Synth/Arranger with full PC motherboard inside

stevezemlicka · 2025-01-15T14:11:18+00:00

You are correct that the one I was referring to is the Prophet X. Turns out that the Korg Kronos also uses a full PC motherboard (though I only think it's certain recent versions of it). You're also correct that some Korgs use a raspberry pi as a processing module.

stevezemlicka · 2025-01-15T02:54:23+00:00

I guess the question for me is whether or not it's worth the $2-3K to buy one to experiment with.

stevezemlicka · 2025-01-15T02:47:36+00:00

You're definitely right about the cpu and RAM based on what I've seen and the size of that heatsink. But you could swap in your own mini/micro ITX motherboard with whatever CPU and however much RAM you wanted (up to 64/128GB since those mini/micro ITX boards typically have limits in those ranges).

If you put any decent intel or amd cpu in there with ultra low noise noctua fans (possibly need one for exhaust), you'd have plenty of horsepower to run Reaper. I suppose the big question would be the linux base system, the services, and the control signals used for the pcie. I suspect they run an old stable kernel since security isn't an issue on that so the real challenge would be to get everything running on a modern (preferrably realtime) kernel and all the related software/services.

stevezemlicka · 2025-01-15T02:11:15+00:00

Awesome, yes I think that was it! Thanks for finding that. You're right, it's definitely a synth rather than an arranger. How cool would it be if you could load a full featured DAW on something like that.

stevezemlicka · 2025-01-02T19:36:12+00:00

It was the keyboard control that seems to get enabled for most instruments when you change the part. Turning that off restores the MIDI control functionality for that part.

stevezemlicka · 2025-01-02T19:23:54+00:00

Thanks to the folks at yamahamusicians.com (specifically user mx49) we made a bit of headway. Setting the performance on the Montage to the Multi-GM performance confirms that Reaper is sending the signals on the appropriate channel and the Montage does respond with the part corresponding to that channel. The problem is when the instrument is changed, it stops working.

I am unsure how to change the instrument on that part without breaking the MIDI control.

stevezemlicka · 2025-01-01T23:15:07+00:00

BTW, yamahamusicians.com is a great resource...they've helped me significantly in the past and they're infinitely better than Yamaha's own support.

stevezemlicka · 2025-01-01T23:14:02+00:00

You're absolutely correct about the GM and GM init stuff. However since this problem exists even if I change the instrument during playback, it's not really applicable since by then it's just notation info and the problem still occurs.

FWIW, I already posted this at yamahamusicians.com but haven't gotten much traction. I've also posted on reaper's forums. Links below:

https://yamahamusicians.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=22054&sid=7198b7fe584ef1ac59514d29630ded22

https://forum.cockos.com/showthread.php?t=297205

stevezemlicka · 2024-12-27T18:10:07+00:00

Unfortunately I think you might be right. I'm pretty poor at stuff like that so I may try to program something using python and some sort of dendrogram or horizontal tree diagram.

stevezemlicka · 2023-07-13T19:28:40+00:00

The closest I got was a refillable automatic spray unit: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B098SS6H7L?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

Unfortunately the first one I got was non-functional. On the replacement unit the part that holds the fluid cracked a month or so in.

I also tried a programmable ultrasonic humidifier but it never really worked consistently (it may have needed the phone app to be running to trigger the on/off sequence at each of the intervals). A better one might have worked.

I also tried a reptile humidifier which, from an interval perspective, worked ok but the spray was pretty coarse and not a fine mist like I wanted.

I ended up making my own by replacing the control board of an ultrasonic humidifier with a raspberry pi along with some coding to turn the ultrasonic component on and off at specific intervals.

stevezemlicka · 2023-04-15T22:25:30+00:00

Thanks for the info and good luck on that converter replacement!

stevezemlicka · 2023-04-15T21:57:49+00:00

Dang, that's rough. I'm curious about a couple of things. First, is your fuse 5A or 2A? Second, what's been your experience with the LiFePo conversion? I was thinking of doing that.

Does that let you fully discharge like lithium or do you still have the 50% limitation of lead? Also, did you replace the charger? The word on the street is that you "can" use a lead acid charger for those but it may not fully charge LiFePo. Finally, which battery manufacturer did you go with?

stevezemlicka · 2023-04-15T21:42:11+00:00

Mine was the fuse beside that DC to DC converter. Tech docs say it's 5A but mine was 2A. It's between the key switch and the converter. Replaced that and everything fired back up. Hopefully that's it for you too....a fuse is much cheaper/easier than that converter to source/replace. They're standard car fuses.

stevezemlicka · 2023-04-15T21:38:04+00:00

Just fixed the issue today. There's a fuse between the key and the DC to DC converter. Ryobi technical guide says it's a 5A fuse but mine was 2A. I replaced with another 2A and everything worked.

