tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80671143552036836812024-03-14T07:20:13.605+02:00THE WORLD ACCORDING TO JUHO-ERICAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02464945441516961706noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8067114355203683681.post-22252946070208846682018-12-25T13:31:00.002+02:002018-12-25T14:00:28.556+02:00Got latency issues with Samplerbox?If you are wondering what is wrong with the latency issues in you <a href="http://www.samplerbox.org/" target="_blank">Samplerbox</a> build, follow this easy 1-step tutorial:<br />
<br />
1) Stop using the "1GrandPiano" sample set.<br />
<br />
Just look at this:<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/-hSdyPlip78U/XCIN6QAVJTI/AAAAAAAAAaU/54kMILpxbvwRtwf6zjSswmBOnIAxcjlvACLcBGAs/s1600/samplerboxlatency.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="306" data-original-width="756" height="129" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hSdyPlip78U/XCIN6QAVJTI/AAAAAAAAAaU/54kMILpxbvwRtwf6zjSswmBOnIAxcjlvACLcBGAs/s320/samplerboxlatency.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sound of silence</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The samples in the "1GrandPiano" set have varying lengths of silence before the sample starts. The silence is often just 10ms but on some samples it is up to 50ms.<br />
<br />
If you have fought with latency issues before, you know that 50ms is a lot. It will make playing really hard. But what's even worse than a stable 50ms latency is that these samples have different lengths of silence before them. That makes the latency seem random and is really awful to play.<br />
<br />
This sample set was one of the first introduced on the <a href="http://www.samplerbox.org/" target="_blank">Samplerbox site</a>. I think it was there from the beginning. So when I read complaints about latency with Samplerbox, I get the feeling that the cause is actually this sample set in most cases.<br />
<br />
If you really want to use this sample set, you could trim the silence out of the samples. Some years ago I made a python script to do just this.<br />
<br />
Disclaimer: I was just learning python at the time, so the code is probably not very pythonic. But it worked for me.<br />
<br />
Note that it will cut silence and also a part of the attack! The higher the threshold value, the more you will cut from the beginning of the sample.<br />
<br />
It will also cut any silence after the sample. That will make the sample set much smaller and thus faster to load.<br />
<br />
Have fun.<br />
<br />
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<pre style="line-height: 125%; margin: 0;"><span style="color: #75715e;"># Sample trimmer for Python 3.x</span>
<span style="color: #75715e;"># by Juho-Eric</span>
<span style="color: #75715e;"># 24.10.2016</span>
<span style="color: #75715e;">#</span>
<span style="color: #75715e;"># This script trims silence out from the beginning of wave files.</span>
<span style="color: #75715e;"># It makes them respond better when played live (reduces latency) and</span>
<span style="color: #75715e;"># makes the file size smaller by removing the unnecessary silence.</span>
<span style="color: #75715e;">#</span>
<span style="color: #75715e;"># The script looks for .wav files in this directory and creates</span>
<span style="color: #75715e;"># a subdirectory "trimmed" that contains the trimmed version of each</span>
<span style="color: #75715e;"># sample.</span>
<span style="color: #75715e;">#</span>
<span style="color: #f92672;">import</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">glob</span>
<span style="color: #f92672;">import</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">os</span>
<span style="color: #f92672;">import</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">wave</span>
<span style="color: #f92672;">import</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">struct</span>
<span style="color: #f92672;">import</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">timeit</span>
<span style="color: #66d9ef;">def</span> <span style="color: #a6e22e;">getframe</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">(frames,</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">i):</span>
<span style="color: #f8f8f2;">framelong</span> <span style="color: #f92672;">=</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">frames[</span><span style="color: #ae81ff;">4</span><span style="color: #f92672;">*</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">i]</span><span style="color: #f92672;">+</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">(frames[</span><span style="color: #ae81ff;">4</span><span style="color: #f92672;">*</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">i</span><span style="color: #f92672;">+</span><span style="color: #ae81ff;">1</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">]</span><span style="color: #f92672;"><<</span><span style="color: #ae81ff;">8</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">)</span><span style="color: #f92672;">+</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">(frames[</span><span style="color: #ae81ff;">4</span><span style="color: #f92672;">*</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">i</span><span style="color: #f92672;">+</span><span style="color: #ae81ff;">2</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">]</span><span style="color: #f92672;"><<</span><span style="color: #ae81ff;">16</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">)</span><span style="color: #f92672;">+</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">(frames[</span><span style="color: #ae81ff;">4</span><span style="color: #f92672;">*</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">i</span><span style="color: #f92672;">+</span><span style="color: #ae81ff;">3</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">]</span><span style="color: #f92672;"><<</span><span style="color: #ae81ff;">24</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">)</span>
<span style="color: #f8f8f2;">framebs</span> <span style="color: #f92672;">=</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">struct</span><span style="color: #f92672;">.</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">pack(</span><span style="color: #e6db74;">'L'</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">,</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">framelong)</span>
<span style="color: #66d9ef;">return</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">struct</span><span style="color: #f92672;">.</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">unpack(</span><span style="color: #e6db74;">"<hh"</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">,framebs)</span>
<span style="color: #66d9ef;">def</span> <span style="color: #a6e22e;">setframe</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">(frames,</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">f,</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">l,</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">r):</span>
<span style="color: #f8f8f2;">framebs</span> <span style="color: #f92672;">=</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">struct</span><span style="color: #f92672;">.</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">pack(</span><span style="color: #e6db74;">'<hh'</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">,</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">int(l),</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">int(r))</span>
<span style="color: #f8f8f2;">a,b,c,d</span> <span style="color: #f92672;">=</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">struct</span><span style="color: #f92672;">.</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">unpack(</span><span style="color: #e6db74;">'BBBB'</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">,framebs)</span>
<span style="color: #f8f8f2;">frames[f</span><span style="color: #f92672;">*</span><span style="color: #ae81ff;">4</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">]</span> <span style="color: #f92672;">=</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">a</span>
<span style="color: #f8f8f2;">frames[f</span><span style="color: #f92672;">*</span><span style="color: #ae81ff;">4</span><span style="color: #f92672;">+</span><span style="color: #ae81ff;">1</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">]</span> <span style="color: #f92672;">=</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">b</span>
<span style="color: #f8f8f2;">frames[f</span><span style="color: #f92672;">*</span><span style="color: #ae81ff;">4</span><span style="color: #f92672;">+</span><span style="color: #ae81ff;">2</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">]</span> <span style="color: #f92672;">=</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">c</span>
<span style="color: #f8f8f2;">frames[f</span><span style="color: #f92672;">*</span><span style="color: #ae81ff;">4</span><span style="color: #f92672;">+</span><span style="color: #ae81ff;">3</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">]</span> <span style="color: #f92672;">=</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">d</span>
<span style="color: #66d9ef;">return</span>
<span style="color: #75715e;"># Just for checking how much time it takes to run</span>
<span style="color: #f8f8f2;">scriptstart</span> <span style="color: #f92672;">=</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">timeit</span><span style="color: #f92672;">.</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">default_timer()</span>
<span style="color: #f8f8f2;">startthreshold</span> <span style="color: #f92672;">=</span> <span style="color: #ae81ff;">100</span>
<span style="color: #f8f8f2;">endthreshold</span> <span style="color: #f92672;">=</span> <span style="color: #ae81ff;">10</span>
<span style="color: #f8f8f2;">fadeinlength</span> <span style="color: #f92672;">=</span> <span style="color: #ae81ff;">4</span>
<span style="color: #f8f8f2;">fadeoutlength</span> <span style="color: #f92672;">=</span> <span style="color: #ae81ff;">4</span>
<span style="color: #f8f8f2;">wavefiles</span> <span style="color: #f92672;">=</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">glob</span><span style="color: #f92672;">.</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">glob(</span><span style="color: #e6db74;">"*.wav"</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">)</span>
<span style="color: #f8f8f2;">totalcutframes</span> <span style="color: #f92672;">=</span> <span style="color: #ae81ff;">0</span>
<span style="color: #f8f8f2;">totalcutsecs</span> <span style="color: #f92672;">=</span> <span style="color: #ae81ff;">0</span>
<span style="color: #75715e;"># Make output directory if not made yet</span>
<span style="color: #66d9ef;">try</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">:</span>
<span style="color: #f8f8f2;">os</span><span style="color: #f92672;">.</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">stat(</span><span style="color: #e6db74;">"trimmed"</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">)</span>
<span style="color: #66d9ef;">except</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">:</span>
<span style="color: #f8f8f2;">os</span><span style="color: #f92672;">.</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">mkdir(</span><span style="color: #e6db74;">"trimmed"</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">)</span>
<span style="color: #75715e;"># Go through all wave files in this directory</span>
<span style="color: #66d9ef;">for</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">file</span> <span style="color: #f92672;">in</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">wavefiles:</span>
<span style="color: #f8f8f2;">win</span> <span style="color: #f92672;">=</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">wave</span><span style="color: #f92672;">.</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">open(file,</span> <span style="color: #e6db74;">'r'</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">)</span>
<span style="color: #f8f8f2;">params</span> <span style="color: #f92672;">=</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">win</span><span style="color: #f92672;">.</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">getparams()</span>
<span style="color: #75715e;">#nbits = win.getsampwidth()*8</span>
<span style="color: #75715e;">#nchannels = win.getnchannels()</span>
<span style="color: #f8f8f2;">nframes</span> <span style="color: #f92672;">=</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">win</span><span style="color: #f92672;">.</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">getnframes()</span>
<span style="color: #f8f8f2;">framerate</span> <span style="color: #f92672;">=</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">win</span><span style="color: #f92672;">.</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">getframerate()</span>
<span style="color: #75715e;"># File is opened for reading.</span>
<span style="color: #75715e;">#print("Opening "+file+": "+str(nchannels)+" channels "+str(nbits)+"-bit "+str(framerate)+" Hz")</span>
<span style="color: #75715e;"># Get all frames as bytearray.</span>
<span style="color: #f8f8f2;">frames</span> <span style="color: #f92672;">=</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">bytearray(win</span><span style="color: #f92672;">.</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">readframes(nframes))</span>
<span style="color: #75715e;"># Find the first point where threshold is broken (trim starting silence)</span>
<span style="color: #f8f8f2;">framewas</span> <span style="color: #f92672;">=</span> <span style="color: #ae81ff;">0</span>
<span style="color: #66d9ef;">for</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">i</span> <span style="color: #f92672;">in</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">range(nframes</span><span style="color: #f92672;">-</span><span style="color: #ae81ff;">1</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">):</span>
<span style="color: #f8f8f2;">l,r</span> <span style="color: #f92672;">=</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">getframe(frames,</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">i)</span>
<span style="color: #66d9ef;">if</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">(abs(l)</span> <span style="color: #f92672;">></span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">startthreshold</span> <span style="color: #f92672;">or</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">abs(r)</span> <span style="color: #f92672;">></span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">startthreshold):</span>
<span style="color: #f8f8f2;">framewas</span> <span style="color: #f92672;">=</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">i</span>
<span style="color: #66d9ef;">break</span>
<span style="color: #f8f8f2;">startframe</span> <span style="color: #f92672;">=</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">framewas</span>
<span style="color: #f8f8f2;">startsecs</span> <span style="color: #f92672;">=</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">startframe</span> <span style="color: #f92672;">/</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">framerate</span>
<span style="color: #f8f8f2;">totalcutsecs</span> <span style="color: #f92672;">+=</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">startsecs</span>
<span style="color: #f8f8f2;">totalcutframes</span> <span style="color: #f92672;">+=</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">startframe</span>
