pad and the voltage will stay there. There are four outputs. Two outputs are the control voltage but one is inverted. Two outputs are the Trigger / Gate with one also being inverted. There's a switch which changes between the output trigger being a trigger or a gate. A LED indicates the status of the Trigger / Gate.</p><p></p><p>The unit is my design using a Arduino Pro Mini which takes the two analogue inputs via some analogue circuitry and the Arduino creates the -5 to +5v voltage output. It use a dual channel digital to analogue converter in the form of a MCP4922 which is a dual 12 bit converter. It's a little overkill but I had a stock of these to use. After the DAC we have a op amps to converter the voltage range back to -5 to 5v.<br><br><b>LAG-A and B</b> - these are two LAG processors. A LAG processor takes a control voltage input and slow it's change down. Sort of filter. This design comes from Scott Juskiw's modified version of Harry Bissell's Morph Lag design. We have two controls which change the Attack and Decay time of the lag along with a switch to change between a linear and log LAG response curve. There's a simple input and output. The input voltage will be clamped from -5 to +5v.</p><p></p><p><b>SSM VCA A and B</b> - These are on one board and are the same VCA boards as used in my FloriVoxTron. It uses a V2164 which is the Alfa modern version of the classic SSM 2164 voltage controlled amplifier. It's a pretty straight forward design coming from Mark Irwin. I've set these up with the idea that we use a separate audio mixer before them hence they only have one audio input but two control voltage inputs, one has an attenuator. There's also an INIT control applies a control voltage to the VCA to open it up.</p><p></p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div><b>MULSE</b> - Multi Pulse - one of the more complex beasts. This module has two modes, Delay Mode and MIDI Mode. In the Delay mode, the two trigger inputs have two trigger outputs associated with them which can be delayed. There are two random pulse signals with a control for each to adjust the maximum random time. Meanwhile the two control voltage outputs have slew voltages which range from +6v down to 0v based on the time between the random pulses. This slew voltage idea came from Yves' modules.<p></p><p>During MIDI mode, we still have one random pulse output with an associate control for the maximum time but an added feature is that one of the trigger inputs now controls the state of the random output. Since it's MIDI mode, we have another trigger output which has MIDI CLOCK On it with another control which affects a divisor on this clock. The two control voltage outputs and the other two trigger outputs give two MIDI to CV outputs where notes on channels 9 and 11 will output a 1v per octave voltage. The two controls relating to this mode adjust the range of the MIDI notes converted. The output voltage range of the hardware is limited to 6v so we have to choose the range of the MIDI notes to convert.</p><p>The design is all my own using a previous board design from my TMNSD arpeggiator design. This has a Arduino Pro Mini with trigger inputs and a 12 bit DAC on the output.</p><p><b></b></p><b>LDR</b> - I have two LDRs, light dependent resistors, mounted near the pressure sensors on the left hand side of the unit. These convert light levels to control voltages. There are controls for the voltage range outputted along with the polarity which changes whether light is positive or negative.<p></p><p><b>LFO A and B</b> - This design comes from work I did on the FloriVoxTron. One board is used to create the two LFO outputs. These are pretty basic in operation. We have a speed control with a low and high range switch giving about 0.1 to 40hz. There are 10 different waveform types to choose from including your standard sine, triangle, sawtooth, ramp, square along with some more complex waveforms like the rectified sine, step pulse, slope pulse, quad ramp and quad square. These are my names for the waveforms as it's a bit difficult to name them. From here we have a pulse width control which at this stage only controls the square wave, rez control which I implemented in the FloriVoxTron which is sort of sample and hold function. It's a simple part of the programming whereby instead of outputting an every index of an array, which represents the waveform, I only output say every 3rd value. As you increase the REZ control it only outputs every 20th value. Give a nice stepped output. Simple yet effective function that is easy to implement with a microprocessor. Now we have a switch which takes a control voltage input and either sends it to the REZ control or the SPEED control. A -5 to +5v input here will affect either of the chosen destinations with the amount controlled by the following external voltage control. The last switch is selecting the destination of the external trigger input. This can be set to off or sent to TRIGGER or SYNC. When set to TRIGGER, a inputted pulse, will reset the counter on the waveform, retriggering it. If set to SYNC and when the unit gets at least two pulses in, will set the speed of the waveform.</p><p>The unit has a Trigger input, control voltage input, two waveform outputs with one inverted and a trigger output which pulses on the start of the waveform.</p><p><b>DC MIXER</b> - finally on panel A we have a DC Mixer. This is for mixing multiple control voltages to create a more complex controller. This design comes from one of Ray's @ Music from Outer Space's Quad 3 In DC Mod Mixer. It has three voltage inputs with an invert switch. It also has a BIAS control which applies a negative or positive voltage to move the resulting waveform into a usable range. This is where the oscilloscope can come in handy.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi59AlizMDsnKM2HKG9cA0i8cVlG1Qm2qOiGr1KXuBW3xw2wVBv_xdHCXoK2Cmn_e7CfaJ3qW1NWjEv5Ms6JOGO1mC9LMZdeZtpC2Edt4E7zvjCc3ESGg3lrMdw5e2f3gTVIuglU4CzLx4HllFUWRvzRZrMxa3tI1VEFw9rY9-mTO4MSt8MMoKkrdaW/s1417/Panel%20B%20-%20cut%20ready.tif" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi59AlizMDsnKM2HKG9cA0i8cVlG1Qm2qOiGr1KXuBW3xw2wVBv_xdHCXoK2Cmn_e7CfaJ3qW1NWjEv5Ms6JOGO1mC9LMZdeZtpC2Edt4E7zvjCc3ESGg3lrMdw5e2f3gTVIuglU4CzLx4HllFUWRvzRZrMxa3tI1VEFw9rY9-mTO4MSt8MMoKkrdaW/w246-h400/Panel%20B%20-%20cut%20ready.tif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="400" width="246" /></a></div><b>QUADRATURE LFO</b> - now here's another complex beast. The essence of a quadrature LFO is that it has four waveform outputs which each output being 90 degrees out of phase from the previous. This can create some wonderful phases type effects when used with filters or a rotor type effect when used with VCAs. <p></p><p>So this unit has all the parts of one of my earlier LFOs but some interesting extra. Firstly, a Direction LFO. This is a square wave LFO which has a few controls, speed, low and high range, active switch and pulse width. But what it does when active is change the direction that the main LFO goes. When Direction LFO is in the positive the main LFO goes forward and, as expected, when it's negative, the main LFO goes backwards. It creates some wonderful effects and again shows where microprocessor can do interesting things. Not to be easily satisfied I have also included a Cross Modulation LFO. This has my standard controls of speed, range, 10 waveforms and depth. Now my naming of this LFO is probably wrong. In affect what this LFO does is control the depth output of the main LFO as opposed to its LFO speed.</p><p>This module is based around STM32 Blue Pill along with a MAX435 Quad 8 bit digital to analogue converter.</p><p><b>AUDIO MIXER A</b> - this is pretty basic but necessary module. Takes three audio inputs with input C having an invert switch and mixing to a single audio output. All the inputs have level controls. There's an audio output level control as well along with an inverted signal output. One special item of this mixer is an overdrive output based on a Moritz Klein design.</p><p><b>LOGIC</b> - This is a quad logic module based around an Arduino Pro Mini. All four sections are the same. We take two inputs which can be trigger, pulses or even a control voltage as long as it's over 3v and based on the logic mode selected on the associated pot, we get an output. The input schematic has protection for over voltage, as do all my modules. The logic types of AND, OR, XOR, NOT, NAND, NOR and XNOR.</p><p><b>ATTENUATORS</b> - there are four of these in the whole unit. Simple potentiometers to reduce levels of control voltages including audio level.</p><p><b>DEL-AR</b> - This is the Barton Musical Circuits module, Delaying AR. Taking the description from the manual - The delaying AR is a microcontroller based synth module. It's designed primarily for use with VCAs to imitate the sound of a synthesizer being run through a delay. It's a basic Attack and Release envelope generator which has a Delay Time control which is the retriggering of the envelope. The Delay Repeats control is similar to a feedback control on an echo unit in that it sets the number of repeats. The final control is the Delay Level being the level of the echoed triggers.</p><p><b>VOLTS</b> - a small panel where the user can get two +5v, -5v and GND connections.</p><p><b>VCO-A and B</b> - These are the two high quality VCOs with good 1v/octave tracking. They are YuSynth VCOs. I have managed to get about 6 octaves out of them in tune with some fine tuning. They have all the standard controls of a VCO with Sine, Triangle, Sawtooth and Square wave outputs. They have a Frequency Modulation (linear) input, Exponential Modulation input. A Sync input with an associated Soft and Hard switch. A finally a Pulse Width Modulation input which only controls the Square Wave.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixjitcZb1P2fCYeXfbPzYgIJOhFv0ZysfKm0zWutDbxWKFctmYU9tHgexf7_RbXogKdo1VJkOF-jIFIojkpmQqw7ud5wpRBxbYqbf_LAqGHQWsCutgs8cv8_KXQu7bsrnTTuKO6NlI_cgjMuYfGZTuvrOwUdMQjiK9ERLR5YurVAeSFgEohuRbpMBV/s1417/Panel%20C%20-%20cut%20ready.tif" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixjitcZb1P2fCYeXfbPzYgIJOhFv0ZysfKm0zWutDbxWKFctmYU9tHgexf7_RbXogKdo1VJkOF-jIFIojkpmQqw7ud5wpRBxbYqbf_LAqGHQWsCutgs8cv8_KXQu7bsrnTTuKO6NlI_cgjMuYfGZTuvrOwUdMQjiK9ERLR5YurVAeSFgEohuRbpMBV/w246-h400/Panel%20C%20-%20cut%20ready.tif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="400" width="246" /></a></div><b>DIVIDER / TRIGGER</b> - This module uses a 4024 chip and simply counts the input pulses and activates the output based on the counts. The outputs are not triggers as such but simply turned off or on based on the counters position. The module also has a Moritz Klein designed retrigger section which I designed for the Experimenter Boards AR generators. Alas, it doesn't work due to the differences in CV and trigger voltages used between the two systems. I may fix this sometime down the line. The complexity of doing this is limited because the PCB is actually part of the front panel connections.<p></p><p><b>VCO-C and D</b> - These are less accurate but still useful Voltage Controlled Oscillators. These design here is from Rene Schmitz. They have less capabilities but are a much simpler design. They use NTC thermistors to adjust for heat changes unlike the YuSynth VCOs which use tempco resistors. I still managed to get a stable 4 octaves range from them. They have Square and Triangle outputs. The inputs are 1v/octave, Exponential modulation and Pulse Width Modulation.</p><p><b>DUAL BALANCED MULTIPLIERS</b> - Another YuSynth module. It's a ring modulator. This uses a LM1496 chip to do the work. Thanks to Yves single sided printed circuit board designs I was able to make this and all his other boards on my CNC router. All of Yves' designs are single sided boards which I have made at home. These modules have AC and DC inputs and outputs. To be honest I don't really know the difference in the context of this module. I'm sure I will find out.</p><p><b>13700 VCA-A and B</b> - Another pair of VCA modules. This time using LM13700 chips which are less hifi than the SSM2164 but still perfectly good for most synthesizer based work. These modules have two CV inputs for level control and one audio in and out connection.</p><p><b>WF-A and B </b>- YuSynth Wave folders. Wonderful modules for taking the top and bottom halves of sine or triangle waves and inverting them to produce another layer of complex waveform. Yves says that "This module performs a non-linear transformation of a simple wave shape (triangle or sawtooth) into a complex waveform rich in overtones.". The controls are Shape, Range and Control. Control being the level of the control voltage input.</p><p><b>WAVE FREAKER</b> - This is a Music From Outer Space module. Similar in concept to the Wave Folder but takes it much further. Ray's unit not only folds the waveform but creates a pulse output of this wave form along with a sub and sub-sub octave waveform. Not to mention the step waveform outputs. There are control voltage inputs to control the Wave shape and Step amount. A complex module which makes complex sounds.</p><p><b>ST-VCF </b>- The YuSynth Steiner Voltage Controlled Filter - I have previously used this in my Therematron synthesizer. It's a relatively simple design for a Steiner- Parker filter. As Yves says in his documentation that he wanted to create a stable version of this filter but keep the harshness of its character. This has the standard sort of controls for a VCF including Cut off Frequency, Resonance, two control voltage inputs for the Cut off Frequency, A level input and filter type with the options being Low Pass, High Pass, Band Pass and All Pass. </p><p><b>AUDIO MIXER</b> - here we have another reduced version of the other Audio Mixer. It's a more simple three input and one output audio mixer. I didn't go overboard here as the SBE2 contains two audio mixers as well.</p><p><b>ARP-VCF</b> - The final module in the main unit which is another YuSynth design for a 4072 ARP filter as found in the ARP 2600 synthesizer. This is a low pass filter only but can do 1v/octave tracking when the resonance is creating a sine wave. It has a two input mixer along with two control voltage inputs to affect the cut off frequency along with a standard audio output.</p><p><br></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxl54U-XrLG44Z1C5scwZR4JOzj3oqvuvJloFUDb9upI5cTKaqFwj0akQfL22Sy4EjG-pLP6BGGvU_ssAlrO1F0YkKpbkl2FmzNCvJyx56ZlV1FXdkR2GZdJq1aszafyUZA-NI_wpcAvaidlqgXTxcrlhAhxqj4_PAO7GrvWjqzLhB4o_49JehuhVl/s1200/Waveform%20sequencer%20-%20simple%20mockup.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxl54U-XrLG44Z1C5scwZR4JOzj3oqvuvJloFUDb9upI5cTKaqFwj0akQfL22Sy4EjG-pLP6BGGvU_ssAlrO1F0YkKpbkl2FmzNCvJyx56ZlV1FXdkR2GZdJq1aszafyUZA-NI_wpcAvaidlqgXTxcrlhAhxqj4_PAO7GrvWjqzLhB4o_49JehuhVl/w640-h228/Waveform%20sequencer%20-%20simple%20mockup.tif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="228" width="640" /></a></div><br><p><b>WAVEFORM SEQUENCER</b></p><p>In addition to the main case there is the Waveform Sequencer and Meter box. The waveform sequencer is an idea I've had for a while. It creates a waveform that is split into 16 steps which is controlled by the sliders on the panel. Though that is only a basic function of the unit. It will run in several different modes.</p><p>Those modes are:-</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Simple morph - where two separate waveforms are defined and a LFO changes between the two.</li>
<li>Slider Morph - this is 16 step sequencer which sets the amount of morph between the two waveforms</li>
<li>Random - the LFO just randomly creates a new waveform on each step - this has two modes on how the waveform is created - total random or random mirror which makes a waveform who's second eight steps is a negative mirror of the first eight which is more like a "normal" waveform.</li>
</ul><p></p><p>All these different modes can be control from external source which include control voltages or triggers to control the step sequencer. Waveforms for any of the three Waves (A, B and Percentage) in one of the eight memory locations.</p><p>Given that most of my microprocessor skills are limited to Arduino type MCUs, the approach I took for this unit is almost analogue. I have a oscillator module which contains a AD9833 function generator. This gives me an accurate clocking frequency which feeds a 4067, 16 channel analogue multiplexor via a 4510 BCD counter. This multiplexor switches between a bank of MCP42010 dual channel digital potentiometers. The AD9833 frequency is controlled from an Arduino Pro Mini. There's some opamp circuitry which takes the 0 to 5v output of the digital potentiometers and scales this up to 10v and offsets by -5v to give an audio signal. It's as simple as that.</p><p>I've used the MCP42010 in the past as it's a good way of making a simple LFO without using a digital to analogue converter.</p><p>There's a second Arduino which deals with reading the sliders and buttons along with controlling the all the RGB LEDs on the panel. These talking to each other using serial.</p><p>A future enhancement to the unit will be a control voltage output of the slider states along with a trigger to use as a step sequencer within other parts of the Expanse.</p><p>One of the funniest mistakes I have ever done was on the Waveform Sequencer. I didn't put an output on the front panel. Most of the work for this unit focused on the front panel which relates to one of the Arduino's and not the waveform making one. This is what I put the omission down to. Well that is my excuse. The output is on the rear panel which is fine in reality as a cable comes from here to the Expanse where the signal is then modified.</p><p><b>METER BOX</b></p><p>The Meter Box combines a basic oscilloscope using a Raspberry Pi Pico with some minimal input electronics to clamp the voltage to the Pi Pico's accepted voltage level of 3.3v. This has two channels coming into it and the results are displayed on the small colour screen. There's three controls for each channel - an attenuator to scale the input signal, offset to move the voltage around the screen and a sample rate control.</p><p>The other part of the Meter Box is two analogue meters which have two controls each. One is the voltage range to display which is 10 or 20v and the other control will hold the maximum voltage. Note that 10v means -5v to +5v and 20v means -10v to +10V.</p><p>Bother the sections have a loop output from the inputs to avoid not having enough connections.</p><p><b>BANANA SOCKETS</b></p><p>I've chosen to continue the use of banana plugs for the Expanse which I started to use on the SBE2. I think they're ok as a connector though the ones I have purchased are constantly breaking.</p><p>The colour code for these comes from the Bucla "standard" which is as follows:-</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Red - control voltage output</li>
<li>Green - trigger / gate output</li>
<li>Blue - control voltage input</li>
<li>Yellow - Trigger / gate input</li>
</ul><p></p><p><b>POWER SUPPLY</b></p><p>The power supply is a linear transformer type in a separate case. I did try some buck converter types for this project in the early stages of testing but found them too noisy. I attempted to fix this noise but I didn't really want to go down this rabbit hole at such a late stage. I will look into solid state power supplies in the future but I do prefer using a transformer to take the main voltage down which also gives isolation as well. Sure they are big, heavy and inefficient but I don't have a shortage of room. What I would look at in the future is combination of transformer to knock down the mains to a smooth dc voltage and then buck converters to achieve the desired voltage rails needed for the project.</p>Amongst Myselvestag:amongstmyselves.com,2005:Post/71803332023-03-29T15:25:00+10:302023-04-26T16:15:11+09:30Mega MPS project<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUn0RjHIJOMpIBqN_SuDq71rF7X8hC3P8tx1rVOtMR3ZWxxXLtQEsKiybR5xXfYG4SFhDiITYMB0nSH45AyIlAw4ezlPdJVYurAKB0a9BZCd6Sa5xCr4puEHTka66MafMiRpiMpcgZEgkfVKPCWOWSdmD1Ka8efRMOojkFzjfP9XGTSW5C2n5oaoaq/s1920/IMG_7729.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUn0RjHIJOMpIBqN_SuDq71rF7X8hC3P8tx1rVOtMR3ZWxxXLtQEsKiybR5xXfYG4SFhDiITYMB0nSH45AyIlAw4ezlPdJVYurAKB0a9BZCd6Sa5xCr4puEHTka66MafMiRpiMpcgZEgkfVKPCWOWSdmD1Ka8efRMOojkFzjfP9XGTSW5C2n5oaoaq/w640-h426/IMG_7729.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Mega MPS - out in nature</td></tr>
</tbody></table><p>I've been viewing Thomas Henry's designs closely and considering everything he designs. The main module that caught my eye was the Mega Percussion Synth. A demonstration on YouTube by <a href="https://youtu.be/EIe4X6c2G4E">NoizeToy2</a> got me really interested. But of course the trouble maker in me wanted to take it a little further. My first thought is that a single drum isn't as much fun as four, so I had to have at least four of these modules together. Then I thought we have to have some effects for this sort of setup and I had at the time also become aware of the <a href="https://www.electro-smith.com/daisy/daisy">DaisySeed </a>by ElectroSmith which is a MCU based around an ARM Cortex M7 aimed at the synthesizer and effects enthusiast. Hence the Mega MPS was born.</p><p>Yeah I know that means Mega Mega Percussion Synth, maybe I should have gone from M2PS (squared) - actually that should be M4MPS really.</p><p>I decided to go with the MPS PCB design that already existed of which I purchased four of from synthCube. That was easy. The effects arrangement was a little more complex. I had to come up with a PCB design for this which was troublesome but more on that later. </p><p><b>The MPS - Mega Percussion Synth - designed by Thomas Henry<br></b>The MPS is an analogue drum synthesizer with three sound generating sections aimed at creating different parts of a drum sound.</p><p>We have the Shell section which contains the controls - Pitch, Sweep, Decay, Level, CV Range. There's also a switch which controls the CV input source from an external source like a sequencer, from the output of the Impact or Noise modules. This creates some interesting distortions of the pitch.</p><p>The best person to explain the details of the signal flow is Thomas Henry himself. So over at Birth Of A Synth, is the author's explanation of the <a href="https://www.birthofasynth.com/Thomas_Henry/Pages/MPS_project.html">Mega Percussion Synth</a> along with many of his other synthesizer related designs.<br></p><p>The Pitch control sets the frequency of the oscillator, the Sweep control applies a downward pitch shift based on the Decay value. The Decay also controls the decay of the amplifier. This section supplies one of the inputs for the Ring Modulator section. The Ring Modulator also has its own oscillator to complete the basics of its function. Here we find a Pitch control along with Depth and Balance. This allows you to create more metallic drum sounds that might be associated to cymbals or gongs.</p><p>The Noise section has the same controls as the Shell. Instead of a tone it is based around random noise. It contains a filter with a Low Pass and Band Pass mode. The filter has a resonance control to highlight and expand sections of frequencies.</p><p>The final section is the Impact, once again with similar controls - Pitch, Sweep, Decay and a Level control. The difference here is the Decay time is quite short, emulating the idea of a stick hitting a drum skin - the initial impact.</p><p>Each module accepts a Trigger input to trigger the module and there is a push button on the module to manually trigger it as well. I left the Sensitivity control in which I am presuming relates to using DIY drum pads. These can also be used to adjust for different input trigger voltages. The final control is the Hold switch which applies a gate signal allowing you to tune the pitches among other uses.</p><p>In addition to the standard panel I spent considerable amounts of time trying to get LEDs for each Section to happen. This took a few PCB designs and many destroyed LEDs but I managed to get it sort of working in the end. I have to say that it wasn't really worth the effort. </p><p>As you can see from my unit I have four modules in a row with each modules' effect below. The next module along is the Mixer.</p><p>I wanted the MMPS to be a complete unit so it contains a mixer which takes all sources down to a balance stereo output. The four Level controls on each MPS module only affect the dry output to the mixer. Each MPS effects unit has its own input mixer where you choose what gets effected.</p><p>Each effects unit is based around the DaisySeed module. The printed circuit board design I made up has the DaisySeed is mounted along with a mixer so the various audio parts of the MPS can be mixed to the audio inputs of the DaisySeed. The board also processes the Trigger and Control Voltage going to the MPS which are utilised in various effects. </p><p>The panel of the effects units are made up of a 16 characters x two lines LCD display along with a rotary encoder for selecting and changing parameters. There's also the input mixer to the effects which has level controls for Shell, Noise and Impact. There's also an extra level control which takes the mix from the MPS levels. This seems a little confusing but it made sense to have a single level control for the effects if all you wanted to do was mix all parts of the MPS instead of individual parts. The mix from the Effects unit goes to the Main Mixer of the MMPS.</p><p>The DaisySeed seemed like a dream unit as it had all the functions written for most standard types of effects and it was as simple as linking the audio through each different effects but I did have some issues with digital noise within this module which haven't been fully removed but I have managed to reduce it.</p><p>Lots of fun was had choosing the various effects for the module. The DaisySeed comes with a whole bunch of functions for creating effects and synthesizer modules as well. At this stage I have a Moog Filter as the first effect, this is followed by an Overdrive, then we go through a Stereo Panner and onto the main event which is a Stereo Delay with a crazy feedback loop. The Feedback loop of the Delay contains a multi-band filter and pitch shifter along with cross mixing. The delay can be controlled by the Trigger input in that it can be set to pick off two triggers and create a delay time based on this and the chosen divisor. The control voltage is available to control effects but I have not used it at this stage. I've not had enough use with the Mega MPS to decide on the final effects to work well with it.</p><p>As you can see from the panel design, we go past the mixer which shows the level, pan and effects controls for each module, we have the Module Inputs. This is where we input Trigger and Control Voltage connections. Below this panel is the Module Direct Outputs which outputs each modules mix based on the module's internal mixer.</p><p><b>The Case<br></b>This continues with my attempts to make my cases on my CNC router. The challenge for me on this one was not to use any nails or screws and I managed this. I managed this with lots of difficulty and error with the Therematron case. But with some research I managed to find a method that was less taxing.</p><p>Sometime back I decided to "invest" in a biscuit joiner power tool. This tool cuts rounded slots into wood where you place glue and a wooden biscuit that is matched to another piece of wood with the same type of slot. There are many critics of the biscuit approach to joining wood but for me the ability to move things around before I need to finally clamp the work is a great advantage.</p><p>Several pieces of the case had to be done in multiple positions on the CNC router as mine is quite small, but this turned out to be quite easy.</p><p>As with most of my projects, the power supply for the unit is a separate unit at the end of a couple of microphone type aviation plugs. </p><p>And finally, here's a video of my running a Beat Step Pro into the Mega MPS and demonstrating some of its capabilities - <a href="https://youtu.be/uw0IocU4aWs">Mega MPS Demo</a></p>Amongst Myselvestag:amongstmyselves.com,2005:Post/70747022022-10-05T13:18:00+10:302022-10-05T14:15:12+10:30Kontakt Controller<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSrqxwgaO1cflhJS93aL9QiGtAD-6U0FYQzkG68NAZ2HL-deIip5stiXOWvwxTF9BZEL0h4zE6XqzuO1Y9mU6eS3_A8GB3rcQ6pshJMyCZEme_Tl1-mepQi5BLoDbbJ2LKe12VmWTKXfBi_9ZnlPBRqFH3wOYQuDZxNpucmj2l7hEPpXj1Bc8gsAxv/s1920/IMG_7432.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSrqxwgaO1cflhJS93aL9QiGtAD-6U0FYQzkG68NAZ2HL-deIip5stiXOWvwxTF9BZEL0h4zE6XqzuO1Y9mU6eS3_A8GB3rcQ6pshJMyCZEme_Tl1-mepQi5BLoDbbJ2LKe12VmWTKXfBi_9ZnlPBRqFH3wOYQuDZxNpucmj2l7hEPpXj1Bc8gsAxv/w640-h280/IMG_7432.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="280" width="640" /></a></div><br><p>I wanted a MIDI controller that was small and not part of a keyboard. Often I'll want to control effects and certain instruments where keyboards are NOT needed and get in the way. It's named Kontakt Controller as its main focus was controlling my gamut of Kontakt Instruments. It's made up of one joystick, eight rotary encoders and eight momentary buttons.</p><p>The core of the unit is a <a href="https://www.sparkfun.com/products/12640">Arduino Pro Micro or Leonardo</a>. I chose this Arduino because of its Atmega24u8 which allows the use of the USB connector as a MIDI port at the same time as a Serial monitor. This avoids my standard approach of having to add a MIDI interface board. Due to this connectivity to a PC, the small amount of power I need can come from the USB host it is connected to, thus avoiding a power source in the form of an external plug pack or internal battery that would need a reasonable amount of added hardware.</p><p>The eight buttons are polled using a CD4021 chip. This is a 8 stage shift register which essentially means I can check the state of eight buttons with only 5 connections, two of which are power.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi89yFAa7eQpf3n30Izn3Izmes3P9525qo9c19CXazJaP9SJN3kykwJ1CrjqYoO2j-O03h_V3shVr8abN2DW2jHjQGDITRGWRA2aez0CnGpqph7LA4eFVyqXghHsmEuqc-BPDk67yrsXP1ncctdj9hO0sMM-i4ewlHToPhT3nm3aqPYg_fsdqvHqkHB/s1920/IMG_7430.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi89yFAa7eQpf3n30Izn3Izmes3P9525qo9c19CXazJaP9SJN3kykwJ1CrjqYoO2j-O03h_V3shVr8abN2DW2jHjQGDITRGWRA2aez0CnGpqph7LA4eFVyqXghHsmEuqc-BPDk67yrsXP1ncctdj9hO0sMM-i4ewlHToPhT3nm3aqPYg_fsdqvHqkHB/w640-h446/IMG_7430.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="446" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front View - shows the Joystick in the middle, two sets of four rotary encoders either side of the joystick and eight momentary buttons along the bottom.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br><p>The rotary encoders use a new (to me) micro board I have found. It's called a <a href="https://www.duppa.net/shop/i2c-encoder-mini/">DuPPa I2C Encode Mini</a>. It is a small board where you can attach a rotary encoder to an I2C bus. They are chainable. The boards contain a small MCU, ATtiny402, that manage all the reading of the rotary encoder and send this data down the I2C buss. You can have up to 127 of them in the chain but I limited myself to eight. I am only using the rotary data of the encoder and not the button for this project. These little boards mount onto the rear of the encoder and make life easy and are reasonably priced. Check out the page as this board does so much more than I use.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEGwjD8MDHO0LzhkCODbVHpK0JZLe6UD7GSzmJ294vkdLy4CpC1IgLRVy8XaczuWrl6wyi36bNo8CX8kds5C40HFzY-alGEDvmCpb4_XwomdpvD0kxtE2LQM3aqy_bQPRJO-dww6vfQkFNYo3H9_EyCVfotP0BTFB-IYOrsRMuzvNeX4nZR4fNjEIg/s768/iso-768x675.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEGwjD8MDHO0LzhkCODbVHpK0JZLe6UD7GSzmJ294vkdLy4CpC1IgLRVy8XaczuWrl6wyi36bNo8CX8kds5C40HFzY-alGEDvmCpb4_XwomdpvD0kxtE2LQM3aqy_bQPRJO-dww6vfQkFNYo3H9_EyCVfotP0BTFB-IYOrsRMuzvNeX4nZR4fNjEIg/w640-h562/iso-768x675.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="562" width="640" /></a></div><br><p>The case was one of my challenges as I wanted to have a slanting face. This made use of the 3D router and a circular saw. Not the ideal setup but it was all I had at my disposal. The wooden part is made from plantation Tasmanian Oak and the top and base are black acrylic.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipJ_P0YO8NlJTPGROaqRBwKe0LNRMB9iPD1N8zAByNaNKUpXvqCxhS5t3EM4VmDw7dmC-9Hidof7uqf99fUTsvZUvbWSnxnBVyXXpxo6N1V6WMTNW_U6GN4fHKKYXjWfCelK1UfOnhD7NJr5QjXVPJ7SyOy73_678mA8-TcrjNNDXmNI3kO2kXAxcB/s1920/IMG_7431.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipJ_P0YO8NlJTPGROaqRBwKe0LNRMB9iPD1N8zAByNaNKUpXvqCxhS5t3EM4VmDw7dmC-9Hidof7uqf99fUTsvZUvbWSnxnBVyXXpxo6N1V6WMTNW_U6GN4fHKKYXjWfCelK1UfOnhD7NJr5QjXVPJ7SyOy73_678mA8-TcrjNNDXmNI3kO2kXAxcB/w640-h418/IMG_7431.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="418" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rear view of the Kontakt Controller showing the USB-B connector</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br><p>At this stage the controls are assigned to the User MIDI CCs from 32 upwards except the joystick which is specially assigned to CC 1 which is the Modulation Wheel and CC 11. This is for a specific plugin that can't have a couple of parameters assigned to anything else.</p><p>I can see some software changes in the future whereby I have changeable sets of CCs. I have already put in the basics for this where I would have a power cycle and the pressing of different yellow buttons to invoke a different set of CCs. </p><p>The LED has no function at this time so for the time being I have it flashing to indicate that the MCU is working.</p><p>The front panel was designed in Freehand and setup in Cut2D for routing. The rear panel I just cut by eye given it didn't have any specific holes at the time. </p>Amongst Myselvestag:amongstmyselves.com,2005:Post/68025092021-11-09T11:32:00+10:302021-11-09T13:30:18+10:30FloriVoxTron - It's finished !<p><b>What is the FloriVoxTron ?<br></b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pJ96WKs1Y78/YVQOFJPYtqI/AAAAAAAAFIo/S3RgG-TgkBoIAcQjEwlnx8DwIBe-M5CGwCLcBGAsYHQ/s900/IMG_9381.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pJ96WKs1Y78/YVQOFJPYtqI/AAAAAAAAFIo/S3RgG-TgkBoIAcQjEwlnx8DwIBe-M5CGwCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/IMG_9381.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The FloriVoxTron running wild in the paddock</td></tr>