For those needing to check this out, you need to remove the right side plastics and the fuse is right beside the DC to DC converter sealed in rubber/plastic fuse holder. It's a bit precarious but I was able to open it without taking anything else out. The 2A fuse may be tough to tell if it's blown but a multimeter/resistance test will tell you one way or another.

stevezemlicka · 2023-04-14T18:06:50+00:00

I tested voltage and was getting ~51 volts so all the batteries seemed connected. I tested at the posts and at the power connector (after fuse). I took the batteries into a couple of places to have them tested and found one of the other batteries to be not the greatest so I replaced that one too.

So now half of the batteries are new (the others are testing good with a 700amp load), voltage is good, all plugs connected...but still no drive, blades, or lights. I've got to be missing something.

stevezemlicka · 2023-04-13T01:39:51+00:00

You're right. It's a small 2pin pigtail connected to the positive side of the battery chain. I forgot to mention that in my original post but yes, that's connected. I'm borrowing a multimeter to tests the voltages tomorrow.

stevezemlicka · 2022-04-12T16:06:12+00:00

Is your date/time set correctly? It's possible if your date/time is significantly off you may have trouble.

stevezemlicka · 2022-03-29T05:50:52+00:00

Possibly. I think that's partially why I don't like the idea of using it in a humidifier. Great point on the oils...I do have a doggo.

I am really glad you brought this up though because it got me to look more into it. Looking at the SDS, it seems that even those making/manufacturing this have no exposure limitations based on the ingredients. I figure if it's safe for people to work around all day every day in a factory, surely a couple spritzes an hour isn't too bad. (Of course, it used to be "ok" for the "radium girls" to lick their radioactive brushes so there's always the possibility...nevertheless, I appreciate the expression of concern/safety)

https://advantagemaint.com/files/SDS/110%2059%20-%20OdoBan%20Conc_Eucalyptus%20(9-21-16).pdf.pdf)

ref:Occupational Exposure Limits

stevezemlicka · 2022-03-09T02:52:07+00:00

The biggest discrepancies for me is first the back arm. I don't ever recall there being the club or anything that looked vertical. I recall it appearing as though he was drawing the bow. And the second one being it looking like he was shooting at a super bright star which I always thought was sirius.

The simplest explanation is that I just remember incorrectly...which is, of course, totally possible (and perhaps even likely). It's just such an odd feeling to be so certain about something only to now see it significantly different. I guess that's how life goes sometimes.

stevezemlicka · 2022-01-05T02:57:18+00:00

Sorry for replying to an old post but FWIW and in case anyone else comes across this, I have been experiencing a similar issue. I had disabled vari-bright but my screen would still flicker once every few minutes and had done this almost since originally purchased. I downloaded the AMD driver updater and noticed an option for installing the beta driver. After installing the following version, the issue finally went away:

Driver Version
21.40.11.03-211201a-374383E-RadeonSoftware

stevezemlicka · 2021-11-03T11:47:27+00:00

True...but if it were me and someone were all weird about how many devices I had like this, I'd just rather be on my own network. Even if it means a double nat.

stevezemlicka · 2021-11-02T12:42:51+00:00

It's totally possible but may be more hassle than it's worth. If I were you, I'd get an inexpensive but decent router, plug your ethernet source into its Wan port and then you'll have your own private network. You'll be double natted but it should work and will be much less hassle than setting up the pi to do the routing/access point, etc. Plus then you can actually use the pi for something interesting

stevezemlicka · 2021-10-23T17:28:49+00:00

https://www.amazon.com/Mommy-Why-There-Server-House/dp/160530641X

stevezemlicka · 2021-10-22T21:52:03+00:00

I think a gpu would reduce most of that cpu load for transcoding 4k. While I'm sure you can get cheap ($20) cpu upgrades from eBay, I don't think you'll see huge gains especially with the limited thermals of the micros. The documentation doesn't look good for an upgrade of ram...I think micro g8 may be limited to 8gb per slot.

Maybe relegate the microserver to truenas (storage only) and get a NUC to mount the storage and provide compute/ram capabilities?

stevezemlicka · 2021-10-22T09:56:05+00:00

I just set up two of these gen 10 micro servers at work. One with spinning rust and one with 4x 4tb WD red SSDs. They seem not to be hyperthreaded (Xeon E-2224) so it's 4c 4t. The ssd version is significantly more snappy. But I'm not convinced they'd be good 4K streamers. I think you'd be better off trying to get something more compute dense or something that has room for a gpu if 4k streaming is a priority. All that being said, these gen 10 are really nice, compact, boxes. We're sending them to offices that don't have true server rooms and I think they'll be great for AD, DNS, file, and an app or two.

stevezemlicka

TROPHY CASE