<span style="color: #66d9ef;">print</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">(file</span> <span style="color: #f92672;">+</span><span style="color: #e6db74;">" cut from start "</span><span style="color: #f92672;">+</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">str(startframe)</span><span style="color: #f92672;">+</span><span style="color: #e6db74;">" frames / "</span><span style="color: #f92672;">+</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">str(startsecs)</span><span style="color: #f92672;">+</span><span style="color: #e6db74;">" s"</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">)</span>
<span style="color: #75715e;"># Find the frame where the silence starts again (trim ending silence)</span>
<span style="color: #f8f8f2;">framewas</span> <span style="color: #f92672;">=</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">nframes</span>
<span style="color: #66d9ef;">for</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">i</span> <span style="color: #f92672;">in</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">range(nframes</span><span style="color: #f92672;">-</span><span style="color: #ae81ff;">1</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">,</span> <span style="color: #ae81ff;">0</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">,</span> <span style="color: #f92672;">-</span><span style="color: #ae81ff;">1</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">):</span>
<span style="color: #f8f8f2;">l,r</span> <span style="color: #f92672;">=</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">getframe(frames,</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">i)</span>
<span style="color: #66d9ef;">if</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">(abs(l)</span> <span style="color: #f92672;">></span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">endthreshold</span> <span style="color: #f92672;">or</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">abs(r)</span> <span style="color: #f92672;">></span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">endthreshold):</span>
<span style="color: #f8f8f2;">framewas</span> <span style="color: #f92672;">=</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">i</span>
<span style="color: #66d9ef;">break</span>
<span style="color: #f8f8f2;">endframe</span> <span style="color: #f92672;">=</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">framewas</span>
<span style="color: #f8f8f2;">cutendframes</span> <span style="color: #f92672;">=</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">nframes</span> <span style="color: #f92672;">-</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">endframe</span>
<span style="color: #f8f8f2;">cutendsecs</span> <span style="color: #f92672;">=</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">cutendframes</span> <span style="color: #f92672;">/</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">framerate</span>
<span style="color: #f8f8f2;">totalcutsecs</span> <span style="color: #f92672;">+=</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">cutendsecs</span>
<span style="color: #f8f8f2;">totalcutframes</span> <span style="color: #f92672;">+=</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">cutendframes</span>
<span style="color: #66d9ef;">print</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">(file</span><span style="color: #f92672;">+</span><span style="color: #e6db74;">" cut from end "</span><span style="color: #f92672;">+</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">str(cutendframes)</span><span style="color: #f92672;">+</span><span style="color: #e6db74;">" frames / "</span><span style="color: #f92672;">+</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">str(cutendsecs)</span><span style="color: #f92672;">+</span><span style="color: #e6db74;">" s"</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">)</span>
<span style="color: #75715e;"># Create fadein</span>
<span style="color: #66d9ef;">for</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">i,f</span> <span style="color: #f92672;">in</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">enumerate(range(startframe,startframe</span><span style="color: #f92672;">+</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">fadeinlength)):</span>
<span style="color: #f8f8f2;">l,r</span> <span style="color: #f92672;">=</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">getframe(frames,f)</span>
<span style="color: #f8f8f2;">multiplier</span> <span style="color: #f92672;">=</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">((i</span><span style="color: #f92672;">+</span><span style="color: #ae81ff;">1</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">)</span><span style="color: #f92672;">/</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">(fadeinlength</span><span style="color: #f92672;">+</span><span style="color: #ae81ff;">1</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">))</span>
<span style="color: #f8f8f2;">setframe(frames,</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">f,</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">l</span><span style="color: #f92672;">*</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">multiplier,</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">r</span><span style="color: #f92672;">*</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">multiplier)</span>
<span style="color: #75715e;"># Create fadeout</span>
<span style="color: #66d9ef;">for</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">i,f</span> <span style="color: #f92672;">in</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">enumerate(range(endframe</span><span style="color: #f92672;">-</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">fadeoutlength,endframe)):</span>
<span style="color: #f8f8f2;">l,r</span> <span style="color: #f92672;">=</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">getframe(frames,f)</span>
<span style="color: #f8f8f2;">multiplier</span> <span style="color: #f92672;">=</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">((fadeoutlength</span><span style="color: #f92672;">-</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">i)</span><span style="color: #f92672;">/</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">(fadeoutlength</span><span style="color: #f92672;">+</span><span style="color: #ae81ff;">1</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">))</span>
<span style="color: #f8f8f2;">setframe(frames,</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">f,</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">l</span><span style="color: #f92672;">*</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">multiplier,</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">r</span><span style="color: #f92672;">*</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">multiplier)</span>
<span style="color: #75715e;"># write output file</span>
<span style="color: #f8f8f2;">wout</span> <span style="color: #f92672;">=</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">wave</span><span style="color: #f92672;">.</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">open(</span><span style="color: #e6db74;">"trimmed/"</span><span style="color: #f92672;">+</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">file,</span> <span style="color: #e6db74;">'w'</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">)</span>
<span style="color: #f8f8f2;">wout</span><span style="color: #f92672;">.</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">setparams(params)</span>
<span style="color: #f8f8f2;">wout</span><span style="color: #f92672;">.</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">writeframes(frames[startframe</span><span style="color: #f92672;">*</span><span style="color: #ae81ff;">4</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">:endframe</span><span style="color: #f92672;">*</span><span style="color: #ae81ff;">4</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">])</span>
<span style="color: #f8f8f2;">wout</span><span style="color: #f92672;">.</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">close()</span>
<span style="color: #f8f8f2;">win</span><span style="color: #f92672;">.</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">close()</span>
<span style="color: #66d9ef;">print</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">(</span><span style="color: #e6db74;">"Total: cut "</span><span style="color: #f92672;">+</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">str(totalcutframes)</span><span style="color: #f92672;">+</span><span style="color: #e6db74;">" frames / "</span><span style="color: #f92672;">+</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">str(totalcutsecs)</span><span style="color: #f92672;">+</span><span style="color: #e6db74;">" s"</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">)</span>
<span style="color: #f8f8f2;">scriptstop</span> <span style="color: #f92672;">=</span> <span style="color: #f8f8f2;">timeit</span><span style="color: #f92672;">.</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">default_timer()</span>
<span style="color: #66d9ef;">print</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">(</span><span style="color: #e6db74;">"Operation took "</span><span style="color: #f92672;">+</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">str(scriptstop</span><span style="color: #f92672;">-</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">scriptstart)</span><span style="color: #f92672;">+</span><span style="color: #e6db74;">" seconds"</span><span style="color: #f8f8f2;">)</span>
</pre>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02464945441516961706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8067114355203683681.post-85479160153073654692014-12-20T13:40:00.000+02:002014-12-20T13:42:46.350+02:00DIY headphone distribution amplifierSometime back in 2007 I was in need of a headphone distribution amp. I couldn't find a device for any reasonable price, so I had to make one myself.<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="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b5z7E2uajTg/VJVd1WgjsnI/AAAAAAAAAX8/B6Fx91iGIBo/s1600/1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b5z7E2uajTg/VJVd1WgjsnI/AAAAAAAAAX8/B6Fx91iGIBo/s1600/1.png" height="320" width="234" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The completed headphone amp in 2007</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Then I happened to find the <a href="http://www.paia.com/proddetail.asp?prod=9206K">PAiA 9206K Headphone Distribution Amp</a>. At the time I couldn't afford to buy it, but I was in luck as PAiA provides schematics for their devices. I love it when companies do that! <br />
<br />
So I sourced the parts and built it myself. Now I owe PAiA one! I'll keep them in mind when it's time to start building my modular...<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/-2hLaaVqN8aY/VJVeQ0WchiI/AAAAAAAAAYM/fAYWWEW9QB8/s1600/3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2hLaaVqN8aY/VJVeQ0WchiI/AAAAAAAAAYM/fAYWWEW9QB8/s1600/3.png" height="243" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Insides with the op amps and pots soldered. Input and output jacks are still missing.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<a href="http://www.paia.com/prodimages/hdasch.pdf">The schematic</a> is very simple, and you can easily see how to add/remove channels if needed. The PAiA kit has 6 headphone outputs, but I needed only 4.<br />
<br />
Use low-noise op amps that work with a supply of +6/-6 volts. Unfortunately I don't remember what op amps I used... They might have been TL072. Using a dual op amp makes for 1 op amp per stereo headphone channel.<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/-5Q8zjMd8_iE/VJVev39youI/AAAAAAAAAYU/DeDGvK2yVrk/s1600/4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5Q8zjMd8_iE/VJVev39youI/AAAAAAAAAYU/DeDGvK2yVrk/s1600/4.png" height="263" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The insides completed. Not very pretty wiring, but it works just fine!</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="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OzOwQj_IAXM/VJVfEtt994I/AAAAAAAAAYc/NwOILCN18t8/s1600/5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OzOwQj_IAXM/VJVfEtt994I/AAAAAAAAAYc/NwOILCN18t8/s1600/5.png" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fitting it in, almost ready.</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="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GMkPSG0C3pU/VJVfi4vTW6I/AAAAAAAAAYk/OddWoG8AA-c/s1600/6.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GMkPSG0C3pU/VJVfi4vTW6I/AAAAAAAAAYk/OddWoG8AA-c/s1600/6.png" height="320" width="229" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Now only missing some paint...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
For the project case I used an old speaker. When painting it I tried to do some stencil work but that failed miserably as you can see...<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FuMfLalvHKE/VJVeDb7PiQI/AAAAAAAAAYE/660cHZERQvE/s1600/2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FuMfLalvHKE/VJVeDb7PiQI/AAAAAAAAAYE/660cHZERQvE/s1600/2.png" height="201" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
The device works and is in use to this day. Thanks to PAiA!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02464945441516961706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8067114355203683681.post-79358320956692613342014-12-10T20:12:00.000+02:002014-12-11T16:06:21.777+02:00Python3 TCP server for Windows 7 remote controlI did a quick and dirty volume remote control for my Win7 PC and decided to share it.<br />
<br />
The script opens a TCP server on the machine, and listens for connections. When a client connects, it will react to commands 'U' (volume up), 'D' (volume down) and 'M' (toggle mute).<br />
<br />
It works at least with <a href="https://www.python.org/">Python 3.4</a> and it uses <a href="http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/nircmd.html">NirCmd</a> to set the Windows master volume. I first looked at pywin32 library for the volume control, but I couldn't find any good documentation, so I went the easier route and decided to use NirCmd instead.<br />
<br />
It might not be the prettiest solution, but it works for me!<br />
<br />
Place the below code into a .py file, for example 'rcserver.py' and run it with Python 3.4. Also place nircmd.exe in the same directory.<br />
<br />
You can try it out by using <a href="http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/download.html">PuTTy</a> and connecting to 127.0.0.1 port 5005 with 'Raw' connection type. Then enter M, D, U and your computer's volume will change.<br />
<br />
I'm using a Raspberry Pi to control it with netcat. Here's how:<br />
<br />
Install netcat if you don't have it:<br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">apt-get update</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">apt-get install netcat </span><br />
<br />
Send mute command:<br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">echo -n "M" | nc -q1 ip.address.of.computer 5005 </span><br />
This echoes a M character to the IP address on port 5005, and quits after one second.<br />
Replace the IP address here and in the Python code with your Windows computer's LAN address.<br />
<br />
Note that you can remote control almost anything by adding commands to the script.<br />
<br />
Here is the code:<br />
<br />
<style type="text/css">
pre.CICodeFormatter{
font-family:arial;
font-size:12px;
border:1px dashed #CCCCCC;
width:99%;
height:auto;
overflow:auto;
background:#f0f0f0;
line-height:20px;
padding:0px;
color:#000000;
text-align:left;
}
pre.CICodeFormatter code{
color:#000000;
word-wrap:normal;
}
</style>
<br />
<pre class="CICodeFormatter"><code class="CICodeFormatter"> # Python 3 server for Windows 7 remote control
# Juho-Eric 11. Dec 2014
#
# You need the following to run this:
#
# Python 3.4
# https://www.python.org/
#
# NirCmd
# http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/nircmd.html
#
# Place nircmd.exe in the same directory as this script.
import socket
import subprocess
#Parameters for TCP server.