</tbody></table><p></p><p>Basically, the FloriVoxTron is a sample playback keyboard. It has 16 note polyphony. At its heart is the <a href="https://robertsonics.com/tsunami/" target="_blank">Robertsonics Tsunami</a> sample player module. This is followed by a familiar format of a subtractive synthesiser, VCFs, VCAs with lots of LFOs, Valve Overdrive and effects units.</p><p>If you'd prefer to see a video instead of reading - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYeXDhLF1S8">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYeXDhLF1S8</a></p><p><b>What's with that name ?</b></p><p>The name FloriVoxTron is derived from another Amongst Projects project. <a href="http://amongstprojects.blogspot.com/2016/08/florian-vox-speech-synthesizer.html" target="_blank">The Florian Vox</a> was a project that was to be a MIDI controlled speech synthesizer with a nod to Florian Schneider of Kraftwerk. The hardware was pretty straight forward as was the programming of the speech patterns but the one major floor was that it was not very fast in responding to commands. This is how the speech chip was made. The intended use of the Florian Vox was for my Kraftwerk cover band at the time and was to be controlled live. Alas the Florian Vox was shelved along with the band. The FloriVoxTron has several sample sets derived from the speech synth and one of the early intentions of the FloriVoxTron was to be a vocal sample player.</p><p><b>Some more in-depth information please !</b></p><p>Working from the source. We have four voice layers. These are named in German (of course), voice 1 being Eins followed by Drei, Zwei and Vier. Being a sample player based sound source, each of the these voices can access any of the 120 sample sets. Each sample set is a set of samples which covers the 36 note keyboard. These voices each contain a VCA to control their own level. The first three voices are mixed together where they pass through a VCF and onto a Valve Overdrive. The signal then goes to a master VCA and an effects module before joining the signal path of voice four and out of the unit. Voice four has a similar path to voices one to three with its own VCF and VCA but no valve overdrive unit.</p><p>What makes this unit so different is that the unit is stereo from the start to the end. The samples are stereo, the VCAs are stereo, the VCFs are stereo, the valve overdrive is stereo and the effects are stereo. To top it off the Modulators are stereo as well.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kOhN_6PzLos/YWiyJOqUw1I/AAAAAAAAFLw/xDz5gfmbwagu7cxNISxchZ4TVF5_hmtmwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1280/FloriVoxTron%2Bv2%2B-%2Bmodule%2Bflowcharts.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kOhN_6PzLos/YWiyJOqUw1I/AAAAAAAAFLw/xDz5gfmbwagu7cxNISxchZ4TVF5_hmtmwCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/FloriVoxTron%2Bv2%2B-%2Bmodule%2Bflowcharts.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></a></div><p><br></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b>The Modulators<br></b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tQXyul9xxQI/YVQPvaiMpNI/AAAAAAAAFIw/7TOULasQLu8dzfa7BkvAxPrE3mY00MWxACLcBGAsYHQ/s900/Modulator%2B-%2B900px.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tQXyul9xxQI/YVQPvaiMpNI/AAAAAAAAFIw/7TOULasQLu8dzfa7BkvAxPrE3mY00MWxACLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/Modulator%2B-%2B900px.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Graphic of the Modulator Section</td></tr>
</tbody></table><p>What I think makes the FloriVoxTron a rather unique instrument is its stereo signal path from the start. Though what makes this work to great effect are the Modulators. The FloriVoxTron contains many LFOs. Each Voice VCA has one, each VCF has two, one for the Cut-off Frequency and one for the Resonance, Pitch Control and the effects also have one each. These LFOs are all independent from each other. These are not your standard LFOs, I have called them Modulators because each LFO is in fact two LFOs.<br><br><b>The Controls of the LFO:-</b></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>
<b>Speed </b>- most LFOs need a speed control. The FVT has the addition of a Speed Multiplier control which allows the Speed control to cover a greater speed range.</li>
<li>
<b>Waveforms </b>- there are ten waveforms at the moment. They are pretty standard - Sine, Triangle, Square, Sawtooth, Ramp, Random and some not so basic ones - Rectified Sine, Chirp4, Quad Square and Quad Triangle. </li>
<li>
<b>Pulse Width </b>- controls the width of the Square wave pulse</li>
<li>
<b>Delay </b>- is a one control envelope generator which can be used to delay the start of the LFOs output.</li>
<li>
<b>Rez </b>- is a backwards Sample and Hold in that as the value is increased the less samples are taken of the LFO's waveform</li>
<li>
<b>Wave Delay</b> - this is another way of doing a stereo LFO without the Pan LFO. It's a way of delaying the right output of the LFO. It's a percentage control from 0 to 100%.</li>
<li>
<b>Invert</b> - of course there's a output waveform inverter</li>
<li>
<b>ADSR</b> - each LFO also has its own ADSR of course - seemed like a no brainer to be honest</li>
<li>
<b>Xmod</b> - Cross Modulation - this controls the amount of the LFO output that is used to control the Speed of the second LFO.</li>
<li>
<b>Cross modulation ADSR</b> - this controls the amount of the ADSR signal used to control the second LFO speed and it has its own Invert control.</li>
</ul><p></p><div>
<div>There are also controls relating to MIDI and Internal clock control so that Speed can be trigger and independently have the speed controlled or just retriggered. The ADSR can also be triggered from MIDI. All of these MIDI related controls have MIDI clock divisor values as well.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>So the Pan LFO, as I call it. This is where the stereo starts to work. The Pan LFO applies its positive value to the Left output and the inverted signal to the Right output. Where I say output, I mean the main LFOs signal. The Pan LFO has all the same controls as the Main LFO except the cross modulation controls and wave delay. This makes for some quite wonderful effects when applied to both the voice VCAs and VCFs.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>The hardware behind the Modulators is basically a STM32 chip, the blue bill variety, with an quad 8 bit DAC attached. So there's a small caveat in that the LFO waveforms are only 8 bit which does show its "ugly" head on a highly resonant VCF where stepping appears due to the lack of resolution. I may update this someday.<br><br><div>
<b>The Filters<br><br></b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PKpVP_JZ8UY/YVQQpFhphPI/AAAAAAAAFI4/mUuab27NfZsuuFl_bly8w6IcZECPv6LuQCLcBGAsYHQ/s900/Filter.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PKpVP_JZ8UY/YVQQpFhphPI/AAAAAAAAFI4/mUuab27NfZsuuFl_bly8w6IcZECPv6LuQCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/Filter.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Graphic of the Filter Section - you select between the filters by pressing the touch switch under the Filter LED which changes from Cyan for VCF-A to purple for VCF-B</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br>
</div>
<div>The VCFs, also being stereo, use the CEM3340 VCF chip configured as an Elka Synthex filter. This schematic came from Electric Druid's wonderful article on <a href="https://electricdruid.net/multimode-filters-part-1-reconfigurable-filters/" target="_blank">Multimode filters</a>. This great design allows for six different configurations - 24db LP, 6db BP, 12db BP, 12db HP plus 12db LP and a asymmetric bandpass; 18dB lowpass, combined with a 6dB highpass. </div>
<div><br></div>
<div>The board design was a slightly modified version of <a href="https://github.com/xnotox/CEM3340" target="_blank">Daniel Bachman's / XNOTOX</a> design to accommodate my power supply and other connections. With the addition of an adjoining board I was able to have the Filter modes electronic switching controlled via a microprocessor.<br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KMBe4g766wk/YVQjU5v2_uI/AAAAAAAAFKY/jPFU2MhccfArQuJtUjz-VtZp19eSNLM1ACLcBGAsYHQ/s900/IMG_9402.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KMBe4g766wk/YVQjU5v2_uI/AAAAAAAAFKY/jPFU2MhccfArQuJtUjz-VtZp19eSNLM1ACLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/IMG_9402.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">VCF-A is made of four boards which can be seen on the left tower, VCF-B also uses four boards and can be seen on the right tower.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div><br></div>
<div><b>The VCAs</b></div>
<div>The FloriVoxTron has five stereo VCAs. Each of the four voices has a stereo VCA and there is a Master stereo VCA on the first three voices later down the line. These units are based around the SSM2164 VCA chip and the schematic is <a href="http://www.sdiy.org/philgallo/mgbvca.html" target="_blank">Mark Irwin's</a> design. I designed the printed circuit board and got them made at Seeeds Studio along with most of the other boards in the FloriVoxTron. I do make my own boards using a 3D router but this is limited to single sided boards. When I need to do multiple boards of the same design I use Seeeds Studio.<br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div>
<br><div>
<b>The Valve Overdrive</b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vhFY-6ncarU/YVQRi8e70bI/AAAAAAAAFJI/A4pxPnUtsxYjlfjM27nhuKh7et_rgIxmwCLcBGAsYHQ/s900/valve.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vhFY-6ncarU/YVQRi8e70bI/AAAAAAAAFJI/A4pxPnUtsxYjlfjM27nhuKh7et_rgIxmwCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/valve.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Graphic of the Valve Overdrive section</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br><b></b>
</div>
<div>Nothing overly complicated here. I'm using two 12AU7 valves in a standard low voltage configuration. There was a complicated stage of trying to control such a high gain beast with digital potentiometers but it works well though very noisy at such gain levels. It has Gain, Tone and a Diode distortion stage added for more variety. As mentioned this is only applied to the main signal path where voices 1 through 3 travel.<br><div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div>
<b>The Effects</b>
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vamJ6iQhw6E/YVQSV81gTDI/AAAAAAAAFJY/wODiwsgXo_U3Y4naSGzmZ5Gw0FFXt3phACLcBGAsYHQ/s1346/effects.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vamJ6iQhw6E/YVQSV81gTDI/AAAAAAAAFJY/wODiwsgXo_U3Y4naSGzmZ5Gw0FFXt3phACLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/effects.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Graphic of the Effects Section</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>There are two effects units which contain the Spin Effects FV-1 module. A wonderful beast with three controls for various parameters. The module allows for eight different effects algorithms. Both of the units contain the same effects given that they are on different signal paths.</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div><div><br></div><div>
<div><b>The Keyboard</b></div>
<div>The keyboard is something I salvaged which has a simple diode matrix setup. I've used an Arduino MCU to map this and put out serial data pertaining to the note played. Nothing overly complicated here. The provision for velocity sensitivity is there but I have not implemented this further down the line.</div>
</div><div>
<div><br></div>
<div><b>Joystick</b></div>
<div>The X and Y parameters of the Joystick can be assigned to many of the different parameters of the FloriVoxTron. This assignment also includes a depth controls the percentage of the parameter affected. Below the joystick are three buttons with three LEDs. These are user assignable pre-sets for the joystick which allows the user to quickly change the joysticks destination without wading through the menu of the LCD.</div>
</div><div><br></div><div>
<div>
<b>Voices and their Play Modes<br><br></b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8SrLjLvXXEE/YVQTgk9cYwI/AAAAAAAAFJg/WXmOYpqrw1I_1Ek9PFU1nu98q6IV93HJQCLcBGAsYHQ/s900/voicing.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8SrLjLvXXEE/YVQTgk9cYwI/AAAAAAAAFJg/WXmOYpqrw1I_1Ek9PFU1nu98q6IV93HJQCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/voicing.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Graphic of the Voicing Section</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br>
</div>
<div>One of the nice features of building your own instrument like this is you can put in any functions you want. How the sample sets are played and mixed was one area I wanted a few special things.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>As mentioned before, the FloriVoxTron has four voices which can be assigned four different sample sets. But in fact I have taken this further. Within a patch, each four voices can have five different sample sets. This works simply with each press of a key, the sample set changes. It will only change the sample of the next note played and not any notes currently playing. This can be configured as a sequential process or randomly on the list provided.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>Another voicing function which is more about VCAs associated with each voice is the different Play Modes. There are three modes - Stack, Crossfade and Rotor. In Stack mode you simply choose which voices you want to hear by selecting the sample set and the voice activation button. Crossfade mode makes use of the slider below the voice select buttons. Voices can be assigned to the Left or Right side of the fade so the user can manually fade between the left and right where you'll hear the selected sample sets. And finally the Rotor mode where another LFO spins around and cross fades between each of the active voices. This LFO also has a second LFO to give that lovely effect of one LFO controlling the speed of another.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>The finally voice related function is the Stutter function. Only voice Eins uses this function due to a hardware limitation. Timers are used to start and stop the playing of a sample activated on the keyboard. As you add more notes via the keyboard the Stutter of the new note is not in sync with the previous. In addition the Scatter control will introduce a random time for the stop and starts of all notes being played. A feature of the voice activation buttons which enhances this process is when you hold a note on the keyboard and turn off the voice, the note is held without the use of the keyboard now so you can go onto playing another voice while this held voice happily plays in the background. The held function works independently on all voices.</div>
</div><div><br></div><div>
<div><b>The Sample Sets and the Tsunami Sample Player</b></div>
<div>The sample sets took quite a lot of time. Unlike a traditional sampler, the Tsunami Sample Player doesn't take one sample and transpose it across a keyboard, so for me to make the sample sets means creating a sample for each note. This is not a great problem as I wanted a more natural sound. Most of the sample sets I have used are unique samples per note anyway. The process of recording these samples from their origin was helped by an old program I had laying around named <a href="https://www.chickensys.com/translator/" target="_blank">Chicken Systems Translator</a> which I originally purchased for an old hardware sampler I had. This would make my life easy by playing back a range of notes and recording the audio to individual audio files. From here I would rename them to be placed in the appropriate location on the Tsunami.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>The Tsunami uses a micro SD card to store the samples in 44.1khz 16bit stereo format and it can address 4096 of them. They are referenced by simply numbers of 1 to 4096. The Main MCU in the FloriVoxTron does all the work of transcribing the chosen sample set and played notes to the appropriate sample number on the Tsunami. This communication is done via one of the serial connections on the Arduino Mega2560 which is the Main MCU.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>I won't go into great detail about the Tsunami as this can be gleaned from the <a href="https://robertsonics.com/tsunami/" target="_blank">Robertsonics</a> web site here. </div>
<div><br></div>
<div>One of the reasons I chose the approach of four difference voice audio paths is because the Tsunami allows for this with its audio outputs. It has eight audio outputs which can be configured as eight mono outputs or four stereo outputs.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>A feature of my sample setup is that each of the four voices mentioned - Eins, Zwei, Drei and Vier, can have a one sample set allocated or it can up to five sets. These five sets can be arranged to play randomly on consecutive note presses or in ascending order. Meaning each time you press one note a different sample will play. This allows for some interesting effects especially in the case of say a choir where we have 5 different vowels being sung. As we press notes we get different vowels being sounded.</div>
<div>
<br><br><div><b><span style="font-size: large;">Hardware</span></b></div>
<div><br></div>
<div><b>The Front Panel</b></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AUo_FI53czw/YVQh0DUnZDI/AAAAAAAAFJ4/g38jUNvMkGMBSapFtntR1aKpp__C3tvIwCLcBGAsYHQ/s900/IMG_9392.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AUo_FI53czw/YVQh0DUnZDI/AAAAAAAAFJ4/g38jUNvMkGMBSapFtntR1aKpp__C3tvIwCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/IMG_9392.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front view of the FloriVoxTron</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br><div>The front panel is made from 6mm black acrylic. As with many of my projects, I have routed the channels for the text which I have then filled with white acrylic paint. The LED bezels are opaque acrylic once again routed for their markings and filled with black acrylic paint. Behind the LED bezel is a shroud which concentrates the light from the LED through the bezel and limits the spread of the LED. <br><br>
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5vrN0LRYhaI/YVQiEmxVjuI/AAAAAAAAFKA/_C69EhYW99gA_HE1BX3dnVmQgD1Oi1c7QCLcBGAsYHQ/s900/IMG_9409.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5vrN0LRYhaI/YVQiEmxVjuI/AAAAAAAAFKA/_C69EhYW99gA_HE1BX3dnVmQgD1Oi1c7QCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/IMG_9409.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Closeup of the front panel without the case</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br><div>The knobs for the rotary encoders are three pieces of acrylic glued together, routed and polished to hide the joins in the acrylic. A shaft has also been cut out on the bottom side. The touch switches are actually drawing pins. This works just fine though they are a little fiddly. In another project where I have used touch switches, I used bolts and small magnets which are more sturdy but do have some contact issues. I have not found the perfect solution to making a durable touch switch contact but I do like using touch switches.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>As far as the operation of the rotary encoders are concerned, they have several functions or modes. I have taken advantage of the switch that all the rotary encoders have to make the encoders multifunction. The front panel MCUs will tell the Main MCU several states of the rotary encoders. They will say when it is rotated, pressed, pressed and held and double clicked. I've taken advantage of this to place two functions on each rotary encoder with its current state reflecting in the LCD.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div><br></div>
<div>
<b>The Front Panel Section<br><br></b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y_6QGAI6XSw/YVQid72tTMI/AAAAAAAAFKI/Ro3O1CvGd1AYiUvoUEGx-Amzo4Ey7EsowCLcBGAsYHQ/s900/IMG_9410.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y_6QGAI6XSw/YVQid72tTMI/AAAAAAAAFKI/Ro3O1CvGd1AYiUvoUEGx-Amzo4Ey7EsowCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/IMG_9410.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cross section of the front panel where the two layers of printed circuit board can be seen</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br>The front panel is quite complex. Each of the sections laid out have two layers of printed circuit boards behind them. The control of the RGB LEDs comes from the MCU after it's received information from the Main MCU. The MCU also reads the touch switches and rotary encoders and passes this information back to the Main MCU. In some cases I have used two MCUs due to the amount of digital I/O pins needed. Most of the MCUs are Arduino Pro Minis of the 168 variety. In this instance I have used I2C to send data to and from the Main MCU. I2C works well between Arduinos.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>
<b>Quad DAC Boards<br><br></b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BKdhDkTn1XA/YVQi_uu7T0I/AAAAAAAAFKQ/B_q2xfnxzh8sc9lGj0LB8VLoCkkQOYrogCLcBGAsYHQ/s900/IMG_9399.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BKdhDkTn1XA/YVQi_uu7T0I/AAAAAAAAFKQ/B_q2xfnxzh8sc9lGj0LB8VLoCkkQOYrogCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/IMG_9399.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The rear of the FloriVoxTron without its case. The foot controllers, MIDI, Power Input and Audio Outputs are clearly shown. The SD Cards containing the sample sets and patch data can be seen also.</td></tr>
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</div>
<div>As mentioned earlier these are boards which contain a STM32, blue pill, and a quad 8-bit DAC along with support components. They get their commands from the Main MCU via Serial. At the time the STM32 didn't have a very good I2C support so I decided on a protocol that was more appropriate which was the serial as we are not talking about high speed communications here. The output of these boards are used to control the various voltage controlled boards like the VCA and VCF boards. There are eleven Quad DAC boards in the FloriVoxTron.<br><br>
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<div><br></div>
<div><b>The Main MCU</b></div>
<div>This is where all the various input and outputs originate and all control is coordinated. I decided on a Arduino Mega2560 primarily because of the multiple serial ports available. The keyboard interface outputs serial data, the Tsunami Sample Player receives and sends serial data, there's the MIDI port which is serial as well. The Main MCU has a Sd card interface where patch data stored along with sample set control data and of great importance, the parameter data. The FloriVoxTron has almost 500 parameters. The parameter data file on the SD card tells the Main MCU which Quad DAC board to send data based on the parameter being changed. Other data contained in the parameter data file is things like the format of how to display parameters on the LCD and if a parameter is editable via the LCD's menu. The parameter data file is quite large and an SD card seemed the fastest and most convenient format to use. I investigated EEPROM which I have used in other projects but this was much slower plus it had the disadvantage of not being able to easily update unlike an SD card which I can update on my PC. The parameter data file is created from a spreadsheet via a small program which compresses the data down in a format that is easy for the MCU to read.</div>
</div>
</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div>Amongst Myselvestag:amongstmyselves.com,2005:Post/67740842021-10-13T09:37:00+10:302021-10-13T11:45:19+10:30Warlord - Guitar Effects<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VgrpWIJjRdw/YWYQyaHz6AI/AAAAAAAAFLE/AaB370x9a6Q-6f_7nugoMXxDw49Us4qRQCLcBGAsYHQ/s900/IMG_9416.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VgrpWIJjRdw/YWYQyaHz6AI/AAAAAAAAFLE/AaB370x9a6Q-6f_7nugoMXxDw49Us4qRQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h366/IMG_9416.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="366" width="640" /></a></div><p>The Warlord guitar pedal is a more robust version of my older project the <a href="https://amongstprojects.blogspot.com/2015/11/um-xn1-digital-effects-unit.html">UM-XN1</a>. The original unit was more of a test bed for the <a href="http://www.experimentalnoize.com/products_manufacturers.php">Spin Semiconductor's FV-1</a> in the form of the SKRM-C8 module.</p><p>"The SKRM-C8 reverb and effects module line is an easy to integrate effects solution for your pedal, amp or other audio equipment. These modules are available pre-programmed and can be custom programmed for your product. Modules operate from 5V to 12V DC to ease integration into your design." - quote from the Experimental Noize site.<br><br>The SKRM-C8 like all of its sister modules has an EEPROM that can be easily reprogrammed with any DSP algorithm written for the FV-1 chip. There is a community of users and DSP writers that have created numerous algorithms for these modules and I have taken several to include in various projects in the past. My <a href="https://amongstprojects.blogspot.com/2020/06/therematron-v3-final.html">Therematron</a> uses one of these modules for its effects.<br><br>The Warlord uses patches from SKRM-C8-eTap2 which was a project of has specific patches which emulate vintage tape echo machines and more as used by guitars like Hank B. Marvin of The Shadows.<br><br>So the main differences between the UM-XN1 and the Warlord are:-</p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1. Much sturdier case which includes foot switches for control of the effects.<br><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>2. LCD where custom patches can be stored and retrieved<br><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>3. Hi Gain stage for direct input from a guitar pickup<br><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>4. An Arduino Pro Mini is used to control the FV-1 chip and to store patches<br><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>5. It's orange !<br><br>This unit runs off an external dual 9v power supply.<br><br>What I gained from this project was some skills in spray painting cast aluminium cases to a point where the coating is very robust using quality spray paints from the Rust-Oleum brand.</p><p>Alas, the Echotapper project no longer exists but the wonderful designers over at Stanley Effects has created the <a href="http://www.stanleyfx.co.uk/pedals.html">Blue Nebula</a> pedal which is based on the Echo tapper.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZXzS-oBws54/YWYRI2bMoZI/AAAAAAAAFLQ/J_M5C9vhYZEZv6kNHTpFJxcw7njaHHgmACLcBGAsYHQ/s900/IMG_9414.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZXzS-oBws54/YWYRI2bMoZI/AAAAAAAAFLQ/J_M5C9vhYZEZv6kNHTpFJxcw7njaHHgmACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/IMG_9414.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="426" width="640" /></a></div><br><div>Spin Semiconductors have moved on from the FV-1 to their "bigger, brighter and faster", <a href="http://www.experimentalnoize.com/product_FXCore.php">FXCore chip</a>. </div>Amongst Myselvestag:amongstmyselves.com,2005:Post/64922312020-12-05T10:54:00+10:302020-12-05T14:30:28+10:30FloriVoxTron - The end in sight<p> This project has been going for about 3 years now. It's a sample playback synth. 16 note polyphony split between a total of four different voices. This synth is stereo from the start. Each note is a independent sample which is stereo. There are two signal paths on this unit. The first three voices pass through individual stereo VCAs which each have a stereo. Each VCA has a dual LFO with multiple waveforms. The signal then passes through a valve overdrive unit and onto a stereo CEM3340 filter configured to a Elka Synthex. We then pass into a stereo effects unit and into the final mixer onto the output buss. The other voice has a duplicate path without the valve overdrive.</p><p>The heart of the unit is the Robertsonics Tsunami Wav Player.</p><p>This machine is littered with LFO / ADSR modulators. More information when I worked out how stuff there is.</p><p>Here's a picture which shows the quite large case which contains numerous MCUs etc.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uJp1yHmh6Go/X8rS51BeQpI/AAAAAAAAElM/1P_XxSnS7kQrk714fSzQY6-038M7EMKCACLcBGAsYHQ/s1920/IMG_8203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uJp1yHmh6Go/X8rS51BeQpI/AAAAAAAAElM/1P_XxSnS7kQrk714fSzQY6-038M7EMKCACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h474/IMG_8203.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="474" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not the most flattering shot - more to come</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br><p><br></p>Amongst Myselvestag:amongstmyselves.com,2005:Post/63657882020-06-25T15:07:00+09:302020-06-25T18:30:57+09:30Therematron v3 - the final !<br><div style="border-width: 100%; direction: ltr;"> <div style="direction: ltr; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 0in; width: 7.6041in;"> <div style="direction: ltr; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 0in; width: 7.6041in;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VFnV4Nz3HFo/XvQ3Eh-XZWI/AAAAAAAAEfs/YXRr_xhjq9gyTsVGMzq1aBqGQWl_F3edgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_5213.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VFnV4Nz3HFo/XvQ3Eh-XZWI/AAAAAAAAEfs/YXRr_xhjq9gyTsVGMzq1aBqGQWl_F3edgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/IMG_5213.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Therematron v3 at one with nature</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The upgrade to the Therematron, done a few years back was a great extension to the already wonderful <a href="http://musicfromouterspace.com/" target="_blank">Music From Outer Space</a>'s Soundlab Mk2. My execution was hasty and rather messy but the really annoying problem was the bleed which affecteds the pitch of the VCOs that came from the LFO and ADSR.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">I'd attempted to fix this pitch issue before by enhancing the power supply to be ultra-smooth but this proved fruitless. The issue was that the voltages coming in via the Coarse and Fine frequency controls on the panel were dirty with the signals of the LFO and ADSRs. I removed this incoming voltage and used my bench power supply to supply the power and the situation improved immensely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I designed up a small power supply which delivered the required voltage. Thankfully I could use the incoming dual rail 12v for the rest of the unit and put in 9v regulators for this VCO power supply. It is very smooth now and makes the Therematron a more usable unit.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">In reality this was just one of the issues. As mentioned I threw this upgrade together and used inferior preassembled cabling which was not of good quailty. I use dupont header cables in this unit, so I decided I needed buy some decent wire and make my own up.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">Other issues included the layout of the PCBs within the case. The original design had the Soundlab PCB mounted to the base of the unit. This board has almost 100 single wire connections on it and the location is not easy to access. I decided to move this PCB to the rear of the case where it is now fully accessible.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">The initial upgrade included a second VCF. My first attempt at a VCF was a very simple design that Ray Wilson (MFOS) had in his Analog Synthesizers book. This didn't work well so I decided on a different type of VCF, a Steiner VCF design from Yves Usson of <a href="http://yusynth.net/Modular/EN/STEINERVCF/index-v2.html" target="_blank">YuSynth </a>fame. This is nicely unpredictable and most usefully different from the Soundlabs SVF. I want to say here is that the original VCF board was still mounted inside the case as it was difficult to get it out. It's now out !</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">The second LFO, based around a digital potentiometer driven by an Arduino ProMini, was a little adhoc in its wiring and mounting. This has been greatly improved with the LED display and button now being directly connected to the LFO board as opposed to originally where I had a second ProMini sending data back and forth between the LFO board. This was not a reliable approach. Now the display board is simply a 74HC595 serial to parallel converter with a LED on each output. In addition to this hardware upgrade I also improved the LFO code so that the external Trigger In and Sync In controls work. They're not perfect. The Trigger In will listen for a pulse and restart the waveform with each pulse and the Sync Input will change the speed of the LFO based on the input voltage. The caveat with the Sync In is that I can't read negative voltages on the Arduino so it only reacts to positive voltage changes which is nicely unpredictable.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">The original upgrade saw the removal of the Echo Rockit, the PT2399 based effects unit from MFOS. This didn't really do it for me as it was too lofi. No problem. I had good experience with the Experimental Noize FV-1 chips and I designed a unit around their SKRM modules. The signal flow out of the Soundlab module was to have a way of changing the order of what's next. I have the Steiner VCF and effects unit hard wired in but I wanted the ability of swapping their order. So I came up with something using switches which didn't really work in the end due to the complexity. One of the added features was a feedback control which took the effect signal of the effects unit back into the Steiner VCF. This didn't work at all. The upgrade for this section was based around removing the complicated switches and replacing them with a PCB which had four DPDT relays on it. This works really well. This makes the wiring simpler as well as I only have a couple of wires to the front panel to control the relays. Best of all the feedback control now works though you have to be careful.</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_o4d8E8IQLo/XvQ3VRXMnBI/AAAAAAAAEf0/8kiQadZPjY0WSWPiifvMqRFFtbmxGIKBwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_5215.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_o4d8E8IQLo/XvQ3VRXMnBI/AAAAAAAAEf0/8kiQadZPjY0WSWPiifvMqRFFtbmxGIKBwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/IMG_5215.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The Therematron gets its name from the original design which had a Theremin in it. Big Fail. There was too much noise floating around inside the case for that to ever work. So the Theremin board was removed in the first upgrade but the front panel controls still existed. This "final" upgrade sees the Theremin controls removed and replaced with four new modules.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">There are two Octave modules. These put out -4 to +4v volts for the VCOs. I often use the Therematron with an Arturia BSP sequence which outputs control voltages. This unit is setup to output 1v per octave control voltages. In use I found<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>that changing octaves on the Therematron was down to retuning which can't really be done in the middle of a performance whereas now I can simply switch up or down. This schematic I took from Elby Designs' Octave Transposer.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">The other two identical modules are Lag Processors which allow me to slew any control voltage. This can be anything from smoothing a LFO waveform to creating Portamento on the pitch of a VCO. This design was based on the MFOS RC Lag processor.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">I've checked all the functions and found a couple of mistakes but they were easy to fix and so far it works quite well. I also made a small modification to the Soundlab PCB which was a resistor on the VCA's Modulation input from the LFO. The signal level here was quite light on but now it will take the sound to almost nothing when the control is fully clock wise.</div>
