Video update on Drum-machine progress

Here’s a video update on where I am with my Drum-machine project. In the past few months I’ve implemented a fair few new features and sorted out some long standing bugs.
Features;

• A new menu mode using the joystick to navigate.
• Added control over the LCD Backlight.
• Added a simple Reverb mode.
• New LCD driver code to render graphics to a buffer and squirt it out to the LCD via 9bit SPI.
• Includes a basic graphics library with some widgets to make creating screens easier.
• Fixed an odd issue with LED’s flashing out of sequence. I had my MAX6957 ports all out or order.
• Added RUN LED flashing to every 4th beat.
• Implemented loading and saving to one of 16 JSON files on the SD card.
• Added a Tuning mode to allow you to individually set the volume and adjust the playback rate of each instrument/sample.

Drum machine progress : From prototype to version 2

I’ve not posted in a long time so here’s a quick update on the progress of my drum machine. It’s come a fair way from the initial prototype documented in this post back in July 2012.

A sneak look at version 2 with a new 32bit PIC and a new larger LCD

Drum Machine prototype – schematic

I found some time to convert my hand drawn notes into a proper Eagle Cad schematic.

PIC24 drum machine prototype

This is a project I’ve been working on for over a year but haven’t had the time to complete yet. Electronics takes second place to children… 🙂

It’s a mini drum machine modelled on classic machines like the Roland TR808. My version is digital, playing samples rather than analogue and uses a single pic24 to do the work.