TCP_IP = '127.0.0.1'
TCP_PORT = 5005
BUFFER_SIZE = 20
#This code is to hide the command prompt window when running nircmd.exe
si = subprocess.STARTUPINFO()
si.dwFlags |= subprocess.STARTF_USESHOWWINDOW
#si.wShowWindow = subprocess.SW_HIDE # default
#Create the TCP server socket
s = socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_STREAM)
s.bind((TCP_IP, TCP_PORT))
s.listen(1)
#Main loop, this will loop on each connection
while 1:
conn, addr = s.accept() #get new connection
print('Connection address:', addr)
while 1: #This will loop on each command received
data = conn.recv(BUFFER_SIZE) #receive data
if not data: break #check if connection closed
print("received data:", data)
if data == b'U':
print('volume up')
subprocess.call('nircmd.exe changesysvolume 1000', startupinfo=si) #increase volume
subprocess.call('nircmd.exe mutesysvolume 0', startupinfo=si) #remove mute
elif data == b'D':
print('volume down')
subprocess.call('nircmd.exe changesysvolume -1000', startupinfo=si) #decrease volume
subprocess.call('nircmd.exe mutesysvolume 0', startupinfo=si) #remove mute
elif data == b'M':
print('mute toggle')
subprocess.call('nircmd.exe mutesysvolume 2', startupinfo=si) #toggle mute
conn.close() #close the connection
print("connection closed")
</code></pre>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02464945441516961706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8067114355203683681.post-45391827940723424122014-04-26T16:02:00.001+03:002018-12-29T10:04:41.997+02:00Mesa Boogie F-50 footswitch schematicI'm repairing a Mesa Boogie F-50 footswitch, and made a schematic of it. <br />
<br />
<br />
Here it is if anyone needs it.<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/-x1FSCmPXc2o/U1utg3lWVcI/AAAAAAAAAUs/Oa2Z2JxYcug/s1600/old.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="158" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-x1FSCmPXc2o/U1utg3lWVcI/AAAAAAAAAUs/Oa2Z2JxYcug/s1600/old.gif" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Schematic of the Mesa F-50 foot pedal</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
The pedal has three switches: channel, contour and reverb.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-55IaY2EzmGU/U1utmZ3x5QI/AAAAAAAAAU0/L_IQVcO7d8E/s1600/F-series-FTSW-LG.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="184" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-55IaY2EzmGU/U1utmZ3x5QI/AAAAAAAAAU0/L_IQVcO7d8E/s1600/F-series-FTSW-LG.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
The connector is a 5-pin female DIN, similar to MIDI connectors.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1Fkb5Acvm3o/U1ut5EJBjbI/AAAAAAAAAU8/oRXt6jHeyiI/s1600/P3220657+(Large).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1Fkb5Acvm3o/U1ut5EJBjbI/AAAAAAAAAU8/oRXt6jHeyiI/s1600/P3220657+(Large).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02464945441516961706noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8067114355203683681.post-22779430763863920312014-04-26T15:33:00.000+03:002018-12-29T10:06:51.555+02:00Ferrofish B4000+ AND HOW I FUCKED IT UP<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lV0pO_167gI/U1umyxhnGUI/AAAAAAAAAUU/_kIwZt8eSwQ/s1600/P4260734+(Large).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lV0pO_167gI/U1umyxhnGUI/AAAAAAAAAUU/_kIwZt8eSwQ/s1600/P4260734+(Large).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nECqOUI8sec/U1um2Gk4R1I/AAAAAAAAAUc/3_2sp7_D6lo/s1600/P4260735+(Large).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nECqOUI8sec/U1um2Gk4R1I/AAAAAAAAAUc/3_2sp7_D6lo/s1600/P4260735+(Large).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02464945441516961706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8067114355203683681.post-72302830462979967742013-02-23T13:39:00.001+02:002018-12-29T10:02:26.553+02:00Roomba accidentHave a Roomba at the office. Go to work and find this:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_S1hLefqGHs/USiqXBXmUQI/AAAAAAAAAPc/jbSU4ojjcW8/s1600/roomba.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_S1hLefqGHs/USiqXBXmUQI/AAAAAAAAAPc/jbSU4ojjcW8/s640/roomba.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02464945441516961706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8067114355203683681.post-66371376807925790232012-07-06T17:22:00.003+03:002012-07-06T17:57:10.566+03:00Backing up Nord Lead 2 patchesHi there.<br />
<br />
After a long pause in posting, here's a guide for backing up Nord Lead 2 patches.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WrjpSOh388I/T_bxb1hiJRI/AAAAAAAAAOI/d4UoqP6vc1w/s1600/P1110353ed.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WrjpSOh388I/T_bxb1hiJRI/AAAAAAAAAOI/d4UoqP6vc1w/s320/P1110353ed.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
What you need for this:<br />
- Clavia Nord Lead 2 (of course)<br />
- A computer running Windows<br />
- A USB-MIDI interface or a sound card with MIDI<br />
- A MIDI cable<br />
- MIDI-OX software (<a href="http://www.midiox.com/">free download link</a>)<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.midiox.com/">MIDI-OX</a> is a great tool for synth players. You can do all sorts of MIDI tricks with it, including backing up your sounds on your PC. The software is freeware for non-commercial use.<br />
<br />
Nord Lead and other synthesizers often have the ability to export the patches through MIDI as "SysEx dumps". SysEx stands for system exclusive data. MIDI-OX can receive this data and save it as .syx files.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Walkthrough of a complete backup</b><br />
<br />
First, install MIDI-OX and start it up. Connect MIDI IN of your PC's MIDI interface to the MIDI OUT of the Nord Lead 2.<br />
<br />
In order to receive a sysex dump on the MIDI-OX, click <b>View --> SysEx...</b><br />
This opens the SysEx View and Scratchpad. Then click on <b>Sysex --> Receive Manual Dump...</b><br />
A message box appears, asking you to wait for the dump to complete.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ba2JbNkvpNs/T_YEudzqJVI/AAAAAAAAAN8/HSHF6BA0F-0/s1600/midi.ox.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="269" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ba2JbNkvpNs/T_YEudzqJVI/AAAAAAAAAN8/HSHF6BA0F-0/s320/midi.ox.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Now you need to send the SysEx data from Nord Lead 2. After each dump, click on the "done" button. You can then save the dump by clicking <b>Display Window --> Save as... </b><br />
<br />
Here's what to do on the Nord Lead 2:<br />
<br />
<b>How to dump programs</b><br />
Be sure that you are in manual mode and then press SHIFT - DUMP ALL.<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/-E8xsuH0gOZE/T_bxcxOCTfI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/77VGPUsPx5M/s1600/P1110355ed.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="170" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-E8xsuH0gOZE/T_bxcxOCTfI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/77VGPUsPx5M/s200/P1110355ed.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Manual mode looks something like this...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>How to dump performances</b><br />
Nord Lead 2 performances are stored on ROM and cannot be edited. Thus it's not necessary to back them up. However, here's how to do it: Press performance to get in performance mode and then press SHIFT - DUMP ALL.<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/-I5ca8WjYNfg/T_bxd4vpVtI/AAAAAAAAAOY/6dWMLj-aGI0/s1600/P1110356ed.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="137" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I5ca8WjYNfg/T_bxd4vpVtI/AAAAAAAAAOY/6dWMLj-aGI0/s200/P1110356ed.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Performance mode.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>Backing up your PCMCIA Sound Card</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DpQRcEpzQAU/T_byA1Dw4xI/AAAAAAAAAOo/4lGiqmszmds/s1600/P1110361ed.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DpQRcEpzQAU/T_byA1Dw4xI/AAAAAAAAAOo/4lGiqmszmds/s200/P1110361ed.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
If you have a Nord Lead 2 Sound Card, chances are that it's battery is running dangerously low by now. The battery life is around 10 years, give or take. You can replace the battery without data loss if you do it quickly. But if you want to be sure no data is lost, it's best to back it up first.<br />
<br />
Here's how to back up the data:<br />
<br />
<b>How to dump program banks 1-3 from PCMCIA card:</b><br />
- Be sure that you are in manual mode (not performance mode).<br />
- Press up key until you have "1." on the left of the LCD display.<br />
- You now have bank 1 of the card selected.<br />
- Press SHIFT - DUMP ALL.<br />
- Repeat this for banks "2." and "3."<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/-jN7UGVPSMCQ/T_bxe-QXyxI/AAAAAAAAAOc/c_JBEywWcYY/s1600/P1110358ed.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="126" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jN7UGVPSMCQ/T_bxe-QXyxI/AAAAAAAAAOc/c_JBEywWcYY/s200/P1110358ed.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bank 1 from the sound card selected, patch #9.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>How to dump performances from PCMCIA card:</b><br />
- Press performance to get in performance mode.<br />
- Press up until you get "1." on the left of the LCD display.<br />
- Press SHIFT - DUMP ALL.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Restoring backups</b><br />
<br />
You can restore any bank you've dumped easily. You need a connection between the MIDI OUT of your PC and the MIDI IN of the synth.<br />
Just open the Sysex view and select<b> File --> Send Sysex File... </b><br />
The bank you have selected on the Nord Lead 2 will be overwritten.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Single program / performance dumps</b><br />
<br />
Doing single program or performance dumps is a lot of help when creating variants. To do a single patch dump, just press SHIFT + DUMP ONE.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Sharing your sounds</b><br />
<br />
When you've done with backing up your precious patches, why not share them with the world?<br />
<br />
<a href="http://nm-archives.electro-music.com/">Electro-music has TONS of Nord Lead 2 patches</a> for you to try out. However, they seem to only archive single patches.<br />
<br />
Another great place for browsing sharing sysex data is <a href="http://www.sysexdb.com/">Sysexdb</a>. There's no Nord Lead 2 data in there yet though. That's why you should send yours there too!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02464945441516961706noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8067114355203683681.post-32516390164821864262012-03-25T17:25:00.004+03:002018-12-29T10:00:58.974+02:00Modifying a chinese wall wart for use in EuropeI ordered a USB hard drive case from Dealextreme some time ago, and forgot to check if it has a wall wart compatible with the finnish wall sockets. So of course I got some chinese wall wart with no way of plugging it in anywhere. <br />
<br />
Luckily, it accepts the 230V 50Hz AC, it just doesn't physically fit in the socket...<br />
<br />
One option would be to buy an adapter, but I couldn't find anything less than 35 euro. Also, even if I found some cheap adapter, it would probably cause power problems to the hard drive case, making the hard drive unstable. So I soldered an europlug cord on the wall wart. <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="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GQle0Z1c9DU/T28nUKIHeQI/AAAAAAAAAKM/L3tTwLMck7o/s1600/P1100831ed.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GQle0Z1c9DU/T28nUKIHeQI/AAAAAAAAAKM/L3tTwLMck7o/s320/P1100831ed.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The adapter and the cord, soon to be one.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
If you do something like this, please don't have it connected to the wall when you're working on it. At least please don't sue me if some fucking idiot dies like this.<br />
<br />
You need some heat shrink tube and a heat gun for this one, to hide the mains voltage connectors totally. You want to make this thing safe you know. If you don't have a heat gun, a hair dryer or a lighter might do.<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/-j8d83QkEH6o/T28nYceF-iI/AAAAAAAAAKU/N8KNTQsqqrM/s1600/P1100834ed.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-j8d83QkEH6o/T28nYceF-iI/AAAAAAAAAKU/N8KNTQsqqrM/s320/P1100834ed.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soldered together, with heat shrink tubing.</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="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bDDCPfJorQg/T28nb3TR1aI/AAAAAAAAAKc/ozQJkjrBPug/s1600/P1100836ed.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bDDCPfJorQg/T28nb3TR1aI/AAAAAAAAAKc/ozQJkjrBPug/s320/P1100836ed.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heat shrink tubes in place.</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="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TtUCj_jJSsE/T28nfx8De5I/AAAAAAAAAKk/ZgPSF1Uc4fU/s1600/P1100838ed.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TtUCj_jJSsE/T28nfx8De5I/AAAAAAAAAKk/ZgPSF1Uc4fU/s320/P1100838ed.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After applying the heat gun.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</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="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vvVPA24ghZw/T28njLGpkWI/AAAAAAAAAKs/iFptZLxE3Xc/s1600/P1100839ed.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vvVPA24ghZw/T28njLGpkWI/AAAAAAAAAKs/iFptZLxE3Xc/s320/P1100839ed.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A HUGE piece of heat shrink tubing...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