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</div><br>Amongst Myselvestag:amongstmyselves.com,2005:Post/62817792020-04-14T16:18:32+09:302020-04-14T16:18:32+09:30Amongst Projects<p>I've decided to include the latest and archive blogs from Amongst Projects where my music electronics and filming gear is stored.</p>Amongst Myselvestag:amongstmyselves.com,2005:Post/62817542020-04-14T13:39:00+09:302020-04-14T16:16:41+09:30TMNSD - CV Arpeggiator<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--sMXPtiLFgo/XpUvxXJgurI/AAAAAAAAEXM/dY94_idLEjIiTygY7j-NNjx_CTDFl3BuQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_5130.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--sMXPtiLFgo/XpUvxXJgurI/AAAAAAAAEXM/dY94_idLEjIiTygY7j-NNjx_CTDFl3BuQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/IMG_5130.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">TMNSD - The Final Unit !</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br>The TMNSD is short for ? Actually I've totally forgotten what it's short for. Never mind. My friend Bernard asked me to build this unit for him to his needs for his modular synthesizers. This unit is three independent Control Voltage controllers each with a built in arpeggiator designed to control modular synthesizer systems Voltage Controlled Oscillators or any other voltage controlled input device.<br><br>The user can simply play single notes or use the arpeggiator to cycle through the chosen notes in a variety of patterns and also over a larger range of octaves. The arpeggiator has several Play Modes. There's Up, Down, Up/Down and Random. It also has a AsPlayed Off and On mode which means the notes will play in the order that they were selected. The Latch control will hold the notes on when first pressed and turn off when pressed again.<br><br>Each module has an external trigger input located on the left side of the unit. On the right hand side each module has CVA and CVB outputs. These are control voltages set at 1V per octave to control the VCOs (Voltage Controlled Oscillators) pitch. The outputs have an accurate range of 12 octaves. There are three trigger type outputs - Trig, Gate and Aux. The Trig outputs the trigger signal and naturally the Gate outputs a gate signal. The Aux output has several output options. The only link between the three units are an internal sync connection. They are synced to the previous module. By this I mean that module C will sync to B, B to A and A to C. This way most combinations can be achieved.<br><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wn5zdLUWEm4/XpUvx_ItQiI/AAAAAAAAEXs/dHlF-N-RqwwqVuiV6JeWu-x9VRxiGdJHwCEwYBhgLKs4DAMBZVoAO53iwb4CAOkUowrKyO7jAhqWNoPqAvxAMX85BaQOoUtUQVHpXEeK0TbMeS63OVVTfcAPWCviQ_DN69GvTujoDzET1ctuopu_uWEq2tFuyl2Z50Je6ieEG4wvycrR2sG27Yj6qGMXr0P1QHjt26Ok77NjgDuW0onc3LRzdhlpBg6jD9hjG3a4osaEZLF-Bs_l0wkP9DgIR4bpnoFFJzertIj7lTxK219pr_7rEEwTn1WpZcmPgpsMVaGLaDnbGw6pPJoqe1IbvpBPdhU_tzcskv76gosivJ8cYbvoD2So_W_Q8MNMmLiwvwc2BHzgznuzdBNIgMrnqX51dqONcPumSlz6ZYHVMbL8ItYflZZ3wp3U5S8MrOSemDVEEUrPEcf3mef_xhbfeRoHcUjWI8eZhVhu9SrR0lpfS5QUZmvJrDtv59htZeBtYbk3YzQh3ZsjCrdQ7tOqRJB0weE3M0FSxQY5_8Msp00MFoaJZLhi6JNy_Hq17Gd8dwtDxgdbZJCkY9IXFl6Zi8Qd0MhDkBVM2nCTUk95wM5MWsr_ajSADgFkhmFSWYmY12AQtXiqnu8ZScVhsRRyyeKIr4V6o7fXyzt3kDKn4i-vnMPXr1PQF/s1600/IMG_5121.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wn5zdLUWEm4/XpUvx_ItQiI/AAAAAAAAEXs/dHlF-N-RqwwqVuiV6JeWu-x9VRxiGdJHwCEwYBhgLKs4DAMBZVoAO53iwb4CAOkUowrKyO7jAhqWNoPqAvxAMX85BaQOoUtUQVHpXEeK0TbMeS63OVVTfcAPWCviQ_DN69GvTujoDzET1ctuopu_uWEq2tFuyl2Z50Je6ieEG4wvycrR2sG27Yj6qGMXr0P1QHjt26Ok77NjgDuW0onc3LRzdhlpBg6jD9hjG3a4osaEZLF-Bs_l0wkP9DgIR4bpnoFFJzertIj7lTxK219pr_7rEEwTn1WpZcmPgpsMVaGLaDnbGw6pPJoqe1IbvpBPdhU_tzcskv76gosivJ8cYbvoD2So_W_Q8MNMmLiwvwc2BHzgznuzdBNIgMrnqX51dqONcPumSlz6ZYHVMbL8ItYflZZ3wp3U5S8MrOSemDVEEUrPEcf3mef_xhbfeRoHcUjWI8eZhVhu9SrR0lpfS5QUZmvJrDtv59htZeBtYbk3YzQh3ZsjCrdQ7tOqRJB0weE3M0FSxQY5_8Msp00MFoaJZLhi6JNy_Hq17Gd8dwtDxgdbZJCkY9IXFl6Zi8Qd0MhDkBVM2nCTUk95wM5MWsr_ajSADgFkhmFSWYmY12AQtXiqnu8ZScVhsRRyyeKIr4V6o7fXyzt3kDKn4i-vnMPXr1PQF/s640/IMG_5121.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="510" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top view of the completed TMNSD</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br><br>The front panel controls consist of a potentiometer for controlling the arpeggiator speed when in independent mode. It also acts as an time offset control. More on this later. There are 12 touch sensors which represent the 12 notes of a chromatic octave which have 12 associated RGB LEDs and four function controls. These controls are FUNC which takes the unit through several setup screens. ARP which puts the module into arpeggiator play mode. LATCH which will latch the notes off and on and finally MODE which is another setup screen relating to the arpeggiator controls.<br><br>The FUNC key takes the unit through 3 different modes. When lit green the unit is in PLAY mode where notes can be selected. When RED the unit is in the INPUT and OUTPUTS setup where the clock source can be changed, what is output on CVB is changed along with what the Aux output will be outputting. During this mode the ARP SPEED potentiometer also changes to control the timing offset of the Trigger output which will range from 0% to about 90% offset to the next trigger. This also affects the Gate signal. When FUNC is BLUE the note keys represent a divisor of the clock speed whether internal or external. This starts from 1/1 up to 1/12 on the B note.<br><br>The other function is when the MODE key is GREEN. During this mode the notes have several different functions which include the play direction of the Arpeggiator, the octave range of the arpeggiator and also a transpose function which takes the arpeggiator down by up to 2 octaves.<br><br><br><h3>The Hardware</h3><br>Each module is made up of two PCBs. There's the CPU board and the Panel board. The CPU board contains an Arduino Pro Mini which controls a MCP4922 dual channel 12 bit digital to analogue converter via SPI. The two outputs of this converter are processed through an op amp to change the output voltage range of 0 to 5v to -6 to +6 volts. The opamps have 10 turn trimpots for tuning the output voltage offset and range to generate an accurate 1 volt per octave output. The trigger outputs are generated from 5v digital outputs on the Arduino which are buffered through a TL074 quad op amp. The trigger inputs are processed through a diode and transistor to clamp voltages over 5v as to protect the digital inputs on the Arduino. This schematic came from the wonderful Electro Druid web site. As can be seen below, the AMP trimpots from CVA and CVB have been removed. For this project I decided it would be easier to fix the feedback resistor of the op amp channels and use software to correct any error. I could have done similar with the Bias trimpots as well.<br><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--LoJ1c7P7k0/XpUvpWLDKpI/AAAAAAAAEXY/xMR3Uz-bGCYC8wegPGl9gxH9JQRXNXZpACEwYBhgLKs4DAMBZVoDUuYPzFS77w9XJOvx-E7vU3Dfi2MzfYhL9mgroYgIA7beC8EQF3srFXOiJPnUSPAn8NzN40TDBu7c2-NzVTig8eVpyoCKbVwVMcRewWy0vp_HxxNqnOqtd23G_3NRLOc_kI7G8c6jjmFzCv9WzWEoBgJa0ssMAQxV03Y1h8OO7vkOb6aOdPnC2LLxmzROtot88mggwOJJuZfu4yghkfHADh4HRAkCUgpSjgN3zjXH8ZeOyyUsF2HVT-xNUHZ_4TLKQJddamc8rxz3XsyTxQy8uDBpdSWTpJZsdkkoDoBq6skQ9_swp9WU5kWrnnLVp952SJgGHKmQqhIr0bEDcLpkHBk2xs2Nl-P9ObcDZMMlDcXtUVNZPp7QzVYCEZ2GVxHGuvjn2U9qT2e8i-Ar2jSr0zu1FojxgJSpaqXgu6MZs3yaOAWaNeGAmvXaK7z_MN0waqAnAsY4oSdOsxCKDvqYjYqZGTYovJjxA01D23ufFd9Fpj1YS4QFFQy-QLFTBulTsZPIpOeDiru2j9aecEsnuDb_MrzyMc8BFycMhe5viqYaz87FfXU25gruzyKtSsDYv6M3OU2DrnW6DfNhB3PgTlSBydjrYyJWSMM_q1PQF/s1600/IMG_5110.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--LoJ1c7P7k0/XpUvpWLDKpI/AAAAAAAAEXY/xMR3Uz-bGCYC8wegPGl9gxH9JQRXNXZpACEwYBhgLKs4DAMBZVoDUuYPzFS77w9XJOvx-E7vU3Dfi2MzfYhL9mgroYgIA7beC8EQF3srFXOiJPnUSPAn8NzN40TDBu7c2-NzVTig8eVpyoCKbVwVMcRewWy0vp_HxxNqnOqtd23G_3NRLOc_kI7G8c6jjmFzCv9WzWEoBgJa0ssMAQxV03Y1h8OO7vkOb6aOdPnC2LLxmzROtot88mggwOJJuZfu4yghkfHADh4HRAkCUgpSjgN3zjXH8ZeOyyUsF2HVT-xNUHZ_4TLKQJddamc8rxz3XsyTxQy8uDBpdSWTpJZsdkkoDoBq6skQ9_swp9WU5kWrnnLVp952SJgGHKmQqhIr0bEDcLpkHBk2xs2Nl-P9ObcDZMMlDcXtUVNZPp7QzVYCEZ2GVxHGuvjn2U9qT2e8i-Ar2jSr0zu1FojxgJSpaqXgu6MZs3yaOAWaNeGAmvXaK7z_MN0waqAnAsY4oSdOsxCKDvqYjYqZGTYovJjxA01D23ufFd9Fpj1YS4QFFQy-QLFTBulTsZPIpOeDiru2j9aecEsnuDb_MrzyMc8BFycMhe5viqYaz87FfXU25gruzyKtSsDYv6M3OU2DrnW6DfNhB3PgTlSBydjrYyJWSMM_q1PQF/s640/IMG_5110.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="398" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">TMNSD CPU Board vD - note the capacitors across the resistors and the lack of AMP Trimpots</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br><br>The front panel is made up of 16 daisy chained WS 2182 RGB LEDs which I've used before and have down pat though I have to admit that I wrongly used two different purchases of LEDs to find that the second batch had a different LED order. Thankfully these are all together on separate modules. The touch sensors were using a new discovery, the BS818 chip which is an eight channel capacitive touch sensor chip. I've previously used TTP-223 chips which are single touch switches but I needed to find a multi-switch version for this project. The potentiometer is also mounted to the front panel board for ease of construction. The touch sensors themselves are neodymium magnets. I'd previously used drawing pins for touch sensors but they needed complicated electrical connections in the way of single sockets.<br><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Nj5HK2MnS0M/XpUvr2C5PSI/AAAAAAAAEXY/IteawybKmf8pmOysepFqQ872SWrFVekswCEwYBhgLKs4DAMBZVoBiYtWH722CABjvTeDqadnH8ZPCwtiNUKwLKpj8HnVw3ZfHNUgWPLj68b9e6RTVEcDjgCiB6LurAW2x-l9YVYwtNSsYY6UzZI3G_YKuHjSdp4mPNBPJOvxShYLGdWob9VMr5cOUtAQ4IfWG-Z05BceAq57wbOfAYukD6_bPTnN_yETTZwakDd0d53Q6ICLAsuLc3LbdPNH7345eCLGEojHv6Txwc37yowQTZ9Tm2dXZlj7XTHvXvFfx5qBN8UCqmBWwqrgVtXsGVBicxIXIbl1moUW6ORSgEwBnpiPWq-T8Wiu-_pOI_394E4s6pRtGIZHMe64-cqj8-8URKyY7xT7VivJUPuxHU5NsjJaKkIC8byPMXlRfv-UdD6VY1ULCFv-WQ5wYNUaBMtzVHeK9mtetEeLqhrdZl8K8Pgdu4V_Bn_BWpTJOKZvk4Oa98O27Ncizw-KNTbmNUhkjPR-aSuWYYmNtf-Rocr06hcFDjogDr2bmRHgWqiaiUuJ5yMhL2jGwyaOxKr_UBFJRe6E4EEe1aGG3wMRq6Pj_ZNez5rWi-WHynFB2fVHf_jbTVPCUNIqtRQPppuDiwy2WPn2qzaywTcJ-ak6zLY09MMDq1PQF/s1600/IMG_5113.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Nj5HK2MnS0M/XpUvr2C5PSI/AAAAAAAAEXY/IteawybKmf8pmOysepFqQ872SWrFVekswCEwYBhgLKs4DAMBZVoBiYtWH722CABjvTeDqadnH8ZPCwtiNUKwLKpj8HnVw3ZfHNUgWPLj68b9e6RTVEcDjgCiB6LurAW2x-l9YVYwtNSsYY6UzZI3G_YKuHjSdp4mPNBPJOvxShYLGdWob9VMr5cOUtAQ4IfWG-Z05BceAq57wbOfAYukD6_bPTnN_yETTZwakDd0d53Q6ICLAsuLc3LbdPNH7345eCLGEojHv6Txwc37yowQTZ9Tm2dXZlj7XTHvXvFfx5qBN8UCqmBWwqrgVtXsGVBicxIXIbl1moUW6ORSgEwBnpiPWq-T8Wiu-_pOI_394E4s6pRtGIZHMe64-cqj8-8URKyY7xT7VivJUPuxHU5NsjJaKkIC8byPMXlRfv-UdD6VY1ULCFv-WQ5wYNUaBMtzVHeK9mtetEeLqhrdZl8K8Pgdu4V_Bn_BWpTJOKZvk4Oa98O27Ncizw-KNTbmNUhkjPR-aSuWYYmNtf-Rocr06hcFDjogDr2bmRHgWqiaiUuJ5yMhL2jGwyaOxKr_UBFJRe6E4EEe1aGG3wMRq6Pj_ZNez5rWi-WHynFB2fVHf_jbTVPCUNIqtRQPppuDiwy2WPn2qzaywTcJ-ak6zLY09MMDq1PQF/s640/IMG_5113.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="190" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front Panel Board - front side - populated</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br><br>The boards were made by Seeeds Studio in China and they are very good quality. I've had 10 made of the CPU boards and 5 of the front panel boards. Due to the numbers I decided to make the CPU boards a little more generic. The board has provision for MIDI and via the serial port which includes a jumper location to change between the programming port and the MIDI port and an I2C for a LCD screen. I have a number of previously made MIDI interface boards which could be used. This way the module could potentially be used to create an LFO module or any other number of music related projects. The I2C connection could be used to connect another Arduino which in turn would have provision for multiple potentiometers or data encoders. The options are there.<br><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GnuPbK1yvgY/XpUvuDSmQII/AAAAAAAAEXo/N6ZmWSqqis4geGKhanA5GKrwjEWfE7UDQCEwYBhgLKs4DAMBZVoC7xibYUTf4EALsnZbn0R3-hd1GnTJzsSoum6I7tgExtUJTxtvN0gqIntUcVm8RmzOIgRNxnKGhUdN_KUx-Diib_vJsmMi9JH_UUd5LasbcoIpyNT8tw0GgAw267evmEIDTfZc3UzxNg-Q9ep-rm-eqaNcII3QhVbP1RtAVdwPaCk10fCTn12GFH-z0ExtGenjXuBqkHUsQooqbdpej3He_LOK6tVLKJx_1YRme8Uu8maIoFYqFZgRYzj8qKByTbgTmML-2gQbAgrJ8QKAlKuLQmo-gzCuAeuXrsFzmBPwjIHPKDw9adbD8s88pL_388A_lH-1YScUMk76Nt4HyyNbWZJ6LJb2R72RFJtbrWLmz0n1IqNjMPd-50iy5dus03DUU-qaMOtn2aZGliD8rUck14pib-gLytTbPicwFraTi0qKvWQvyWqLsYs3v4bG7AlBXyZwxte-87Cl27rxhdFPixhFeQp9MIndtJYM4lVQqOvLY82RvC_z1iqOiN5k30o-JtlyYDAQzvwBt42ljWkIcXKFnCKWSFHlPP18apXzM3xkHZbyMWqU_PTMbonqhvzhjBbqdL7mbpT7XVXfWx9pNlkNDBk5SV-mPMNjy1PQF/s1600/IMG_5116.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GnuPbK1yvgY/XpUvuDSmQII/AAAAAAAAEXo/N6ZmWSqqis4geGKhanA5GKrwjEWfE7UDQCEwYBhgLKs4DAMBZVoC7xibYUTf4EALsnZbn0R3-hd1GnTJzsSoum6I7tgExtUJTxtvN0gqIntUcVm8RmzOIgRNxnKGhUdN_KUx-Diib_vJsmMi9JH_UUd5LasbcoIpyNT8tw0GgAw267evmEIDTfZc3UzxNg-Q9ep-rm-eqaNcII3QhVbP1RtAVdwPaCk10fCTn12GFH-z0ExtGenjXuBqkHUsQooqbdpej3He_LOK6tVLKJx_1YRme8Uu8maIoFYqFZgRYzj8qKByTbgTmML-2gQbAgrJ8QKAlKuLQmo-gzCuAeuXrsFzmBPwjIHPKDw9adbD8s88pL_388A_lH-1YScUMk76Nt4HyyNbWZJ6LJb2R72RFJtbrWLmz0n1IqNjMPd-50iy5dus03DUU-qaMOtn2aZGliD8rUck14pib-gLytTbPicwFraTi0qKvWQvyWqLsYs3v4bG7AlBXyZwxte-87Cl27rxhdFPixhFeQp9MIndtJYM4lVQqOvLY82RvC_z1iqOiN5k30o-JtlyYDAQzvwBt42ljWkIcXKFnCKWSFHlPP18apXzM3xkHZbyMWqU_PTMbonqhvzhjBbqdL7mbpT7XVXfWx9pNlkNDBk5SV-mPMNjy1PQF/s640/IMG_5116.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="356" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Close up of a LED bezel shows the countersinks for the magnet and bolt</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The front panel of the case is a 3d routed piece of 4.5mm black acrylic that contains lots of opaque white acrylic inserts which are the combination touch sensor and LED. These bezels are countersunk to 2mm to accommodate the magnets. Underneath the magnets is a flat head bolt mounted to the front panel PCB to give the electrical connection to the touch sensor pad. The magnets locks themselves to the bolt by magnetism. These work quite well but on some of bezels the countersunk hole for the bolts were deeper than the bolt hence there was no electrical connection. I found that using a fibre washer under the bolt head and only placing one magnet instead of two, gave the same height and an electrical connection.<br><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HgdXlpVVbe0/XpUvt874g1I/AAAAAAAAEXc/PkNmcIbltrs1LLVU16d17BxmRtEfy7ElACEwYBhgLKs4DAMBZVoARjoH2VljVYQd-4gzh3CWbUk8azJsUN3pECIwurJ4Hff5S3yEYr3fNrvwUq9TfmxLWAuzaTJf-EQ9ji9vO8Rombo5IF_icUNTFBF-xGRGTIdxdt4JuJa31TBFXukFrvp20nAKk0wdfrrVV528CwUab_MbVnRno-9RaRSTEP7f7gwvYImRr26KrHl9zIXamTIOZ9tUtk7Yr0VqNsf4d0rFDbsfrxIE4d929DCvkvEEx8pvSFhH18UJoxRZAb96d2g-Jfyof-I9LOoHAx8kOIkyNJQlD8z0psBE70pWJSxq1UaJFXEBXHXPmxp0SpJq3G3LAjzTX0eXNhKuGJYPXj-RyVrP8KkKtveQbD95IZYOggXwE_51h8X9f0Usaf-92utfxrksZ3BV08_m1CEmrV6hs9M_a_pXmThVete3t4OZ2WPLgoOedCJ-bqcrd2mhF1U7xJ35ZLeA0rSrVjLdG5iI9VX4dUzWubeHQPUOA-X6SqLjn_V0Az0leMaiqu8KaTEe8qEtyTJI2RYWXyt5rMarUQwF9PjBNKFBB5JxRAHC720vSBp_wOv8jgVqmntbNx3MdWrOpjc5QtLquqhpUxi4DPcb8WM04g8dtMN3q1PQF/s1600/IMG_5115.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HgdXlpVVbe0/XpUvt874g1I/AAAAAAAAEXc/PkNmcIbltrs1LLVU16d17BxmRtEfy7ElACEwYBhgLKs4DAMBZVoARjoH2VljVYQd-4gzh3CWbUk8azJsUN3pECIwurJ4Hff5S3yEYr3fNrvwUq9TfmxLWAuzaTJf-EQ9ji9vO8Rombo5IF_icUNTFBF-xGRGTIdxdt4JuJa31TBFXukFrvp20nAKk0wdfrrVV528CwUab_MbVnRno-9RaRSTEP7f7gwvYImRr26KrHl9zIXamTIOZ9tUtk7Yr0VqNsf4d0rFDbsfrxIE4d929DCvkvEEx8pvSFhH18UJoxRZAb96d2g-Jfyof-I9LOoHAx8kOIkyNJQlD8z0psBE70pWJSxq1UaJFXEBXHXPmxp0SpJq3G3LAjzTX0eXNhKuGJYPXj-RyVrP8KkKtveQbD95IZYOggXwE_51h8X9f0Usaf-92utfxrksZ3BV08_m1CEmrV6hs9M_a_pXmThVete3t4OZ2WPLgoOedCJ-bqcrd2mhF1U7xJ35ZLeA0rSrVjLdG5iI9VX4dUzWubeHQPUOA-X6SqLjn_V0Az0leMaiqu8KaTEe8qEtyTJI2RYWXyt5rMarUQwF9PjBNKFBB5JxRAHC720vSBp_wOv8jgVqmntbNx3MdWrOpjc5QtLquqhpUxi4DPcb8WM04g8dtMN3q1PQF/s640/IMG_5115.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="382" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front Panel with all the acrylic pieces in place and the white paint infill completed</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br>The case was another milestone for me. It's made from hardwood in particular Tasmanian Oak which is a plantation wood. It is quite hard, as the name suggests, and takes a considerable amount of time to cut on the router but after many attempts I managed to make a finger joint using this wood. Previously I have used MDF and plywood but neither of these woods worked to form a clean finger joint. I think this is something that I will be using more into the future. The input and output panels are 3d routed from 3mm black acrylic and filled with white acrylic paint as I have done in many projects.<br><br>The power for the system runs from a 18v plugpack. This in turn is converted to 5v via one step down converter and another buck converter creates the -12 and +12 volts needed by the opamps.<br><div><br></div>Amongst Myselvestag:amongstmyselves.com,2005:Post/61604562020-01-24T13:58:39+10:302020-01-24T13:58:39+10:30The Good Earth - almost ready to go<p>All the discs are made and I'm getting ready to mail out to all the radio programs around the world.</p>Amongst Myselvestag:amongstmyselves.com,2005:Post/60068682019-12-13T13:46:50+10:302019-12-13T13:48:39+10:30New Web Hosting<p>So Hostbaby is closing down and has been taken over by Bandzoogle. I have to say that it's all looking good so far and easy to edit. There are some caveats with formatting but I personally like some limitations.</p>
<p>I'm "streaming" through my Amongst Projects blog here as well which is a little out of date but its purpose is to log my electronic projects I design and build for music and film related areas.</p>Amongst Myselvestag:amongstmyselves.com,2005:Post/62817552017-08-01T17:21:00+09:302020-04-14T16:16:41+09:30MIDI Transport Controller and Joystick<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HbC19C7urPY/WYAw4nTJiWI/AAAAAAAACS4/xWOvH00U-JYSOjJHpqR1M6TddkSQ4aiEACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_5417-1920x1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HbC19C7urPY/WYAw4nTJiWI/AAAAAAAACS4/xWOvH00U-JYSOjJHpqR1M6TddkSQ4aiEACLcBGAs/s640/IMG_5417-1920x1280.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Transport Controller - this unit does the transmitting - well used already !</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br>A while back I made up a simple transport controller so I could remotely, well a few metres away, control my two main audio software packages, Cakewalk Sonar X3 and Sony Vegas Pro 13.<br><br>This unit is made of two parts. There is the remote battery powered transmitter and the receiver unit which has a MIDI output on it to connect to one of my MIDI interfaces. The transport controller transmitter simply has seven switches which are monitored by a Arduino Nano which when pressed transmits the a value to the receiver. The receiver gets these values and puts out an appropriate MIDI controller value to the music computer.<br><br>The radio setup in both units are nRF24L01+ 2.4Ghz ultra low powered transceiver modules which are cheap and work a treat. Several libraries exist for the Arduino making coding simple. I used mirf. The radio modules communicate with the Arduino via the SPI interface. <br><br>I wanted to also try out something different for the controller buttons. So I went with touch sensitive buttons. This uses a small module called the MPR121 capacitive touch sensitive breakout board containing a Freescale MPR121 chip that interfaces with the Arduino using the I2C interface. I became aware of them via Julian Illets youtube videos for his penny touch organ. The module has 12 touch sensitive electrodes in total. I am only using 7 for this project. The buttons themselves are drawing pins as it seemed the simplest way of getting a neat electrical connection from the front of the panel to the pins on the MPR121 board.<br><br>Another challenge was to use WS2812G RGB leds as indicators for each button. These I mounted onto the rear of some routed 6mm opal acrylic bezels to help diffuse the light. In turn these bezels where mounted through holes of the transport controllers front panel. The front of these pieces of acrylic had the basic transport control symbols routed into them and filled with acrylic paint. This has a nice effect of backlighting the symbols. When the unit is running each of the symbols are lit with a washout colour but when the button is pressed it goes to full saturation.<br><br>The power for the transport controller comes from an 18650 3.3V LiPo battery. The battery is charged via a micro USB connector which is mounted on the TP4056 based battery management board which takes care of charging the LiPo battery. From the outputs of the TP4056 there is a step up voltage board which takes the voltage of the 3.3v LiPo battery to 5v which powers the Arduino Nano. In hindsight I should ave used a 3.3v based Arduino as it would have saved using this step up board as all other parts in the transport controller can run from 3.3v.<br><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gpK2CVxbBfo/WYAw4NWnMKI/AAAAAAAACS0/6_LZj6u3bagys9y2pxtwXOIwXsa8eWk_ACEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_5455-1920x1241.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gpK2CVxbBfo/WYAw4NWnMKI/AAAAAAAACS0/6_LZj6u3bagys9y2pxtwXOIwXsa8eWk_ACEwYBhgL/s640/IMG_5455-1920x1241.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="412" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The receiver unit showing the USB power socket, MIDI connections and Joystick socket on the top.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br>The receiver is a simple Arduino Nano with a nRF24L01+ attached. Pretty simple. One of my standard MIDI I/O boards is also mounted in the receiver case to transmit the incoming radio signals to the MIDI output and eventually controlling the software. Once again I used the Forty Seven Effects midi library.<br><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-x_OvBwF9rOA/WYAw4GRsNTI/AAAAAAAACSw/4ioWzs9U7sgIzWf1xif2G3ajUNUd2pMQACEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_5451-1920x1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-x_OvBwF9rOA/WYAw4GRsNTI/AAAAAAAACSw/4ioWzs9U7sgIzWf1xif2G3ajUNUd2pMQACEwYBhgL/s640/IMG_5451-1920x1280.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The joystick controller</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br>I have recently made an addition which is a joystick controller that sends out MIDI controller values for the X and Y positions of the joystick. This is something I wanted to control certain VST plugins within Sonar. One VST in particular which is a granular effect emulates a joystick on its own screen which I was able to attach to my new joystick controller. For this I made one of my acrylic cases to house the joystick with a 4 core cable running back to the transport controller receiver. The two signal lines from the joystick for X and Y are connected to two analogue voltage inputs on the Arduino and their values are converted into MIDI controller values. I found I needed to add a bit of smoothing via a couple of 100nF capacitors across the analogue input pins as the power coming from my USB 5v power supply which powers the receiver was a little noisy and affects the incoming joystick values.<br><br>The unit works well when doing recording mostly. I have the controller sitting on the keyboard I am using and with a simple setup with either audio package I can record and do other operations.<br>Amongst Myselvestag:amongstmyselves.com,2005:Post/62817562017-05-19T10:10:00+09:302020-04-14T16:16:41+09:30Therematron Upgrade<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DffPNHWn2hU/WR42ynFBzkI/AAAAAAAACRI/PAxjKSWSe-87bx2bA6i7fHNyBqB2DBaVgCLcB/s1600/Therematron%2BNOT%2B-%2Bfull%2Bview.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DffPNHWn2hU/WR42ynFBzkI/AAAAAAAACRI/PAxjKSWSe-87bx2bA6i7fHNyBqB2DBaVgCLcB/s640/Therematron%2BNOT%2B-%2Bfull%2Bview.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="464" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Therematron NOT - current model</td>
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</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Well you may ask why is there an upgrade when I've not seen the original version ? I ask myself this also. It's a long story.<br><br>So the original Therematron design was based around <a href="http://musicfromouterspace.com/" target="_blank">MFOS</a> Soundlab Mk2 designed by the late and great Ray Wilson. Along with this wonderful 2 oscillator synth I was to use Ray's Echo Rockit digital delay unit and the icing on the cake would be the <a href="http://www.paia.com/theremax.asp" target="_blank">PAIA Theremax</a> theremin. What a wonderful machine it was. In theory anyway.<br><br>It was quite a while ago that I started the original Therematron. I started this back in August 2014 or possibly earlier. Looking back at my daily log I read that it wasn't until February 2016 that I finally got back to trying to make the Therematron work. I had got the Theremax working inside the case but there was something wrong with the Soundlab. The wiring of Ray's boards isn't easy. I fully comprehend that he designs his boards to be as small as possible but in the process most potentiometers and switches don't have their terminals next to each other and can often be part of a chain of wires to get them all connected hence the wiring of a single board synthesizer is quite messy. Add to this the limited space inside the case and problems become quite difficult to solve. Hence I appear to have put off getting this unit running considering it was in late 2014 that I had made the case up.<br><br>Moving along to March 2016 and several other distraction projects later, I was battling with getting the VCOs to be stable. The issue was and still is to a degree, an amount of the envelope generators LFOs coming through. It must be something to do with the earth line as far as I can tell. I'm not working on solving this issue as I'm happy with where it is. Someday I may come back to this.<br><br>I made this funky light display on the rear of the Therematron as just something to do and it also affects the power supply but to a greater degree that I can't use it. I could possibly try putting in a power regulator on the light display to help alleviate any affect it has on the other parts of the power circuit. Since this is only seen from there rear I think I will just put a 9v battery inside to run it when I use it live. Seems the simplest solution to me.<br><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HReQhRQLo0Q/WR43EKm6VBI/AAAAAAAACRM/_wOD3EDDWKgQ4sjawPy4SsIYH8uEvafnwCEw/s1600/Therematron%2BNOT%2B-%2Batom%2Bview.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HReQhRQLo0Q/WR43EKm6VBI/AAAAAAAACRM/_wOD3EDDWKgQ4sjawPy4SsIYH8uEvafnwCEw/s640/Therematron%2BNOT%2B-%2Batom%2Bview.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="546" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rear panel atom animation</td></tr>
