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Build-Blog: MIDI module for 18 Dollars. Can it be done?

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First post, by brostenen

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Hi all....
First up.... This is a build Blog. More will come. It has been 2 to 3 months in work, gathering info and waiting for parts.

The Raspberry PI approach is an awesomme idea. And reading about it, I think it is time to reveal my aproach to a cheap solution.
It is no near as great sounding as something like the Dreamblaster S1. It is however really cheap. The question is. Can it be done?

As I wrote. I have setteled on a quite different approach. The hardware that I will be using, is a couple of Arduino shields.
They are cheap and they are plenty avaliable on eBay. So yeah... Why not?

The Music shield, can be booted in MIDI synthesizer mode, MP3 playback mode and in recorder mode (for recording audio).
The MIDI-Shield is an interface shield, to provide MIDI-IN, MIDI-OUT and MIDI through.
The tone controller board, is just a simple one. Cheap, and there are plenty of other ones on eBay if it will not work.
I have chosen to add this controller board in the finished solution. In order to add treble and bass controll.

Keep in mind. This is really cheap. Not MT-32 compatible. Only GM compatible. Though it should deliver a better sound
quality than Adlib. So basically. Your own MIDI device for cheap, to use, when saving up for a real quality module. (MT32, SC55)

So far. I have had it powered on. Not tested if it can play MIDI. Though I am confident that this will work.
The idea for it. Came from this youtube clip.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9rbprGT2X0

The board needs 5 and 3.3 volt input, gnd connected and if the MIDI shield does not set the GPIO pins correctly.
I will have to set the GPIO#0 to GND and GPIO#1 to 3.3 volt. Anyway.... I only see one wire in the video.

Parts for this:
- Arduino MIDI Shield.
- Arduino VS1053b Music Shield.
- Tone regulator board.
- Stepdown Voltage regulator (to create 3.3volt from a 12volt line)

Anyway... Some pics.

The attachment Module-01.jpg is no longer available
The attachment Module-02.jpg is no longer available
The attachment Module-03.jpg is no longer available

I will test this out later, using Doom or something like that in Pure Dos. (MS-Dos 6.22)

Last edited by brostenen on 2016-12-20, 16:33. Edited 1 time in total.

Don't eat stuff off a 15 year old never cleaned cpu cooler.
Those cakes make you sick....

My blog: http://to9xct.blogspot.dk
My YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/brostenen

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Reply 1 of 8, by Ampera

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I had a funny idea one time to have my 486 AWE32 go MIDI to MIDI into a Soundblaster Live. That way I can load up to a 512 MB soundfont onto the soundblaster live. I could also attach it to a computer, in which case sky's the limit.

Reply 2 of 8, by PhilsComputerLab

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Nice. I've got an Arduino, very nifty device. Eager to hear what it sounds like 😀

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Reply 3 of 8, by Ampera

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PhilsComputerLab wrote:

Nice. I've got an Arduino, very nifty device. Eager to hear what it sounds like 😀

The issue with Arduinos, in my opinion they are more expensive than they are worth, especially compared to something like a Raspberry Pi Zero. They have slightly more diverse I/O with built in ADCs, but that can be mounted on a Pi too.

Reply 4 of 8, by brostenen

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Ampera wrote:

I had a funny idea one time to have my 486 AWE32 go MIDI to MIDI into a Soundblaster Live. That way I can load up to a 512 MB soundfont onto the soundblaster live. I could also attach it to a computer, in which case sky's the limit.

Well.... I have seen SB16's being powered on directly and standalone, for some kind of useage.
It was some youtube clip, or some build directions on instructables. Can't remember it's purpouse.
Anyway... This build-blog, is meant to explore the Music Shield.

Don't eat stuff off a 15 year old never cleaned cpu cooler.
Those cakes make you sick....

My blog: http://to9xct.blogspot.dk
My YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/brostenen

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Reply 5 of 8, by brostenen

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PhilsComputerLab wrote:

Nice. I've got an Arduino, very nifty device. Eager to hear what it sounds like 😀

Yup.... Eager to hear it first hand too. Just limited time up to X-Mass now. 😁
The beauty of this way, is that you avoid the use of an Arduino.
Just hope this will work out. 18 USD!! Probably can't beat that.
Though the sound quality must be inferiour to the Sam-2195, I think it delivers
a decent sound for the price.

Don't eat stuff off a 15 year old never cleaned cpu cooler.
Those cakes make you sick....

My blog: http://to9xct.blogspot.dk
My YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/brostenen

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Reply 6 of 8, by brostenen

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Two major setbacks....

The shield generates a humming noise, so bad that I need to get a hold on a new shield. It might be defective.
Another setback, is that after some reading around on various forums, I have discovered that the Geetech Music shield, have GPIO#0 and GPIO#1 grounded. This is not good, as it needs GPIO#0 set low and GPIO#1 set high. And this can only be done, using an arduino. Wich I don't have. I have tried setting the pins correctly, according to other users and manuals. Yet nothing makes this model come to life as it should.

Don't eat stuff off a 15 year old never cleaned cpu cooler.
Those cakes make you sick....

My blog: http://to9xct.blogspot.dk
My YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/brostenen

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Reply 7 of 8, by stamasd

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This schematic http://www.geeetech.com/wiki/images/8/87/Musi … d_Schematic.pdf shows GPIO0 low but GPIO1 floating. But it's schematic for version 2 of the music shield. Let me see if I find a schematic for version 1, which from the pictures you seem to have (BTW version 1 is noted on the wiki not to be suitable for MIDI, probably because of the GPIO issue. Next time study carefully what you buy)

(edit) on the geeetech wiki, the board you have isn't even called "music shield", but "mp3 shield" because that's what it was designed to do. Later revisions of the board were called "music shield"
The schematic for version 1 isn't even available.

I/O, I/O,
It's off to disk I go,
With a bit and a byte
And a read and a write,
I/O, I/O

Reply 8 of 8, by brostenen

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Yes... The MIDI issue are being discussed on a small number of forum posts.
In one tread, is is said that I should set GPIO#0 low and GPIO#1 high.

This tread....
http://www.avrfreaks.net/comment/1735766#comment-1735766

Regarding why I chose the shield that I ended up with, was this page:
http://www.geeetech.com/wiki/index.php/Arduin … rd_with_TF_card
It stated that it was possible to do MIDI. Guess they have forgotten to mention, that they
were only talking about MIDI-Files on SD-Card....

Reading the post and that wiki, made me think that it was possible to do it.
Just thought that it was enough to read that, and not dig around for more.
It should be possible though, with a patch for the shield loaded on an Arduino board.

Don't eat stuff off a 15 year old never cleaned cpu cooler.
Those cakes make you sick....

My blog: http://to9xct.blogspot.dk
My YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/brostenen

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