K-rnivoro wrote on 2023-02-18, 13:18:

Hope you like mine for internal 5.25 bay. Either in black or "beige" for older cases. Oh, you do not need the MIDI cable. It´s connected directly to Waveblaster pins of the soundcard. I´m planning to publish .stl and .ai files in case someone wanted to build it. Just le me know.

Those look fantastic! Sharing the sources is much appreciated.

Shreddoc wrote on 2023-03-24, 21:51:

Hello DesktopDynamite :) […]
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DesktopDynamite wrote on 2023-03-24, 20:13:

Hello, I like most of the ideas here. I am new to this, so please excuse my noob questions. […]
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Hello,
I like most of the ideas here. I am new to this, so please excuse my noob questions.

I have been in contact with serda.com and would like to install the MP32L for my build [since both of my sound cards don't have the Wave blaster header], but if possible to fit it internally inside a 5.25 as seen in many builds here. Is the only option to use the clumsymidi along with MP32L, or can I just use the MIDI cable from one of my sound card's MIDI/Game port and reroute it internally ?

As for the MT32L, would it be possible to buy it with seperate dupont wires for the OLED screen and buttons to be placed inside a 5.25 drive bay fascia? Similar to @K-rnivoro black fascia build ?

Thanks in advance!

Hello DesktopDynamite 😀

We appreciate and are interested in your questions. However, this thread is specifically for the purpose of showing or commenting upon finished builds. If you could please go to the "Sound" sub-forum, at this link, and press the "+" button...

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...to make a New Topic, and post your questions there instead.

Thanks a lot, and look forward to helping out in your thread if I can.

Thanks for the redirection, posted there the new topic. 😀

I'm going for a slightly different custom approach, driven by two main factors:

1. The only Raspberry Pi I could lay hands on easily when I started the project was the Model 3 A+ (right now I can't even get that 🙁).
2. I wanted the install to be fully internal, and configured in software via SYSEX (using Andreas Zdziarstek's excellent mt32-pi-control).

Here's my current work-in-progress PCB; a couple of oopsies to fix for the next revision, but it works great as-is (with a minor bodge 😜):

It sits on top of a Pi DAC+, powers the whole stack by standard molex 4-pin, and connects to the WaveBlaster header on the sound card (for MIDI out and audio return).

Here it is hooked up for testing:

I'm thinking of 3D printing a mount to have it sit somewhere securely inside the PC case (e.g. in a HDD bay).

Hezus wrote on 2023-03-24, 21:53:

K-rnivoro wrote on 2023-02-18, 13:18:

Hope you like mine for internal 5.25 bay. Either in black or "beige" for older cases. Oh, you do not need the MIDI cable. It´s connected directly to Waveblaster pins of the soundcard. I´m planning to publish .stl and .ai files in case someone wanted to build it. Just le me know.

Those look fantastic! Sharing the sources is much appreciated.

I twill once I polished the stl's. Stay tuned!!!

I just wanted to update the schematics for my project, showing you can actually connect it to the waveblaster directly:

Thanks to Dwhinham and Chris-JH for creating the MT32-PI and MT32-PI-MIDI-Hat projects.

It costs about $85 in total to build it.

Poor handwork, ignore those lots of hot melt adhesive...

I installed two DIN5 inputs and used a toggle switch to switch input sources, which can connect my K6-2 old PC and new computer at the same time.

For the power supply part, I used a Type-C to 5.5*2.5mm converter.

I took my build in a slightly different direction than others I've seen. Rather than having standard MIDI ports, my custom PCB connects directly to the DB15 Joystick/MIDI connector on most old PC sound cards. I included a joystick passthrough so I can continue to use my joystick by connecting it to the box. I went with the traditional enclosure shape. I wish I had a good way to transfer tiny text for the button labels onto the front panel as I'm not entirely happy with the stickers. In retrospect I wish I had included a power LED somewhere and a MIDI message LED on the front. I don't think I'll regret limiting myself to DB15 Joystick/MIDI only; retro games are the only use case I am concerned with.

The mt32pi project is incredible! Thanks to everyone involved with that project, and thanks to you all for posting your builds.

Made my second MT32-pi box,
My aim is to make a box as small as possible, the size is 10cmx10cmx5cm,
In it is installed the Raspberry Pi 4B 4GB and mt32-pi-midi-hat,
A 1.54" 128x64 OLED display with 4 low-profile micro switches is used.
There are 2 MIDI IN ports connected to my 486DX-33 and K6-2 at the same time, which can be easily switched by flipping a switch.
The power supply is connected to a 5.5x2.5mm socket and switch on the TP1 and TP7 of the Raspberry Pi.
Considering the temperature of the Raspberry Pi 4B, there are a lot of openings on both sides of the box.

K-rnivoro wrote on 2023-02-18, 13:18:

Hope you like mine for internal 5.25 bay. Either in black or "beige" for older cases. Oh, you do not need the MIDI cable!!! It´s connected directly to Waveblaster pins of the soundcard. I´m planning to publish .stl and .ai files in case someone wanted to build it. Just le me know.

Very Interested in the STL files!! This would look great in my black P2 tower. Is the lettering 3D printed or a decal?

Honestly, I don't understand what is the point of MT-32Pi and I will be very glad if someone can explain it to me - what are the advantages (if any)? Especially, when from my point of view using Thin-Client beats it in every possible way, including it's several times cheaper plus it allows to use high-end sound card, e.g. my setup Fujitsu Futro S900 with G-T56N SoC and Onkyo (Made in Japan) SE-90 high-end sound card - it can not just do MT-32, but running Windows it can do Sound Canvas VA as well, etc etc, i.e. any MIDI emulation I want.

mattw: Various subjective preferences with respect to form factor and physical space, simple physical interface, unified software and operating system, an enjoyment of certain side-aspects of the hobby (e.g. electronic building, 3d design and printing), 'libre' aspects, among other things.

I think most of us would agree that your thin-client-with-various-software method is totally valid, and has superior technical specs in the ways that you mentioned. Despite that, the mt32-pi system fits some of our needs and preferences perfectly well.

Hi. I think the same. For me, it's simplicity and lack of bloat. mt32-pi is a self-booting software for a single-board computer (-> Pi).
It allows me to install my own, self-made MIDI interface via GPIO pins (using an opto-coupler). So I don't need to think about USB, at all.
Likewise, a screen can directly be wired to the GPIO pins. Configuration is done via config file (plain ASCII text).
All in all, it's a bit like assembling a real MT-32 or CM32L. Building my own linear regulated PSU was fun, too.

That being said, a thin-client on 98SE would be a fine choice for running S-YXG50 synthesizer, though.
I often thought about trying this out. Those old systems (9x/XP) have support for DirectMusic, too, which is nice for compatibility.
Another advantage is the possibility to use a soundcard w/ MPU-401, for lower latency (USB MIDI can have timing issues).