</tbody></table>One thing that did help with tuning the VCOs was the purchase of an <a href="https://www.arturia.com/beatstep-pro/overview" target="_blank">Arturia Beatstep Pro </a>sequencer. This wonderful unit includes CV and Gate outputs of which I can tune to output very accurate voltages which helped with the tuning. The tuning is done using the Scale Trim and High Frequency Compensation Trim pots. Using the BSP and a guitar tuner I was able to achieve about 5 octaves which I am more than happy with.<br><br>It was during this period of finalising the Therematron that I could not get the Pitch on the Theremax working when installed in the case along with all the other electrical noise. I could get a reduced output from the Volume antenna. Quite disappointing. I was also disappointed by the quality of the Echo Rockit. I knew that it was "lo-fi" but it was lower fi that I was happy with. So there Therematron went back on ice and then we moved to the country. It was February 2017 before I started what would become the Therematron NOT !<br><br>Having moved into the new house and setup a new studio I returned to where I left off back at the Blackwood Studio and started work on the Therematron NOT! in the new Wahroonga Studio. I decided that I would remove the Theremax and replace the Echo Rockit with an <a href="https://www.experimentalnoize.com/" target="_blank">Experimental Noize</a> module. Quite a bit of work but I wanted to get this machine working. The Theremax may still appear in a new case later down the track.<br><br>This upgrade couldn't be simple could it ? Oh No. I designed an effects chain which not only had the EN SKRM module but in addition the module contained an analogue feedback path which, for extra variation in sound, includes a VCF and a LFO for VCF modulation. The idea being to emulate to some degree what the Echo Rockit could do and more. <br><br>The EN-SKRM module was mostly straight forward as I had already made the UM-XN1 guitar effects unit. Where the Therematron version differed was the addition of a feedback path which routes the output of the unit back to the input but via a VCF. This VCF can also be moved within the signal path. It can be changed from being in the Feedback path to being at the start of the effects unit. Reasonably straight forward in theory.<br><br>So a LFO. I wanted to make a LFO based around an <a href="http://arduino.cc/" target="_blank">Arduino</a> controller and a <a href="http://www.microchip.com/wwwproducts/en/MCP41100" target="_blank">MCP41100 digital potentiometer</a>. These potentiometers have a 256 level 100k pot which are controlled simply using SPI from a microcontroller. So the idea came to me to use the Arduino to create several different waveforms as a CV to output as a modulator. A fellow electronics nut and musician, Abram Morphew, had done all the work already. Abram had created what I was after as far as the waveform creation using interrupt timers on the Arduino. Some small modifications to his code made the digital pot do all the work. <br><br>The LFO has another Arduino which controls the selection and display of waveforms on the front panel. The EN-SKRM module also has a similar Arduino panel controller. I decided to use a simple serial protocol to have the panel Arduino talk to the LFO Arduino which appears to work well after some initial problems. I originally had the serial communications working over the Software Serial library, which is a software method of creating a serial line on any Arduino digital connection but the downside of this is there is no UART with a data buffer. Hence, if you do not monitor the software serial connection you may miss something. The hardware serial ports on the Arduino have a buffer where data is stored until read or until it's full. This way you don't have to be as concerned about servicing the serial port.<br><br>The VCF I wanted to be cheap and dirty. I chose a design Ray Wilson had in his book, "Make: Analogue Synthesizers". It was based around a single LM13700 chip. The only problem was it was too dirty. Aghhh ! Now I need to find space and another design. I was getting bored by this stage. I trawled through links to find the <a href="http://yusynth.net/Modular/index_en.html" target="_blank">YuSynth</a> site. Here I found a Steiner VCF that was not only a good sounding VCF but there was also a single sided PCB design. So I set out and cut myself a slightly modified version of this VCF. I moved the power connectors around and change the ins and outs to suit my connectors.<br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LnFvqaoE608/WR43rgqbGHI/AAAAAAAACRU/NXLjQUc7ebEgdfi2HcRNacklPPnP8TMLQCLcB/s1600/Therematron%2BNOT%2B-%2Bnew%2Bsection.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LnFvqaoE608/WR43rgqbGHI/AAAAAAAACRU/NXLjQUc7ebEgdfi2HcRNacklPPnP8TMLQCLcB/s640/Therematron%2BNOT%2B-%2Bnew%2Bsection.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="518" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The new VCF, LFO and Effects section</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>The only small catch with this VCF design is it calls for a match pair of BC547 transistors. I did have any on hand at the time so I used BC549s. So I made up a simple matching circuit using <a href="http://www.dragonflyalley.com/synth/images/TransistorMatching/ianFritz-transmat0011_144.pdf" target="_blank">Ian Fritz's transistor matcher</a> to help me find a pair and I used them. But then the inevitable happens and I get limit sound from the unit. I also didn't have a TL074 so I used an TL084. So I immediately presume that the TL084 that I've used instead of the 74 and the BC549 instead of the 547 are causing the problem. So when I next go into Adelaide I purchase these from Jaycar. Put them in and no change. Turns out I had several microscopic solder bridges on the board. It now works but I do wonder if the components made a difference. It sounds great !<br><br>So now I had a good sounding setup. I needed to create a new bottom panel for the Therematron. Like usual I spent a good day in Freehand moving things around on the screen and realised that I had some spare real estate now that the Echo Rockit has been replaced. "Let's put in another module !" - I heard my evil twin shout. But what ? <br><br>I had been playing around with some simple circuits from my copy of <a href="http://www.nicolascollins.com/handmade.htm" target="_blank">Nicolas Collins, Handmade Electronic Music,</a> is recent months and I remembered where he describes using a 4017 at audio speed. A 4017 can be used as a divider. It's in reality a decade counter. So it gets me thinking about using a 4017 to make a sub-oscillator. Why stop there. A 4017 puts out a nasty square wave so I put a variable filter after the 4017 and now I have switchable 1 or 2 octave sub-oscillator with a low pass filter on it. That fits quite nicely into the front panel.<br><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q2yMh9m5dD0/WR44jDIzvOI/AAAAAAAACRY/ta12_rUtpcQcP-al8drz0UZCQRmSBzAtACEw/s1600/Sub%2BOscillator%2BSchematic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q2yMh9m5dD0/WR44jDIzvOI/AAAAAAAACRY/ta12_rUtpcQcP-al8drz0UZCQRmSBzAtACEw/s640/Sub%2BOscillator%2BSchematic.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="242" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My rather messy schematic for the Sub Oscillator (note power input is +/- 5v)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Now NO MORE new stuff !!<br><br>It all fits quite neatly. Don't lie ! It's a mess inside there. Do not enter without a guide. It's not perfect as the whole VCF switch around on the effects doesn't quite work but for now I am happy. I've programmed the SKRM module with a basic set of reverbs, echos and modulation effects for now and I can always come back and change these later. The top front panel still has the Theremax controls but the Theremax is no longer contained and the aerials for the Theremax are still there and act as nice handles. Now I just need to use it to make noises ! <br><br>But the main question is whether this is the end for the modifications after all there's the front space where the Theremax controls were ?<br><br><br><br><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-psdXRcJfNMo/WR45GG_nISI/AAAAAAAACRc/w8WOk7aqb4o6kAS7aWl9tU4KIcaa0pJYQCLcB/s1600/Therematron%2BNOT%2B-%2Brear%2Bview.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-psdXRcJfNMo/WR45GG_nISI/AAAAAAAACRc/w8WOk7aqb4o6kAS7aWl9tU4KIcaa0pJYQCLcB/s640/Therematron%2BNOT%2B-%2Brear%2Bview.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The full rear panel</td>
<td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br></td>
<td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br></td>
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</tbody></table><br>Amongst Myselvestag:amongstmyselves.com,2005:Post/62817572017-03-16T16:18:00+10:302020-04-14T16:16:41+09:30Flatman and Ribbon<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GwBqij-lQow/WMocKt77NPI/AAAAAAAACNI/CeiFSd-YAC0Fl7XmVXVNL9a-_0OTBboygCLcB/s1600/IMG_0720.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GwBqij-lQow/WMocKt77NPI/AAAAAAAACNI/CeiFSd-YAC0Fl7XmVXVNL9a-_0OTBboygCLcB/s640/IMG_0720.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="408" width="640" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr>
<td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Flatman and Ribbon - Dual Ribbon CV controller</td>
<td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br></td>
</tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody></tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;">Talking to artist friend Bernard, who recently decided that spending lots of money on modular synth modules was his new pass time, wanted some other kind of alternative controller. I suggested a ribbon controller mainly because my new Solaris has one and it's a great way to control anything on the synth. As always I head for Google to find if someone else has already done one of these projects. I found a project by Chip at Synth Hacker - <a href="http://synthhacker.blogspot.com.au/2016/04/diy-ribbon-controller-cv.html">http://synthhacker.blogspot.com.au/2016/04/diy-ribbon-controller-cv.html</a>. This was the basis of the unit I was to build.</span><br><br><span style="font-size: small;">The main focus is making a controller for modular synth units hence it needed to put out a control voltage relative to the position on the ribbon. Going to my trusty supply of Arduino Pro Mini processors you may know there is a lack of voltage output control. There is a method of creating a voltage output using a <a href="http://embeddednewbie.blogspot.com.au/2011/02/review-of-arduino-dac-solutions.html" target="_blank">resistor ladder</a> and several digital outputs but we wanted something a little more accurate and less output hungry. So I chose the MCP4922 dual 12 bit digital to analogue converter (DAC) primarily because Chip used this one in his ribbon controller project. This digital to analogue converter was cheap and has two converters on it. So it was the dual converters on the DAC that allowed this project to easily have two ribbons.</span><br><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fomJRyk93fQ/WMohTZcZ6xI/AAAAAAAACNY/X0O9dDFG4QYMQwIBxyzaMeQ-tCH1GTtzACLcB/s1600/IMG_0711.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fomJRyk93fQ/WMohTZcZ6xI/AAAAAAAACNY/X0O9dDFG4QYMQwIBxyzaMeQ-tCH1GTtzACLcB/s640/IMG_0711.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The botched job of the MCP4922 Digital to Analogue converter can been seen at the bottom left of the printed circuit board.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;">The DAC is easy to connect, and thanks to Chip's notes, easy to program. It uses the SPI protocol to communicate between itself and the processor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As mentioned, analogue synthesizers use a control voltage to control pitch and modulators on synthesizers use control voltages as well. These modulators usually range from a negative value to a positive value and use 0v as the mid-point where no modulation happens. To achieve this on the Flatman and Ribbon I used an inverting amp with adjustable bias. Once again Ray Wilson has a useful calculator on his web site which allowed me to calculate the values I needed for this part of the schematic.<a href="http://musicfromouterspace.com/index.php?MAINTAB=SYNTHDIY&PROJARG=ELECTRONICS/TECHBENCH/TECHBENCH.php&VPW=1910&VPH=825">http://musicfromouterspace.com/index.php?MAINTAB=SYNTHDIY&PROJARG=ELECTRONICS/TECHBENCH/TECHBENCH.php&VPW=1910&VPH=825</a>. Chip wrote a version simple routine which I have used to set the output voltage on the MCP4922 converters. The only issue I had here is probably not obvious in the above photo as you can't see the converter but during the design of the board I needed to create the component for the DAC and for some reason I made the package a DIP-14 whereas it's a 16 pin package. What you see here is the fixup to avoid redoing the printed circuit board.</span><br><span style="font-size: small;"><br></span><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bPqGb0TY_t8/WMoidqcc1jI/AAAAAAAACNk/NLIJpgsdqHgJS9_AcIQRzd7mWHJkJ1dzwCLcB/s1600/IMG_0709.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bPqGb0TY_t8/WMoidqcc1jI/AAAAAAAACNk/NLIJpgsdqHgJS9_AcIQRzd7mWHJkJ1dzwCLcB/s640/IMG_0709.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="434" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Showing the back side of the controller unit. The overkill power supply with it's 6 x 1000uF electrolytic capacitors</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;">The other complex part of the hardware construction was creating a dual power supply to allow for a maximum of -5 to +5v outputs on the control voltages. These power rails needed to be stable as they are source of the outputted voltage to the synthesizer. For 1V per octave synthesizers a simple calculation of 1 volt divided by 12 semitones per octave gives us 0.083 volts per semitone. So this suggests that any slight interference within the power supply would vary the control voltage. Using the 12 bit digital to analogue converter over an 8 bit converter gives us a smoother transition between frequencies especially when using the full -5 to +5 range on the ribbon.</span><br><br><span style="font-size: small;">I went a little overboard with the power supply. It's based on Ray Wilson's (MFOS) design which I have used before. The Wall Wart Bipolar Supply is a simpler way of getting a dual rail power supply as it<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>avoids dealing with mains wiring. This is because it uses an external 12v AC plugpack or wallwart. I don't think anyone really likes plug packs but working with mains wiring is less appealing plus there is the added cost of the associated hardware. Using Ray's schematic, I replaced the 7812 and 7912 in the design with 7809 and 7909 regulators to give me 9v which is more than adequate for the output voltages needed. If I used 12volts I would be pushing the Arduino's own power regulator to its limit which I didn't want to chance.</span><br><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-E_mGCemE51w/WMoivVPAGII/AAAAAAAACNo/_fiR63BhT_M9aSey5dJB844LXGou2bLuQCLcB/s1600/IMG_0705.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-E_mGCemE51w/WMoivVPAGII/AAAAAAAACNo/_fiR63BhT_M9aSey5dJB844LXGou2bLuQCLcB/s640/IMG_0705.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="396" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Showing the front panel with the outputs down the left side and the lcd with menu buttons on the right</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;">The unit has an LCD display with menu buttons. I used a 16x2 backlit lcd display which comes with an I2C interface board attached. The I2C buss uses less wires to communicate between the Arduino and the LCD display. The I2C buss is on A4 and A5 on the Pro Mini. The four buttons are for changing menu items. There's a Menu Up, Menu Down, Value Up and Value Down. It's a design I have used before and works well. Though it wasn't until I'd finished making this project that I realised I had put in extra components that are not needed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For each button I would put a debouncing capacitor and a pulldown resistor. It didn't occur to me that I could use the Arduino's internal pullup resistor's which each digital i/o has. Next time !</span><br><br>Next to the output sockets I've put a rgb led associated with each output. These rgb leds are my favorite led at the moment - the WS2812. What makes this leds nice is you can simply string several together and the library courtesy of <a href="https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-neopixel-uberguide/overview" target="_blank">Adafruit</a> makes them easy to control. I highly recommend you support Adafruit. I would more if the freight costs to Australia were more affordable. These leds reflect the state of the outputs. The control voltage leds do a colour wheel effect based on the ribbon position. There was a small issue when it came to the software. I use have used one of the processors interrupt timers when running the sample/hold mode but alas the Adafruit library gets upset with me doing this thus during this mode the leds do not function correctly.<br><br><span style="font-size: small;">The unit includes a MIDI In and Out. Since the Pro Mini has a standard serial interface it makes sense to include a MIDI interface. The unit will act as a MIDI merger allowing all MIDI information coming on the In connector to be thru putted on the Out socket. With the addition of the information from the ribbons. In addition there is a MIDI function which monitors the MIDI in for a MIDI clock and converts this into a pulse on the Aux Output.</span><br><br><span style="font-size: small;">The outputs on the controller box are Control Voltage A, Trigger A which are associated with the top ribbon. Control Voltage B, Trigger B which not surprisingly are associated with the lower ribbon and Aux Output. Depending on what mode you are running the unit in depends on what the different outputs do.</span><br><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q6lK0AL0lGc/WMojS7_g_wI/AAAAAAAACNw/KcT9RIhYzMYUUj92IOS_MYLHpYEvtwMLQCLcB/s1600/IMG_0712.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q6lK0AL0lGc/WMojS7_g_wI/AAAAAAAACNw/KcT9RIhYzMYUUj92IOS_MYLHpYEvtwMLQCLcB/s640/IMG_0712.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="388" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The underside of the controller panel lid. Shows the LCD at top with it's I2C daughter board, button board at the bottom, the rgb leds and output sockets to the right.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;">There are currently 3 modes - Default, Tempo and Sample/Hold. Default mode is simply where the top and bottom ribbons output a control voltage. Their associated Trigger Outputs will either put out a Trigger when a finger is applied or hold the Trigger Output high until the finger is removed. This is the Gate mode and each ribbon can be set independently to either Trigger or Gate. In Tempo mode the top ribbon acts the same as the Default mode but the bottom ribbon will output a pulse on the Trigger Output. The speed of the pulse is affect by the position along the ribbon. Finally in Sample/Hold mode we see the Control Voltage from the top ribbon output a random voltage. The range of the voltage is defined by the fingers position on the top ribbon and the speed at which the random changes is defined by the finger position on the bottom ribbon. By default the Aux Output will always output a pulse based on MIDI Clock and the Clk Divisor value set in the menu.</span><br><br>There are various parameters within the menu system. For both ribbons we have:-<br><ul>
<li>U Lo Volt - sets the lowest voltage value</li>
<li>U Hi Volt - sets the upper voltage value - note this can be made a low value and the U Lo Volt can be a high value thus creating a reserve direction ribbon</li>
<li>U Trigger - whether the trigger output is Trigger or Gate - trigger will simply pulse when the ribbon is first pressed whereas Gate will hold the trigger pulse high until released</li>
<li>U Hold - set this On and the control voltage output will be held at the last value otherwise it will revert to the U Lo Volt value</li>
<li>U MIDI Ch - this is the MIDI section and this value sets the output midi channel</li>
<li>U MIDI CC - this is the controller value that this ribbon will output on</li>
<li>U MIDI low - the minimum value to output</li>
<li>U MIDI high - the maximum value to output</li>
</ul><span style="font-size: small;">A set of these menu items exist also for the Lower Ribbon. The only other current parameter is Clk Divisor which is the divisor of the MIDI Clock. The MIDI Clock outputs at 24 pulses per quarter note. The Clk Divisor value will simply divide this number and then output a pulse. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIDI_beat_clock">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIDI_beat_clock</a> </span><br><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xvnTS4gl4n0/WMok_Bbt2nI/AAAAAAAACN8/sJr1szhoTpAt00usP4UB2MnIU1hJObTcACLcB/s1600/IMG_0721.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xvnTS4gl4n0/WMok_Bbt2nI/AAAAAAAACN8/sJr1szhoTpAt00usP4UB2MnIU1hJObTcACLcB/s640/IMG_0721.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="406" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The USB end of the ribbon platform which I am very proud to have made work and look good</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;">The platform on which the ribbons are mounted was quite a challenge for me. It's made from 19mm plywood just because I had some and it's a nice solid thickness. I wanted to make the final result as clean as possible. I had to mount a USB A socket in the end of the unit along with a printed circuit boards which has a few components and the ribbon connections. So I managed to route a chamber into the end of the platform to contain the pcb. One of the biggest challenges of this section was I had no way of screwing down the small pcb into the 3mm remaining plywood. The only part that I could screw down was the top acrylic piece. So I came up with the idea of making the pcb a tight fit inside the cavity. Then I soldered some small pieces of coiled wired to the bottom of the pcb so that it was levelled out given the usb socket was raising one end. Then I mounted some standoffs on the acrylic lid so that when the lid is screwed down these standoffs hold the pcb in place. The next tricky part was how to glue the two pieces of acrylic which make the side and lid as I didn't want to also have screws in the end panel. So I had to chance screwing down the lid with pcb in and adhering the usb piece of acrylic in place hoping not to adhere something else, notably the wood, in the process. It worked out fine and a very neat finish.</span><br><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GwwGk6Bw-t8/WMomZajfpaI/AAAAAAAACOM/eKyIWlqOQAgns6HNpwIRJ5z9DXvdb1W9QCLcB/s1600/usb%2Bend.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GwwGk6Bw-t8/WMomZajfpaI/AAAAAAAACOM/eKyIWlqOQAgns6HNpwIRJ5z9DXvdb1W9QCLcB/s640/usb%2Bend.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="436" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This the Cut2d shaded preview of the USB end of the platform. The pcb was made to the same shape as the large internal cutout but less 0.5mm in size so that it was a tight fit.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZjvF54941iw/WMomZEW67BI/AAAAAAAACOI/7UirstYqPtgSqImbCefHi5hRJZ0EmyHawCEw/s1600/usb%2Bend%2Blids.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZjvF54941iw/WMomZEW67BI/AAAAAAAACOI/7UirstYqPtgSqImbCefHi5hRJZ0EmyHawCEw/s640/usb%2Bend%2Blids.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="366" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These two pieces were routed from 3mm black acrylic and adhered on their joining edge.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Amongst Myselvestag:amongstmyselves.com,2005:Post/62817582016-08-10T15:36:00+09:302020-04-14T16:16:41+09:30Florian Vox - Speech Synthesizer<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-X47reidTJkA/V6rDeWV9EBI/AAAAAAAAB-M/n_nk3VKDfjIUtW7IFIfZH4XfilqkdwkPgCLcB/s1600/IMG_7958.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-X47reidTJkA/V6rDeWV9EBI/AAAAAAAAB-M/n_nk3VKDfjIUtW7IFIfZH4XfilqkdwkPgCLcB/s640/IMG_7958.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="460" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Florian Vox - View from the front</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br>I got interested in voice synthesis one day partly due to being in the Kraftwerk cover band, Uber Ding, where I had given myself the task of creating some synthesized voices for some of the tracks. Hence the name Florian Vox being a reference to Florian Schneider, founding member of Kraftwerk.<br><br>I came across the Emic 2 Speech Synth module which was an easy to use and somewhat more advanced sounding than other voice synthesis. One nice thing about this module is it will allow singing at specified notes which I thought could be fun to play with.<br><br>So the project was to be a standalone unit which accepted MIDI as a controlling device. The idea being that I could create programs on the unit which were controlled via midi notes or controllers. Allowing the press of a key to say a word, phrase or even sing something at a given pitch. The unit would also need a few other items like an audio output as well as some simple buttons for various operations.<br><br>The unit is powered via the USB which is also the programming port of the Arduino Nano. This is the first project that I have done where I have used the standard hardware serial which is normally used for programing the Nano. I've placed a toggle switch on these ports because the MIDI interface which is connected to them during a run interferes with the USB interface and hence causes issues while programming the Arduino.<br><br>The Emic module has a speaker output with a small audio amplifier. I made the mistake of connecting the audio output to this connection. There is a 3.5mm jack on the Emic module but for some reason I thought this was also a speaker connection. It is actually a line level output. I modified my board to accommodate this error.<br><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4KXZa_KeLR8/V6rDfCbQNrI/AAAAAAAAB-U/cx3TRSBFhvokpnPt6XizBF7tFYcOSYeUwCEw/s1600/IMG_7961.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4KXZa_KeLR8/V6rDfCbQNrI/AAAAAAAAB-U/cx3TRSBFhvokpnPt6XizBF7tFYcOSYeUwCEw/s640/IMG_7961.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="366" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Florian Vox - View inside the case - the Emic2 module on the left hand side - one of my standard MIDI interface boards on the right.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br>The hardware side of things was quite straight forward apart from a couple of small errors. The other small error I made was regarding the toggle switch. I designed and made the printed circuit board before I had the pcb mounted switch in my possession. Unfortunately I had placed the pin holes in the wrong place and the outcome was the switch would not be mounted on the board but to the case. The angled toggle switch that I purchased at great cost was not used in this project.<br><br>I had some fun with the case. I took a vector graphic of Kraftwerk in fan recognised standing pose and then routed and paint filled it on the top panel. The case is one of my standard and now familiar cases. This is also the first case where I have replace the standard philips head screws with hexagon bolts as I think they have more of an industrial feel that I like.<br><br>The bad news though is that it can't really be used as a real-time instrument. The Emic module operates by receiving serial codes. There is a quite a substantial delay from sending this code to getting a response from the synthesizer. Simple problem really. So alas I use the unit to make the sounds and then sample these to be used in the band. Of course that doesn't mean the unit couldn’t be used in a less structured music type of way but I've left the unit programmed to simply receive serial via the Arduino IDE. Something to ponder for future development.<br><div><br></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Pb9or-80GM0/V6rDeqp82oI/AAAAAAAAB-Q/ZTo8YkFA9v8arM6Szfs6UeIb-cuqniaGgCEw/s1600/IMG_7959.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Pb9or-80GM0/V6rDeqp82oI/AAAAAAAAB-Q/ZTo8YkFA9v8arM6Szfs6UeIb-cuqniaGgCEw/s640/IMG_7959.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Florian Vox - Rear view showing the MIDI in and Out alongside the USB power and programming port</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Amongst Myselvestag:amongstmyselves.com,2005:Post/62817592016-08-10T15:22:00+09:302020-04-14T16:16:41+09:30UM30 Mixer<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Gdlgnt1wJAs/V6q-Q46NgcI/AAAAAAAAB90/Qn4MO5NFTWMu2AojljJ7OYtqh4itSyIRQCLcB/s1600/IMG_7963.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Gdlgnt1wJAs/V6q-Q46NgcI/AAAAAAAAB90/Qn4MO5NFTWMu2AojljJ7OYtqh4itSyIRQCLcB/s640/IMG_7963.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="425" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">UM30 Mixer - Art View</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br></span></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br></span></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">What is the UM30 Mixer's purpose - let's step back in time first</span></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">The UM30 Mixer came from an origin idea to make a new and larger matrix mixer which would replace the UM13 Matrix Mixer. So it made sense to do a bit of a log of the UM13 Matrix Mixer. </div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">I've not done a log of the UM13 Matrix Mixer design and construction but this unit is based around a 3 stereo inputs and 6 stereo outputs. The purpose of this matrix mixer is to allow me to connect various effects units to my modular analogue equipment. So there are three input channels which each have five sends which lead out to effects sends. The sixth send is a main fader which sends a dry signal to the output of the mixer. What makes the mixer a little different is that the effects returns are also matrix input channels which can be send on again but only to other effects channels and only one at time. What this gives you is the ability to chain effects together and manually change them at any time during a performance. All input channels are stereo throughout.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">This mixer is built into a rack, which I did log, which also contains my PAIA 9700 modular synth and the Music From Outer Space Weird Sound Generator and 10 Step Sequencer. What it also contains is a Kawai RV4 which is a quite nice but basic quad stereo effect processor. This RV4 is what is connected to four of the effects loops on the UM13. The other effect loop is connected to a Line6 Pod which gives some nice distortions. The WSG (Weird Sound Generator) and the UM13 share a common dual 12v power supply.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dhWoXEl2dQE/V6q8pKWxEWI/AAAAAAAAB9s/io8KPD-SkXIryO9AV3Mh9OMQeKVTZXLNACEw/s1600/IMG_7962.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dhWoXEl2dQE/V6q8pKWxEWI/AAAAAAAAB9s/io8KPD-SkXIryO9AV3Mh9OMQeKVTZXLNACEw/s640/IMG_7962.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="618" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">UM30 Mixer - Front View - Note that I have used a simple single character to label what the pots function </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">UM30 Mixer - an extension of the matrix mixer</span></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">When I only have a few pieces of gear, the three input channels was sufficient but of course like most people's setup, it starts to expand. Hence the need for more input channels.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">The UM13's printed circuit boards are veroboard and the schematic design is overly complex - there's no real need for stereo input channels or sends. Both combine to make a noisy unit which is difficult to repair and has had ongoing wire connection issues which have only recently been fixed. One of the original design fails was using make before break wafer switches which caused a large thump when changing these switches. Replacing these with break before make switches has solved the thumping. </div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">So the initial idea for the UM30 was a 8 input channel and 6 effects channel matrix mixer. I based the schematic design on the UM13 Matrix mixer but I wanted to make it more modular by way of having individual duplicate boards for the input channels and effects sends and returns. I also wanted to reduce the circuit components which meant going back to mono input channels. But it soon become clear that it was going to be too complex for me to make my own single sided printed circuit boards. I make my own printed circuit boards with my CNC router.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">The result was that I would compromise the design and utilise the UM13. It was decided to treat the inputs on the original UM13 matrix mixer as effects input from yet another mixer. I know it's a little complex but it is the best option. </div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">So the design has the following:-</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><ul style="direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .375in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed;" type="disc">
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">8 mono input channels</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">Each channel has a gain stage, 4 mono pre-fade sends, pan and level output</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">4 stereo effects returns</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">Master output level</span></li>
