+orpheuswaking Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 Technically speaking VAT shouldn't be charged for items shipped to the USA - but that's just me being nitpicky. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_The Doctor__ Posted January 24, 2019 Share Posted January 24, 2019 (edited) correct. you are not being nit picky. no different than the duty free shops. there are many ways to reduce or avoid VAT but most of the hobby sellers don't realize tor are worried and charge it for fear it will be a problem, normally they don't have to in any event.. here is an old chart Edited January 24, 2019 by _The Doctor__ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_The Doctor__ Posted January 24, 2019 Share Posted January 24, 2019 (edited) furthermore.. Exporting goods to the USA Most goods exported to the States can be zero-rated for UK VAT purposes (that is, VAT does not need to be added), as long as documentary evidence of the export is kept. Any extra charges made for freight, shipping, postage or delivery are also zero-rated. Even where VAT is not being charged, the net value of the sale must still be reported on the UK VAT return, in box 6. It should not be included on the EC Sales List, nor on an Intrastat return if the business is required to make one. If the UK business accounts for VAT on the Flat Rate Scheme, it must include the value of the export in the turnover on which the Flat Rate VAT is paid. This may mean that the business is better off not being on the Flat Rate Scheme. bottom line, no vat when going from eu to usa... you may have to explain it or direct them to the relevant links and pages or send them the info. You simply shouldn't be paying VAT if you are in the USA... wouldn't buy anything if it is insisted that you do either. Edited January 24, 2019 by _The Doctor__ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleepy Posted January 28, 2019 Share Posted January 28, 2019 (edited) I have the boards if you have not ordered them already. I also have all parts. The eBay S2 boards do work. Sorry, I read your post but now; I ordered boards meanwhile. The S2-board already arrived, the interface-pcb is on the way. :-) Thx for your offer, Sleepy Edited January 28, 2019 by Sleepy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleepy Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 Does anybody tested mytek´s interface with a PAL-machine? I tried the pcb I got from Mr. Robot as well as a second pcb I fitted by myself - both don´t run. If the pcb is connected to the XEL, sio-communication is disturbed... Sleepy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Robot Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 (edited) My XEL is a PAL one, I tested the board in my machine before I sent it to you. From the pics you are missing the three wires to the MPBI and the Dreamblaster S2 module itself EDIT :Added Pic Edited February 22, 2019 by Mr Robot 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleepy Posted February 23, 2019 Share Posted February 23, 2019 (edited) I thought that that your pcb is working, so I´m looking for another reason not to run. THREE wires.... I only connected audio left and right to the MPBI... that could be a good reason not to work. If this is reason, it means that the S2-modul is obligatory to run the interface; based on a former post I gone by that the S2 is optional, what would mean that audio left / right / RST are not available (and not needed). I´ll test it asap. Thanks, Sleepy Edited February 23, 2019 by Sleepy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleepy Posted February 23, 2019 Share Posted February 23, 2019 (edited) Edit: I saw a suitable question to the following answer on the screen, but after posting the answer it was gone...? No, you can mix A8 and ST; we testet it at a meeting. Iirc, on the ST you have to use the first version of Midimaze; (I don´t own a 16bit, but I joined the Midimaze-ring, so sorry that I can´t give you more details). :-) Sleepy Edited February 23, 2019 by Sleepy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Robot Posted February 24, 2019 Share Posted February 24, 2019 I thought that that your pcb is working, so I´m looking for another reason not to run. THREE wires.... I only connected audio left and right to the MPBI... that could be a good reason not to work. If this is reason, it means that the S2-modul is obligatory to run the interface; based on a former post I gone by that the S2 is optional, what would mean that audio left / right / RST are not available (and not needed). I´ll test it asap. Thanks, Sleepy The MIDI Port add-on board is optional, the Dreamblaster S2 module itself is obligatory. If you leave the midi port board off you need to put a jumper on the pin header (as I discovered when I made mine) I sent you the board with the jumper already in place. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivop Posted February 24, 2019 Author Share Posted February 24, 2019 The MIDI Port add-on board is optional, the Dreamblaster S2 module itself is obligatory. If you leave the midi port board off you need to put a jumper on the pin header (as I discovered when I made mine) I sent you the board with the jumper already in place. If you install the port board, the S2 board is optional, but you need to connect a synthesizer module/keyboard to get sound. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Robot Posted February 24, 2019 Share Posted February 24, 2019 I didn't realise that, thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleepy Posted February 24, 2019 Share Posted February 24, 2019 (edited) O.K., I connect the missing reset to the MPBI and connect the wave-board, but still problems with loading the midi-program from sio2sd... Looking some YT-videos with demos, I noticed that the CF-reader is used to load the midi-software. So I disconnected the midi-interface and copied the software from the SD-card (connected to the SIO-port) to the CF-card (connected to the MPBI). Disconnected sio2sd, connect midi-interface, boot XEL and start midi-software from CF-card. Voilà, it works - Booting the XEL I hear the boot-sound (Have you played ATARI today? :-) . I can load midi-software, a song from CF and play it. :-) But with the midi-interface connected, loading software from sio2sd via SIO still doesn´t work; I just get a very short jarring sound and then the "READY"-prompt. Also tested with a XF. Has anybody tested the midi-interface AND a sio-device? Sleepy Edited February 24, 2019 by Sleepy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mytek Posted February 24, 2019 Share Posted February 24, 2019 The MIDI-XEL board works fine with the built-in SIO2PC aspect of my 1088XEL. Also the similar MIDI circuit built-in to the 1088XLD works with an early version of Lotharek's SIO2PC (built inside of a translucent SIO plug connector), although if I power-off the PC that it's connected to it jams SIO comms. I think it needs a diode, which I seem to recall that there was a mod for doing this. Haven't tested with any of the SIO2SD solutions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleepy Posted February 25, 2019 Share Posted February 25, 2019 On-board sio2pc isn´t fitted yet; I´ll wait until I got a backplate before soldering it. I disconnect pin 4 (Data in) from the S2-board; now I can use the SIO-port and play midi-tunes. But probably I can´t read data about the Midi-port... Before I can do any further tests, I have to assemble the interface-board. Sleepy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mytek Posted February 25, 2019 Share Posted February 25, 2019 I'll have to review the the MIDI controller firmware and see if there is a problem. Also will do some checks again on my XEL system. If I find a problem and/or need to revise the firmware I'll post it here. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mytek Posted February 26, 2019 Share Posted February 26, 2019 Ok so I tested with both an Indus GT floppy drive, and as I mentioned earlier two different SIO2PC devices (SparkFun and Lotharek's). In all cases I can load the MIDI player app and then load and play song files using any one of the 3 SIO devices. So here's my thought... Do you have the motor control line connected? And are you seeing the MIDI active LED light up when playing a song? If you answer no to either one of these, then there is a potential for the MIDI controller enable pin to be floating, which can result in the conflict you are seeing. I also checked my firmware source code, and I am definitely tied into the enable line to determine if either the DATA-OUT or MIDI-CLK lines are put on the SIO bus or removed. So if the motor control line is OFF (less than 0.5V) then the MIDI chip will remove itself from the SIO bus, and when it's ON (+5 volts) it will be connected to the SIO bus. The enable input is pin-4 on the PIC12F1572 chip. BTW, the LED indicator is not optional, and must be present along with the driving resistor. If not present the enable line floats without the motor control being ON. This is never a good thing . 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Robot Posted February 26, 2019 Share Posted February 26, 2019 BTW, the LED indicator is not optional, and must be present along with the driving resistor. If not present the enable line floats without the motor control being ON. This is never a good thing . That might be a problem, the MIDI board I gave Sleepy has no LED, it was wired to an external one and I removed it before sending. I'm not sure the solder pads survived the surgery. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleepy Posted February 26, 2019 Share Posted February 26, 2019 (edited) BTW, the LED indicator is not optional, and must be present along with the driving resistor. If not present the enable line floats without the motor control being ON. This is never a good thing . YES - THAT´S IT! As Mr. Robot already noticed, the pcb he sent came along without LED, and the pcb I populated myself also has no LED - I used the hole in the waveboard to fix the sandwich at the subchassis and the LED was in the way... I´ll test it this evening. :-) Sleepy Edit: I would suggest to add a notice in the schematic of the S2-board that D1/R3 is not only an indicator, but necessary for correct operation. Sorry for causing circumstances... Edited February 26, 2019 by Sleepy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mytek Posted February 26, 2019 Share Posted February 26, 2019 Glad we zeroed in on the problem .It's perfectly fine to connect a remote LED with wires if you want to relocate it somewhere that it can be seen. Sometimes a song doesn't exit properly and the enable is left activated, so having an indicator is important. If you are using the Midi Player, pressing "S" for stop will unstick the enable and allow you to load another song.Sure I could add a note to the schematic that all parts are required, but I always assume that would be obvious, unless noted otherwise . