hacking it up!
hacking it up! Posted on: 12.09.2011 by Golden Faubert ok, since moving over to timecode my behringer bcd3000 has just sat and gathered dust in the corner. what i was believeing of doing is ripping it apart and making something more useful to me, in standard form it has 13 knobs 4 faders and 37 buttons and 2 rotary encoders all already controlling midi.as i would like to get into production more i was believeing of making something multifunctional with all of the above but more faders, my question is can i just swap out some of the knobs for faders? will they still work? i know the bcd maybe isnt the best controller in the world but it got me off to a good start and now ive moved on, i just dont believe its right for it to be sitting there doing nothing. let me know what you believe? i will post plans/pics as soon as i get a chance. | |
| Golden Faubert 12.09.2011 | ok, since moving over to timecode my behringer bcd3000 has just sat and gathered dust in the corner. what i was believeing of doing is ripping it apart and making something more useful to me, in standard form it has 13 knobs 4 faders and 37 buttons and 2 rotary encoders all already controlling midi. as i would like to get into production more i was believeing of making something multifunctional with all of the above but more faders, my question is can i just swap out some of the knobs for faders? will they still work? i know the bcd maybe isnt the best controller in the world but it got me off to a good start and now ive moved on, i just dont believe its right for it to be sitting there doing nothing. let me know what you believe? i will post plans/pics as soon as i get a chance. |
| Arletta Thornes 02.04.2012 | what type of hack do you mean? I have software mappings and guides. I'm believeing of painting mine because it doesn't get used with mixmeister anymore. |
| Evia Nitch 14.09.2011 | @soundinsurgent712: I could have, but that'll cost you one mixmeister . I misspent a lot of time making things from junk electronics. Tube amps, robots, sensor systems.... @ts: Clipping the shit off is a good way to go, but do get a specialized clipper from the electronics diy shop. NO WAY you can do that with normal tools. Toenailclipper kinda do a better job than you'd expect, but better buy the clippers. The problem is that when you solder to the "lugs", the solder will liquify, the lug will jam itself in the hole and lifts the copper off the board of which the glue between the copper traces and the actual board has given away. Do you have a picture of the board? I may have some tricks for you if I know what material and other components are on it. |
| Xenia Gorin 13.09.2011 | Has anybody any knowledge on a MixMeister controller being hacked? I have 2 of those just lying around. Thanks for the time Huey |
| Golden Faubert 14.09.2011 | so my next question is what value post and slides should be used, im competent with basic electronics but when it comes to the different values i havent got a scooby :P like was said above, im going for a grid of 16 arcade buttons on the right, with 6 identical channels on the left each with fader, gain knob, and 2 buttons below. |
| Golden Faubert 14.09.2011 | i did believe of this but as the pots and sliders are low quality anyway i would be upgrading them, therefore i was planning to leave the pins from them attached to the board and remove the rest of the component, leaving lugs to solder to and hardly having to touch the actual board at all. but like i said it is just sitting collecting dust, and if it goes wrong i havent really lost anything. so going to give it a blast, with fingers and toes crossed! |
| Myrtle Billegas 14.09.2011 | thanks for the information mate somehow a bummer, but this explains why the unit doesnt get modded this much, or never |
| Yong Aptekar 13.09.2011 | Guys, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I've posed this question here before, and while it can be done, you will probably wreck your PCB. All of the buttons knobs and faders are through hole. This means that there are holes in the board, and the pins on the components go through them. The only way to remove them is to heat the board, and wick the solder away. You run a VERY high risk of destroying the PCB doing this by peeling the layers apart. The BCD PCB is not at all high quality. I work with some very talented board repair operators at work, and have asked them this, and they have all destroyed many similar boards. If you wreck one of the 2 boards in the bcd, its all shot. So, to put it bluntly, if you don't care if your BCD goes in the can, and you have a lot of board repair/solder experience, give it a shot. If not, get a DIY kit and save yourself the trouble. I wanted to do this to my BCD because I do love it, but it was going to be way too much work with way too much risk. Sorry guys. |
| Myrtle Billegas 12.09.2011 | sounds cool, still got my beloved bcd3000 here too gonna keep a eye on this thread |
| Golden Faubert 12.09.2011 | brilliant thanks, that was pretty much exactly what i was believeing of doing just taken it apart and had a look and its all actually quite compact inside, im going to have a play about with photoshop now and see what i can come up with. |
| Evia Nitch 12.09.2011 | Hi brian, A fader is exactly the same (electronically) as a knob. They are variable resistors. The only difference is the physical action in which the resistance is changed. A fader uses al linear action, a knob a rotary action. So, you can have 17 faders if you want. Once you only look at the controlling electronics, there is little wrong with low end products. The quality and cost is in the physical stuff. In the end it's just a PCB making midi out of signals. I believe it's best to figure out a certain workflow and then see what to make. I'd be believeing along the lines of ~6 identical "channels" with one fader and one knob + 2 or so buttons and the rest for controlling generic things as gain, effects etc. That should leave at least 16 knob functions available for an additional 4x4 grid of knobs.More or less like a korg nanokontrol with effects controls + a midi fighter on the side... |
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