There is a project on
www.ucapps.de called the Floorboard. It is a MIDI controller unit. What makes it interesting to me is that it will send MIDI note numbers if you assemble it with a certain directive active. If this were implemented, it would be a real simple, compact way to implement bass pedals by driving a NanoBass.
The only flies in the ointment are:
It can only implement 12 pedals -- the pedalboards I've seen have 13.
It would be really cool if you could select the octave -- like a momentary pushbutton toggling a 4017 to select one of the unused inputs on the PIC.
I posted these questions at the MIDIBox forum -- about two weeks ago. Yesterday I finally got a response -- that my question should go in the MIOS forum. ARRGGGGHHHH!!!!! I doubt I'll get an answer there since this isn't a MIOS unit!
Here is what I posted there:
Stupid question about old Floorboard project
« on: 2005-07-14 at 18:22 »
Embarrassed newbie here. I live to play guitar, but I make my living coding software, so PICs don't scare me too much. I need to make a set of bass pedals to use at church. Since I just snagged an Alesis NanoBass, that dictates that my project will take the MIDI approach. The old Floorboard project here looks like it's 97% of what I need.
I just have one teeny, tiny stupid question. Upon reviewing the button code with the USED_AS_KEYBOARD assembler option, I note that this will generate notes C through B. I'm hoping to adopt an actual organ pedalboard for my task, so I have 13 pedals to give me a full octave. I need to implement one more pedal.
Is there anything keeping me from creating a modified version of the button code that starts from the D3 pin instead of the D4 pin and implements a 13-bit instead of a 12-bit shift register? Would it be OK with the designer if I did so? This unit is for my personal use only. I just want to build it, get done and get back to playing!
While we're on the subject, would it be possible to add switches to some of the other unused pins to implement multiple octaves?
I hope my writing is clear. Electronics is not my strong suit and my writing is very idiomatic when I'm excited about something.
Thanks in advance for any help!
Could one of the PIC experts here (Peter, Chico, Andrew, et. al.) please help the prodigal son out and look at this project? I don't need or want to know HOW to add the 13th pedal -- I can figure that out. I just need to know if it CAN'T be done. As long as it can, I can go from there. I've got a programmer and MPLAB. You guys could probably figure this out in a heartbeat. That forum seems to have some very smart people, but their arrogance factor is off the scale!