Das Bityard - Electronics/2023-12-10T00:49:37-05:00x0xb0x #32009-08-12T01:57:00-04:002023-12-10T00:49:37-05:00Charlestag:None,2009-08-12:articles/2009/August/x0xb0x-3.html<p>Just finished up x0xb0x #3. All of the basic functionality seems to work and it sounds just like a 303. Well, better than a 303 in my book but I guess I'm probably biased.</p>
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<p>They gray knobs were special-ordered from Korg Europe. They were made for the Electribe ESX-1 and …</p><p>Just finished up x0xb0x #3. All of the basic functionality seems to work and it sounds just like a 303. Well, better than a 303 in my book but I guess I'm probably biased.</p>
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<p>They gray knobs were special-ordered from Korg Europe. They were made for the Electribe ESX-1 and EMX-1 but they happen to be perfect for the x0xb0x. I could have ordered the large switch knobs too, but I would have had to hack the encoder shafts even more than I already did.</p>
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<p>The top panel is a standard Adafruit x0xb0x clear acrylic panel. To make it awesome, I just sprayed the underside with black paint. I wanted to use vinyl instead, but the paint turned out to be so much easier. Looks great, the only downside is that the panel came with some scratches from the store. Oh, and it's a friggen fingerprint magnet. Next time, I may take a drill bit and scrape out the LED holes a bit so that they light up the laser-engraved letters on the panel.</p>
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<p>I used a clear I/O panel this time, so the innards can be seen without taking the x0x apart. I think I'll go back to metal unless I can devise an easy way to get an LED or two in there for show. All I have left to do on this one is tune it, perform a full function check, and hack in a power switch and then it's eBay time!</p>
<p>I posted the innards of this x0x in a previous post here and did a writeup on x0xb0x #2 here. I hope to put together a video of me rocking the x0x sometime this week or next.</p>x0x #3 almost ready!2009-08-11T01:22:00-04:002023-12-10T00:49:37-05:00Charlestag:None,2009-08-11:articles/2009/August/x0x-3-almost-ready.html<p>I'm almost done with x0xb0x #3.</p>
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<p>This one is being quite the problem child, actually. Two note LEDs flat-out didn't work, so those had to be replaced. The TEMPO LED had to be replaced because I scratched it to hell and back. The TEMPO encoder was replaced because the first …</p><p>I'm almost done with x0xb0x #3.</p>
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<p>This one is being quite the problem child, actually. Two note LEDs flat-out didn't work, so those had to be replaced. The TEMPO LED had to be replaced because I scratched it to hell and back. The TEMPO encoder was replaced because the first one didn't work. (Talk about a wild goose chase there.) The USB chip wasn't talking to the microcontroller, which was fixed by cleaning up and reflowing the teeny-tiny SMD pins of the FT232 chip. The MIDI-in port still isn't working as I write this, despite the fact that I've already swapped the resistor that I assumed was causing the trouble.</p>
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<p>On the upshot, I did a nifty thing with the control panel faceplate, so this one should look fully bad-arsed once it's all working and put together. Pics will be forthcoming for sure. I was hoping to have the unit done and sold in time to buy myself an EMX-1 for my birthday, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen at this point.</p>
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<p>The primary differences between this x0x and the "stock" <a href="http://www.ladyada.net/make/x0xb0x/index.html">ladyada edition</a> are mostly aesthetic. I chose to paint the case a darker shade of red, which turned out better than expected with the silver vinyl overlay. The overlay itself is sweet, but the alignment of the holes left much to be desired. I had to trim all of the LED holes with a knife after applying the overlay so the vinyl didn't end up sticking to the LEDs. That alone took several episodes of Bullshit to fully accomplish. The end result is reasonable as long as you don't look too closely.</p>
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<p>The knobs are the same as those on ladyada's parts list, but grey instead of black, and with a red pointer instead of white. If I had it to do over, I would have gotten black knobs with a white pointer. The grey doesn't really stand out enough and the red is actually more of a pink.</p>