At this point I learned that indeed, heat shrink tube shrinks. Especially with bigger tubes, you need to leave some extra length, because it will shrink also in length...<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/-TEzHFE3FFs4/T28n0aGDN4I/AAAAAAAAAK8/v2-DTgQUU-4/s1600/P1100840ed.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="299" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TEzHFE3FFs4/T28n0aGDN4I/AAAAAAAAAK8/v2-DTgQUU-4/s320/P1100840ed.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Didn't go as planned...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Fortunately, the heat shrink I had at hand fit over the europlug, so I didn't have to start all over. I put a bigger piece of heat shrink on top of the old one and used the heat gun again...<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/-6azdP_ezpRM/T28n7MnfnQI/AAAAAAAAALE/vOGgSvTo46I/s1600/P1100851ed.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6azdP_ezpRM/T28n7MnfnQI/AAAAAAAAALE/vOGgSvTo46I/s320/P1100851ed.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even bigger piece of heat shrink. This should do it.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
...and there we go. Works nicely and safe too!<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/-7c65C7FNpAY/T28n_OfegNI/AAAAAAAAALM/wZvfffV1ybY/s1600/P1100855ed.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7c65C7FNpAY/T28n_OfegNI/AAAAAAAAALM/wZvfffV1ybY/s320/P1100855ed.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finally, ready for use!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02464945441516961706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8067114355203683681.post-37755621373318201032012-03-25T16:52:00.012+03:002018-12-29T10:04:21.575+02:00Braun 1508 shaver battery replacementThis one might gross someone, but I don't give a f--k. If you're offended by imagery of decade-old greasy hairs - of dubious origin - go watch the disney channel.<br />
<br />
I don't really use my Braun 1508 shaver that much, I prefer the 3-blade, but sometimes it's a lot of help when trimming the face in a hurry. I've had this shaver for over 10 years, and it's still working nicely for me - but the battery is now long gone. I've just used it plugged to the wall for like 6 years.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ANidXJIlr1c/T28aOpeO-II/AAAAAAAAAIs/18N2sCCCb8I/s1600/P1110014.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ANidXJIlr1c/T28aOpeO-II/AAAAAAAAAIs/18N2sCCCb8I/s320/P1110014.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Finally, I decided to change the battery. It's just a 1.2V NiMH cell, you can get a new one from literally any grocery store. Here's a guide of how I did it.<br />
<br />
First, TAKE OFF THE POWER CORD and keep it that way while working or you'll cease to exist. Then get the screen off and open the two screws on the side.<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/-vLQ5epE3r3o/T28ar3DhEYI/AAAAAAAAAI0/NQL91RahnP0/s1600/P1110035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vLQ5epE3r3o/T28ar3DhEYI/AAAAAAAAAI0/NQL91RahnP0/s320/P1110035.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Open these screws...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
After unscrewing them, you have to use some force to get the cover open. There's this white plastic locking mechanism with a spring in it, and that might break. My spring flew somewhere, and I couldn't find it, so in the end I just threw away the white piece of plastic and glued the shawer back together...<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/-Wo9jmNdPiWc/T28biRRzEVI/AAAAAAAAAI8/G6zfMwQe6JI/s1600/P1110018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Wo9jmNdPiWc/T28biRRzEVI/AAAAAAAAAI8/G6zfMwQe6JI/s320/P1110018.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 1580 opened up.</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="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8W5fYt8SszE/T28b8Myb-8I/AAAAAAAAAJE/BKXVz7l-MAg/s1600/P1110019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8W5fYt8SszE/T28b8Myb-8I/AAAAAAAAAJE/BKXVz7l-MAg/s320/P1110019.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A view of the electronics.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<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/-XlsW2jism4M/T28cAeGniMI/AAAAAAAAAJM/nz3HXkah0Ms/s1600/P1110023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XlsW2jism4M/T28cAeGniMI/AAAAAAAAAJM/nz3HXkah0Ms/s320/P1110023.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the + side of the cell. Remember this. It's important.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<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/-06dxiHzK04g/T28cFCK-5wI/AAAAAAAAAJU/WZ_Y_6Hgfhg/s1600/P1110025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-06dxiHzK04g/T28cFCK-5wI/AAAAAAAAAJU/WZ_Y_6Hgfhg/s320/P1110025.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...and the negative electrode is connected here.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
I took away the cell with some cutters and a bit of force. It's glued in place. <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://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Hru4-JrsEeQ/T28cPog8ZRI/AAAAAAAAAJc/sM3_U8Ay26g/s1600/P1110028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Hru4-JrsEeQ/T28cPog8ZRI/AAAAAAAAAJc/sM3_U8Ay26g/s320/P1110028.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old cell ripped off the PCB, and the replacement cell.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Then I soldered some wires on the battery. Batteries shouldn't really be soldered on, since the heat will not do them good. But you probably don't have a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spot_welding">spot welder</a> at hand. Just use a soldering iron at maximum power and be fast, and it will be fine. The electrical connection doesn't have to be perfect, since it's a low-power circuit.<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="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ybHkJKd-vXg/T28eDdwpHgI/AAAAAAAAAJk/IfjPWeIqaFo/s1600/P1110029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ybHkJKd-vXg/T28eDdwpHgI/AAAAAAAAAJk/IfjPWeIqaFo/s320/P1110029.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wire soldered to the replacement Varta cell - negative electrode.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
When soldering don't block the small vents on the positive electrode. They are there to release gas if the cell it overcharged. If they are blocked, the gas will build up and might result in an explosion when charging.<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/-kJxj_fVk-Ow/T28eZjdgpEI/AAAAAAAAAJs/WfB2Lb6MW0I/s1600/P1110030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="184" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kJxj_fVk-Ow/T28eZjdgpEI/AAAAAAAAAJs/WfB2Lb6MW0I/s320/P1110030.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The positive side. Don't block the vents on the cap.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Then solder the wires to the PCB where the original cell was connected. Remember to solder it in the correct polarity, the same way as the original cell.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BiOGpgZM2Tc/T28gUZFbIEI/AAAAAAAAAJ0/pOxcL-aYb8Q/s1600/P1110032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BiOGpgZM2Tc/T28gUZFbIEI/AAAAAAAAAJ0/pOxcL-aYb8Q/s320/P1110032.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<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/-mrucHbIYH58/T28gYyINSSI/AAAAAAAAAJ8/oi1j9HRHo64/s1600/P1110033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mrucHbIYH58/T28gYyINSSI/AAAAAAAAAJ8/oi1j9HRHo64/s320/P1110033.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">+ side</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="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9ez1SIeKfmk/T28ggliZXzI/AAAAAAAAAKE/z94LuhK140o/s1600/P1110034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="171" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9ez1SIeKfmk/T28ggliZXzI/AAAAAAAAAKE/z94LuhK140o/s320/P1110034.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The - side.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
That's it. Just put the thing back together and the shaver's like new! OK, maybe not brand new, but still, working.<br />
<br />
It doesn't really make sense that you need to buy a new shaver when the battery dies. I quess it's partly a safety issue that they don't put a battery slot in the shaver, since it also has mains voltage inside... But mostly it must be the increased shaver sales they get due to dead batteries. So if you have any soldering skills, just fix the thing yourself. You'll prevent generating unnecessary e-waste and save some money from the greedy fingers of Braun.<br />
<br />
F--k you Braun, I win.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02464945441516961706noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8067114355203683681.post-27152724846229907572011-12-08T18:57:00.011+02:002012-03-25T18:58:50.887+03:00LTSpice simulation of Chua's circuit[EDIT 2012-03-25: fixed a stupid error on the sample rate]<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X_g9nTsCK_E/TuDcRBrjPCI/AAAAAAAAAF4/rgqySjaqa5c/s1600/fox.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X_g9nTsCK_E/TuDcRBrjPCI/AAAAAAAAAF4/rgqySjaqa5c/s320/fox.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
From time to time I get spam from Farnell (a component distributor), and on their newsletter they're promoting <a href="http://www.element14.com/community/events/3084">a free webinar by Elektor magazine, titled "Let's Build a Chaos Generator!"</a>. The event is due 15th of December at 6:00 PM EET, so if you have nothing better to do, that's one good way to waste your time.<br />
<br />
I had been reading on chaos generators in the past, and this e-mail got me interested again. Their design is somewhat complicated, with a total of 13 stages of 7 different circuit blocks. You can read all about it <a href="http://www.element14.com/community/docs/DOC-40402/l/chaos-generator-articlespdf">in the PDF they published</a>. <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/-BcBT0akQINU/TuDd3qBWVdI/AAAAAAAAAGA/17iWlAQaPXw/s1600/elektro.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BcBT0akQINU/TuDd3qBWVdI/AAAAAAAAAGA/17iWlAQaPXw/s320/elektro.JPG" width="228" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elektor's Chaos Generator won't fit in your pocket.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
A much simpler chaos generator that can be built with a lot less components is called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chua%27s_circuit">Chua's circuit</a>. The downside with this simple circuit is that you need an inductor which you might have to wind up yourself. Also there should be much less variety than in the waveforms of the Elektor circuit. It has so many stages that can saturate to give different waveforms.<br />
<br />
Still, Chua's circuit is very interesting to fiddle with. I haven't built the circuit yet, but I did some simulations with <a href="http://www.linear.com/designtools/software/">LTSpice IV</a> and here's what I found out.<br />
<br />
First, I googled for schematics. The first result was <a href="http://crossgroup.caltech.edu/chaos_new/Chua.html">this great page</a> giving me a nice schematic and details on the circuit. <a href="http://mysite.mweb.co.za/residents/cyb00746/chaos/chaos.htm">Another page I found</a> had a quite similar circuit but with a little bit different component values. I built a circuit with LTSpice based those two pages.<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/-ZknYNysQQYs/TuDg2ZiYK6I/AAAAAAAAAGI/HizdEM1jIKo/s1600/chua-schem.GIF" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="195" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZknYNysQQYs/TuDg2ZiYK6I/AAAAAAAAAGI/HizdEM1jIKo/s320/chua-schem.GIF" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My LTSpice version of Chua's circuit.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
If you want to try simulating the circuit yourself, <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/juhoeric/ltspice-simulation-of-chua-s-circuit/chua-LT1351.asc?attredirects=0&d=1">click here to download the .asc file</a>.<br />
<br />
The circuit is powered by two 9V sources, one positive and one negative. Would be nice to see a single-supply version by the way! There are two outputs, nodes V1 and V2. I chose the LT1351 op amp, since it should be quite near the common TL071 series op amps, and the model comes ready with the LTSpice installation.<br />
<br />
The circuit can be tweaked by varying R6 from 0 to 2k. Somewhere in between lies <b>chaos</b>. I found 1.6kohms a good value.<br />
