MIDI SWITCH

 The basic functions of the MIDI switch prototype work well. I'm still developing the system but at the same time, I'm redesigning the printed circuit board. 

The prototype was developed from an Intel OEM FPGA module placed on a motherboard that I created myself. On this motherboard, four connectors connect four small printed circuits each supporting four RJ45 sockets, for a total of sixteen ports.

This way of doing things was perfect for a prototype but not at all suitable for a finished product.
What I particularly appreciate is making it as simple as possible. And since the study from the prototype I experimented with a new type of FPGA more practical to use than Intel circuits, I took the opportunity to redesign the entire switch on a single printed circuit :

The circuit used will allow me to route the MIDI ports but also to perform some processing on the MIDI data. Everything will be programmable using, I hope, a small software running on PC and potentially on MAC.

MIDI SWITCH

It's been almost a year I posted anything on this blog. During this period I worked on digital projects more specifically on the theme of retro-computing. I also took the opportunity to discover and use a type of FPGA that is relatively unknown but which I like very much.

I nevertheless started very actively to develop two projects specifically for electronic musical instruments. One of them consists of a 16-ports MIDI rack designed to facilitate the management of the MIDI network within a small music studio.

Although I'm still at the prototype stage, the hardware design is finalized and stable. I am now in the development of the software system. I am progressing step by step in order to create a system offering the essential functions. Subsequently, I will expand the operation by various functions that can be implemented depending on the computing resource that will remain available to me.

This is what the rack looks like:

The challenge is a little bit complicated. A reliable and practical device must be produced at an acceptable cost. And with the current problems of component shortages and rising prices, it really isn't easy!

The second project on which I work consists of the  development of a clone of SP12 or SP1200. In fact, it all started a few years ago with the FPGA implementation of the heart of a Drumulator. Then afterwards I also created the machine's waveform sequencer and finally, I tested the analog sound reproduction. 

It went downhill when I decided to put it all together in a real Drumulator clone. In fact, I realized that it took a lot of work. So I compared the differences between the Drumulator and the SP, and realized that in fact, it was exactly the same thing, except for a few details. 

So I decided to directly create a clone of SP. From my previous experiments, I have adopted a design method that seems more rational to me. But hey, it's a bit more complex than the MIDI switch. But I have high hopes of achieving a good result with the chosen FPGA.