D.I.Y. Cross Controller

[lilin]

Amazing work !
Can't wait to see it working

[Marxon]

Amazing work !
Can't wait to see it working

Thank you lilin!

Right now i am adapting the controller firmware.
In the past, every time a new hardware part was finished,
I added some snippets, but mainly for the purpose of
testing and debugging. Not for real life circumstances.
For example: to control a locator pad RGB led
i use one CC command for each color.
So this three CCs toggle between a value from 1-127 and 0
to switch the led on/off in a certain color.
This is not the best way in conjunction with Cross
because here i will use a MIDI note.
To solve this i simply coul add some code for transforming
the received note into 3 cc values and leave the rest of
the code as it is.
Or, the more elegant and elaborate way:
I rewrite the existing code to react on MIDI notes in
a certain color. (not only the white and black ones )
So i saved three CCs and did not blow up my code unnecessarily.

[Marxon]

First Video!
Sorry for bad quality

phpBB [video]

Best regards
Marxon

[BennyB]

WOW

[Marxon]

Hi all,

i want to tell you again what's the actual status of my controller.
I hope you are still interested

First something annoying:
I dont know how it could happen but i have noticed that i bought wrong potentiometers and faders
They are logarithmic and not linear ones!
Unfortunately it is too long ago to check if I had ordered
the wrong types or wrong types had been delivered...
The really bad part (next to desolder the old and then to solder the new ones) is that the faders and potentiometers have been comparatively the most expensive components of the controller Word censored (guess you find it I love walking on it) happens! I need to order new ones.

The next thing:
The Controller software and the Cross mapping is so far completed.
All the main features that I wanted to realize, are implemented.
Of course there are still some "nice to have" features but first
I have to check if I really need them, and whether the efforts are (also CPU / RAM costs) and benefits in a good relationship.

This leads me to the next thing, I have made ​​a great decision:
There will be no jog wheels!
I had dealt a lot about it, because i could not imagine to build a DJ Controller without Jogwheels.
But the more i thought about it, the more spoke against them:
I still don't know how to realize them.
Would be a simple disk of wood be enough?
What kind of axis do i use?
How to mount them so that they withstand
the mechanical forces during use?
What about brushes because due the aspired touch response
the platter needs also to be wired?
All this would have had to been clarified...
The next thing which speaks against them is the small creative benefit they give.
Be honest, who scratches with his wheels?
I never have been someone who does a lot of scratching,
by the way.
So most the time the Jogwheels would just be used for pitchbending or seeking to cue points.
And this I can already do with a button or encoder.
So what does it mean finally?
After changing the Play, Cue and Reverse button´s position,
I will have gained a lot of empty space usable for other new ideas.

The new thing:
Like said, all the main features, i wanted to realize are implemented
in the controller software. But i have not said, that i also reached
the end of the hardware capabilities.
The actual hardware platform uses a NXP LPC1769 board
with 120Mhz, 512k Flash and 64k RAM.
Currently my RAM usage is at 98%!
If i want implement new features, i have to outsource parts
of the RAM to the controller´s SD-Card.
But reading/writing from/to the card is a time consuming process which takes up to 50 ms and would affect the whole
controller performance in negative way.
3 month ago, TK, the man behind the the Midibox project (the base of my controller) announced a successor of the LPC1769 core module board which uses a STM32F4 from ST.
Key Features: 168MHZ, 1M flash and 192k RAM (significantly more than the previous module)
This will lift the controller to another performance level and
for a while the lack of RAM should be no problem anymore.
Fortunately, TK finally released the new schematics, yesterday!!!
Of course i immediately start to build one.
It also means i can use my old LPC1769 board for something else.
This and the fact of having enough free space by omitting the Jogwheels allows me to extend the controller in a special way:
I will integrate a sequencer!
For now i dont´t know much use cases for it but they will come
Maybe you know some?
Some brainstorming is needed!
These days I also will try to make some desings how the controller will look like with the integrated sequencer.

There were a lot of information in this post,
so i stop writing now

I would be nice to get some response!


Best regards
Marxon

[Marxon]

The new "mainboard" is finished!
Quick and dirty

STM32F4 Core module.jpg

STM32F4 Core module back.jpg

[Marxon]

Hi all,

Here are my first ideas how to integrate
the sequencer into the controller.
I want to add the red framed
buttons, encoders and led digits.

M³+Sec.jpg

They are use for the following features:

MELODY RECORD.
This allows to record a "Melody"
performed by changing the track key.

Holding the MELODY RECORD button changes
the behavoir of Locator 1-8 and Sample 1-8 pads.
Locator 1 sets track key to -8
Locator 2 sets track key to -7
Locator 3 sets track key to -6
Locator 4 sets track key to -5
Locator 5 sets track key to -4
Locator 6 sets track key to -3
Locator 7 sets track key to -2
Locator 8 sets track key to -1
Sample 1-8 set track key to the positive equivalent.

Recording a Melody
You have to hold down the MELODY RECORD button.
Assoon as you change the track key, the
MELODY RECORD button will begin blinking,
indicating that the melody is being recorded.
To stop recording, release the MELODY RECORD button,
and pad key melody will begin.
To stop the melody playback,
touch the MELODY RECORD button once again.
The button will go dark.

Playing back a key melody
Press the MELODY RECORD button;
the button will light, and the key melody
will begin playing as a loop.
The Locator an Sample pad LEDs will show
the recorded hits. When you press the MELODY RECORD
button once again, the button will go
dark and playback will stop.

Reverse playback
If you hold down the SHIFT button and
press the MELODY RECORD button,
the key melody will play back in reverse.
You can repeat this operation to alternate between
“reverse playback” ➝
“forward playback” ➝
“reverse playback.
--------------------------------------------

T.REC - TRACK RECORD
This allow to record Locator, Sample, and Seek actions.

1. Press the T.REC button.
In this Rec-ready mode, the BANK A-D buttons will blink red,
and the display will indicate “16” selected recording length.
To exit without recording, press the SHIFT button.
2. Use the LENGTH knob to specify the length
of recording (in beats). The display will switch between
[16], [8], [4], [2], or [1] accordingly.
3. When you are ready to record, press one
of the blinking BANK buttons A, B, C, or D.
The selected BANK button will blink green,
the display will indicate “RC,” and recording will begin.
The LOOP LENGTH led ("1/16"-"8") leds will consecutively blink
to indicate the beat you’re recording.
4. If you want to record a one-shot record,
press the same BANK button before reaching the specified BEAT.
Recording will end, and a one-shot record will be created.
The BANK button used for recording will light red.
If the specified BEAT time elapses before you press
the BANK button, recording will end, and a loop record will
be created. The Controller will automatically switch to playback, and the BANK button will light orange.

Playing recorded BANKS
The BANK buttons will light green if they contain a loop or
red if they contain a one-shot record.
BANKS that contain no record data will be dark.
When you press a button that contains a record, playback will start.
The button will be lit orange during playback.
Press the button once again to stop playback.
When you press a button that contains a one-shot record,
the button will momentarily go dark and
the one-shot record will play.
------------------------------------------------------


I hope everthing was understandable.
Have a nice weekend!


Best regards
Marxon

[Marxon]

Hi all!

Here are some pictures of the new sequencer part.
I also added eq kill switches.
They are momentary when pushing downwards and
toggeling when pushing upwards.

1.jpg

The Input and Output boards

3.jpg

The combined "Mainboards"

2.jpg

The new parts.