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A transient simulation to 1/10th of a second gives the following waveforms for V1 and V2:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JxzeWdfhwoM/TuDlQXKaOaI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/68S75vxbnU0/s1600/chua-1351-trans.GIF" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JxzeWdfhwoM/TuDlQXKaOaI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/68S75vxbnU0/s320/chua-1351-trans.GIF" width="320" /></a></div><br />
From up here, voltage V2 (blue) seems to be bouncing around two different DC levels at the same time!<br />
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A closer zoom on the waveforms shows some detail: <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-k978DUpYzNU/TuDmzvBQVQI/AAAAAAAAAGg/OKcWObqW7Hs/s1600/chua-1351-trans-zoom.GIF" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-k978DUpYzNU/TuDmzvBQVQI/AAAAAAAAAGg/OKcWObqW7Hs/s320/chua-1351-trans-zoom.GIF" width="320" /></a></div><br />
And if we change the x-axis to be V2 and the y-axis to V1, we get the beautiful double scroll plot:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3r-iIBa0ZWs/TuDmKf5IQ9I/AAAAAAAAAGY/-NILs5iJtUc/s1600/chua-1351-v1v2.GIF" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3r-iIBa0ZWs/TuDmKf5IQ9I/AAAAAAAAAGY/-NILs5iJtUc/s320/chua-1351-v1v2.GIF" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I also ran an FFT for the signals, to see what kind of frequencies are involved:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HlIhIz9HgPQ/TuDo8qrBdJI/AAAAAAAAAGw/AEQeDWKQsFY/s1600/chua-1351-fft-log.GIF" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HlIhIz9HgPQ/TuDo8qrBdJI/AAAAAAAAAGw/AEQeDWKQsFY/s320/chua-1351-fft-log.GIF" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Hmm, seems like it's audible... and so I couldn't stop there. I wanted to hear what it sounds like, so I made a simulation which outputs .WAV files.<br />
<br />
Since LTSpice IV clips WAV outputs with an amplitude over 1V, I had to attenuate the two signals with voltage dividers. Here's the LTSpice circuit I used: <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/-NYgalu8qmGM/TuDoYoeDX-I/AAAAAAAAAGo/MYMe-f8h1Wk/s1600/chua-wav-schem.GIF" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="151" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NYgalu8qmGM/TuDoYoeDX-I/AAAAAAAAAGo/MYMe-f8h1Wk/s320/chua-wav-schem.GIF" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">LTSpice simulation with WAV output!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
If you want to simulate this one yourself, download the LTSpice project <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/juhoeric/ltspice-simulation-of-chua-s-circuit/chua-LT1351_10s_wavout.asc?attredirects=0&d=1">here</a>. <br />
<br />
The simulation for 10 seconds of audio took some time with my settings, and generated 500MB of raw data. Looking at it now, the time step (0.1ms) is lower than the sampling time... You might want to simulate with approximately 1/44100 time step, but that will produce even more data.<br />
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After all this, I could finally listen to the horrible screeching noise of chaos.<br />
<br />
And so can you: The signal V1 (<a href="https://sites.google.com/site/juhoeric/ltspice-simulation-of-chua-s-circuit/chua_lt1351_v1.wav?attredirects=0&d=1">.wav</a>) is more high-pitched, while the V2 (<a href="https://sites.google.com/site/juhoeric/ltspice-simulation-of-chua-s-circuit/chua_lt1351_v2.wav?attredirects=0&d=1">.wav</a>) has lower frequencies in it's spectrum (like you can see from the FFT).<br />
<br />
What it sounds like is noise, and a very annoying kind of noise.<br />
<br />
I don't know yet how changing the value of R6 realtime will affect the sound. For that I would need to build the circuit and try it. With low values of R6, the circuit oscillates with a constant frequency. It would be neat to hear the moments at the edge of chaos. So I'll be probably building this one sometime. If someone has already built it, go ahead and post a comment!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02464945441516961706noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8067114355203683681.post-76301096455755901562011-09-27T20:26:00.008+03:002011-10-29T13:32:22.414+03:00Kärmes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LJgcnAOhMeE/ToIHCV1wC1I/AAAAAAAAAFc/CnUfq_3OgLg/s1600/P1100747+%2528Large%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LJgcnAOhMeE/ToIHCV1wC1I/AAAAAAAAAFc/CnUfq_3OgLg/s320/P1100747+%2528Large%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
When walking home from the uni today, I found this dying snake on the road. I quess it was hit by some car, or the cold finnish autumn had taken it's toll on it...<br />
<br />
After taking some pictures, I left it to die in peace.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wVyWnQYIUAk/ToIHHUvCxaI/AAAAAAAAAFg/0DeL-Z3sjho/s1600/P1100756.ed.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wVyWnQYIUAk/ToIHHUvCxaI/AAAAAAAAAFg/0DeL-Z3sjho/s320/P1100756.ed.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Kyynel!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02464945441516961706noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8067114355203683681.post-69502867250315345722011-09-13T23:09:00.008+03:002012-03-25T19:44:15.570+03:00Portable speaker for MP3 playerI made this portable speaker in the summer. It mixes the stereo input into a mono signal, which is then amplified. It's powered by a six pack of AA batteries. The batteries are held in an external battery pack, so they are easy to change on the fly, without the need of a screwdriver.<br />
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<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://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AQlocAv-gsc/Tm-3xo7bYWI/AAAAAAAAAFY/0C1HMyOHDvM/s1600/P1100641.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AQlocAv-gsc/Tm-3xo7bYWI/AAAAAAAAAFY/0C1HMyOHDvM/s320/P1100641.JPG" width="248" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Completed speaker pumpin' out some bass</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
I was going to a cabin with the guys to celebrate juhannus (midsummer) the next day, and there was going to be no electricity. Juhannus without music wasn't an option, and I'm not too impressed by the portable speakers available in stores (overpriced and shit sound). So I built my own blaster that evening.<br />
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The circuit is a modified version of the <a href="http://juho-eric.blogspot.com/2011/06/mini-guitar-amplifier.html">portable guitar amplifier</a> I've built many times. I found the original circuit years ago from the great site <a href="http://www.redcircuits.com/Page96.htm">Red circuit designs</a>. The circuit is modified to have a simple stereo-to-mono mixer in the input, consisting of resistors R1 and R2. I chose 1k as their value, that should be enough to isolate the left and right channels from each other, since the headphone output on an MP3 player has a low impedance.<br />
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There is <u>no volume control</u>, instead I just use the volume control of the MP3 player. If someone wants to add one, just replace R3 with a potentiometer and connect "In+" of the TDA7052 to the middle pin of the potentiometer...<br />
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<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/-u5DgWTQson4/Tm-0BR1E7QI/AAAAAAAAAFU/TfJpGoCRTv4/s1600/tda7052.GIF" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="99" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-u5DgWTQson4/Tm-0BR1E7QI/AAAAAAAAAFU/TfJpGoCRTv4/s320/tda7052.GIF" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Schematic of the amplifier.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Going through my sizeable e-trash collection I found an old pairless computer speaker. It would get a new life soon. <br />
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<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/-RdiWbOG9Rb8/TmUIoU4FL5I/AAAAAAAAAEA/jSoJa8vld4E/s1600/P1100477+%2528Custom%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RdiWbOG9Rb8/TmUIoU4FL5I/AAAAAAAAAEA/jSoJa8vld4E/s320/P1100477+%2528Custom%2529.JPG" width="229" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The victim, a pairless computer speaker.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>It was a left speaker, with just a speaker inside and an RCA jack on the back. I was going to use that as the power jack.<br />
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<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/-0BXxzOrDe9E/TmUK6tj3rjI/AAAAAAAAAEE/aVkW4T4ZKEk/s1600/P1100478+%2528Custom%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0BXxzOrDe9E/TmUK6tj3rjI/AAAAAAAAAEE/aVkW4T4ZKEk/s320/P1100478+%2528Custom%2529.JPG" width="202" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An RCA jack on the back was going to be the power input.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
I took the metal leg off to access the screws and opened the case. Next I cut the wires off the speaker. There was some foam padding inside, which I removed for a while.<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/-7TNsU1XqVic/TmULjSpfDdI/AAAAAAAAAEI/gR1PKa3H2zo/s1600/P1100481+%2528Custom%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7TNsU1XqVic/TmULjSpfDdI/AAAAAAAAAEI/gR1PKa3H2zo/s320/P1100481+%2528Custom%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Case opened and wires cut.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
I soldered all the amplifier circuit on a small piece of stripboard and then the speaker and the jacks. A single screw hole in the back of the case was used to fasten the thing there.<br />
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<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/-p8G4bl6h9fM/TmUL8HjMfNI/AAAAAAAAAEM/4UkYDNMd-Gs/s1600/P1100483+%2528Custom%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p8G4bl6h9fM/TmUL8HjMfNI/AAAAAAAAAEM/4UkYDNMd-Gs/s320/P1100483+%2528Custom%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The amplifier circuit board is fastened to the wall with a screw.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
I glued some mouse pad pieces to the most critical places to ensure there's no unwanted vibrations. To top it off I put back the original foam padding.<br />
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<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/-EQXastyS5XQ/TmUMdmiUH4I/AAAAAAAAAEQ/tgzKTQfuTQI/s1600/P1100484+%2528Custom%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EQXastyS5XQ/TmUMdmiUH4I/AAAAAAAAAEQ/tgzKTQfuTQI/s320/P1100484+%2528Custom%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some pieces of old mouse pads ensure the wires don't vibrate around.</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="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v-Y7hSJE1mE/TmUM5-g_0pI/AAAAAAAAAEU/PNMyvUegUeg/s1600/P1100485+%2528Custom%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v-Y7hSJE1mE/TmUM5-g_0pI/AAAAAAAAAEU/PNMyvUegUeg/s320/P1100485+%2528Custom%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I put also the original foam padding back to further eliminate vibrations.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Here is the backside of the finished speaker. I sticked an inspirational sticker on the back. The RCA jack on the left is for power and the 3.5mm jack is a stereo line input.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></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="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XMQD80Nenuo/TmkWj4JgN5I/AAAAAAAAAFQ/voWv9vQgWEM/s1600/P1100487leikkaus.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="184" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XMQD80Nenuo/TmkWj4JgN5I/AAAAAAAAAFQ/voWv9vQgWEM/s320/P1100487leikkaus.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Connectors on the back.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>I used some part of an old projector as a vise when gluing the battery pack together. Very handy. Another gem saved from the trash.<br />
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<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/-YDoivVVVsR4/TmUXmA9wmSI/AAAAAAAAAEc/t8uEMRXAIDI/s1600/P1100473+%2528Custom%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="171" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YDoivVVVsR4/TmUXmA9wmSI/AAAAAAAAAEc/t8uEMRXAIDI/s320/P1100473+%2528Custom%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gluing the battery pack together...</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
The power packs are also 100% recycled: the battery holders and the piece of RCA wire were also found in e-trash.<br />
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<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/-ejKDtYYWP2Q/TmUXuAwBE4I/AAAAAAAAAEg/Qg_IHiS_Ww0/s1600/P1100489+%2528Custom%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="176" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ejKDtYYWP2Q/TmUXuAwBE4I/AAAAAAAAAEg/Qg_IHiS_Ww0/s320/P1100489+%2528Custom%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finished test battery pack, with random AA's I had at hand.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
