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[Cross posted to and …]

Final Check of the Casio SK-1 MIDI Mod PCB in ViewMate
(Click for full res.)

Well, the first order of Casio SK-1 MIDI Mod has been ordered from PCBEX.com. I decided to order from them this time as opposed to PCBFABEXPRESS because there were no listed prohibitions against paneling PCBs nor a maximum average number of holes per square inch. (PCBFABEXPRESS wanted a max of 25, where I was at ~25.24 and couldn’t easily eliminate any more vias.) Hopefully boards from them are decent.

If things go according to plan and the boards actually work, I should have them available for sale as kits within the next couple of weeks. I don’t have final pricing yet, but I expect it to be under US$50 for all parts needed. People will just have to assemble it and put it in their SK-1.

Sequentix P3 Pot Board

Today I received the enclosure for the Sequentix which I am building. It arrived especially quickly, and I’m quite happy with how it’s made. As one would probably expect, I kept going on the assembly of it tonight, and by the time I called off work I had finished assembling the pot boards and poking around with things.

The I/O board is also complete, but that was done a few days ago. I’ve also almost wrapped up the main board and function switch boards, they are just missing a few small parts which should arrive in the next day or two.

then it’s just a matter of polishing everything off, waiting for the ROMs and a few harder to find ICs from Digi-Key and finishing things up.

Yay!

About that time the MIDIbox SID-NUXX’s should be done too, and I’ll finally have something to trigger the everything with.

Now I’m off to bed.

In the mean time, if you’d like to look at some other photos from my assembly of the P3, check out these links: The Parts (photo gallery retired) · In Progress (photo gallery retired)

Is there anyone who is reading this who has an EPROM programmer (and eraser, maybe) that I can borrow?

DOS / Windows / Linux / whatever support, I can make it work.

I need to write up to five 2732A EPROMs.

Thanks very much.

First Layout

Well, there’s the first layout. I’ll check things over tonight / tomorrow and hopefully order the boards by tomorrow evening.

As only two are currently spoken for, I’m only going to order five. So, if you want one, speak up. Just so you know, I guess they’ll also work in the Casio SK-5.

Also, I received a confirmation email about the front and rear panels for the MIDIbox SID-NUXX and they should ship to me on the 28th. Woo!

Now, time to go home.

Are any of you interested in having a MIDI-fied Casio SK-1? It doesn’t add full control, but it does allow one to trigger all keys remotely via MIDI.

I had tried to etch my own PCB for it before, but because of a crappy design and the difficulties of fine pitch doing double-sided boards at home, I stopped.

I’m wanting to get this project finished, so I’m going to lay out a new PCB and have it manufactured. Should be about $15/board once done. Plus parts, of course. But you’ll have to source those yourself.

Anyway, anyone want one?

(My boards are based on the info here.)

MIDIbox SID-NUXX Front Panel PCB

PCBs all milled and trimmed. I’m going to pick up the first front panel in something like two hours.

If everything goes as planned, there will be a complete MIDIbox SID-NUXX sitting on my workbench tonight.

< glee! >

Then I’ll just have to place one more (rather pricey) order and all five MIDIbox SID-NUXX’s will be ready to go. The three I’m building, and the two which are being sent to and . I’m really excited.

(Photo of the rear of the PCB showing how close the traces are to the edge of the board.)

UPDATE: I’ve just discovered that I seriously screwed up something on these PCBs. Basically, the switches are eternally pressed. I think I can fix it with some simple trace cutting, but I need to take a long look at it to be sure. Guh. I feel like an idiot. I must have somehow drawn the part wrong in EAGLE and then used it…

< sigh >

I would swear that I checked it at least three times, too.

This really bothers me. I think I’ll go eat a meal, pick up the front panel from ‘s house, then decide what needs to be done.