#553

Yes, basically. You alter the configuration in the Arduino source code, and then reflash the unit. To clarify what’s in the README:

  • defaults are channel 1, CCs 32-47
  • CCs can be altered per fader
  • Channels can be altered per fader
  • TRS MIDI and USB MIDI can have separate configurations.
#554

Ok cool, thanks for the info

#555

MSW has posted their MIDI/i2c-over-TRS interface, though it’s unclear if it works apart from their euro-format 16n derivative 8m: https://michigansynthworks.com/products/8m-output-expander?variant=31775125241942

Edit: removed my own unnecessary editorial comment

#556

I can confirm that the current design of the expander would not function standalone as it uses 3.3V provided by the 8m. But if you are handy enough to bring your own 3.3V then it would be simple to use it standalone.

If you have interest in a standalone I2C repeater please reach out to Raph at MSW.

#557

Is there an alternative fader that will match the footprint of the one in the BOM? I just got the PCB but Mouser is backordered for like 16 weeks on that part :frowning:

#562

FWIW, last time they were on backorder they showed up in stock much sooner than the actual lead time stated.

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#563

Apologies if this is documented somewhere but I’m having trouble finding much info.

What do Ansible and TXo do with the messages that the 16n sends them in leader mode? Is there any expected behavior or is this for future implementation?

#564

They set their CV outputs to the value sent by the fader. This is more useful for the early 16n prototypes that didn’t have the CV outputs on the 16n - like my little bamboo friend here:

For the ER-301, it is super helpful as it drives the first 16 virtual inputs that you can patch wherever you like. :slight_smile:

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#565

Question: I got a 16n from Michigan Synth Works a few months ago - Everytime i use it to control midi, there is a lag between fader movement and result on screen. CV works fine - haven’t tried i2C yet. Anyone else have this problem?

It is technically functional, but with it not being very responsive it makes it difficult to use the midi portion in a musical manner.

#566

“on screen” in what, specifically? do you have any other MIDI programs running in the background?

I would recommend speaking to your builder if you did not build it yourself. It should be very, very responsive.

#567

Ableton mostly. I’ve tried controlling Norns as well and it has the same issue. I sent Michigan Synth Works a message so i guess we’ll see. I had them flash it to be i2C master so maybe that was part of the problem? Either way, the lag i experience currently is at least a full second from when i move the faders.

#568

I2C Master shouldn’t effect the midi performance at all. And I don’t know what version of the firrmware MSW will have put on. I suggest you speak to them about this. That lag is absolutely not normal, I can supply a build of the latest official firmware that you can use Teensy Loader to put on the board without needing to compile it, to see if it’s a firmware issue, but you should speak to MSW first.

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#569

Lasercut panel (faders missing). Nice and scratchable :slight_smile:

IMG_6560
IMG_65603024×4032 2.07 MB

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#570

Hi all; you might be interested in the 2.0.0 firmware for 16n, which has its own thread now. Linking it here for those of you that will get an alert by me doing so…

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#571

This looks like such a nice thing to pair with the Er-301 which I am looking to buy.
The only thing is I really really don’t like the little usb port for powering it.
Would the best/easiest thing just be to put it in a bigger enclosure and have an internal adapter with usb b out?

#572

in short, yes. The micro-USB port that powers it is there because it’s the one on the Teensy, and it’s used for data transfer as well as power.

At least one 16n-derivative design adds a mini-B USB jack to the mainboard itself, primarily for added physical integrity - the Teensy jack is not the most solid part.

Of course, the product is entirely open source, and you’re welcome to adjust the circuitboard to your own needs; there might be space to add a full-size B jack and reroute to connect to it.

#573

@infovore
I just build the 16n (berlin version 1.4)
I have a few issues

  1. It doesn’t turn on in my eurorack.
  2. it turns on via usb (computer) but it reaches like 1.5 or 2 Volts (max)
    Anybody have an idea what could be wrong?
    cheers
#574

@infovore: I just recently discovered the 16n in form of the Tesseract Sweet Sixteen faderbank, and I really like how it made my ER-301 “touchable” when connected via i2c.

The only downside: It doesn’t have enough faders. 16 are a lot, but 32 would be better.

Please, is there any way to “chain” two 16n or Sweet Sixteen, so that they appear on the i2c bus as one device with 32 faders?

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#575

The Berlin Modular version is a derivative, so perhaps their Github pages for it are the best place to ask for support? I know it moves a few things around, and adds a filtering cap on the 5V line (I should have done that). But I don’t know the full details of what’s changed, so can’t quite support it. For instance:

It doesn’t turn on in my eurorack

That’s a Berlin-Modular specific issue, because vanilla 16n has no Eurorack connector.

The whole thing does smell like you’ve got a short circuit somewhere, likely in the power section, but without images of your soldering it’s hard to tell, and like I said, that’s not a product I designed.

#576

It doesn’t have enough faders.

in your opinion, a crucial distinction!

Please, is there any way to “chain” two 16n or Sweet Sixteen, so that they appear on the i2c bus as one device with 32 faders?

No, sorry.

But: both 16n and @M4ngu’s Sweet 16 are open-source, from firmware through to hardware, so perhaps you could investigate what it might take to do that? If you’re asking me to do it, it’s not a feature I have a huge amount of interest in.

I know I regularly write “it’s open source, why don’t you try?” on lots of these posts. I’m not doing that to be passive-aggressive. I’m doing that because that’s exactly one of the advantages of making open-source projects: people can investigate modifications that are really valuable to them, even if the original maker doesn’t care. Some of them make things like the Sweet 16 or Berlin Modular version that other people prefer.

And: I’m not a trained EE. Everything I learned about electronics, I learned from open-source designs and other resources; Tom Whitwell and Émilie Gillet are largely responsible for my electronics skills. (Hell, everything I learned about code I learned through open-source products, tools and languages!). I know many people will bounce off that suggestion, but some of them stick it out and end up with new skills, or something unique that they’ve made, or something other people will like.

OS isn’t just a neat way of getting PCBs and building things cheaply, it’s a way of joining in, making what you want, and sharing. And that’s why I’m going to keep writing “it’s open-source, have you considered trying to make those modifications yourself” every time there’s a feature request I don’t think is critical for the OG 16n.

(FWIW, I think building a Sweet-32, rather than chaining two, might be an easier approach, but that’s just me. It also means you can’t, say, have two banks of 16 at different locations in a rack, but that appear as one 32-fader device.)

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