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Folks, I’m so sorry about this! Thanks for pointing it out. I will fix the link, and also make sure each folder really does contain the sketch file.
Good news! the new Altura MkII+ boards have just landed! We are flashing software and performing QC tomorrow, Friday May 20, 2022. New kits should be ready to ship by the 23rd, so place your order for a MkII now and enjoy the introductory price. Kits include a steel chassis and more robust LED display design. The software is the same.
Coffeepal, thanks for your comment. That’s actually a great suggestion. The new version is primarily a significant hardware upgrade; we were not contemplating any changes to the software or feature set. We are experiencing the same supply chain and labor shortage issues as the rest of the planet, and we may not have the resources to implement any changes to the software. But if I can pull it together, I might look into your suggestion.
There is this issue, hosever. The Altura MkII and MkII+ use an oscillator inside the micropcontroller to measure time, and these oscillators are not perfectly accurate or stable. Their notion of how long a second is can depend on other components and on voltage fluctuations. Thus, even if I keyed in a tempo of 120 BPM, you might actually get something a little faster or slower. Thus, if your Altura is performing along with a home studio full of stuff, after a minute or two of continuous play, the beat may begin to drift. On the other hand, if you are playing live, or only intermittently (as this device is usually played), then I think you would never notice a difference.
How do you envision using such a set-tempo, if it was available? What I am picturing is this: when you tap a tempo, the calculated BPM appears on the display for 3 seconds, during which time you can use the increment/decrement keys to adjust the tempo by integers.
All software arechives are now up-to-date and include the latest sketch files (*.ino) and the latest binaries (*.hex).
You are not a bother! You are a hero! You have alerted me to the fact that several of those archives are incomplete. I have the new archives ready to post, but it will be tomorrow before I can access the server to upload them. If you write to me at info/aT\zeppelindesignlabsDOTkom, I will email you the sketch you seek, along with a small prize.
Thanks for keeping me honest!
Glen
Yes, it’s bundled in the folder with the binary, which fact I notice is not clearly stated anywhere! I need to re-draft some of the text!
You can find all of our software on the ZDL Updater App page, on the What You Will Need tab: https://zeppelindesignlabs.com/product/zdl-updater/
With your experience, you probably will not need the app itself. Go ahead and tinker with the software to your heart’s content. We found it tricky to compile to run properly on its MCU. While the code is open-source, its further development is not something we are supporting, so we won’t be able to assist if you run into snags.Let us know what you come up with!!
You can find all of our software on the ZDL Updater App page, on the What You Will Need tab: https://zeppelindesignlabs.com/product/zdl-updater/
With your experience, you probably will not need the app itself. Go ahead and tinker with the software to your heart’s content. We found it tricky to compile to run properly on its MCU. While the code is open-source, its further development is not something we are supporting, so we won’t be able to assist if you run into snags.Let us know what you come up with!!
Here we are! Sure enough, I made these a while ago and thought I posted them somewhere convenient. These are STL files of the Altura MKII cabinet, and lid. For the Cabinet model, I merged the individual kit components into a single mass, which you can print as one piece. It contains undercut features and will require some support structure. The thick end parts can be shelled internally and printed at lower interior density to save a little time, weight and material.
The lid contains no undercut features if printed face-down.
Be careful with units!! These models are either in decimal millimetres or decimal inches. The correct-size lid, for instance, is about 4″(100 mm) wide x 5″(125 mm).
https://zeppelindesignlabs.com/wp-content/uploads/docs/AlturaMkII-Cabinet.STL
https://zeppelindesignlabs.com/wp-content/uploads/docs/AlturaMkII-Lid.STLI thought there was one posted on the forum somewhere. I will check. If not, I’ll whip up a printable version off the stock case this afternoon.
That’s right; the Altura does not send program changes. When I played live years ago, I used an ART UltraFoot, which is an array of footswitches, to send program changes while playing. If touching the keyboard control panel does not give you the voice you want, then yes, you would need to inject another device into the chain to send one-off program changes when needed.
Coffeepal, thanks for the review. The only significant (measurable) latency in the Altura system would be the speed of sound in air. The sensors send out a chirp and listen for an echo off your hand. The further out you play, the longer the distance and thus the longer the latency. Also, speed of sound in air changes with temperature and pressure. The Altura will be a little more responsive in New Hampshire in February and a little more sluggish in Baton Rouge in August.
Another type of latency occurs when you quickly pull your hand out of the sensor beam. If the sensor hears no echo after a timeout, it sends a note-off message. You can perceive this delay if you listen for it.
A third phenomenon involves our use of “bins.” Please watch the Altura deep-dive video on our YouTube channel for a detailed explanation. In short, to improve stability the software tries to create a zone, or bin, around your hand once it has decided what note you are trying to play. Nudging your hand to the next adjacent note then takes a delicate “touch” and some practice. You may percieve what seems like latency, but actually the software conditions for sending a new note simply haven’t been met yet. Once the conditions are met, the note sounds instantly.
Last, the “articulation” value can be adjusted to fine tune sensitivity. See the reference manual for details. Again, this does not add or reduce latency per se; it makes the software more or less willing to send new note messages. At low values, the device becomes extremely responsive — which means more unintended notes. At high values, it takes its time to decide where your hand is, averaging sensor readings and discarding data fluctuations. The result is much more stable performance, but the device becomes less responsive to small movements of your hand.