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<p>On the inside, I used individual wires instead of ribbon cable for the jumpers. This might have worked better with a smaller gauge wire. (I should have used 24 or 26, but 22 is all I have on hand right now.) Also, I used connectors instead of soldering the wires straight to the board. This ended up being a life-saver but introduced a few problems as well. For starters, the connectors are hideously expensive (about $25 for the whole lot, I think). Also, the 12-pin row on the mainboard ends up standing too tall and hits the bottom of the case when assembled.</p>
<p>Had no problems at all during the construction of this x0x and only found one silly but glaring issue the day before I shipped it to the buyer: The MIDI input and outputs weren't working at all. After an hour or so of troubleshooting with the oscilloscope, I finally figured out that I had soldered in six resistors of entirely the wrong value. Replaced them and it worked like a champ!</p>
<p>I'm a little sad now that it's gone, but building the second one was every bit as fun as the first.</p>
<p><strong>Edit from THE FUTURE (2017)</strong>: For the last few years, I have wished that I had never sold this one. Out of the three I built, it was the one that sounded the best.</p>We Be X0xing2008-11-15T18:46:00-05:002023-12-10T00:49:37-05:00Charlestag:None,2008-11-15:articles/2008/November/we-be-x0xing.html<p>It occurred to me today that I hadn't put up many pictures yet of my <a href="http://www.ladyada.net/make/x0xb0x/">x0xb0x</a> whilst under construction. It further occurred to me I had not taken many pictures of my x0xb0x whilst under construction either. Besides the one a few posts down, this is it:</p>
<p><img alt="x0xb0x PCB" src="images/we-be-x0xing/progress-vco-vca.jpg"></p>
<p>Here the power …</p><p>It occurred to me today that I hadn't put up many pictures yet of my <a href="http://www.ladyada.net/make/x0xb0x/">x0xb0x</a> whilst under construction. It further occurred to me I had not taken many pictures of my x0xb0x whilst under construction either. Besides the one a few posts down, this is it:</p>
<p><img alt="x0xb0x PCB" src="images/we-be-x0xing/progress-vco-vca.jpg"></p>
<p>Here the power supply is done (the components on the smaller PCB to the right) as well as the VCO and VCA sections of the mainboard. And also a few IC sockets are in because I got bored one night and wanted to solder but didn't have all the parts yet.</p>
<p>Here's a photo of the finished product:</p>
<p><img alt="x0xb0x finished" src="images/we-be-x0xing/x0x-finished.jpg"></p>
<p>It simply sounds marvelous and is a joy to tinker with. I used diffused blue LEDs (which are actually hard to get a hold of cheaply) and metal knobs. The knobs ended up being the wrong size though, so they sort of wobble a little when you turn them. (The center of the pot is not the same as the center of the knob.)</p>
<p>I also happened across a picture of the oscilloscope I bought on eBay. Four channels, 100MHz, all awesome. It's the exact same model that I used in the Air Force to repair autopilot systems so I'm already familiar with its operation. Usually, buying something like an oscilloscope on eBay is extremely risky. An oscilloscope is a precision instrument with a million different things that can go wrong and quite a few bits inside that have to be calibrated every so often. On top of that, most of the test equipment for sale on eBay comes from auctions a.k.a., refuse.</p>
<p>I got lucky, though: $300 (free shipping) and there's not a single thing wrong with it. I like gambles that work out in my favor.</p>
<p><img alt="o-scope" src="images/we-be-x0xing/tek2246a.jpg"></p>Ghetto-sistor2008-10-24T02:12:00-04:002023-12-10T00:49:37-05:00Charlestag:None,2008-10-24:articles/2008/October/ghetto-sistor.html<p>This, my friends, is what is called a "ghetto-sistor."</p>
<p><img alt="a ghetto-sistor in its natural habitat" src="images/ghetto-sistor/ghettosistor.jpg"></p>
<p>It's what you get when you need a 1K ohm resistor, but don't have a new one handy, and instead have to settle for ripping one out of an old telephone before you realize that one leg is going to be …</p><p>This, my friends, is what is called a "ghetto-sistor."</p>
<p><img alt="a ghetto-sistor in its natural habitat" src="images/ghetto-sistor/ghettosistor.jpg"></p>
<p>It's what you get when you need a 1K ohm resistor, but don't have a new one handy, and instead have to settle for ripping one out of an old telephone before you realize that one leg is going to be too short so you solder a piece of solid scrap wire onto it so it's the right length.</p>
<p>Ghetto-sistor. GET IT?</p>
<p>Sheesh, you have no sense of humor.</p>It's Alive!2008-10-24T01:26:00-04:002023-12-10T00:49:37-05:00Charlestag:None,2008-10-24:articles/2008/October/its-alive.html<p><img alt="ever so blinky!" src="images/its-alive/blinky.jpg"></p>
<p>And by god, it is blinky.</p>