Thu Feb 19, 2004 11:34 pm
After thinking over the several posts from hauptwerk members, and a post from Martin, I have concluded that "bashing" a PC keyboard into a stop control is not the best way to go. I had purchased a Midi Control Unit from Classic Organ Works which included four encoder cards (SIB-4); one for pedal, two for manuals, and one for stops. In a moment of inspiration (at least it seemed like it at the time), I thought the thought; why not use that fourth SIB-4 to control a third manual and find another way to control the stops? Now it appears I was a little mixed up, but! all is well in my world, for I have thought yet another thought and this one actually worked. I did "bash" a keyboard - an old Midi synth I hadn't used for years (a Roland Alpha-Juno 2). I removed the keyboard and all electronics from the case. That was easy - even for me, then remembering how Theseus found his way out of the Minatour's labyrinth by unraveling a skeen of twine, I figured I had better draw a diagram of the inards so's I could backtrack if needed. So I drew a picture of the motherboard and all associated connections and circuit boards. Next I disconnected everything not required for a basic keyboard with Midi; all audio jacks, foot switches, patch banks, edit banks. I was left with a motherboard, Midi connections, power supply, the Juno "alpha dial" and two circuit boards, one for synth sounds and one for function control. I didn't want the synth sounds, but by this time I had gotten rid of all connections and the rest were hard wired. Like most synths, the buttons on the Juno have multiple functions, ao I did not know what the remaining wires did. What to do? I did have my raw keyboard, but also a lot of dangling wires which did not appeal to my sense of neatness and order. Then I thought another thought; remembering that scene in Ghost Busters where Rick Moranis is wearing a collander as a brain scanner, I went to the kitchen, found a collander and wired it up the synth - neutral on one handle, and DC 12v on the other. Silently I donned the collanderotron and yes! with the additional 12v running through my cranium I thunck up the solution; one by one I cut every wire that a coin toss said was un-neccesary, each time checking to see if the Midi function, and Midi channel was adversely affected. by this elegantly simple method, I eliminated the patch bank circuit board. Now only the function board was left. Using much the same method (in fact, the completely same method), I iliminated another 16 wires, leaving me with only two wires which controled Midi functions and channels, and a circuit board with a lot of redundant buttons. What to do, what to do. Connecting an old pair of RCA Victor rabbit ears to the collanderotron, 0nce again my brain reception increased. One at a time, I cut those two wires from the circiut board, and touched them to various places around the relevant button. With this (allow me. please . . .) ingenius method, I determined which of the four possible terminals did what. Then - and this is where my true genius really starts to shine - I realized "hey, I have two wires going to a switch, why not forget about the switch, and just connect the wires together?" Please. please, no aplause. I discovered that with each touch of the wires, the midi moved one step through it's function cycle. Perfect. Now I know I could discard the last circuit board and use a momentary switch of some sort. And there it was, my third Midi manual requiring only two controls; a switch and a dial. Phase one of my grand organ project completed. Score one for the good guys.
G'day