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleepy Posted February 26, 2019 Share Posted February 26, 2019 (edited) Yes, that´s fundamental true... My plan was to fix the pcb this way: The LED was in the way for a thread bolt; I thought "O.K., an indicator is not really necessary for me." I don´t mind that it could be for the circuit. I changed mounting so that I there is space for the LED. :-) Now it works perfect. Thanks for your help, Sleepy Edited February 26, 2019 by Sleepy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curt Vendel Posted February 27, 2019 Share Posted February 27, 2019 Hi, I have decided to build myself a MIDI Interface for the Atari XL/XE. Based upon an old schematic from Elektronika Praktyczna (6/98), I came up with this: midixlxe.png It's 5cm x 5cm and supports MIDI IN/OUT/THRU. The device is turned on/off by the Motor Control Line. Now the question is, would anybody else be interested in this and, if so, what would you like? PCB only, PCB+parts, or fully build? (all excl. SIO cable) Note that I have not build anything yet, although some parts are on their way. Regards, Ivo I have an original MIDI interface to SIO from Hybrid Arts. You are welcome to borrow if if you need to. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivop Posted February 27, 2019 Author Share Posted February 27, 2019 I have an original MIDI interface to SIO from Hybrid Arts. You are welcome to borrow if if you need to. 4696A06B-9CCE-40CE-BE2A-B39D7D43FF75.jpeg Thanks for the offer! But I don't think it's necessary anymore. The only thing missing from MIDI Muse and the MIDI interface on the 1088XLD board are the sync input/output, but both can be done through the joystick port. Instead it has MIDI THRU and a WaveBlaster port. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mytek Posted February 27, 2019 Share Posted February 27, 2019 (edited) Working on a compact No-On-Board-Synth version for just the MIDI IN-OUT aspect aimed at any A8 system by going through the SIO port. It's called the SIO2MIDI. Still based on the PIC12F1572 chip and the MIDI Control firmware I wrote in Cow Basic. J1 and J2 are the 5-pin DINs, and J3 connects to SIO (can either be used with standard 0.1" pitch header or directly soldered to an SIO cable's wires). This will work with any Hybrid Arts MIDIMATE compatible applications that don't require any sync connections, so something like MIDI-MAZE should work out of the box. First batch of test boards is arriving today from ALLPCB. PCB Image Revised 3/5/2019 (changed pads on J1 & J2, and beefed up power traces) SIO2MIDI_schema.pdf Schematic Revised 2/28/2019 (added BOM) Edited March 5, 2019 by mytek 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curt Vendel Posted February 27, 2019 Share Posted February 27, 2019 Thanks for the offer! But I don't think it's necessary anymore. The only thing missing from MIDI Muse and the MIDI interface on the 1088XLD board are the sync input/output, but both can be done through the joystick port. Instead it has MIDI THRU and a WaveBlaster port. No problem, just thought if it could help, its available... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brentarian Posted February 28, 2019 Share Posted February 28, 2019 Working on a compact No-On-Board-Synth version for just the MIDI IN-OUT aspect aimed at any A8 system by going through the SIO port. It's called the SIO2MIDI. Still based on the PIC12F1572 chip and the MIDI Control firmware I wrote in Cow Basic. J1 and J2 are the 5-pin DINs, and J3 connects to SIO (can either be used with standard 0.1" pitch header or directly soldered to an SIO cable's wires). This will work with any Hybrid Arts MIDIMATE compatible applications that don't require any sync connections, so something like MIDI-MAZE should work out of the box. First batch of test boards is arriving today from ALLPCB. I can't wait to try it, Michael. I've been seriously thinking about making enough of these to attempt the first ever Midi-Maze game with 16 Atari 8-bits at VCF Southeast 7.0 in April. There have been 16 STs used in MM games several times from what I understand, as well as STs and 8-bits together, but never all 16 being 8-bits as far as I can tell. If it all works out and is a success at VCFSE, I'm going to ship them to Bill Lange to use at VCF East the following weekend. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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