The speaker was a hit in Juhannus and got very good feedback from it's bassy and clean sound. Just have enough batteries with you - it ate 3 six-packs of AAs during the 3-day trip and would have eaten even more. Of course, the speaker was on all the time. When the batteries are running low the sound starts to get distorted but turning down the volume a bit helps. This way you can also extend the battery life a bit. <br />
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That's all folks!<br />
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<u><b>Links</b></u><br />
<a href="http://www.redcircuits.com/Page96.htm">Red free circuit designs - Mini Portable Guitar Amplifier</a><br />
<a href="http://juho-eric.blogspot.com/2011/06/mini-guitar-amplifier.html">My mini guitar amplifier build</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02464945441516961706noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8067114355203683681.post-7752223725273955322011-06-20T19:08:00.015+03:002012-03-25T19:44:37.291+03:00Repairing a pitch bend wheel with styleThese pics are from 2008. I had a Swissonic CK490 USB MIDI keyboard. It was a super-cheap controller with a lot of pots and 49 keys. The response was never very good with these things, especially with the velocity sensitivity, and it slowly deteriorated over time. It's enough for making some computer music, but I would never use this thing live.<br />
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Here is the keyboard before the repair. Or actually it's just a similar one. Notice the kitchen studio setup...<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/-zW9fgf6HYRE/Tf9omD2dR-I/AAAAAAAAACw/DaXlALJJ1Ms/s1600/taustap1050298ed.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zW9fgf6HYRE/Tf9omD2dR-I/AAAAAAAAACw/DaXlALJJ1Ms/s320/taustap1050298ed.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Swissonic CK490. In a kitchen.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
The keyboard was actually made by M-Audio, the former Midiman. The same keyboard has been marketed also under the Evolution brand. It's not as good as M-Audio products in terms of quality.<br />
<br />
Since it was very light to carry, I used it for practicing quite a lot. At some point the pitch bend wheel stopped working, and the pitch of the whole keyboard became unstable. It was basically unplayable. The potentiometer had clearly given up.<br />
<br />
So I decided to repair the wheel. After opening the thing and ripping the wheel out, I noticed it would be hard for me to find a similar linear 10k pot that would fit in. The two important properties were the physical size of the pot and how many degrees the thing rotated. Both would have to be exactly same with the replacement pot...<br />
<br />
Don't pay any attention to the tablecloth. Please.<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/-IhS5lMx-pWI/Tf9ueYX1hWI/AAAAAAAAADA/LAMJxC9yL4E/s1600/P1040314ed.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="230" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IhS5lMx-pWI/Tf9ueYX1hWI/AAAAAAAAADA/LAMJxC9yL4E/s320/P1040314ed.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The modulation and pitch bend wheels ripped off from the CK490.</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="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VP9MKhcFqeY/Tf9uBvZkwTI/AAAAAAAAAC8/p9ivVjbiYYo/s1600/P1040318ed.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VP9MKhcFqeY/Tf9uBvZkwTI/AAAAAAAAAC8/p9ivVjbiYYo/s320/P1040318ed.JPG" width="312" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Closeup of the pitch bend wheel.</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="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jk6RAHk5x6g/Tf9txCyqjSI/AAAAAAAAAC4/vOt_9bBrVVE/s1600/P1040325ED.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="135" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jk6RAHk5x6g/Tf9txCyqjSI/AAAAAAAAAC4/vOt_9bBrVVE/s320/P1040325ED.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pitch bend wheel in pieces.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Both the pitch bend and the modulation wheels used a similar 10k linear pot. After a bit of thinking I decided to use the mod wheel as the pitch bend wheel, and replace the mod wheel with just a normal pot. Since there was no spring in the mod wheel, I took that from the old pitch bend.<br />
<br />
It worked great, and the new modulation pot didn't take a long time to get used to. It also looked great, see for yourself!<br />
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<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://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ehl6-1mhC9I/Tf9s-4tqAgI/AAAAAAAAAC0/SbZ10DNyg-0/s1600/P1040623ed.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ehl6-1mhC9I/Tf9s-4tqAgI/AAAAAAAAAC0/SbZ10DNyg-0/s320/P1040623ed.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The result looks so f*cking ghetto!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Some time later, I sold the thing, as I had gathered some better keyboards. I wonder if it's still in use somewhere...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02464945441516961706noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8067114355203683681.post-33496594513991644272011-06-20T17:47:00.011+03:002012-03-25T19:46:24.542+03:00Mini guitar amplifier[EDIT: also check out TDA7052 <a href="http://juho-eric.blogspot.com/2011/09/portable-speaker-for-mp3-player.html">portable speaker for MP3 players</a> I made.] <br />
<br />
I've been building this circuit again and again since 2006, when I first built it.<br />
<br />
It's an extremely simple mini amplifier. It has a single <a href="http://kitsrus.com/projects/tda7052.pdf">TDA7052 amplifier IC</a>, a couple capacitors and one resistor... The <a href="http://www.redcircuits.com/Page96.htm">circuit</a> is designed and documented by <a href="http://www.redcircuits.com/Page96.htm">RED free circuit designs</a>. The <a href="http://www.redcircuits.com/Page96.htm">TDA7052 datasheet</a> also shows a very similar application example.<br />
<br />
There's no volume control. You can use your guitar's volume knob. With full volume, there's usually some distortion, especially when the battery starts to drain up. But the distortion actually sounds pretty cool.<br />
<br />
I've used this thing also as a speaker for my MP3 player. I just wired the left channel to the input of this thing. Works fine, but don't expect much from the sound quality... <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://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NEF1ogwWK8s/Tf9WphjreqI/AAAAAAAAACg/FIYl4tDYLxo/s1600/vero.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="140" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NEF1ogwWK8s/Tf9WphjreqI/AAAAAAAAACg/FIYl4tDYLxo/s320/vero.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My first amplifier build looks like this.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
I had found some very cool old telephone routing / answering machines from Philips and decided to use one as the case. They're wooden and feature some very cryptic buttons...<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/-oXuu_TQ6ESw/Tf9XcliZwhI/AAAAAAAAACk/WmRZGs_GG6g/s1600/koko.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="230" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oXuu_TQ6ESw/Tf9XcliZwhI/AAAAAAAAACk/WmRZGs_GG6g/s320/koko.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Neat case!</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="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bSrOlCI11Pw/Tf9Y90x7roI/AAAAAAAAACo/BN4pKsE63Js/s1600/auki.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="309" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bSrOlCI11Pw/Tf9Y90x7roI/AAAAAAAAACo/BN4pKsE63Js/s320/auki.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can see there's plenty of room left in the case... Note also the old film container I used as the battery holder.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
The downside with the case is that it's far from airtight and doesn't give the best bass response.<br />
<br />
Once a friend tried to use a wall wart to power one of these. He got the polarity wrong and blew the TDA7052, leaving a crater in the chip. I was called to the rescue. I had luckily used an IC socket, so I could replace the chip without any soldering.<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/-9jEYybI9o4c/Tf9cRCmS-yI/AAAAAAAAACs/8wsBKAsjj9k/s1600/P1040336.ed.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="282" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9jEYybI9o4c/Tf9cRCmS-yI/AAAAAAAAACs/8wsBKAsjj9k/s320/P1040336.ed.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Poor TDA7052...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02464945441516961706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8067114355203683681.post-92134112459368112282011-06-20T17:11:00.006+03:002018-12-29T10:05:27.659+02:00Floppy disk drive motors......are some of the most beautiful things in the world.<br />
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Found these pics on my HD among other old stuff... I took them somewhere in 2006.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02464945441516961706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8067114355203683681.post-45280150445607353862011-06-17T18:06:00.019+03:002011-09-13T23:49:21.613+03:00DIY analog sequencer from 2006I just found a directory tree full of pictures of my old creations. There's many strange, forgotten instruments and sound samples. I'll post them from time to time.<br />
<br />
Let's start from one of the craziest.<br />
<br />
This one is a 4-channel, 10 step analog sequencer. I still have it around.<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/-OxdTMNydz5Y/TfpibF0b5xI/AAAAAAAAAB0/_3BUOq8SWBQ/s1600/sivusta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="246" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OxdTMNydz5Y/TfpibF0b5xI/AAAAAAAAAB0/_3BUOq8SWBQ/s320/sivusta.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Now that's just crazy...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The idea started back when I was 18. I had this vision of creating a sequencer-based tremolo for the guitar. I got it after hearing the song <b>Stüldt Håjt</b> from <b>Kingston Wall</b> (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJaPBWzMLbU">youtube link</a>), I couldn't help but think how cool a hardware effect like that would be to have around. Actually I didn't like the song all that much, I just couldn't help but think about the guitar effect.<br />
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It took me three years until I realized that I could finally do it. The device would be modular and I could use it also to trigger whatever else I wanted it to, like some toy synths or other shit.<br />
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Of course, now that I look at it, I could do it better, and would go definitely digital, with some fancy LCD screen, unlimited steps, and stuff like that. And still, it would be a breeze to create, compared to all that soldering I had to go through with this clicking analog beast.<br />
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The thing is powered by a 4066 decade counter that is clocked by a 555 timer. The circuit is very simple but all the switches took a <b>fucking long time</b> to solder. Everything is enclosed in the shell of some old toy computer my then-girlfriend gave for me to hack.<br />
<br />
Here's a feature list I wrote back then:<br />
- Selectable pattern size with min. 2 and max. 10 beats<br />
- 4 channels: <br />
- 2 channels with two outputs each<br />
- 2 channels with two outputs each, one output being inverted<br />
- 10 LED display<br />
- Fine & coarse BPM knobs<br />
<br />
I had my reasons to put inverted relay outputs (normally closed) there, I was hoping that when combining a normally opened and a normally closed relay output, I could maybe trigger some sounds on each beat. I never got around to test this, though... I don't think it even works because of the extremely small time it takes for the relay to switch. <br />
<br />
For those asking, I don't have the full schematic anywhere. That is because I never made one. Back then, I was a bit unorganized in my DIY projects. Anyway, I have some bits and pieces of the schematic, and an old write-up of the whole project. If there's enough interest, I might do some research and eventually post instructions.<br />
<br />
Well, here's pics I found of the creation process.<br />
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<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://3.bp.blogspot.com/-z9m5hunQ15U/TfpqFVxJDHI/AAAAAAAAAB8/FaCinYzcO7U/s1600/osat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="249" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-z9m5hunQ15U/TfpqFVxJDHI/AAAAAAAAAB8/FaCinYzcO7U/s320/osat.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Internals of the sequencer. On the left is the main circuit board. On the right is the relay board and the RCA outputs.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I remember taking the RCA outputs from some old stereo amplifier I found in the trash... I still use a lot of recycled parts in my projects.<br />
