Q about optical sensor leads

Home Forums Altura Theremin MIDI Controller Forum Altura FAQ & Support Q about optical sensor leads

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  • #31473 Reply
    Coffeepal
    Guest

    Yeaqh, well that’s why I’m asking. I’ve already looked at the software section under the doc tab and it has a link for an updater program and a device to buy to use for flashing it. That’s fine but I don’t know where you begin modifying the code if that’s all that you get. Does the updater include source code for the altura that I could look at or share?

    #31474 Reply
    Coffeepal
    Guest

    Oh BTW, I’m just chillaxin after a long cold day with my Altura, running it into my computer via UA25-EX, into REAPER, and running a couple old favorite VSTs with it, Superwave and Purple 2. Just to relax.

    #31480 Reply
    brach
    Moderator

    That sounds fun! I’m glad to hear you are liking it so much.
    …but check the Altura page again. I updated it today so you may need to refresh your cache. It should have a link to our GitHub page with the source code.
    -Brach

    #31529 Reply
    Coffeepal
    Guest

    Ah, I will, Thank you. BTW, I plugged an Altura into an old Yamaha plastic keyboard from the 90s last night, I’m still having fun with it now. Yamaha PSR-48, the Ford Edsel of Yamahas. Lots of fun!

    #31530 Reply
    Coffeepal
    Guest

    Oh wow, I haven’t even tried this until now, you use the keyboard and use the Altura as an effector. Wow.

    #31563 Reply
    Coffeepal
    Guest

    Okay, now plugged into a PSS-795, the toy Yamaha that was a vector synth. I don’t know how to use it that well RN but I’ll be futzing around with it. I’d like to be able to use both the Altura and the joystick simultaneously, just for fun.

    #34221 Reply
    loveawake.ru
    Guest

    I bought this terminal shield to connect a sensor using CAT5E and would like the 3 wires from my sensor to use the screw terminals so they can be detached easily without soldering.
    The sensor needs a resistor between it and the 5V power. Its easier to see what Im trying to do with the attached image. How to do this using the terminal shield?
    Thanks

    #34236 Reply
    brach
    Moderator

    I don’t see an attached image. …If you want to show a photo, you’ll need to host the photo somewhere else like google photos and link to it in this forum.
    I’m not sure exactly what you are asking, but please look at the schematic at the end of the assembly manual. That should tell you what the sensor pins are attached to. But you should know the only sensors that will work with the Altura are ultrasonic HC-SR04 or similar variations.
    -Brach

    #35351 Reply
    Coffeepal
    Participant

    You know, I’m sorry I haven’t gotten back with you about this lately. Progress has been slow but not entirely absent. I’ve been working on that breakout box and here is a pic:

    View post on imgur.com

    It works. Those are standard pots mounted on skate wheels. I was going to use big plastic jars, then decided to use smaller plastic jars, then just decided that these should suffice. The main objective was to make this something you could do with your feet, leaving your hands for waving at the Altura.

    And BTW, if you ever wanted to really sell a few of these you should slightly revise the packaging and the marketing. I adore your videos but I don’t think they help sell. The product itself is absolutely brilliant.

    #35353 Reply
    zdlAdmin
    Keymaster

    This is ingenious. We want video of live performance!! Now!
    Glen

    #35359 Reply
    brach
    Moderator

    That is very interesting! I love the idea! It’s never crossed my mind to use wheels like this to control pot with your feet, but it looks like it would work pretty well. I guess you just have to make sure you don’t turn them too hard with your feet so they don’t over-turn past the stopping point on the pot. Like Glen said, it would be cool to see it in action.
    Thanks for sharing. Good luck!
    -Brach

    #35512 Reply
    coffeepal
    Guest

    I may have just botched this board. So if you want to see the video you have to finish rev. 2. And I’ve decided it should have MIDI in. We were talking about how the Altura isn’t the ideal master clock and what to do about that. I just realized you could either do a MIDI in or sync in like a lot of electronic instruments have nowadays. If a SYNC in could be easily applied, that would suit my needs. I like to have the arp and effects all synced.

    I am currently trying to rewire the pots to the external pots as I previously described. I”m not really knowledgeable about this stuff and I’m not finding your schematics to be very helpful, there isn’t really a full schematic, just a few closeups of the ICs and stuff. I wish you could have told me which pads to connect which wires to instead of telling me to figure it out for myself. I’m destroying this board.

    #35513 Reply
    coffeepal
    Guest

    But looking at the board under magnification I can see there are individual traces from the center to one of the ICs, the right connectors are all sharing the same trace and I’m not seeing the trace for the left one at all, which leads me to assume the wiper is center, the right is pos and the left is grounded to the board.

    #35519 Reply
    brach
    Moderator

    There is a schematic on the second to last page of the assembly manual…that was what I was referring to when I was telling you to look at the schematic. I’m sorry, I didn’t realize that my explanation wasn’t very useful. Hopefully this graphic will help…

    The green pads are ground (aka negative)
    The yellow pads are the wipers
    The red pads are 5 volts (aka positive)
    So you only need 9 wires total sent to the foot controller: one wire for each pot (connected to the 7 wipers), and one ground wire and one 5V wire. The ground pins on all the pots on your controller should all be hooked together…with the ground wire from the board attached to one of those pins. The same is true for the 5V pins…they should all be hooked together and the 5V wire from the board attached to one of those pins.
    I hope that helps.
    -Brach

    #35580 Reply
    Coffeepal
    Participant

    Oh hey wow, I hadn’t noticed you responded to me! This is great! I’m going to do it ASAP, though I’m afraid I may have toasted this board. I’ll find out soon. I’ve had a couple disasters, but it may still work. If I can get another kit or more please let me know. Message me or email me or whatever in the event you have any kits lying around, pls.

    I’m currently working on that foot controller thing, rebuilding it using some different parts.

    Brach, you had raised the point about the danger of turning the pots too far on the foot controller. I think as this gets a little further along I can probably install stops on the skate wheels. Also, there are going to be two points in the ‘drive train’ between the skate wheel and the pot where the connection is made up of self-adhesive velcro, which should provide some flexibility and which might be set up to be sort of a failsafe for the pots.

    And BTW, if you were to issue a hardware device that was nothing but the arpeggiator part of the Altura, you would still have a pretty cool device, and one that you could sell. There aren’t really many out there right now. And I don’t know if there have ever been any that determine all the arpeggio notes using *potentiometers.* That is extra cool and makes for some neat things you can do in addition to what I’m now attempting. 🙂

    I am just so enthused about this Altura device, I’m hoping I can get another kit ASAP. If you have any available I’d sure love to get another one. I think it’s one of the big secrets on the internet right now in the way of musical instruments, I just love having a motion controller and this one has a brilliant little arpeggiator built in as well. It is perfect. You guys should issue a “pro” edition, with a transparent protective layer, acrylic or whatever, to protect the LED display. I think this device deserves a housing and parts really made to last.

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