</ul><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">Each input channel of this unit is a separate printed circuit board which is held in place via the board mounted front panel potentiometers. The first three effects sends go to the UM13 with a spare effects send for another effect unit.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">Many of my designs are based around someone else's design. Often I will base audio circuits on Rod Elliot's work. His designs are very good as far as I can tell. I've supported him in the past by purchasing some of his pcb's that he sells for his designs. I also cross reference with Ray Wilson of Music From Outer Space's designs. One of the new additions to the input channels was a comparator based led for the level indicator. I put in an dual opamp to make this circuit work. The circuit is simply a under voltage and over voltage setup where the green led will turn on at a set level as does the red led. The led used is an RGB led which I had in stock. These had a couple of 10 turn pots on them so I could calibrate them once the unit was completed. For no real reason I setup the red led to start flashing when the preamp on the input channel was about -6db from distortion. The green led starts up at around -28db. This seems to work well so far.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">One of the stipulations of this new unit was for as little wiring as possible. Wiring not only adds places of noise and signal degradation but also makes for a slower construction. This started with the idea that the input channel boards would have all the pots mounted to the board and in turn the board would be mounted to the front panel via the mounted pots. So I have eight boards which are identical which are the input channels. The first board had a few design issues but I managed to modify this original board and still use it in the final project. </div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jbVJTrkzBdA/V6q-VbZcpAI/AAAAAAAAB-A/ea22TwvJE5Yl8CrhEFEaMzqbKHfJB5HKQCEw/s1600/IMG_7971.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jbVJTrkzBdA/V6q-VbZcpAI/AAAAAAAAB-A/ea22TwvJE5Yl8CrhEFEaMzqbKHfJB5HKQCEw/s640/IMG_7971.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="192" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">UM30 - Inside view of the Input Channel boards - note the worrying power distribution board with the heatshrink</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">All the panel sockets have boards behind them as well. The boards still have wiring to access power and join them up to their different busses but this is done using jumper leads.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">I decided to build the power supply into a separate unit which in turn is powered from an AC plug pack using one of Ray Wilson's, rest his sole, wall wart regulator units. This is a cheaper way of powering a low power unit like the mixer. Otherwise I would have needed a more expensive 240vac transformer and associated regulation electronics. There is certainly no measurable noise from the power supply in this unit.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">The unit is very quiet which is good as the matrix mixer is not overly quiet. But the noise levels are fine considering the use of these units within my analogue synthesizer setup which isn't overly quiet.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">The case I designed and made up using my cnc router. It's about the largest I can do on my router and I actually cut the bottom piece of wood by hand. I used 16mm plywood because I had some in the shed and I wanted to use it up. The case is all glued together without nails or screws. The pieces are held together using the Mortise and Tendon join. This is where one piece of wood has male extension which fits into and is glued into a female cut. This diagram should help (picture needed here !!!!).</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-16UqNppZkS8/V6q-OdYHTOI/AAAAAAAAB-A/7ffAGGpR2LIMNH4eniOsBe16hlv0LTCdwCEw/s1600/IMG_7969.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-16UqNppZkS8/V6q-OdYHTOI/AAAAAAAAB-A/7ffAGGpR2LIMNH4eniOsBe16hlv0LTCdwCEw/s640/IMG_7969.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="306" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">UM30 Mixer - shows the front panel mounts. The side pieces is screwed to the side piece of wood whereas the front square tubing is mounted into the side piece and glued at the same time as the front piece of wood.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">The front panel is 3mm acrylic which was cut to size by hand and the routed with the cnc router. It was finished off by painting on white acrylic paint to fill the routes. This panel is held in with screws which screw into angles aluminium which are routed into the side pieces of the wood to make for a clean finish.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><br><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">What I feel I achieved with this project was a method whereby I have managed to create printed circuit boards which avoid as much wiring as possible. My layout method was very accurate to allow for the pot holes to line up with the mounted pots on the printed circuit boards. The audio quality is very good due to a low number of components.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CC4WmD6A1Dg/V6q-WKdjW7I/AAAAAAAAB-A/_N6-OEwLXbA0xSrXWOQYWlWZ5nshYg_qACEw/s1600/IMG_7967.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CC4WmD6A1Dg/V6q-WKdjW7I/AAAAAAAAB-A/_N6-OEwLXbA0xSrXWOQYWlWZ5nshYg_qACEw/s640/IMG_7967.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="570" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">UM30 Mixer - View from the rear showing the hole where the DC power connects</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Amongst Myselvestag:amongstmyselves.com,2005:Post/62817602016-03-29T10:08:00+10:302020-04-14T16:16:41+09:30MIDI Analyser<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hipjuDsXPr8/Vvm_ZlKIqkI/AAAAAAAAB4A/WsrbyQzFWocYfA519nJdap4qB7zK0Fwtw/s1600/MIDI%2BAnalyser.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hipjuDsXPr8/Vvm_ZlKIqkI/AAAAAAAAB4A/WsrbyQzFWocYfA519nJdap4qB7zK0Fwtw/s640/MIDI%2BAnalyser.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="496" width="640" /></a></div><br><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">Having started a band which relied heavily of midi and midi sync we started to run into problems like "who's triggering my keyboard ?".</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">Since I'd recently made an Arduino based MIDI merger I thought a small project like a MIDI analyser would come in handy for such situations in the future.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">Based on Tom Scarff's projects - <a href="http://www.midikits.net/">http://www.midikits.net/</a>. It's a self-powered unit that displays midi data. The front panel flashes a led for data on for each of the 16 midi channel along with common System Messages and Sync messages.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">The circuit is quite basic. A standard MIDI input circuit which contains a few resistors and a optocoupler. This then connects to the RX on the Arduino Nano. A small note here is that you can't have this RX connection active while you are programming the Arduino. This is the first time I've used the RX on a Arduino and I didn't realise the potential problem. I got around this by hacking the trace and putting a socket which I could take the link out of when programming. I'll try to remember this for the future .</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bvptrKjyBUQ/Vvm_Bt3M4xI/AAAAAAAAB38/rMgrASrn_dcqKylIZxuBjfmurf-NLXgrg/s1600/MIDI%2BAnalyser%2BIn%2BAction.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bvptrKjyBUQ/Vvm_Bt3M4xI/AAAAAAAAB38/rMgrASrn_dcqKylIZxuBjfmurf-NLXgrg/s640/MIDI%2BAnalyser%2BIn%2BAction.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="531" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">MIDI Analyser - lights down so we can see the leds in action</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">The major difference with my version of this unit is I have 33 WG2812 rgb modules instead of single red leds as Tom uses. The WG2812 modules are wonderful little devices. They only need three connections -5v, ground and one digital connection. These little devices have a Digital In and a Digital Out so stringing them together is no issue. Adafruit make a wonderful library - <a href="https://github.com/adafruit/Adafruit_NeoPixel">https://github.com/adafruit/Adafruit_NeoPixel</a>that allows control of a string of leds and change any single led within the chain to any colour you choose. These modules are quite fast and I believe the library that I am using is addressing these leds at 800,000 times a second. More than capable of flashing a led based on incoming MIDI data.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">The leds are hot glued in behind the top panel in small recesses. Since I've used opaque acrylic the leds are not obvious when the unit is off and we can cut the leds label into the front of the panel. When the led glows it does so through the text of the label.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">I've chosen to once again use the MIDI Library written by Francois Best @ Forty Seven Effects - here's the library at GitHub - <a href="https://github.com/FortySevenEffects">https://github.com/FortySevenEffects</a>. This is possibly over kill but it certainly makes my end of the coding quite simple. I've used this library before in my UM-SLM midi Sysex Library Module and makes MIDI handling a breeze. I've programmed the channels leds to display the velocity of a note in a different colour based on the velocity of the specific key played.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">The unit is powered by an 18650 LiPo battery. This is a nice 3.7v 2400mA unit. This battery is then put through a 3v to 5v step up buck converter to supply the leds and the Arduino with power. There's also micro USB charger board to charge the battery. Alas the step up converter does not have any way of detecting the battery voltage dropping below it's operation voltage so ideally I will use a self protected 18650 battery. </div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">The case is one of my standard type cases made from 3mm opaque acrylic. I designed the case in an old vector program called Macromedia Freehand which is only 2d. I then export each panel to Cut2d which is a program used to create files that can be used to cut the acrylic on my CNC router. I've got this down to a reasonably fine art now but I still make mistakes. The small mistake I made with this unit was the USB port on the Arduino is higher than I had designed thus making connection impossible while the case is screwed shut. Not a great problem as I will probably not need access now.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><br><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">I should think about upgrading my drawing package for these cases I do often make mistakes converting my 3d mental image into two parts which need 3d routing.</div>Amongst Myselvestag:amongstmyselves.com,2005:Post/62817612016-03-25T16:40:00+10:302020-04-14T16:16:41+09:30UM11 Dolly<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--kCp-ZtpL4s/VvTU8LgEfMI/AAAAAAAAB3o/jMpGm-nwY9EF6QwDTvmkFbWeqnn-FZd_g/s1600/UM11%2BBack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--kCp-ZtpL4s/VvTU8LgEfMI/AAAAAAAAB3o/jMpGm-nwY9EF6QwDTvmkFbWeqnn-FZd_g/s400/UM11%2BBack.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="341" width="400" /></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gOrS5uXYLT0/VvTU8k9L9yI/AAAAAAAAB3s/Pa-yMpM25yEInGpEk8HUtk3-frzxC2GaQ/s1600/UM11%2BSide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gOrS5uXYLT0/VvTU8k9L9yI/AAAAAAAAB3s/Pa-yMpM25yEInGpEk8HUtk3-frzxC2GaQ/s400/UM11%2BSide.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="266" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">The UM11-MOCON is probably the be all and end all for me. The initial map for this unit is to have a key frame based time-lapse and real time motion control computer. </div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">The track of this unit is a modified aluminium ladder with a two thick aluminium tubes mounted for tracks. There are four heavy duty screw feet at the ends for leveling the track in the field. As you can see from the photos, I've also made up a couple of platforms that allow me to mount the whole assembly on two heavy duty telescope tripods. A sensible person would have placed a tripod under the pan/tilt head but I had to do it the hard way. </div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">The unit contains several stepper motors. The permanent ones are the Track, Pan and Tilt. There are two addition motors which can be used for Zoom, Focus or Aperture. All these motors have separate controllers in the form of Leadshine DM422C microstepper controllers. The permanent motor are hardwired whereas the other motors attach via 5 pin plugs.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="margin: 0in;">
<span style='font-family: "calibri";'><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">The dolly propels itself on the tracks via a cam belt which is threaded through a gear on the track motor and attached at each end of the track assembly. The trucks of the dolly are 90 degree aluminium with four bearings on each. This makes for a reasonable stable arrangement. The Pan/Tilt assembly is a modified </span></span><span style='font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt;'>ServoCity 785 Series Pan/Tilt</span><span style='font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt;'> </span><span style='font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt;'>head. The ServoCity unit is controlled via servo motors. I have replaced these with small stepper motors and also put in larger gears to aid in greater accuracy and power. Having the stepper controllers running at 3200 steps per revolution and a 200:11 gear ratio makes for great accuracy. As far as torque, I have no problem moving my Canon 5D mk2 on the pan/tilt with a large lens and two lens motors.</span>
</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br></span></div><div style="margin: 0in;"><span style='font-family: "calibri";'><span style="font-size: 11pt;">One consideration with the gearing was to use geared stepper motors but I found the backlash on these to be </span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">unacceptable</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">. The meshing of the gears that I managed is very good with no backlash. Though the whole unit does have wobble relating to the movement of motors. When doing realtime and previews of shots you can get a resonant wobble. The limitations of this unit. Some people have suggested that placing the track motor at the end of the assembly and using a loop cambelt would be a more stable approach.</span></span></div><div style="margin: 0in;"><span style='font-family: "calibri";'><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br></span></span></div><div style="margin: 0in;">
<span style='font-family: "calibri";'><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The Processor inside the unit is a ChipKit Mega32 which was chosen for it's large SRAM and hi speed processor for doing axis calculations. At the time there was no Arduino </span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">equivalent</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> whereas now there is. </span></span><span style='font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt;'>The whole unit runs off a 24vdc supply as this is the minimum requirement for the stepper controllers. I've used a small buck converter to generate power for the camera. The current of a fully running system clearly varies but it can be up to 800mA with all motors and camera running. </span>
</div><div style="margin: 0in;"><span style='font-family: "calibri";'><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br></span></span></div><div style="margin: 0in;"><span style='font-family: "calibri";'><span style="font-size: 11pt;">There is an external power outlet on the dolly which is currently used to power the Video Transmitter for getting pictures from the lens to the operator or when a shot is running, a lens warmer is sometimes used for night time shots.</span></span></div><ul style="direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .75in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed;" type="circle"></ul>Amongst Myselvestag:amongstmyselves.com,2005:Post/62817622016-03-25T16:02:00+10:302020-04-14T16:16:41+09:30My Timelapse Motion Control gearHere's a list of all the parts to my Timelapse rig<br><br><br><ul>
<li><a href="http://amongstprojects.blogspot.com.au/2016/03/um12-hand-controller-version-d.html" target="_blank">UM12 Hand Controller</a></li>
<li><a href="http://amongstprojects.blogspot.com.au/2016/03/um11-dolly.html" target="_blank">UM11 Dolly and track</a></li>
<li><a href="http://amongstprojects.blogspot.com.au/2014/01/um16-sla-battery-charger.html" target="_blank">UM16 SLA Multi Battery Charger</a></li>
<li><a href="http://amongstprojects.blogspot.com.au/2016/03/um17-battery-manager.html" target="_blank">UM17 Battery Manager</a></li>
<li><a href="http://amongstprojects.blogspot.com.au/2016/03/um19vb-and-c-sla-battery-units.html" target="_blank">UM19vA,B and C Batteries</a></li>
<li><a href="http://amongstprojects.blogspot.com.au/2016/03/um25-rfvm-video-monitor.html" target="_blank">UM25 - Video Monitor</a></li>
<li><a href="http://amongstprojects.blogspot.com.au/2016/03/um27-lcu-lighting-control-units.html" target="_blank">UM27vA and B Lighting Controllers</a></li>
<li><a href="http://amongstprojects.blogspot.com.au/2016/03/um28-cth-camera-telescope-and-heater.html" target="_blank">UM28 Camera and Telescope Controllers</a></li>
</ul>Amongst Myselvestag:amongstmyselves.com,2005:Post/62817632016-03-25T15:21:00+10:302020-04-14T16:16:41+09:30UM12 Motion Control Hand Controller - Version D<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VBoD1183c-o/VvTDnSBEj7I/AAAAAAAAB3Y/7ntdVC93RVgi0ZXnQjdjFIX1XEuHG9uUg/s1600/UM12vD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VBoD1183c-o/VvTDnSBEj7I/AAAAAAAAB3Y/7ntdVC93RVgi0ZXnQjdjFIX1XEuHG9uUg/s400/UM12vD.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">UM12vD Mocon Hand Controller</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>The Hardware</b></span><br><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The UM12 hand controller is based around an Arduino Mega2560 processor. The Mega2560 uses the larger Atmega 2560 which has more RAM and digital inputs and outputs to name just a few.</span>
</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">The various pushbuttons are simply read via individual digital inputs with hardware debounce by using a 100nF greencap and 10k resistor on each button.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">The display is 20x4 large display which is connected to the Atmega2560 in 4 bit parallel mode.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">The leds are RGB leds controlled via two TLC5940 PWM multiplexor chips. This helped reduce the outputs needed to control these lamps plus gave greater control over intensity. The TLC5940 connects to the processor using 4 data pins.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">The hardware update from version C of this unit was:-</div><ul style="direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .375in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed;" type="circle">
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style='font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;'>Multiple vero boards replaced with two cnc routed printed circuit boards</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style='font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;'>Removal of video monitor unit into it's own case</span></li>
</ul><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">I've used some EEPROM to store shots into a small memory bank. The EEPROM is not affected by power removal. You can store 7 shots simply because there are 7 keyframe buttons for an simple control interface. I have written three PC based transfer programs to allow for uploading and downloading of shots for longer term storage along with a small program which can display the curves of each axis.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">The communications between the Hand Controller and Master Controller (dolly) is via a Xbee 1mW transceiver with external aerials. This was the most affordable at the time I started this project. I would now look at Bluetooth.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">There is shutter controller hardware on this unit but the software is not implemented to use it.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;">Hand Controller Software</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">The purpose of this unit is to control the initial movements of the UM11 dolly and create keyframes for movement points. No movement calculations are done on the Hand Controller but are calculated on the Master Controller. The master controller's processor is a ChipKit Max32. This was chosen because of it's large SRAM memory and also processor speed which is 80Mhz. Again, if I had my time again and started this project now I would simply go for something a Raspberry Pi or Arduino Due.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">The unit can have up to 7 positions on each of the 7 axes. </div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">These axes are:</div><ul style="direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .375in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed;" type="circle">
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style='font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;'>Track</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style='font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;'>Pan</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style='font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;'>Tilt</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style='font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;'>Focus</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style='font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;'>Zoom</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style='font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;'>Interval</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style='font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;'>Exposure</span></li>
</ul><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">There is also another control axis called Master which is a easy way of storing data in all the axes at one press of a button.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">The start and end keyframes of 1 and 7 are a given value. The shot needs to start somewhere and end somewhere. These keyframes will be set to the minimum frame of 1 and the maximum frame of Total Frame Count. <span style="font-size: 11pt;">Each keyframe for each axes has several parameters. </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">These parameters are:-</span>
</div><ul style="direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .375in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed;" type="circle">
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style='font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;'>Frame</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style='font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;'>Position</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style='font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;'>Pre Hold</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style='font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;'>Post Hold</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style='font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;'>Transition Type</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style='font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;'>Tension</span></li>
</ul><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin-left: .375in; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Frame</span> is the frame number at which is axis keyframe information will take place.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Position</span> is a value which is relevant to the axis type. All the motor values are relative to the home position and can range from -65000 to 65000 again depending on the axis. The home position is also a relative value as the dolly has no absolute values of position. The <span style="font-weight: bold;">Interval</span> and<span style="font-weight: bold;">Exposure</span> axes are not motor axes so their Position values are different. The<span style="font-weight: bold;"> Interval</span> axis ranges in seconds from 3 seconds up to 5 minutes and the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Exposure</span>axis ranges from 1/30 of a second up to 30 seconds in steps the same as 1/3 stop steps within a camera.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">The <span style="font-weight: bold;">PreHold</span> value is a value in frames for which this keyframe position will be held before the Frame. Likewise, the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Post Hold</span> value is the number of frames that this position will be held after the Frame. Keyframe 1 doesn't have a PreHold and Keyframe 7 doesn't have a Post Hold.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">Transition type if what type of move will be performed from this keyframe to the next active keyframe.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">The options are:-</div><ul style="direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .375in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed;" type="circle">
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style='font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;'>Transition</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style='font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;'>Smooth</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style='font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;'>SmoothB</span></li>
</ul><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin-left: .375in; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<b>Transition</b> is a default and useful curve. By default without any post hold frames it will be linear. Whereas if you place a post hold then the following curve will have an ease out applied to it. Should you want to create a keyframe where the camera must pass through on it's way between two other keyframes then you choose the Transition type for a smooth transition.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<b>Smooth</b> and <b>SmoothB</b>are quite similar to the Transition type and provide a nice smooth start and end to a move. The difference between the two is in the Tension value and how this is applied. With Smooth the tension value represents a point placed at a percentage between the two points whereas SmoothB is simply a number of frames from the current keyframe for this imaginary transition point.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">The curve calculations are Catmull Rom and the three options above all use the same calculations for their curves. For intensive purposes you could happily use the Transition type for all moves but the SmoothB in particular lets you do some more technical moves that may help with getting around issues of an natural move. To some degree this is an experimental option.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">Finally the <b>Tension</b>value, which has really been explained above, essentially sets the position in frames from the current frame for where this imaginary transition point exists. So unlike using Bezier curves which have 2 dimensional handles for each point, the Catmull Rom is simply a curve system whereby a line moves smoothly through a point. From my perspective the Catmull Rom system is easier for the more simple shots that a timelapse photography rig would use. The other issue with using Bezier curves is the limited text display wouldn't give any useful feedback. I believe Bezier Curves really need a display which can show the line being produced.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;">The System Control pushbuttons</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">There are seven function buttons underneath keyframe buttons. Working from the left to the right.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">These are:-</div><ul style="direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .375in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed;" type="circle">
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style='font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;'>System</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style='font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;'>Store</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style='font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;'>Move</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style='font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;'>Clear</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style='font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;'>Pre</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style='font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;'>R/S</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style='font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;'>Spec</span></li>
</ul><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin-left: .375in; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">The <span style="font-weight: bold;">System </span>button changes the mode of the unit between the Keyframe Menu and the System Menu. The System Menu is where system and shot based parameters are set. </div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">Following are the current System Menu items:-</div><ul style="direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .375in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed;" type="circle">
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style='font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;'>Shot Store</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style='font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;'>Total Frames</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style='font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;'>Frame Split</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style='font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;'>Shot Direction</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style='font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;'>Shot Pre Delay</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style='font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;'>Sub Frame Start</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style='font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;'>Sub Frame End</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style='font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;'>Screen Saver</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style='font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;'>Frame Rate</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style='font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;'>Shot Type</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style='font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;'>Park rig at end</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style='font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;'>Axis Limits</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style='font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;'>Preview Video</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style='font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;'>LED intensity</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style='font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;'>Frame Increment</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style='font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;'>Hold Increment</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style='font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;'>Slice Count</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style='font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;'>Motor Delay</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style='font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;'>Track Engage</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style='font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;'>Pan Engage</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style='font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;'>Tilt Engage</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style='font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;'>Focus Engage</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style='font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;'>Zoom Engage</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style='font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;'>Buzzer Enable</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style='font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;'>Track Simu</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style='font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;'>Safe Move</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style='font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;'>Axis Key Jump</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style='font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;'>Move To Home</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style='font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;'>Set Home Pos</span></li>