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<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/-isFsheUhWUk/Tfps4YuMYJI/AAAAAAAAACA/knvvIoTPoqo/s1600/sisus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="254" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-isFsheUhWUk/Tfps4YuMYJI/AAAAAAAAACA/knvvIoTPoqo/s320/sisus.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's the insides combined. There seems to be some little additional breakout board on the right.</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="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wC_4DVbcTtE/TfptIurYzyI/AAAAAAAAACE/3tj_P0VQYAk/s1600/kuori.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="270" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wC_4DVbcTtE/TfptIurYzyI/AAAAAAAAACE/3tj_P0VQYAk/s320/kuori.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A dark picture of the unfinished case.</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="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0uHVERyH_9c/TfptUTrAsrI/AAAAAAAAACM/ppql9isKykg/s1600/altakesken.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="284" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0uHVERyH_9c/TfptUTrAsrI/AAAAAAAAACM/ppql9isKykg/s320/altakesken.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beginning of the soldering nightmare...</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="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nda68iFc2GM/TfptRFuv0XI/AAAAAAAAACI/L5D83A-Fmc4/s1600/etukesken.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="248" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nda68iFc2GM/TfptRFuv0XI/AAAAAAAAACI/L5D83A-Fmc4/s320/etukesken.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Still missing the beat size selection switches and the BPM knobs.</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="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-K_yqk8ym-EM/TfptpL2VZtI/AAAAAAAAACQ/YK8fSvITouA/s1600/alta1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="317" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-K_yqk8ym-EM/TfptpL2VZtI/AAAAAAAAACQ/YK8fSvITouA/s320/alta1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All done! It was a pain in the ass...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>When making the device, I left no way to open the case without cutting the wires to the control panel. I drilled a hole in the case, put the wires through, left no extra and just soldered it all to place. That's why I can't even find out the exact schematic anymore...<br />
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<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://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3gALoGOgblc/Tfpi5k9oJ8I/AAAAAAAAAB4/WOJLkchZbHw/s1600/stuldt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="155" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3gALoGOgblc/Tfpi5k9oJ8I/AAAAAAAAAB4/WOJLkchZbHw/s320/stuldt.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The set-up to achieve a sequenced tremolo guitar effect.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The cone with the yellow "egg" is an input/output box, which takes the signal through and RCA plug to a relay, which is controlled by the sequencer. The signal is taken to the device on the right, which is a <a href="http://juho-eric.blogspot.com/2011/06/mini-guitar-amplifier.html">very simple guitar amplifier I built</a>. The guitar amp circuit is enclosed in <a href="http://juho-eric.blogspot.com/2011/06/mini-guitar-amplifier.html">an OLD Phillips answering machine thingie</a>.<br />
<br />
And here's the real beef. It's a sample of me playing a guitar through the above set-up, just before taking that picture, somewhere in 2006. I just used some cheap 5€ dynamic microphone. If you listen closely, you can hear the relays clicking inside the sequencer.<br />
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<object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=8,0,0,0" height="28" id="divplaylist" width="335"><param name="movie" value="http://www.divshare.com/flash/playlist?myId=15115632-630" /><embed src="http://www.divshare.com/flash/playlist?myId=15115632-630" width="335" height="28" name="divplaylist" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed></object><br />
<br />
I'm still very pleased to hear this effect, even though I really haven't used the device for almost anything after recording this 42 sec clip. Well, I have sequenced a (very shitty) toy synth with it, but I don't have any samples of that... Maybe I should make some.<br />
<br />
Stay tuned...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02464945441516961706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8067114355203683681.post-974679896373004062011-06-16T21:16:00.004+03:002018-12-29T10:05:17.798+02:00Insides of the Boss BR-1180While I was <a href="http://juho-eric.blogspot.com/2011/06/boss-br-1180-hard-drive-backup.html">replacing the hard drive for a Boss BR-1180</a>, I decided to snap some photos of the insides for those interested (myself).<br />
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<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/-FW9OvP2Lrqw/TfjFte6KNJI/AAAAAAAAAAY/yhxcjqaonEg/s1600/P1100321.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FW9OvP2Lrqw/TfjFte6KNJI/AAAAAAAAAAY/yhxcjqaonEg/s320/P1100321.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BR-1180's insides...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I didn't open it fully, this is just the backside, but anyway the most interesting circuits are here. I'm quessing the other side has only some simple circuits for the knobs, sliders, buttons and the LCD screen.<br />
<br />
Boss has a cute little 5V power supply inside. I'm guessing this powers the whole thing and also gives power to the HD.<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/-4W8yyoAGQzo/TfjCiDpxIaI/AAAAAAAAAAM/tuQWnlXVcgg/s1600/P1100329.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4W8yyoAGQzo/TfjCiDpxIaI/AAAAAAAAAAM/tuQWnlXVcgg/s320/P1100329.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 5V power supply.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<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/-VswWLdsAUIA/TfjDBRx-NaI/AAAAAAAAAAQ/1lu_sh6TjbI/s1600/P1100330ed.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VswWLdsAUIA/TfjDBRx-NaI/AAAAAAAAAAQ/1lu_sh6TjbI/s320/P1100330ed.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some chips on the mainboard.</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="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lVjtjjQoWoc/Tfox8yFQ6pI/AAAAAAAAABQ/8T5EoSlA9x8/s1600/P1100398.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lVjtjjQoWoc/Tfox8yFQ6pI/AAAAAAAAABQ/8T5EoSlA9x8/s320/P1100398.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another shot, showing a couple more chips.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I looked up some of the most interesting chips on the board. Included were a Boss S1L50753, Roland RO223J767, Hyundai GM71V18163CT6, Hynix HY57V641620HG, Boss R02900434, and a Fujitsu 29LV160BE.<br />
<br />
There was no search results for the proprietary chips Roland R0223J767 or the Boss R02900434. I'm quessing thefirst is the main CPU of the whole thing and the second is the BOSS effects DSP.<br />
<br />
The "Boss" S1L50753 seems to be an <a href="http://www.datasheetdir.com/S1L50753+download">FPGA by Epson</a>. The GM71V18163CT6 is a RAM and the HY57V641620HG a DRAM chip.<br />
<br />
The Fujitsu 29LV160BE is a 16M Flash memory.<br />
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Here's the analog board, covering all the input and output ports and related circuits.<br />
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<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/-F0PO2CllHs4/Tfo2nBicnVI/AAAAAAAAABU/fpCGevQUeyc/s1600/P1100400.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-F0PO2CllHs4/Tfo2nBicnVI/AAAAAAAAABU/fpCGevQUeyc/s320/P1100400.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The analog board of the BR-1180.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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What do we learn from all this?<br />
Absolutely nothing.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02464945441516961706noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8067114355203683681.post-77549460422174560672011-06-16T20:19:00.005+03:002012-03-25T19:45:45.630+03:00Boss BR-1180 hard drive backup & replacement<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://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7oFQbmnX4Fg/Tfog0Fksu0I/AAAAAAAAAA8/7rdnPQYJqs0/s1600/P1100350.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="198" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7oFQbmnX4Fg/Tfog0Fksu0I/AAAAAAAAAA8/7rdnPQYJqs0/s320/P1100350.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The victim, a Boss BR-1180.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
One beautiful day, while we were recording some gangsta rap our trusty home studio <b>Boss BR-1180</b> gave up and went insane. After a reboot, the thing gave a HD read error. The beat must've been too fat...<br />
<br />
So it was time to change the internal hard drive, and see if I can safely back up all our white ass beats from it. <br />
<br />
In addition to this guide I'm writing, there's <a href="http://thestudiofiles.com/?p=241">another repair guide on the net by some "PJ"</a>. It's a good guide, but it has some problems. <b>You don't need to format the new hard drive</b>, even though PJ's page claims so.<br />
<br />
If you're planning to follow my footprints and change the internal hard drive, I recommend first <a href="http://juho-eric.blogspot.com/2011/06/updating-boss-br-1180-firmware.html">updating the firmware of the BR-1180 to v.2.01</a>. After the update, you can initialize one partition a time with it, which gives you a bit more freedom.<br />
<br />
OK, back to the issue. Opening the thing wasn't too hard, just had to keep note of all the different screws on the thing. If you manage to mix them up, <a href="http://thestudiofiles.com/?p=241">PJ's page has them color-coded</a>.<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://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OGSJwC1DW1w/TfjFL61rreI/AAAAAAAAAAU/Xqc_uxtRE5s/s1600/P1100318.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="178" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OGSJwC1DW1w/TfjFL61rreI/AAAAAAAAAAU/Xqc_uxtRE5s/s320/P1100318.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Backside of the BR-1180... Why do I take these pictures?</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="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FW9OvP2Lrqw/TfjFte6KNJI/AAAAAAAAAAY/yhxcjqaonEg/s1600/P1100321.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="268" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FW9OvP2Lrqw/TfjFte6KNJI/AAAAAAAAAAY/yhxcjqaonEg/s320/P1100321.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All opened up...</td></tr>
</tbody></table><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/-OwZuVMFkqg0/TfjGCtwWDuI/AAAAAAAAAAc/44tMgpaeAPo/s1600/P1100326.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OwZuVMFkqg0/TfjGCtwWDuI/AAAAAAAAAAc/44tMgpaeAPo/s320/P1100326.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The hard drive, with some foam to get rid of vibrations.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The hard drive has a nice suspension rack that's easy to open. Some silicone pieces minimize the movement of the drive in case the BR-1180 gets hit. The IDE and power connectors are covered with some plastic foam, to kill resonances and vibrations. You have to destroy part of it to get the connectors out. I carefully shredded the foam with scissors and knifes, spilling just a little blood.<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="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qmwkFZ4SVJM/TfjICDm7pnI/AAAAAAAAAAk/f16Cf4Py86c/s1600/P1100333.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qmwkFZ4SVJM/TfjICDm7pnI/AAAAAAAAAAk/f16Cf4Py86c/s320/P1100333.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The hard drive and it's metal holders.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The internal hard drive is a 5400RPM Matrox 541D Ultra ATA/100 Hard Drive with only 20GB of capacity. The drive is one third thinner than a normal 3.5" hard drive (only 17mm thick). There's no space for a normal HD in the BR-1180. If you can't find a small HD like this, you could just use a longer IDE cable, extend the power wires, and connect a hard drive externally! That would be <b>AWESOME</b>. Stupid, but <b>AWESOME</b>.<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="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1EQYkFi2Olk/TfjKuYhmCII/AAAAAAAAAAo/cq2WSF6s8xc/s1600/P1100337.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1EQYkFi2Olk/TfjKuYhmCII/AAAAAAAAAAo/cq2WSF6s8xc/s320/P1100337.JPG" width="228" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Close-up on the hard drive.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
The hard drive can be easily read with an USB-IDE adaptor or hard drive enclosure. Or you could just shut down your PC and put it in the IDE bus, but then you might also need to make some changes to the HDD jumpers (to select master / slave / cable select).<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/-9K-MhOOh32A/TfjHdzpGcNI/AAAAAAAAAAg/Lcqtdii3Gg8/s1600/P1100342.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="142" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9K-MhOOh32A/TfjHdzpGcNI/AAAAAAAAAAg/Lcqtdii3Gg8/s320/P1100342.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Black Box USB IDE HD enclosure has been well worth the 20€ I paid for it...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>So I put the drive into my USB enclosure, plugged into my PC and there you go! A drive popped up, containing all kinds of cryptic files that I backed up to my internal HD.<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/-XKkYTQLzq2g/TfoWoJsn--I/AAAAAAAAAA0/OlGGy4G0xgs/s1600/HD+contents.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="229" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XKkYTQLzq2g/TfoWoJsn--I/AAAAAAAAAA0/OlGGy4G0xgs/s320/HD+contents.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Listing of the hard drive contents. The .BR1 directories contain the individual songs, and there's also some other shit.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
You can supposedly turn the BOSS track files into WAVs with <a href="http://www.rolandus.com/products/productdetails.php?ProductId=699&tab=downloads">this piece of software.</a> I haven't tried it out yet though. <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/-EFcTunbZWvg/TfoWSy8tBbI/AAAAAAAAAAw/iy2Spz4O-Vg/s1600/HD.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EFcTunbZWvg/TfoWSy8tBbI/AAAAAAAAAAw/iy2Spz4O-Vg/s320/HD.JPG" width="262" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Properties of the BR-1180 hard drive.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <br />
The backup process took some time, but eventually it finished and there was no errors. So it looks like the HD is not totally dead yet. <br />
<br />
I used chkdsk to correct errors on the old hard drive, just for fun (yea I know, I'm fucked up).<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/-uhKssaX4J9M/TfoXu-oednI/AAAAAAAAAA4/05yczI4p-Wc/s1600/chkdsk.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uhKssaX4J9M/TfoXu-oednI/AAAAAAAAAA4/05yczI4p-Wc/s320/chkdsk.JPG" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Correcting the old HD's errors.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>There was 50 megabytes of lost information on the disk. I'm quessing it was the track that was being recorded at the time of the crash. <br />
<br />
<br />
Even though the internal hard drive seemed to work fine now, it would be a good time to change to a new one to minimize any future troubles. I could also increase the HD space...<br />
<br />
I happened to have a hard drive with similar dimensions at hand: a seagate ST340015A. This one is also an Ultra-ATA/100 drive and has twice the capacity of the original one (40GB). You could also use UATA/133 according to the comments on <a href="http://thestudiofiles.com/?p=241">PJ's page</a>.<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/-A1-JpkS-C5Y/TfohO9_6o2I/AAAAAAAAABA/DA6K7-GCbfQ/s1600/P1100349.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-A1-JpkS-C5Y/TfohO9_6o2I/AAAAAAAAABA/DA6K7-GCbfQ/s320/P1100349.JPG" width="270" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The new HD, a thin one like the factory HD.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
I plugged the new HD straight in. The HD had some old Linux Ext2 partitions on it, but that was no problem for the BR-1180 to format again. Again, <b>you don't need to format the HD</b>, the BR-1180 does it for you.<br />
<br />
When I started the BR-1180, it asked "New HD, initialize now?". I hit <b>no</b>, since it would by default create a single partition on the HD. I have been experimenting with the partitions and it seems the BR-1180 cannot handle more than 20GB partitions. Or, you can use bigger ones, but only 20GB of them will really be in use.<br />
<br />
So the best way to initialize the HD is to go to <b>UTILITY</b> -> <b>HDD</b> -> <b>INITIALIZE</b><b></b> and from there, select the format mode to be <b>DIV 2</b>, <b>DIV 3</b>, or so on, depending on how many partitions you want. Since I had a 40GB, I wanted to have two 20GB partitions, and I selected <b>DIV 2</b>.<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/-bYt2pevgHBc/TfoiIZupttI/AAAAAAAAABE/n1PQ7X6o-d8/s1600/P1100362.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bYt2pevgHBc/TfoiIZupttI/AAAAAAAAABE/n1PQ7X6o-d8/s320/P1100362.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Now initializing...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>After the initialization, I checked the partitions from <b>UTILITY</b> -> <b>HDD</b> -> <b>INFO</b>, and two partitions, both 19072 megabytes in size, were listed.<br />
<br />
Then I shut down the BR-1180, took the hard drive out, put it again to my USB-IDE enclosure and copied all the old files I had backed up from the old drive. I put the old stuff to the first partition and left the second partition empty as it is (or actually it has one empty song automatically generated by the BR1-1180).<br />
<br />
After the copying was done, I put the drive back to the BR-1180 and <b>voilá!</b> I had the old stuff there, and an extra 20GB partition that could be used for new recordings. <b>62 hours more remaining recording time for free... nice!</b><br />
<br />
<b>Fuck you BR-1180, I win.</b><br />
<b>WHO'S THE BOSS NOW?</b><br />
<br />
But still, one more thing to do: put some plastic foam around the HD like Boss had done. It probably reduces some resonances the hard drive causes. For this purpose I used an old mouse pad. What do we learn from this? <b>Always have a couple of mouse pads ready, you can do anything with them! </b><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/-lrgCvHNazvs/TfowhvHZGsI/AAAAAAAAABI/KQJpjDlheAE/s1600/P1100445.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="204" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lrgCvHNazvs/TfowhvHZGsI/AAAAAAAAABI/KQJpjDlheAE/s320/P1100445.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hard drive in it's place, before adding the foam.</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="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_hvenc6tHnw/Tfow_aWd7lI/AAAAAAAAABM/97nid62D-ZQ/s1600/P1100448.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="227" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_hvenc6tHnw/Tfow_aWd7lI/AAAAAAAAABM/97nid62D-ZQ/s320/P1100448.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After gluing the foam.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
That's all, folks.<br />
<br />
<b>Related links:</b><br />
<a href="http://media.rolandus.com/manuals/BR-1180_OM.pdf">Boss BR-1180 owner's manual</a><br />
<a href="http://media.rolandus.com/manuals/BR-1180_AD.pdf">Boss BR-1180 owner's manual - addendum</a> <br />
<a href="http://media.rolandus.com/manuals/BR-1180_AG.pdf">Boss BR-1180 applications guide</a><br />
<br />
PS. PJ, smoking around your equipment doesn't cause hard drive failures. I'm pretty sure the fag packs would have a warning sign for that.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02464945441516961706noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8067114355203683681.post-44880893419247885632011-06-16T20:09:00.006+03:002012-03-25T19:44:55.737+03:00Updating the Boss BR-1180 firmwareWhile <a href="http://juho-eric.blogspot.com/2011/06/boss-br-1180-hard-drive-backup.html">doing some maintenance to a Boss BR-1180</a>, I decided to update it's firmware. The device had firmware v.1.01, and the newest version, from 2004, is 2.01. You can find the update from <a href="http://www.bosscorp.co.jp/products/en/_support/dld.cfm?ln=en&dsp=0&iCncd=123&iStcd=4">Roland's downloads page</a>.<br />
<br />
You'll get many new features with this update. Especially if you're planning to <a href="http://juho-eric.blogspot.com/2011/06/boss-br-1180-hard-drive-backup.html">change the internal hard drive to a bigger one</a>, you should definitely update, since the v.2.01 can initialize separate partitions. You can check the<a href="http://media.rolandus.com/manuals/BR-1180_AD.pdf"> full list of added features from this PDF</a>.<br />
<br />
The update .zip package includes a program that uploads the new firmware into the BR-1180 via MIDI. If you have the BR-1180CD model with the CD drive, you can also burn a CDR and update it that way. I did the update via MIDI.<br />
<br />
Unpack the .zip and you'll get two directories. BR1180smfupd contains the new firmware and UpdSMFJ a program that can upload it.<br />
<br />
Let's see what the UpdSMFJ readme says:<br />
<blockquote><span style="font-size: x-small;">UpdSMFJ is a simplified SMF Player. This SMF Player is exclusively for update, therefore it cannot be used to playback ordinary music SMF data.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Update procedure:<br />
1. Double-click the "UpdSMFJ" icon.<br />
2. Set the MIDI transmit device in "MIDI Out Device".<br />
3. For "SMF Path", assign the folder name that contains the 32 SMF data.<br />
You can also search for the folder with the [Path] button on the right.<br />
4. Press [ScanSMF] button. *For Mac, this step is unnecessary.<br />
5. The sequencer will playback all the SMF data inside the folder, therefore <br />
erase unnecessary data from the folder.<br />
6. Press the "Send" button to playback SMF data in order</span></blockquote><br />
OK... Doesn't sound too hard.<br />
<br />
And here's the info from the other readme:<br />
<blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-size: x-small;">** Update From SMFs<br />
<br />
Tools Needed:<br />
1. BR-1180<br />
2. BR-1180 Update Files<br />
3. Sequencer Capable of Playing SMFs<br />
4. MIDI Cable.<br />
<br />
* Procedure<br />
<br />
1. Connect the MIDI Out of the sequencer to the MIDI In of the BR-1180.<br />
2. While holding STOp, PLAY and REC, turn power on.<br />
3. When "Waiting SMF" is displayed, send all SMF data in numeric order.<br />
4. After all files are sent, "Complete" should be displayed.<br />
5. Power off unit and power on normally to complete upadate.</span></blockquote><br />
<br />
So, I wire the BR-1180 via MIDI to my PC, hold down stop, play and rec buttons and then start up the BR-1180. "MIDI UPDATER" comes up, waiting for the transfer via MIDI.<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="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rlf3CRRUs8k/Tfo3KBYSB5I/AAAAAAAAABY/gK_GaalC9-4/s1600/P1100409.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="210" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rlf3CRRUs8k/Tfo3KBYSB5I/AAAAAAAAABY/gK_GaalC9-4/s320/P1100409.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PC MIDI out connected to BR-1180 MIDI in.</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="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eiQvFAhlVwA/Tfo3kf1sFLI/AAAAAAAAABc/4h1gaulx2Ao/s1600/P1100417.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eiQvFAhlVwA/Tfo3kf1sFLI/AAAAAAAAABc/4h1gaulx2Ao/s320/P1100417.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">MIDI updater waiting for the new firmware.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
I then hook up UpdSMFJ with all the necessary info. I select my trusty old Soundblaster as the MIDI output device and find the path to the MIDI files. Then with the click of "Scan SMF" the update files appear in the list. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-m2_E_QMvkBc/TfoQaXJVV_I/AAAAAAAAAAs/ATlUVSTQT2A/s1600/1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-m2_E_QMvkBc/TfoQaXJVV_I/AAAAAAAAAAs/ATlUVSTQT2A/s320/1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
The backslashes in the path are a bit fucked up but I quess it's going to work... <br />
<br />
<br />
Clicking Send starts the update. The process took quite a long time, like 15 minutes or so.<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="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_K5KwxG-xp4/Tfo37VaUnwI/AAAAAAAAABg/y-AjoJgE654/s1600/P1100423.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="244" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_K5KwxG-xp4/Tfo37VaUnwI/AAAAAAAAABg/y-AjoJgE654/s320/P1100423.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Updating the firmware...</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="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wgJcB3w5srE/Tfo4NBwzjxI/AAAAAAAAABk/Td0ARgL64L0/s1600/P1100434.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="233" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wgJcB3w5srE/Tfo4NBwzjxI/AAAAAAAAABk/Td0ARgL64L0/s320/P1100434.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All ready.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
After it's complete, reboot the device and you can admire the beauty of the new startup screen.<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/-56dKz-g4aao/Tfo4fDVmtcI/AAAAAAAAABo/g23uckJYT2k/s1600/P1100437.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="237" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-56dKz-g4aao/Tfo4fDVmtcI/AAAAAAAAABo/g23uckJYT2k/s320/P1100437.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ver. 2! It's even animated.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>K, that's it, best of luck!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02464945441516961706noreply@blogger.com0