</ul><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Shot Store - </span>This has it's own sub menu. This is where the user can Store, Load, Clear, Send To PC and Receive From PC any shots stored in the 7 memory locations. Using the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Value</span> keys to scroll through these options and then select one of the 7 <span style="font-weight: bold;">Keyframe</span> buttons to complete the operation. The exception here is the PC transfer options which just rely on any of the keyframes buttons to be pressed because these PC transfer functions will send or receive all 7 locations. The keyframe leds will display as Red to show an empty memory location and Green for a stored shot.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Total Frames</span> - This is the total number of frame for the current shot. This is limited to 4000 frames which is due to the size of the SRAM on the ChipKit Max32 processor within the Master Controller.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Frame Split</span> - This is a useful function which will automatically assign a Frame number to a Keyframe when you Store the values of the Keyframe. If this is turned on then the Frame number assigned to a keyframe will be in the middle of the previous and next keyframe. For example if you have 1500 frames in the shot. KF1 will be at 1 and KF7 will be at 1500. If you store any keyframe at this stage it will be assigned 750. And if you keep going and store a keyframe between that previous keyframe and kf7 then it will be stored for frame 1125. If this function is OFF then you will need to enter a Frame number manually. You have to pay close attention to this because by default it will store it at Frame 1 and I cannot predict what the system will do if you have two keyframes on the same Frame ???</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Shot Direction - </span>Simply has two options of Forward and Reverse. If Forward then the shot will run from frame 1 to 1500 using the example above and if set the Reverse then it will run from Frame 1500 to 1. Note that in reality it will run from the values set in Sub Frame Start and Sub Frame End.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Shot Pre Delay - </span>This is a delay seconds before the timelapse shot starts running.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Sub Frame Start</span> - This is the actually frame from which a timelapse will start from. This is useful if you are shooting a long shot in multiple sections where each section is at a different time of day.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Sub Frame End</span> - As above but for the end frame number.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Screensaver</span> - This switch will turn the screensaver off and on. It turns off the backlight on the LCD display after 5 seconds. This function is a legacy from when the unit also powered the video monitor and I tried everything to lower the drain on the inadequate battery. I leave this off mostly.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: bold;">FrameRate</span> - This is the framerate at which the realtime preview will run. It has a valid range from 1 to 60 frames per second. </div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Shot Type</span> - The value has three options - SMS meaning Stop Move Stop which is the default timelapse mode, Stop Frame which is linked to the use of a push button on the Aux input on the Hand Controller and will move one frame and wait until the button is pressed before doing the next frame and Continuous which is a experimental mode utilising the real time preview where the frame is exposed moving at speed it would during a video type move. The amount of wobbly in the system really does make this unusable but could be tried on a fast shot to add blur.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Park Rig At End</span> - Simply a function to return the dolly to the home position and point the lens down. </div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Axis Limits</span> - This will limit the movement of all motor axes to those set within the software.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Preview Video</span> - This enables the use of the Magic Lantern firmware within the Canon 5D Mk2 camera to turn the recording of video off and on during a shot preview. The function controls the half shutter connection which the Magic Lantern firmware interprets as a control for video recording.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: bold;">LED Intensity</span> - This sets the backlight of the LCD and the RGB Leds. There are 4 options - Bright, Normal, Dim, Dark - which range from full intensity down to dark night intensity. </div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Frame Increment</span> - This is a value which sets the increment value of user input values with the keyframe displays and it ranges from 1 to 100</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Hold Increment</span> - This is similar to Frame Increment but is specific to the values of Pre and Post Hold</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Slice Count and Motor Delay</span> - are system level values which adjust the speed at which the Realtime Preview runs at. The Slice Count is the number of slices per second the motor moves and the Motor Delay is a very small delay in milliseconds between motor steps. These could be used to great use for doing realtime moves for video to slow and smooth shots. The realtime preview is not perfect but works quite well to give an idea of what your shot will look like when finally composited into a video.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Track etc Engage</span> - This turns the axis off or on. The motor will be engaged but will not move.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Track Simul</span> - This is Track Simultaneously. I've found that moving all axes at once does introduce stutter in the track so I've added this option to move the track separately to the other axes when the rig moves. Turn this on and the Track will move with the other axes. Turn it Off and all moves will start with the Track and once the Track is at it's destination, the other axes will move.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Safe Move</span> - When Safe Move is turn ON the Pan axis will move to it's home position first and then once the other axes has arrived at their destination the Pan will move to it's destination. I found this to be a useful function when filming close up objects and avoids the edges of the Pan assembly hitting objects.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Axis Key Jump</span> - This OFF and ON function related to user inputting of information within the Keyframe Menu. With this function turned ON, the keyframe display will change to the Axis that you move with the arrow keys. With this Function OFF the keyframe display will not change.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Move To Home</span> - By selecting this value to ON the rig will move to it's programmed Home Position</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Set Home Pos</span> - By selecting this value to ON the current location of all the Axes will be set as the value 0 or Home Position.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">So that is all the current <span style="font-weight: bold;">System Menu</span> items within the Menu items but there are a couple of other features which will be run if you select Function buttons while in the System Menu.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">To move around the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Keyframe</span> screen you use the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Menu Up</span> and <span style="font-weight: bold;">Menu Down</span> buttons and to change the select value you use the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Value Up</span> and <span style="font-weight: bold;">Value Down</span> buttons.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">If you press the <span style="font-weight: bold;">SPEC</span> button the Hand controller will request the current shot data from the Master Controller. This function is mostly used when you have turned off the Hand Controller or a bug has caused a freeze within the Hand Controller. If you press the <span style="font-weight: bold;">STORE</span>button while in the System Menu you will display the Real Time Clocks Time and Date as well as the current voltage of the interval battery.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">Back to the other Function buttons. The <span style="font-weight: bold;">Store</span> button is used to Store current axis positions into the selected Keyframe number. The only value that actually gets stored is the Axis position and Frame number. The Frame number will be 1 if the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Frame Split</span>is OFF and it will be the middle Frame value if <span style="font-weight: bold;">Frame Split</span> is ON.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">The next button to the right is the <span style="font-weight: bold;">MOVE</span> button. The button has two functions. The first press will give you the option to Move the rig to any active Keyframe of any Axis. You need to have selected the Axis you want first by using the Menu and Value buttons before pressing the Move button. Once this is pressed the rig will do a calculation and then move all axes to that position. The<span style="font-weight: bold;"> Track Simul</span> and <span style="font-weight: bold;">Safe Move</span> system values will affect how this move is performed.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">The second function of the <span style="font-weight: bold;">MOVE</span> button is to move the whole rig to a specific <span style="font-weight: bold;">Frame</span> number. This is a useful function to find where the rig will be at any time during the shot. The <span style="font-weight: bold;">Value Up</span> and <span style="font-weight: bold;">Value Down</span> buttons will change the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Move To Frame</span> and once you have chosen the Frame you wish to move to you hit the <span style="font-weight: bold;">MOVE</span> Function key again. If you wish to cancel out of this function then you hit the<span style="font-weight: bold;">SPEC</span> button.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">Moving along, the <span style="font-weight: bold;">CLEAR</span> function key simply will clear the contents of any Keyframe. There is a small bug within the system whereby if you have created a keyframe using the <span style="font-weight: bold;">MASTER</span>axis then you cannot delete a keyframe. Yes it is a problem but personally I've just worked my way around the issue. I find that the best way of using the <span style="font-weight: bold;">MASTER</span> axis is mostly for KF1 and KF7 and from there on I will only use the individual Keyframes within an Axis. Often this is the case where you want the TRACK to move at a constant pace and the PAN and TILT to do their thing. A common basic move for timelapse.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">The<span style="font-weight: bold;"> PRE</span> key is Preview. The is the function to do a realtime preview of the timelapse shot. Simply pressing the PRE key will initiate the preview. The first step is to see if the rig can move at the speed requested. There is a maximum speed limit on the rig. The rig can go faster but will have less fine movement. This is something that has to be set within the dolly case and has been set at an optimum already for timelapse. But the controller will either start moving to the beginning of the preview if all is OK or return with an error if it is too fast. I find that if it can't do the preview move then the rig is probably moving too fast anyway. The Hand Controller will then ask you to press the PRE button again to start the actual preview movement. You can cancel a Preview during it's run by pressing the Preview key again.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: bold;">R/S</span> is Run and Stop. This is where you will start the timelapse shot running. Pressing the key the first time will move the rig to the start of the shot. Remembering the actual start of the shot is what is defined in the Sub Start Frame or the Sub End Frame depending on what direction the shot is running is based on the Shot Direction value set in the System Menu. Once a shot has started it can be stopped by hitting this button again. It may take a couple of hits but be patient as it will not register the Stop until it has completed the current frame exposure and movement. But hitting the key several times isn't a real issue.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">By pressing the <span style="font-weight: bold;">SPEC</span> key while in the Keyframe Menu will put you into a special time calculation function screen. The idea behind this function is to allow you to calculate when to start the shot running if you want the rig to be in a certain position at a certain Frame number. Use the Value Up and Value Down buttons to change the Frame number. The Frame Number will start from the where the rig is currently located. The Time Start value will be the current time that you entered this screen. You can change the Hours value by pressing KF1 to increase and KF2 to decrease, change the Minutes value by pressing KF3 to increase and KF4 to decrease the value and finally using KF5 to increase the Seconds and KF6 to decrease the Seconds. The calculation should be immediate but are done on the Master controller so you can't do it without the Master controller being active.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">Just a note on the RGB leds above the Keyframe Buttons. During the Keyframe Menu mode these reflect whether the associated Keyframe has a store value. If the Keyframe Display is showing Master then the keyframe leds will be Green whereas if the keyframe display is showing a specific axis it will display active keyframes as Blue. </div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">The other front panel controls include the Axis movement controls at the bottom right of the front panel. This is where you move the various axes in the chosen direction. Simple !.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">Above the axis movement keys we have power switching mostly. Starting on the left is the Main Power button followed by the Internal and External power input. When set to Internal the internal battery will power the unit and when set to External the power will be taken from the Ext DC socket at the top of the panel. This socket is wired in my standard 12v 4 pin plug configuration which is positive on the bottom and negative at the top. Next is the LCD backlight controls. The Off and On switch controls the power to the backlight and the Intensity controls the Contrast which is adjusted depending on the angle or viewing. The Video Off and On switch is no longer used as this unit was constructed before I moved the video monitor to it's own case. The Comms switch changes how the Hand controller talks to the Master controller. Should the wireless communications fail for whatever reason, a cable can be connected from 8 pin socket at the top of the panel named Output to the similar connector on the Dolly named Comms. </div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">Running along the top are various sockets. Starting from the left is the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Shutter</span> connector. This is a 6.5mm or 1/4" stereo socket. This is wired for half and full shutter connection. This is not current used by the software. It was installed just in case I wanted it for the future. <span style="font-weight: bold;">PC USB</span> is the connection from the Arduino Mega2560 for programming purposes and has no use during operations. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Charger</span> is for connecting the UM16 SLA Battery Charger to charge to internal sealed lead acid battery. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Ext DC</span> is for connecting an external 12v dc power supply should the internal battery become flat. Note that current software will complain the battery is flat but will not turn of the machine off. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Output</span> is a for connecting the Hand Controller to the Master Controller via a cable should the wireless connection not work.<span style="font-weight: bold;"> Aux</span> is currently only used with the Push Button controller for stop motion timelapse but also contains other inputs and outputs connected directly to the processor for possible other future enhancements. And finally the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Xbee</span>connector is for the aerial to increase the radio transceivers signal for the two way communications between the Master Controller.</div>Amongst Myselvestag:amongstmyselves.com,2005:Post/62817642016-03-25T15:05:00+10:302020-04-14T16:16:41+09:30UM27-LCU - Lighting control units<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DYA0E1Uj-2g/VvS--utLO-I/AAAAAAAAB3Q/hkRBFTN6pqYfRVdHRkjl7evx-35NOnnbQ/s1600/UM27-LCU%2B-%2BOverall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DYA0E1Uj-2g/VvS--utLO-I/AAAAAAAAB3Q/hkRBFTN6pqYfRVdHRkjl7evx-35NOnnbQ/s400/UM27-LCU%2B-%2BOverall.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="400" width="375" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">UM27-LCU - Overall View</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jnKXHZvLPb8/VvS--as4XLI/AAAAAAAAB3I/EDI7lif2224HJdFuYgVTnDTo-TrkTImMA/s1600/UM27-LCU%2B-%2Bcontrols.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jnKXHZvLPb8/VvS--as4XLI/AAAAAAAAB3I/EDI7lif2224HJdFuYgVTnDTo-TrkTImMA/s400/UM27-LCU%2B-%2Bcontrols.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="400" width="378" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">UM27-LCU - close view of controls</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">These unit are designed to control two light units. One is a standard 5v USB type light and the other is a specifically modified 60 led unit. The two units are essentially identical thought the self contained unit has it's own 9Ah SLA battery and protection electronics.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">These simple unit uses pulse width modulation derived directly from the Arduino Nano processor and controls two current limited led drivers to control the intensity of the connected lights.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">The smaller unit has a 4 pin 12v dc input which gets it's power from the Video Monitor unit which has a 9Ah battery or from one of the <a href="http://amongstprojects.blogspot.com.au/2016/03/um19vb-and-c-sla-battery-units.html" target="_blank">UM19 battery units</a> when using a small adaptor cable. The unit is capable of running from 10 to 30vdc on it's input thanks to the use of buck converters on the power line.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">As part of making this unit I wanted to try using both an organic light emitting diode display and also a rotary encoder for data entry. The rotary encoder has both a switch when pressed and also contains a RGB led in it's shaft. A little over kill but great to try out.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">The OLED display is quite simply connected via the I2C connection of the Arduino making a total of 4 connections with 5vdc and ground. Several libraries exist for the Arduino to control these types of 128x64 pixel OLED displays. The rotary encoder was slightly more complicated because I didn't want to use an interrupt based method of reading the clicks. I simply used a polling method as I was not concerned with missing steps. I removed the indent part of the hardware to produce a smooth motion. My concern with using interrupts was that I would upset the display of the OLED which is not a simply process.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">The lights are simply controlled using two PWM outputs from the Arduino going to two Led driver boards which have PWM control inputs. The intensity of the lights doesn't work out to be linear but I don't really care about this as I simply wanted a method of controlling the lamp from totally off up to totally on. As long as they were consistent in intensity which they are.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">The rotary encoder changes the light intensity when rotated clockwise or counter clockwise. The range is 0 to 100 with 0 being off and 100 being fully on. The value will loop around should you go past the lowest and highest values. This seemed a good method of quickly going from highest and lowest values as the speed of which the values change is not fast mainly due to how slow the OLED display is at being written. The display turns off when no data has been changed for a couple of seconds. You don't want an extra glow caused by the display in your timelapse shot.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">Pressing on the push button, which is part of the rotary encoders shaft, will change the current lamp to the other lamp and successive presses will alternate back and forward between the two output options.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">One of my challenges for the small unit really came in the form of the case and in particular the mount for the OLED. It was a great challenge for me and the cnc router. As you can see the OLED has a black surround. This is a piece of 4mm acrylic which was machined on the rear to have the correct mount holes and display cutout for the OLED display. This display was then hot glued into place. This assembly was this simply placed into a similar sized hole in the ABS case front plate. I could have gone one step further which was to make a clear lens to sit in front of the display as it currently open to the air.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><br><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">As you can see here there are two units. The small ABS cased unit is the externally powered unit or UM27vB and the larger black cased unit is the UM27vA. They operate in identically the same way. The self contained unit has an extra DC output and internally has all the necessary hardware and software to manage the sealed lead acid battery. The electronics take up less than half the space in the case as the remaining space was created to store the other light control unit along with all the lamps and cables. </div>Amongst Myselvestag:amongstmyselves.com,2005:Post/62817652016-03-25T14:45:00+10:302020-04-14T16:16:41+09:30UM25-RFVM - Video Monitor<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sJbB_E4Bt-s/VvS7ME7LThI/AAAAAAAAB28/0KPcdoA1WkcAPZsd-GQkgVIW19ikSEGag/s1600/UM25%2BVideo%2BMonitor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sJbB_E4Bt-s/VvS7ME7LThI/AAAAAAAAB28/0KPcdoA1WkcAPZsd-GQkgVIW19ikSEGag/s400/UM25%2BVideo%2BMonitor.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="400" width="356" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">This is my Video Monitor for monitoring the video output of my Canon 5D mk2 DSLR.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">It's a cheap LCD display which has an old style composite video input. This was originally inside the UM12 motion control controller unit. Things changed when I realised I couldn't power the controller and the video display / rf receiver combo on the 2.2Ah 12v battery within the one unit for long enough. So I decided to split them as separate units.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">So the video monitor and rf receiver now live in a case the same size as the UM12 hand controller. This has the added advantage of having space for it's own 9Ah 12v battery which is amble power for this unit plus it can also supply power for lighting units when not being used or any other 12v needs.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">The insides are quite simple. I have put in one of the 555 timer based battery protection units which simply monitors the voltage and when a threshold has been hit the relay kicks out, turning off the power.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br></span></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">I've also recently purchased a monitor light box which limits the amount of light hitting this cheap monitors screen.</span></div>Amongst Myselvestag:amongstmyselves.com,2005:Post/62817662016-03-25T14:39:00+10:302020-04-14T16:16:42+09:30UM28-CTH - Camera Telescope and Heater Controller<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">This unit was planned after I found myself on a timelapse trip where I needed to power a camera beyond the life of a standard camera battery and I wasn't using the UM12 motion control unit. The UM12 motion control rig has a converter to power the cameras but I didn't have a separate unit. I ending up having to drag the dolly out and simply use it to supply the 8v to the camera. A little cumbersome.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">So I started out with a plan for a unit which could supply the needed conversion from the UM19 24vdc sealed lead acid battery unit to the 8v dc the Canon camera(s) needed. Then I thought "well while you're making a unit to power the camera why don't you include the other elements that you are likely to need in this situation. "</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">When I do timelapse during the day I tend to use the standard camera batteries if they are charged and available along with a intervalometer that runs off 2 AA batteries. So I thought why not put a small microprocessor in along with a small OLED display and arrange this to be an intervalometer for the camera. That would get rid of the need for extra non-rechargable batteries and the intervalometer unit. So I've added my shutter control output circuit from the UM12 motiona control unit which is a stereo 6.5mm output jack.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">While on the intervalometer subject I do have Magic Lantern firmware on a chip for my Canon 5D mark 2 which I have mainly used to do Raw video but on the last trip I thought I'd give the inbuilt intervalometer a go and it failed several times so I am not willing to take the risk in future.</span></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">When doing winter night time star timelapse I would often, if not always, use a heater strap to keep the lens clear of dew. So I'll place a heater controller into the unit. But while thinking about this unit I realised I had another similar unit down my list which is for my telescope. I do astrophotography with my telescopes. So this also needs to have heaters on it so the decision was to have two heater element outlets. Easy !</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">Before I started designing the schematic for this unit I was reminded of the ULN2803A darlington chip. This chip has 8 darlington transistor pairs which are rated at 500mA each. This would make the unit quite compact over discrete transistors being used. So with this in mind I thought about what else could be controlled by this unit. Firstly, there is the reticle for my telescope. This is an eyepiece that is used for the alignment of stars when doing tracking. It has a target on it lit by a small red led. The ability to control the intensity led will help when faced with different intensity target stars. I'll add an output for this. The other controllable item that I thought of was for the red lighting unit I have had kicking around that I could use to light my telescope work area. Astronomers use red lights for low level lighting as it doesn't affect their night vision adaption. This could be used for any sort of led lighting really.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">To make the units heater outputs more flexible I have made four 1A outputs from the ULN2803A. Simply putting two of the darlington pairs in parallel, doubles their current handling.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">A final output would be the 12vdc to power the german equatorial mount of the telescope. This will simply be a 12vdc buck converter. This UM28 unit will be powered from a 3 pin 24vdc supply and not 12vdc like the other units as I see this setup as independent from the UM12 motion control rig. I can't imagine using both at the same time. Though - famous last words....</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vLKlH0wYTj0/VvS4BqaPtJI/AAAAAAAAB2w/vZpjcU9OVEUqXg7AfXcftHJ5LoOf0fxWg/s1600/UM28-CTH.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vLKlH0wYTj0/VvS4BqaPtJI/AAAAAAAAB2w/vZpjcU9OVEUqXg7AfXcftHJ5LoOf0fxWg/s400/UM28-CTH.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="290" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">UM28-CTH - Camera, Telescope and Heater Controller</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">As far as the software goes for the controller it would be similar in function to the UM27 lighting units. Again we have a rotary encoder with switch along with an OLED display. The display shows the values for each of the controlled outputs and the switch on the rotary encoder changes between the settings of these outputs. The display is momentary based on the rotary encoder being moved. A nice touch would be a red filter as one downside of these displays is they have no intensity control. Alas the red filter ended up being red texta !</span></div>Amongst Myselvestag:amongstmyselves.com,2005:Post/62817672016-03-25T14:19:00+10:302020-04-14T16:16:42+09:30UM17 - Battery Manager<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">This small units purpose is to supply an uninterrupted power supply on the output from the two connected batteries on the inputs.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">So the decision to make the UM17 battery switcher was made as a way to avoid one large battery unit. A large battery is difficult to transport and takes longer to recharge. <span style="font-size: 11pt;">By having several smaller units I could create a unit that would monitor the state of these batteries and change from a depleted one to fully charged one automatically.</span>
</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">My description of the UM11 or UM19vB battery units show that I've been through a change to the configuration of these power units. This change was front a +/-12vdc system to a single 24vdc system. The decision to make the UM17 was before I had changed to the single 24vdc system. So I initially had a design where this unit would detect the voltage of the batteries and change over based on it's own evaluation of a depleted battery. When I changed to the single 24vdc system it made sense to take advantage of the UM19 battery units own shutdown circuit and report this state to the battery switcher hence removing a double up on circuitry and code within the battery switcher. This data is transmitted on the now spare pin of the 3 pin power connector.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">I have three 24vdc battery units called the UM19vA, B and C. They are all identical in that they are made up of two 12v 18Ah sealed lead acid batteries though one does have 20Ah batteries. These are used to power my UM12 motion control timelapse rig. From my tests I can run the whole rig with all motors running for about 11 hours from one of these battery units but I often do shots which take longer eg. over night with stars, where I would be taking shots for up to 14 hours plus. So I needed something that would switch to a second battery unit once the first became depleted.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">The UM17 Battery Switcher doesn't monitor the voltage of the connected batteries. The UM19 battery units do that themselves. But the recently added Data pin on these battery units allows the battery units to set this data pin high and low to reflect the state of the battery. The UM19 batteries are configured so that they signify that the battery is depleted by setting the data pin to low and then turning off after 10 seconds. The UM17 monitors the data pins on both the input battery units and will switch from the battery that goes low to the other battery, if it is high, to output a continuously uninterrupted power source. The depleted battery can be replaced with a charged battery and the UM17 will take note of this and change to this battery once the other battery is depleted. You could potentially have a non-stop supply of power if you had a non-stop supply of fully charged batteries but as we well know the time it takes to charge these batteries is longer than they take to deplete so at the moment I can potentially supply about 30 hours of fully loaded motion control rig.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RsvmT7sJdxI/VvS1NGUWX6I/AAAAAAAAB2k/ZM9E0OJTXLsIcq6cRYYDkxXLcgKBmjZpg/s1600/UM17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RsvmT7sJdxI/VvS1NGUWX6I/AAAAAAAAB2k/ZM9E0OJTXLsIcq6cRYYDkxXLcgKBmjZpg/s400/UM17.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="317" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">UM17 Battery Switcher</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">The front panel has two leds which are linked to the two input battery connections. There is a large button on the front panel also. If you press this button it will light the leds. The leds will display which battery input is active by being permanently lit whereas a battery in waiting will flash. If the connected battery is depleted then the led will not light or if there is no battery connected. If you hold the push button down for 2 seconds then the unit will change the battery over to the other battery if it is charged and ready to go. This could be useful should you chose to remove a battery when it is the current battery but you need it for something else. One example might be that you have run the battery for 8 hours and wish to put it on charge so that it is ready for another shot down the line and you can leave the other fully charged battery to continue for the remaining time. The main reason for having this function is for flexibility.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><br><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">The unit is controlled by an Arduino Nano for the logic processing, a small buck converter to supply power to the Arduino and relays. It is a very simple unit from a hardware perspective. The unit has two outputs which are simply paralleled together for multiple outputs so you can have lights as well as the timelapse rig attached in the same area.</div>Amongst Myselvestag:amongstmyselves.com,2005:Post/62817682016-03-25T14:10:00+10:302020-04-14T16:16:42+09:30UM19vB and C - SLA Battery Units<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">The UM19vB and C are almost identical sealed lead acid battery units designed to supply a large amount of power within a portable unit for use with the UM11/12 motion control timelapse camera rig in remote areas. These new battery units are a modified and improved version of the UM19vA battery unit.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">My original battery the, UM19vA, contains two 18Ah 12v sealed lead acid (SLA) batteries. These two batteries were configured into a +12 and -12 volt supply. The reason to create a +/-12vdc supply was the need to have both a 24vdc supply for the stepper motor controllers and also 12v for the camera's power and the logic circuits. So the logic at the time was to have two 12v batteries in series. I did have an earlier unit which used a linear regulator to convert the 24vdc down to 8v for the camera which wasted a serious amount of power via heat.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">This turned out to be more work than was necessary. As I learnt more, I realised that a simpler approach would be to convert my 12v supply up to 24vdc via a step up buck converter. I could have also done something similar at the other end inside the dolly where I could have converted the supplied 12vdc to 24vdc for the step controllers but I felt that I should leave the heavy current loading at the shorter end within the battery units.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">The original UM19vA battery was a complicated beast. It contained several relays which were used to configure the batteries for it's two states - the 24v output state and the charge state. In the charge state the two batteries are separated so that a common ground battery charger could be connected. In the 24vdc state the two batteries are placed in series making one of negative / ground connections NOT common.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">These relays, 8 in total, needed 500mA when all were activated whereas the new units which use the step up converter only has two relays. The two relays in the version B and C simply disconnect the 12vdc batteries from the buck converter so that when they are being charged they don't have load which upsets the battery charger. During operation the two batteries are in parallel. The reduction in relays certain saved a considerable amount of capacity when we are operating the unit over 12 hours.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">To further improve the power efficiency of the new units I learnt a method of driving relays with pulse width modulated power. This power is essentially only on for 1/3 of a cycle 800hz but the frequency is pulsing so fast the relay doesn't have time to turn off. This in turn reduced their power on time thus reducing their current load. I have found that I can reduce their individual power usage from 75mA down to around 22mA without any operational compromise. The circuit needed a couple of large capacitors to help smooth the power line. There has been no signs of power instability caused by this relay control method. The relay coils oscillate at an audible level and I suppose there is a chance the relays may not last as long but the power savings are very welcome. Another obvious improvement could have been a relay with more poles to reduce the relay count to one but the only other relay I had was a larger and uses more power.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">Once I decided to use a 12vdc to 24vdc buck converter my initial tests showed me draining an 18Ah battery faster than I thought it would. The reason was that I was needing about 1.5A at 24vdc which translated into 3.2A at 12vdc from the battery. The solution was to put the two batteries in parallel giving me a 36Ah battery which reacted better to the load placed upon it. Having the two batteries in parallel game me more than double the run time. The older UM19vA has also been converted to this arrangement although this battery unit has two batteries which were purchased several years apart which isn't ideal as the older battery will tend to discharge the newer one.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">The 24vdc outlet on these batteries has a 3 pin plug as they originally deliver +12, common and -12v. <span style="font-size: 11pt;">Along with this change to 24vdc, I have used the now spare pin on the 3 pin connector to be a data line. This data line is used to indicate the state of the battery system. The UM17 battery switcher uses this data pin in its management. The two states of this pin are high (5v) when power is available and low (0v) when the power is going to disconnected. So when one of these UM19 battery units hits the depleted voltage threshold it will turn this pin low and switch off totally in 10 seconds. The UM17 battery switcher will react and change it's input to the other battery before the depleted battery turns off. The UM19 batteries have a simple voltage divider which is used to measure the voltage. Once the voltage gets below 10.5v they go into shutdown state.</span>
</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">The UM12 dolly has also been modified to accept this change of supply voltage and configuration. In reality this unit was the main reason for changing as I destroyed the expensive microprocessor due to a misplaced ground connection. Having the unit running from a centre ground caused some confusion in my wiring. Some parts ran from ground and +12v whereas other parts ran as 24vdc which in reality was -12 and +12v. Now that I had discovered an efficient way of converting 24vdc into 5v via a cheap buck converter, I could easily change the system over to a common ground unit. Hence less chances of loosing the magic smoke.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">Another decision was made to not include any lighting control outputs on the version B and C batteries. I have designed and partially build another two lighting units, the UM27. UM27vA is self contained with a 9Ah battery and has three lighting control outputs. The case also has space to store the UM27vB unit, lights and cables. The UM27vB is much smaller but essentially the same. This relies on an external power supply like the UM26 video monitor power supply. These lighting units do not need lots of power and it made sense not to rely on using the UM19 battery units for the lights and to utilize other power source already in existence within other units. It also allows for the lighting control and power to be as close to the light as possible hence the removal of long cables. That said, I've added an extra 3 pin connector should I want to run lights from one of the batteries. I've added an extra 3 pin connector as well should I want to run lights from one of the batteries. </div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">The case design of the UM19vB and C is slightly different for a couple of reasons. I decided that having a front panel that covered the whole case was a waste of acrylic plus the smaller front panel had the advantage of direct access to the battery terminals with the need to remove the front panel in case we wanted to run power directly from the batteries. Flexibility is a good thing.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">The front panel has charger inputs for both batteries, fuse for each battery, a master isolator switch, kick start pushbutton to start the unit up, voltage meter with a test button. The internal control circuit for the unit is quite simple with a Arduino Nano as the processor, a dual relay module for switching the batteries and a step up buck converter. I also have a step down buck converter to supply the 5v for the Arduino and relay power. </div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yN9jdVLXoC8/VvSvKSrYY_I/AAAAAAAAB2Q/amXiwVVt0Ao7FAChvFDcS7p1bKekapqjQ/s1600/UM19vB%2BDetail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yN9jdVLXoC8/VvSvKSrYY_I/AAAAAAAAB2Q/amXiwVVt0Ao7FAChvFDcS7p1bKekapqjQ/s400/UM19vB%2BDetail.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="267" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">UM19vB - detail of the controls</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yBodOyyTjxE/VvSvLgFQFKI/AAAAAAAAB2U/jy70YZGrYtk6ihc36Wj7yiJe3JaKGG-kA/s1600/UM19vB%2BOverall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yBodOyyTjxE/VvSvLgFQFKI/AAAAAAAAB2U/jy70YZGrYtk6ihc36Wj7yiJe3JaKGG-kA/s400/UM19vB%2BOverall.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="247" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">UM19vB - Overall look at case</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;">Why are you using old technology Sealed Lead Acid batteries ?</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">When I first started thinking about these new units I did got through a whole process of using LiPo batteries but their cost is still quite prohibitive. LiPo batteries are quicker to charge and weigh about a quarter the weight of equivalent sealed lead acid batteries but I already rely on a car to transport the motion control rig so the weight of the batteries is not an issue. The price of doing these battery units with sealed lead acid is clearly much cheaper plus I already had a battery charger. To change to LiPo batteries I would need to purchase a special charger for the LiPo batteries which also adds to the cost.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">LiPo batteries with an equivalent voltage and power capacity are not common though I did find 22.2v 12Ah LiPo batteries which would be around $270 for two. This would give me 430W of power which is similar to two 18Ah SLA batteries but at a total cost including the charger components of $500. Whereas I have chosen to make up one 430W unit and one 480W unit for half that cost of changing to LiPo based systems. It seemed more sensible to me at this time. The only real downside that I currently have is that the sla battery charger can only give out 1.5A of power during charging which means that it potentially takes 18 hours to charge one battery. This could be something to look into for the future but since I have 3 of these 400W plus units, I don't think I foresee any issues with not having enough power for a timelapse shoot.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><br><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">Some downsides of LiPo batteries is they more monitoring while being charged and also need special treatment during the whole discharge process. It is suggested that the LiPo batteries be stored in fire proof bags while they are being charged in case something goes wrong. I have seen what happens when a LiPo battery catches on fire. But this is not the real reason for not using the LiPo batteries. I already have a process for using and charging SLA batteries and the LiPo was to give me no great benefit in the near future.</div>Amongst Myselvestag:amongstmyselves.com,2005:Post/62817692015-11-30T14:42:00+10:302020-04-14T16:16:42+09:30UM-XN1 Digital Effects UnitMy latest "working" project is the UM-XN1 Digital Effects Unit. It uses the Spin Semiconductor's FN-1 DSP chip mounted and sold via <a href="https://www.experimentalnoize.com/products_makers.php" target="_blank">Experimental Noize</a> on an end user module. These modules come in 4 variations aimed at guitar effects processors.<br><div><br></div><div>My original plan for this unit was a guitar effects unit which emulates the distinct sound that Hank B Marvin from the 60's instrumental group, The Shadows, used with the help of multiple tape echo units. Some enthusiasts had worked their way through various tracks from The Shadows and also researched the tape echo units he used and created a set of patches utilizing the Experimental Noize module to recreate this vintage echo effects. The project for making a guitar effects unit can be found over at <a href="http://www.echotapper.nl/wp/" target="_blank">Echotapper</a>
</div><div><br></div><div>I purchased several of each of the different effects sets that Experimental Noize sells with the aim to also make effects modules for my analogue synthesizer setup. So in reality this first unit is a generic unit that uses line level signals whereas the guitar unit described above has a guitar preamp built into the effects unit.</div><div><br></div><div>The quality of the effects are quite high considering the affordability of the modules. They offer flanging, chorus, tremelo, stereo delays and echo, reverb. In reality the list is endless once you start to experiment with writing your own DSP code and uploading to the chip. Yes you can actually make your own effects. I became quite excited about this idea.</div><div><br></div><div>So the modules that Experimental Noize sell can essentially be plug into audio and power as they are though they do need controls added. These modules have connections for three potentiometers and also for a BCD switch which allows the selection of 8 programs. Connections to these modules are via a 16 pin connector which is aimed at being attached to another printed circuit board as I have done.</div><div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8DPH2FV_bIQ/VlvHnoG_riI/AAAAAAAABxI/yswPlAerKkU/s1600/P1010007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8DPH2FV_bIQ/VlvHnoG_riI/AAAAAAAABxI/yswPlAerKkU/s400/P1010007.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="311" width="400" /></a></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>The Experimental Noize module is the small daughter board containing the multi-pin chip. This chip is the FV-1 produced by <a href="http://www.spinsemi.com/" target="_blank">Spin Semiconductor</a>. Have a good look around their site to see what you can do with this chip along with a forum with very useful information and new patches for the chip. I've also added some audio buffering as described in the documentation which comes with the EN modules. The board also contains a dc regulator circuit which supplies the needed 0-4.5-9v supply. I'm using a 12v dc plugpack.</div><div><br></div><div>The UM-XN1 has stereo input and stereo outputs. One of the small issues with the preprogrammed modules is that some are mono in and out and others are mono in and stereo out. These limitations are not the hardware but the programs that are loaded into these modules. They are aimed at mono applications like guitar amplifiers. It was due to this that I put in a switch on my unit which allows for the stereo input to be summed to a mono signal so that the effects processor gets all the input signal.</div><div><br></div><div>My design contains an Input and Output Level controls along with a Dry and Wet signal level controls. As I was planning on experimenting with effects that users on the forum had created, there was no promise that some of them wouldn't be stereo. Although once I learn how I am sure I can modify the code to make all effects work in a stereo image.</div><div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I0YNCT0Rne4/VlvJWn0A2RI/AAAAAAAABxc/As21gEo3cEc/s1600/UM-XN1%2BFront.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I0YNCT0Rne4/VlvJWn0A2RI/AAAAAAAABxc/As21gEo3cEc/s400/UM-XN1%2BFront.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="265" width="400" /></a></div><div><br></div><div>I had to make a decision on how to control the BCD switch arrangement. The module has 3 inputs for the switch connector which allows for the selection of 8 programs. These switch inputs are a binary representation of the program number. I found several circuits that would allow a standard wafer switch to control these programs but I decided that I wanted an interface where I could have leds showing which program is currently selected. I decided on using an Arduino Nano to read the two momentary push buttons which are Program Up and Down. It also lights 8 leds which are arranged next to the program name and parameter list and of course it outputs the binary code to control the effects module. The program name and parameter list on this unit is an adhesive print which allows me to change the patches and reprint a label.</div><div><br></div><div>The <a href="http://www.echotapper.nl/wp/" target="_blank">Echotapper</a> project(s) detail a unit which takes another step further whereby an Arduino is used to control the parameter values as well allowing for a recallable patch system with LCD display. This is also my plan for further units.</div><div><br></div><div>I am very happy with the results of this first unit. The photo of the board above looks quite neat although there were a couple of mistakes on my schematic and I also added the Dry and Wet mix controls after I had made this design.</div><div>
<br>The case is something that I start with the UM-SLM unit. It is a good design for minimising the use of nuts and bolts with your custom designed and CNC routed cases. Due to the placement of these case bolts there is bolts intruding inside the case. The sides and top are glued together the clever design on the two sides hold the nuts in places for the four base bolts. It can be a little fiddly putting the case back together as the nuts are not held in place when the bolt is not connected. So you have to be careful not to let the last one you tighten to fall inside the case. I could possibly work out a way of stopping this but it isn't really a problem.<br><br>
</div><div>I think this unit may end up being the one that has the Hank B Marvin effects loaded onto it and I attach it via the effects loop on my Vox AC30.</div><div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Bhk-JjQu0yQ/VlvJWar_klI/AAAAAAAABxk/BMhzwwf-7QE/s1600/UM-XN1%2BRear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Bhk-JjQu0yQ/VlvJWar_klI/AAAAAAAABxk/BMhzwwf-7QE/s400/UM-XN1%2BRear.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="266" width="400" /></a></div><div><br></div>Amongst Myselvestag:amongstmyselves.com,2005:Post/62817702014-12-22T16:09:00+10:302020-04-14T16:16:42+09:30UM20 - Studio Power SwitcherThis is a project that I've had in the background for several years. The basic function is to automatically control the power of several parts of my music studio with the idea of saving power.<div><br></div><div>So there are three 240vac power circuits that are controlled within this unit. They are connected to the Computer circuit, the Speakers circuit and the Audio Circuit.</div><div><br></div><div>A small controller box contains the wonderful Arduino Nano microprocessor which controls the solid state relays which in turn power off and on the 240vac circuits. It also monitors the state of the audio sensor input and the firewire voltage coming from the PC.</div><div><br></div><div>The two automatic controls within this project are:</div><div>
<ol>
<li>When there has been no audio fed to the Speakers for a pre determined period of time then they will be automatically powered down. They will power up again once audio is detected.</li>
<li>Once the IBM-PC powers down, all the 240vac outputs will also be turned off and after a preset period of time.</li>
</ol>
<div>The Arduino gets a feed from the PC which is the power from the Firewire connection. On this particular computer motherboard it turns off the 12vdc feed along the firewire when the computer is shutdown. So the Arduino monitors this 12vdc state via one of it's digital inputs.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>To sensor the presence of an audio signal I made up a small audio buffer circuit which I installed within my UM1-UK mixer which sums the left and right channels and outputs a voltage just below 5v which can be read in via the Arduino's analog inputs.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>So the main purpose of this unit is to save power. My daily backup starts at about 4pm which is often about an hour before I finish using it. But what is unpredictable is how long this backup will take as its time will be based on how data needs copying to the backup hard drive. On several occasions I have forgotten to return to the studio to turn off the power especially to the Speakers which use a good 200W when idle. I also will forget to turn off my synthesizer which are growing in number and also power consumption.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>So once the unit is fully installed I can stop worrying about whether I've turned the system off or not as this UM20 unit will take care of operation for me.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TKrLvb06hm8/VJepQ-ckr6I/AAAAAAAABmM/YDFCTRDZNb4/s1600/IMG_8491.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TKrLvb06hm8/VJepQ-ckr6I/AAAAAAAABmM/YDFCTRDZNb4/s1600/IMG_8491.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Both parts of the UM20 Studio Power Switcher</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cA05-hJvD7M/VJepRYsskCI/AAAAAAAABmQ/VzZUZLKwYg4/s1600/IMG_8492.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cA05-hJvD7M/VJepRYsskCI/AAAAAAAABmQ/VzZUZLKwYg4/s1600/IMG_8492.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Closeup of the 240vac relay box</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OLo9nDtLgi0/VJepRja6EPI/AAAAAAAABmY/g_UjWnR1NFw/s1600/IMG_8493.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OLo9nDtLgi0/VJepRja6EPI/AAAAAAAABmY/g_UjWnR1NFw/s1600/IMG_8493.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Closeup of the Computer Control box</td></tr>
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<div>As you can see on this controller box there are several leds which simply light to show the state of the labelled relays or incoming signals. The S (speaker) led will flash when there is no signal monitored on the audio sensor input. If you hold either the A (Audio) or S (Speakers) button down for 2 seconds then they will turn off.</div>
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<div>I've written the code to take into a few unwelcome situations. For example you don't want to be able to turn off the computer circuit from this box when there is a power signal being read on the firewire cable. Note that it does say USB on the front panel as originally I had planned to use the USB port as a computer state signal but alas I forgot to change the panel artwork when I realised the USB still had power once the computer was powered down.</div>
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<div>The unit has always got power from a small plugpack (wallwart) that supplies the 5vdc to power the Arduino and leds.</div>
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<div>If anyone would like circuit diagrams then I'm quite happy to put this on the pages.</div>
</div>Amongst Myselvestag:amongstmyselves.com,2005:Post/62817712014-12-20T16:18:00+10:302020-04-14T16:16:42+09:30Therematron - The Base PanelThe CNC Router that I purchased earlier in the year was to cover several purposes - create printed circuit boards, cut wood for cases and the like and also to cut front panels for projects.<br><div><br></div><div>There has been quite a bit of trial and error with the front panels. The material I use is a composite material that has several brand names - Signbond, Dibond to name a couple. As I've mentioned before it is a material the comes in several different thicknesses but I use the 3mm thick model. It is comprised on 0.3mm layer of aluminium, 2.4mm of pvc and another 0.3mm layer of aluminium.</div><div><br></div><div>So far I have used a few different cutting bits for the CNC router. When I got the CNC I first tried a 0.2mm engraving bit which I still partly use, I've tried a 0.2mm end mill to no avail - it is not strong enough to cut through the aluminium and I've also used 0.5mm end mills and 1mm end mills.</div><div><br></div><div>My issue was that I wanted to cut lines into the signbond that we less than 0.5mm wide which often worked with the 0.2mm engraver but I found that I soon blunted these engravers. So I have now come up with a reasonable but slow process. I firstly cut the lines to a depth of 0.2mm with the 0.2mm emgraver then I recut the lines with the 0.5mm endmill to a depth of 0.4mm. This works quite well and the resulted board was done with this method.</div><div><br></div><div>But why don't you just use the 0.5mm endmill you ask ? Well the issue with this bit is that the shaft of 0.5mm is not strong enough to cut a straight line. The bit moves around once the initial pressure has been applied and bit cuts through that 0.3mm of aluminium. This is why I use the 0.2mm engraver first because it partially cuts into the aluminium but more importantly it creates a track for the 0.5mm endmill to follow.</div><div><br></div><div>Mind you this process takes quite a while. The resulting board took about 12 hours to cut. I did this is several goes. I did the fine lines in one cutting session which took most of this time and then the 1mm end mill was used to cut the thicker lines and also to cut out the holes in the board.</div><div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UCtsOUbUnRQ/VJUKjSliDvI/AAAAAAAABl8/gtt8xHtDlyM/s1600/IMG_8498.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UCtsOUbUnRQ/VJUKjSliDvI/AAAAAAAABl8/gtt8xHtDlyM/s1600/IMG_8498.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="163" width="320" /></a></div><div><br></div><div>The board ends up in quite a mess once the cutting has been done. I firstly vacuum off as much sworf as possible and then I sand off the panel with a sanding block. This manages to clean up any of the cuts that are a little messy. I vacuum again and then cleanup any of the cuts with a small knife. Once this is done I give the board a good clean with a light abrasive cleaner like Jif. This does a good job of cleaning the white board. Give the whole board a rinse under water and let it dry. The final process that I did on this board was to give it a few coats of clear sealant. I used a art based spray which is meant for sealing art works but it seems reasonably strong and flexible. I've not looked into something strong and more durable as I have the clear spray in my cupboard.</div><div><br></div><div>So the next step is to do the large Top panel. I've looked at some of the settings for the router and found that I can hasten the cut by changing a few values during the movements.</div><div><br></div><div>What I have learnt from this design is that I should aim to have larger text and larger lines which means making the whole design less compact. Although I've managed to cut this panel and I am happy with the final product, the time it tool to produce this final panel was about a week.</div><div><br></div><div>Any questions, please ask. Stay tuned for the Top Panel and then comes the wiring stage !!!</div>Amongst Myselvestag:amongstmyselves.com,2005:Post/62817722014-12-11T16:47:00+10:302020-04-14T16:16:42+09:30Therematron - The CaseAt last I have almost completed the case for the Therematron. The process of creating this case was a test case for using the CNC router to make all the pieces of a wooden case which will have no nails or screws and is held together with glue. I wanted a process where I did not have to handle the wood apart from holding it down for cutting to pulling up the final piece. This was a trial of patiences.<br><div><br></div><div>Having purchased the 3040 CNC Router from BilbyCNC here in Australia I wanted to use its abilities to the maximum. I had initially purchased the unit to create front panels and printed circuit boards. I've perfected the creation of single sided printed circuit boards with a total of 9 boards now created with one of them being about A4 in size. But to extend the use of the router I thought about using it to create wooden cases.</div><div><br></div><div>I designed up the case in SketchUp which I've previously posted. Due to the limiting nature of the free version of SketchUp I returned to using Freehand to design the panels for the case so I would have two dimension pieces. Not ideal. So each panel was designed in Freehand but one of the disadvantages of using a 2d vector package is that it is not 3d and what I was creating was several 3d pieces of wood. </div><div><br></div><div>So initially when cutting the pieces of wood I would need to cnc route one side and then flip this piece of wood over to cut away excess wood to make the tongue part of the joint. The problem was that my alignment was not accurate enough. I needed to be half a millimetre accurate for all these snug joints to work. I cut a whole case before I realised there was to much error in my work.</div><div><br></div><div>A rethink was needed. I had to make the pieces of box with only single sided cuts. So this is where I decided that instead of making the the piece with tongues out of one piece of wood, I would cut grooves into the wood and use pieces of mdf a bit like dowels. I was a little worried that this method would not have enough strength to hold the box together but it has. What has possibly helped to strengthen the case is the several pieces of square aluminium tubing which will be the mounting points for the front panel.</div><div><br></div><div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2EaPLo94HsU/VIkr3cVHVGI/AAAAAAAABk0/EDLdIi9FCOM/s1600/IMG_8494.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2EaPLo94HsU/VIkr3cVHVGI/AAAAAAAABk0/EDLdIi9FCOM/s1600/IMG_8494.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="292" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Therematron Case without front and rear panels</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The picture above is the current state of the case. Its constructed of marine ply because I happened to have some left overs in the shed. You can also see the aluminium bars where the front panel will mount. The side pieces of aluminium are angled so they are mounted to the side pieces of wood and can then also be mounted to the front panels. The nice thing about creating all the holes on the CNC router is their accuracy. So I can easily cut an angled section out for the square tubing and have it perfectly line up with the opposite side panel. For me to do this without and computer controlled router would be beyond my patiences.<br><br>Here are the diagrams out of Freehand for one of the side panels. The other panel is just mirrored.<br><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V30zwj6ZgTM/VIkt0_ajBPI/AAAAAAAABlA/sWG5Ttj8Mt8/s1600/Therematron%2BSide%2BPanel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V30zwj6ZgTM/VIkt0_ajBPI/AAAAAAAABlA/sWG5Ttj8Mt8/s1600/Therematron%2BSide%2BPanel.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="320" width="255" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The outside of the left panel<br><br><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">The atomic symbol on the side is just a retro nod to the Interociter of This Island Earth fame.<br></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XXeOWidpMV8/VIkuw0n_NVI/AAAAAAAABlI/P8HxKvYPdEY/s1600/Therematron%2BInside%2BSide%2BPanel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XXeOWidpMV8/VIkuw0n_NVI/AAAAAAAABlI/P8HxKvYPdEY/s1600/Therematron%2BInside%2BSide%2BPanel.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="320" width="257" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The inside of the Left Side Panel</td></tr>
</tbody></table>So what is shown here is the inside of the left panel. The red outline is the outline cut of the wood. The green areas are 8mm deep routed pocket cuts and the yellow areas are 2mm deep pocket cuts. The reason the square cuts have discs in their corners is so the rounded 3.175mm end mill cutter can give me square corners for the aluminium tubing. Note that I made these discs a little larger than they needed to be so that the 3.175mm cutter cuts the line in one run instead of raising the Z axis and cutting the discs separately. This is something you learn to do with a router so that the cuts are more efficient. The yellow pockets are where the angle aluminium sits and is countersunk to 2mm so once the 2mm thick aluminium is mounted it is flush to the wood.<br><br>The holes to mount the tubing and angle aluminium are 0.5mm larger than their mate so the mating is not overly tight.<br><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8LNQS4derOs/VIkw76CSZ8I/AAAAAAAABlU/mP2ngntvuqY/s1600/IMG_8496.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8LNQS4derOs/VIkw76CSZ8I/AAAAAAAABlU/mP2ngntvuqY/s1600/IMG_8496.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shows the aluminium having been mounted<br>(note that the angle pieces are little short which is<br>just because that's what I had in the shed)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The front, base and top pieces of wood are simpler as they only need to join to the sides and don't have any special parts.<br><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lFx1poT3Yqg/VIk0YYxU6tI/AAAAAAAABlg/bTFzXLeBzx8/s1600/IMG_8489.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lFx1poT3Yqg/VIk0YYxU6tI/AAAAAAAABlg/bTFzXLeBzx8/s1600/IMG_8489.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The case clamped together<br>It was quite a challenge to put glue in all the joints and place all the aluminium in at the same time.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zxMaiO6xKxE/VIk1Dhye6sI/AAAAAAAABlo/kfyglqL14rQ/s1600/IMG_8488.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zxMaiO6xKxE/VIk1Dhye6sI/AAAAAAAABlo/kfyglqL14rQ/s1600/IMG_8488.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here you can see the MDF dowels on the base</td></tr>
</tbody></table>So I've learnt that it can be done. And when I make my next case I will be able to knock one up in a day or so.<br><br>The next stage of the Therematron is to cut the front panels. This is also a new stage. I initially had reasonable success with using 0.2mm engraving bits with signbond composite panel but found that I quickly blunted them so I will trial using 0.5mm endmill bits very soon. Stay tuned.<br><br><br>
</div>Amongst Myselvestag:amongstmyselves.com,2005:Post/62817732014-11-01T22:34:00+10:302020-04-14T16:16:42+09:30CNC Router PCBIt has been a while since I worked on the Therematron synthesizer and one of the reasons for this was I was waiting on some parts for the CNC router that would allow me to create the printed circuit board for the <a href="http://www.musicfromouterspace.com/index.php?MAINTAB=SYNTHDIY&PROJARG=POWERSUPPLY2009/POWERSUPPLY2009.php&VPW=1910&VPH=863" target="_blank">MFOS Adjustable LM317/LM337 1.5A Supply</a>. I forgot to order this board when purchasing the other parts for the Therematron so I reminded myself that I had read somewhere that people use these small CNC machines to create prototype printed circuit boards.<br><br>Like most exercises that I attempt, they seem quite simple in concept but end up throwing all sorts of obstacles in my path during the project. The initial reason for purchasing the CNC Router was to create front panels as I've mentioned in my initial Therematron blog. I found an Instructable which takes the reader through one method of creating pcb's (printed circuit boards) using a CNC Router. Here's the page by the way <a href="http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Convert-and-Mill-your-PCB-Layouts-on-your-C/?ALLSTEPS" target="_blank">Instructable for PCB prototyping</a>. I've been using veroboard to mount my circuits onto in the past but I've found the boards end up quite large in size which isn't usually a problem but I thought I'd give the CNC pcb a go. Ray Wilson of MFOS had already designed a pcb for this project so I took the low resolution GIF image file and retraced this in Macromedia Freehand. Freehand is a out dated vector graphics program that I have used for years and at the moment I don't have a reason for changing over to anything else even though I do own legit copies of Illustrator and Indesign.<br><br>So the approach needed was to retrace the boards tracks and place circle where the drill holes are needed. That was quite easy and took about 20 minutes to do. From the Freehand file I needed to create several files. Firstly, I needed to create the tracks but hold on ! What I really need to create is a file for where I don't want copper on the board. This takes me to another area. To use a CNC you need a control program. I chose Mach3 as most bloggers and forum people suggest this as the most flexible software. Essentially this program takes GCode (most used numerical control programming language) and moves the various axes on your CNC around. But to get the GCode I need another program. My searching ending up with a program called Cut2D byVectric. What this program does is take your vector graphic and allow you to choose the type of cutting you wish to perform and with what cnc drill bits and then creates the Gcode to move the CNC around. OK ?<br><br>So with a bit of Freehand vector trickery I created a series of shapes that give me a 1mm gap around the copper tracks on the board, removing the copper blank on the inside of the board but leaving it on the edges outside the tracks. This took a while to work which is annoying in some ways since this will probably be one in few times that I will create pcb's this way. Most boards I will do in the future will come via the pcb design software. So now I have the tracks file but I also need the drill file. Cut2D was quite happy for me to simply have a file which contained the pcb pads as circles which it then used to place drill holes. That was easy but then I remembered I wanted two different drill hole sizes - 0.8mm and 1.7mm, so I need to then create a file for each of the drill sizes with only the pads that represented each hole in two separate files. Not too hard.<br><br>So I've mounted down my copper board to the CNC bed, placed the engraving bit into the machine, set the zero points and I'm ready to go. The bit used for the hatching (clearing out large areas) was an engraving bit which is only 0.2mm wide at the tip and this had to clear quite a bit of area. So when it finished it took just under 3 hours. A little slow but the machine did it without any user help. The drill holes were quite quick and were done in a few minutes. So that is a quick rundown of the process - very quick run down. In all it did take a full day to do as I also did a couple of other small boards as tests. But these boards I designed in my pcb design package Diptrace but that is another story for another century.<br><br>There are several videos on Youtube showing this process of engraving the printed circuit board so I will not add to the video collection. So just go to youtube and search for "cnc pcb router" and you'll get several.<br><br>I'm very happy with the result. Note you can probably see a few erroneous discs on the copper areas to the right. When I first went to cut the board I didn't measure the board size and started the cut to find the other side holes off the pcb so I restarted and just managed to fit it on the spare piece I had. The other small issue here is that the MFOS boards are double sided with just one small link that I will have to put in manually with a jumper wire. Double sided boards are a trick for another day.<br><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4bl5W1xiw6Y/VFTJErm2dFI/AAAAAAAABkM/mICzNqZNHN8/s1600/PSU%2BPCB%2B1280px.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4bl5W1xiw6Y/VFTJErm2dFI/AAAAAAAABkM/mICzNqZNHN8/s1600/PSU%2BPCB%2B1280px.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="270" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The MFOS PCB with a few mods</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Addendum: AGGHHH. It wasn't until I went to populate this board with components did I realise that I failed to reverse the artwork thus it is backwards. Oh well I won't do that again.Amongst Myselvestag:amongstmyselves.com,2005:Post/62817742014-08-26T15:07:00+09:302020-04-14T16:16:42+09:30Therematron - where the trouble starts !Recently I got together some friends with the intention of creating a Kraftwerk cover band. It's going well but one of the ideas we stressed with regards to performance is that we would use analog gear as much as possible and where possible. Since we started to learn their earlier tracks in particular Radioland I decided that I wanted to make an analog performance synth that didn't use a keyboard but instead used something along the lines of a Theremin.<br><br>So I couldn't settle for something as simple as a basic Theremin. So I looked into the problem. <a href="http://www.paia.com/theremax.asp" target="_blank">PAIA's Theremax</a> seemed a good starting point as it was essentially a basic Theremin with some expand ability added in the form of voltage control and gate outputs.<br><br>The PAIA Theremax adds the ability to mix in a more square waveform. To control outboard units, there are Pitch and Volume Control Voltage outputs. But the features that really set Tmax apart as a gestural controller are it's Velocity Control Voltage (proportional to how fast you increase the Volume) and Gate/Trigger outputs. A convenient foot switch input allows muting the internal tone source without disabling the CVs.<br><br>So I thought - "This is a controller as much as a sound maker ? I'll add a synth to it !". I've been wanting an excuse to make a <a href="http://www.musicfromouterspace.com/index.php?MAINTAB=SYNTHDIY&PROJARG=SOUNDLABMINIMARKII/page7.php&VPW=1910&VPH=863" target="_blank">MFOS SoundLab Mk2</a> for sometime. So the addition of the SoundLab Mk2 will give me much more tone making ability and with the Theremax's abilities I can use the Aerials to control more than just pitch. Of course later I can make up a small keyboard for this unit but for the moment to aim is for non-chromatic.<br><br>The final piece is Ray's <a href="http://www.musicfromouterspace.com/index.php?MAINTAB=SYNTHDIY&PROJARG=SOUNDLABMINIMARKII/page7.php&VPW=1910&VPH=863" target="_blank">Echo Rockit</a> which will give the whole unit another dimension. The Echo Rockit is a <a href="http://www.diyaudiocircuits.com/tutorials/pt2399-digital-delay-analog-echo/" target="_blank">PT2399 chip</a> based echo unit which can be used to create numerous <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bucket-brigade_device" target="_blank">BBD type effects</a> with some "lovely" nasty artifacts to boot.<br><br>The whole package is to be built into a wooden box with a two tier front panel which has all the patchbay included.<br><br>Here's the front panel design at the moment:-<br><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tYRVGWTO_eU/U_wYf05UqjI/AAAAAAAABiw/p-3O9C1kc8I/s1600/TSL%2Bidea%2B5%2Bcase3d%2BVB.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tYRVGWTO_eU/U_wYf05UqjI/AAAAAAAABiw/p-3O9C1kc8I/s1600/TSL%2Bidea%2B5%2Bcase3d%2BVB.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="320" width="318" /></a></div><br><br>The case is plywood which will be varnished. The front panels are a composite aluminium material which is a piece of pvc sandwiched between two thin pieces of aluminium. Very easy to work with, light weight and strong.<br><br>The front panel design is something new that I have started working with. Using a CNC router, I cut through the aluminium layer and then fill this cutaway area with acrylic paint. Even though I am still in the testing stages of this process it is going quite well. My next test for this process is to spray paint a piece of this material black and then engrave the piece to see if the paint stays in tact. The reason for doing this is that the whole process is going to be more affordable if I can paint the standard white material any colour I want and then fill in the engraved areas any colour I wish. I can purchase coloured board which is my backup process.<br><br>Here is the first physical result of the job - the PCB boards are now fully populated with components.<br><br><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pOF6kIr5o30/U_wXHPb4BzI/AAAAAAAABik/2pCvv4fgfZk/s1600/IMG_8051.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pOF6kIr5o30/U_wXHPb4BzI/AAAAAAAABik/2pCvv4fgfZk/s1600/IMG_8051.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="272" width="400" /></a></div><br>I have come across an addition which will need some fiddling around to achieve but I really need to unit built before I can sort this out ? Oh well I may end up with an extra control or two which eventually don't do anything.<br><br>Next step is to make up a wiring diagram I think.Amongst Myselvestag:amongstmyselves.com,2005:Post/62817752014-01-19T16:50:00+10:302020-04-14T16:16:42+09:30UM16 SLA Battery Charger<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-prtk6Xrz0ac/UtttqGyhS7I/AAAAAAAABec/3G768giMOZI/s1600/UM16+Battery+Charger+ALT+-+1280w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-prtk6Xrz0ac/UtttqGyhS7I/AAAAAAAABec/3G768giMOZI/s1600/UM16+Battery+Charger+ALT+-+1280w.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="266" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">This is the UM16 multiple SLA battery charger that I designed specifically to charge multiple 12v SLA batteries which will be used with my UM12 motion control camera system. These are in the form of three dual 18Ah 12v SLA units.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">The <a href="http://amongstprojects-timelapse.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank">UM12 MOCON</a> (updated blog coming soon) requires several voltage rails but the stepper controllers in particular need at least 20vdc. The decision was made to create this via a 24vdc centre tapped arrangement so that I could derive the other voltages ie: 12vdc without excessive loss through voltage regulators. The other power rails are for powering the camera(s) attached to the pan / tilt head of the MOCON.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">The reason for choosing SLA (Sealed Lead Acid) batteries are simply that they are the most affordable option of rechargeable battery that I could find taking voltage and power into account. Their downside are that they take quite a long time to charge and that they are heavy. These downsides are what lead to this project being designed.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;">What is contained in the UM16</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">The UM16 contains two 4 stage battery fighter 12v SLA chargers controlled by a Arduino Uno. The Uno monitors the state of the connected batteries and manages the switching via a relay bank to allow for automatic charging of up to 5 batteries. I chose to use prebuilt charger units because I could not find kits or schematics that would make the job easier plus I already had one of these units that I had previously been using.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">The aim of the project was to create a battery charging management system plus trying my hand at :-</div><ul style="direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .375in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed;" type="circle">
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">using a boot loaded Atmega 328 chip as opposed to an Arduino prototyping board</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">investigate the 75HC595 shift register for controlling a bank of 16 relays</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">Use a set of 4N25 opto isolators to interface with the Battery Fighter charger units</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">Understand and implement a TLC5940 - a 16 channel PWM unit to control RGB leds</span></li>
</ul><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">The schematics were design in TinyCAD and these were translated to VeeCAD for the veroboards.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;">The Battery Fighter chargers</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">The Battery Fighter chargers have several leds that show the varying state of the charger :-</div><ul style="direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .375in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed;" type="circle">
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">No Battery</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">Wrong Polarity</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">Alert - meaning a dead battery</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">Bulk Charge</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">Absorption</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">Maintenance</span></li>
</ul><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin-left: .375in; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;">4 stages Charge algorithm by steps</div><ol style="direction: ltr; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .375in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed;" type="1">
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;" value="1"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Qualification: Ensure the battery in good condition prior to charge. Charge will not be started if battery is less than 2.0V.</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;" value="2"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Bulk charge: The normal charge is commenced to deliver the constant current for charging up the battery until 80% full.</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;" value="3"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Absorption charge: The charge program has switched over to Constant voltage; the charge current has to be reduced according to the raised of battery level, until the battery is full.</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;" value="4"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Maintenance: The battery can be permanently maintained at a proper work level and to be kept ready to go.</span></li>
</ol><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;">The Arduino Code</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">My code is quite simple. The program changes the relays to attach Battery One to charger A and Battery Two to charger B. Here it reads and stores the state of those batteries. These states are read into the Arduino via the 4N25 opto isolators which are attached to the chargers leds. These states are read in via a resistor ladder on an analog input on the Arduino. This helps cut down on wiring and connections to the Arduino. The software sits for a couple of seconds on each battery to get a proper reading and then advances charger A to battery 3 and charger B to battery 4 and finally repeating the procedure to battery 5. </div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">Once all the batteries states are recorded the chargers start from the top down and takes the charge of each battery until they are at Maintenance stage. Of course if a connected battery was already in Maintenance stage this would be ignored during the charging state. Once all the batteries are at Maintenance stage the unit goes into a sleep mode.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">I did originally plan for the chargers to take all the batteries that needed the most work to the next level first but I decided that this was not necessarily good for the battery and the approach of taking a pair of batteries at a time to full charge was a better approach for the longevity of the battery.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">A small addition is a thermistor, device for converting temperature into resistance, inside to turn on a small fan for ventilation one the transformers warm up during the bulk charge state. Admittedly these do not get that hot when in bulk charge mode. The reason for doing this is that the original Battery Charger units did get quite hot although they were in a small case.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">The connections I've chose to use are a 4 pin microphone type which is not a standard for power but I decided a while back that these connectors are durable and can carry the power I will be using. The UM12 uses a 3 pin version to carry the 24vdc centre tapped.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;">Conclusion</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">In the end the unit works very well. I did have a couple of setbacks during the construction. I shorted 12vdc across the processor which took it out along with it's USB FDTI connector. For some reason one of the charger units was also damaged during construction. This took a while to find as it would consistently give me a Maintenance reading for batteries even when a battery was not connected. I originally thought this was my programming or one of the relays at fault. The unit is built inside a Pelican style case which makes for protected storage during transport. The front panel and base plate are made from Signbond composite panel which is an excellent material for these projects as it is quite light and rigid but easy to work with. You could easily argue that this is an overly complicated unit especially when you look at the insides. I could have probably found a smaller solution to the routing of the charger and battery connections probably via transistors but these ready made units made the process simple.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">In depth reasons why I chose Seal Lead Acid batteries.</span></div><br><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">The UM12 system uses an average of 24vdc at 1A during a timelapse sequence. The price of SLA batteries is quite cheap versus some of the more recently available battery options like LiPo (lithium polymer). The trade off with SLA batteries is their weight and their slow charging rate. The weight of the a SLA is about 300grams per amp hour (based on an 18Ah battery) whereas a LiPo is about 100g per amp hour (based on random unit found on ebay). So, a dual 18Ah battery weighs in at about 11kg whereas an equivalent LiPo would be 3.5Kg. So a reasonable weight difference. On the other hand the LiPo batteries are much more expensive. The cost of two 18Ah 12v SLA batteries is about $110 whereas an equivalent LiPo set of batteries would range between $400 and $600 depending on the type of LiPo. LiPo batteries vary in price based on their speed of charge and discharge. Charging a LiPo is also very quick compared to a SLA but this depends on the type of LiPo. So bottom line is that money was the reason for choosing SLA batteries. To configure LiPo batteries to deliver 20vdc at 18Ah would require several individual battery units which would also make the UM16 ridiculously complicated.</div>Amongst Myselvestag:amongstmyselves.com,2005:Post/62817762013-07-07T16:52:00+09:302020-04-14T16:16:42+09:30UM14 - Arduino based Step SequencerWhile making the SBE2 unit I realised that a great addition would be a step sequencer. So my definition of what I would like in such a unit started.<br><br>The UM14 is made to work with the SBE2 in mind. It has 4 independent 16 step sequence channels which can be linked together. Unlike most sequencers the output control voltage for each channel is limited to 3 voltages. These 3 voltages are still variable across the full CV range though. The reason behind this is that the sequencer is made for the SBE2 which is not a chromatically tuned machine.<br><br>I decided to make the brain inside the unit an Arduino since I have a better grasp of computer based circuits than an analog based one. This also allows for greater flexibility in operation later if needed.<br><br>Here's my definition of what it will initially do:<br><br><br><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">Here is the new definition:-</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><div lang="en-US" style='font-family: "Gill Sans MT"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;'>This is a CV and gate sequencer which has 4 independent channels to control the SBE2 synthesizer. The unit is not meant for 1v/oct units and only has 3 CV options per sequencer per channel. The front panel contains two sections - one is the sequence running controls and the other is where the steps of each sequence are controlled. </div><span style="font-family: 'Gill Sans MT'; font-size: 11pt;"><br></span><span style="font-family: 'Gill Sans MT'; font-size: 11pt;">The step sequence section comprises a matrix of leds which is 4 high and 16 wide. There are three data encoders per row of buttons which set the three control voltage output options. The rows represent the individual sequences whereas the verticals represent the steps of the sequences. The leds will glow a colour relating to which of the three control voltages they output and whether their step will trigger the output or not.</span><br><span style="font-family: 'Gill Sans MT'; font-size: 11pt;"><br></span><span style="font-family: 'Gill Sans MT'; font-size: 11pt;">The function of the RGB led is this. It will glow WHITE when its step is being played. When not being played it glow either RED, GREEN or</span><span style="font-family: 'Gill Sans MT'; font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Gill Sans MT'; font-size: 11pt;">BLUE which is related to which of the three control voltages it will output when it is played. Whether a step has a triggered output or not will identified by the step led being brighter whereas a non-triggered output will be dim. The momentary button at the bottom of the step column will cycle through all the options as follows:- RED, RED triggered, GREEN, GREEN triggered, BLUE and BLUE triggered. To select to affect you must first press the select button to the right hand side of the row of leds.</span><br><br><div lang="en-US" style='font-family: "Gill Sans MT"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;'>The three control voltage knobs as mentioned are data encoders which unlike potentiometers are relative and not absolute. Using these allows for more options with regards to the computer for what range they may address.</div><br><div lang="en-US" style='font-family: "Gill Sans MT"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;'>To the left of each row of sequence leds are a knob, a pushbutton and led. The button is named SELECT. The SELECT button has several functions. The functions of this section are changed by pressing the SELECT button.</div><br><div lang="en-US" style='font-family: "Gill Sans MT"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;'>State 1:-</div><div lang="en-US" style='font-family: "Gill Sans MT"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;'>Led is YELLOW. This mode simply selects this Sequence to which the step buttons at the bottom of the columns will act on when selected.</div><span style="font-family: 'Gill Sans MT'; font-size: 11pt;">State 2:-</span><br><div lang="en-US" style='font-family: "Gill Sans MT"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;'>Led is WHITE. This is the sequence length mode. This indicates that the SELECT data entry knob will change the length of this sequence between 2 to 16 steps. The Step<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>leds will glow WHITE starting from the left hand side and up to the step where the loop will start as of the next step. </div><span style="font-family: 'Gill Sans MT'; font-size: 11pt;">State 3:-</span><br><div lang="en-US" style='font-family: "Gill Sans MT"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;'>Led is PURPLE. Now the data entry knob becomes a sequence DIVISOR. Now the step leds indicate the clock divisor. If only step 1 is lit then the divisor is 1 and if up to step leds 6 are glowing then the divisor is 6. This will allow up to 16 divisions to occur meaning that the master clock has to click over 16 times before the steps will change to the next one. </div><span style="font-family: 'Gill Sans MT'; font-size: 11pt;">State 4:-</span><br><div lang="en-US" style='font-family: "Gill Sans MT"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;'>Led is ORANGE (or something similar). Now the data entry controls the step length of each individual step within the sequence. This represents the number of clock steps the currently selected step will stay for. In this mode the user selects the step by pressing the button at the base of the column of the step and by changing the VALUE control. This will increase or decrease the length. The length is represented by the 8 vertical leds on the left hand side of the panel and can range from 1 clock tick to 8 clock ticks.</div><span style="font-family: 'Gill Sans MT'; font-size: 11pt;">State 5 - 7:-</span><br><div lang="en-US" style='font-family: "Gill Sans MT"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;'>Led is either RED, GREEN or BLUE. Now we are in set the CONTROL VOLTAGE modes. Here we set the output control voltage for 1 of the 3 options for this sequences steps. The led colour is related to that which can be selected on each step. By changing the VALUE control we change the output voltage for one of the three.</div><span style="font-family: 'Gill Sans MT'; font-size: 11pt;">State 8:-</span><br><div lang="en-US" style='font-family: "Gill Sans MT"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;'>Led is PINK. Something that Catgirl synth man has on his sequencer is an option whereby if adjacent steps are on then the pulse is not reset so here would could have a case where normally a step pulse is half the length of the step and turn this option on and the pulse is only turned off when an off step is encountered.</div><br><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br></div><br><div lang="en-US" style='font-family: "Gill Sans MT"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;'>We may change the order and colour of these options once the unit is in operation and accordingly with the ease of use. </div><br><div lang="en-US" style='font-family: "Gill Sans MT"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;'>The Clock knob will be a pot which controls the master clock rate. This master clock controls all four sequences unless an external clock pulse has been plugged into external clock inputs two to four. Clock input one is considered the master unless others are plugged into two to four as mentioned. I'm not currently sure how I would program this so it might not be available in the final project. There will also be a CV Clock input which is where a Control Voltage can be inputted that will control the speed of the MASTER clock based on a voltage.</div><br><div lang="en-US" style='font-family: "Gill Sans MT"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;'>On the left hand side is also the memory banks. Here will be 8 sets of memory buttons which represents 8 sets of the 4 banks of sequences plus all sequence based settings. Next to these will be a load and save button. To load a bank you simply press the load button which should make the leds above the bank buttons light up. Press the bank button to load the bank. They will light Green for a bank without a sequence and light Red for a bank with a sequence. If you load a bank without a sequence stored in the memory location then it will load a blank sequence. The same goes for saving a bank.</div><br><div lang="en-US" style='font-family: "Gill Sans MT"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;'>Three buttons sit to the far side of the sequence panel. As you can see they appear to link the sequences together which they do. When they are selected and the led is glowing then this means that the sequence above and below are linked which means that Sequence 1 now runs for 32 steps. And this will also continue on if the switch between Seq 2 and 3 and 4 is switched on. This example would make a 64 step sequence. The CV and Trigger outputs for the each sequence would then duplicate. So if Seq 1 and 2 were linked then the outputs of Seq 1 and 2 would be the same.</div><br><div lang="en-US" style='font-family: "Gill Sans MT"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;'>The RANDOM button will randomise Control Voltages, Step Length and Clock Divisor. These will affect the Sequence row that is currently selected. We could put in a UNDO button here as well. </div><br><div lang="en-US" style='font-family: "Gill Sans MT"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;'>There's a CV input which can control the speed of the sequence based on a CV. Some interesting effects could be generated by directing an LFO output to this input.</div><br><div lang="en-US" style='font-family: "Gill Sans MT"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;'>At this stage I'll plan to have more plugs on the input and output than needed in case I wish to add another function. This goes for control buttons. That way I will only need to change the labelling on the front panel.</div><br><div lang="en-US" style='font-family: "Gill Sans MT"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;'>Physical Connections: 8 input plugs which can be used for trigger pulses, control voltages whatever and 8 outputs which will be 4 triggers and 4 control voltages which relate to the 4 sequencers. I'll also put a MIDI IN and OUT which will possibly be another computer that will be both for timing to and from another sequencer and for triggering though I'm not sure I would assign the CV value - hmm actually that would be automatic as these would range across the normal MIDI note value. As I said this would be a third party board that takes care of these things.</div><div lang="en-US" style='font-family: "Gill Sans MT"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;'><br></div><div lang="en-US" style='font-family: "Gill Sans MT"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;'><br></div><div lang="en-US" style='font-family: "Gill Sans MT"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;'>Here's a picture of the current front panel design</div><div lang="en-US" style='font-family: "Gill Sans MT"; font-size: 11.0pt; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;'><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5EQ_mN1Trf4/UdkWpVfcBHI/AAAAAAAABVY/3NuUKO_M79U/s1600/design+4+-+no+CV.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5EQ_mN1Trf4/UdkWpVfcBHI/AAAAAAAABVY/3NuUKO_M79U/s400/design+4+-+no+CV.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="80" width="400" /></a></div><br>Amongst Myselvestag:amongstmyselves.com,2005:Post/62817772013-07-07T16:31:00+09:302020-04-14T16:16:42+09:30Sound Box Effets 2 - Project CompletedI'm happy to now announce that the Sound Box Effets 2 is finished.<br><br>About 3 months ago I came across a problem where the Music From Outer Space SVF boards were not operating as I expected them to. They were both operating the same so I came to the conclusion that I didn't like their sound. Not being knowledgeable enough to make changes to the circuit I decide to replace them. So I now needed to find a replacement which used the same controls and jacks as the front panel was completed. The answer was literally staring me in the face - I already had a PAIA VCF module which has exactly the same controls.<br><br>Last month I purchased the kit from Scott and built this up last week. The unit almost functioned correctly on first power up once I realised the signal and power grounds needed to be connected together for my purpose.I had a couple of pots backwards as well but that was soon fixed. Oddly though the first VCF has a greater reaction to control voltages than the second but I am not concerned with this. I could probably spend a few days trying to hunt the issue down.<br><br>So it's now complete and sounds great. But you know I now realise it's failings but that was going to happen. But that's another story.<br><br>The next story - The UM14 - Arduino based Step SequencerAmongst Myselvestag:amongstmyselves.com,2005:Post/62817782012-12-30T17:28:00+10:302020-04-14T16:16:42+09:30The wiring stageHere is the front panel wiring almost complete. The only missing parts are the four led chaser circuits that sit where the sequence of holes are placed at the top of the panel.<br><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Pbc5thebH9Y/UN_lwzTyx5I/AAAAAAAAAYc/eX81JuMARcI/s1600/IMG_9057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Pbc5thebH9Y/UN_lwzTyx5I/AAAAAAAAAYc/eX81JuMARcI/s400/IMG_9057.JPG" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="265" width="400" /></a></div><br>Amongst Myselves