Testing my device with an online MIDI signal generator worked well for many experiments but was not the same as an instrument. I had a 68-key keyboard but did not have a MIDI port. I searched, and other people added MIDI functionality by tapping off a pin on the internal controller. I opened the top and found the correct pin.
I tried to solder some stranded 30AWG wire directly to the top of the pin but could not get my iron tip to the optimal temperature. I might have had better luck with leaded solder or solid wire, but my solution was to saturate the bare wire with bismuth solder, which has a melting temperature of 138°C. The combination of the low-temp solder and a steady hand was a tiny wire right on top of the correct pin.
For the Vcc, I added a wire to a nearby filtering capacitor, which had a large solder pad and did not require fancy solder. I drilled three holes in the back of the piano to mount a 5-pin port. I soldered a resistor and the wires to the relevant pins and constructed a tester where I soldered two LEDs to a MIDI connector and polarized them so the red would illuminate if the wiring was backward and the green would come on when it was wired correctly. I made a nicer version years ago, but I lost it. The piano worked perfectly as a MIDI device, so I closed it up.
The rest of the posts for this project have been arranged by date.
First time here?
Completed projects from year 1
Completed projects from year 2
Completed projects from year 3
Completed projects from year 4
Completed projects from year 5
Completed projects from year 6
Completed projects from year 7
Completed projects from year 8
Completed projects from year 9
Completed projects from year 10
Completed projects from year 11
Disclaimer for http://24hourengineer.blogspot.com and 24HourEngineer.com
This disclaimer must be intact and whole. This disclaimer must be included if a project is distributed.
All information on this blog, or linked by this blog, is not to be taken as advice or solicitation. Anyone attempting to replicate, in whole or in part, is responsible for the outcome and procedure. Any loss of functionality, money, property, or similar, is the responsibility of those involved in the replication.
All digital communication regarding the email address 24hourengineer@gmail.com becomes the intellectual property of Brian McEvoy. Any information contained within these messages may be distributed or retained at the discretion of Brian McEvoy. Any email sent to this address, or any email account owned by Brian McEvoy, cannot be used to claim property or assets.
Comments to the blog may be utilized or erased at the discretion of the owner. No one posting may claim property or assets based on their post.
This blog, including pictures and text, is copyright to Brian McEvoy.
2025-03-01
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| Keyboard internals and instructions |
I tried to solder some stranded 30AWG wire directly to the top of the pin but could not get my iron tip to the optimal temperature. I might have had better luck with leaded solder or solid wire, but my solution was to saturate the bare wire with bismuth solder, which has a melting temperature of 138°C. The combination of the low-temp solder and a steady hand was a tiny wire right on top of the correct pin.
 |
| The wire in place with bismuth solder |
For the Vcc, I added a wire to a nearby filtering capacitor, which had a large solder pad and did not require fancy solder. I drilled three holes in the back of the piano to mount a 5-pin port. I soldered a resistor and the wires to the relevant pins and constructed a tester where I soldered two LEDs to a MIDI connector and polarized them so the red would illuminate if the wiring was backward and the green would come on when it was wired correctly. I made a nicer version years ago, but I lost it. The piano worked perfectly as a MIDI device, so I closed it up.
 |
| Keyboard with a working MIDI port |
The rest of the posts for this project have been arranged by date.
First time here?
Completed projects from year 1
Completed projects from year 2
Completed projects from year 3
Completed projects from year 4
Completed projects from year 5
Completed projects from year 6
Completed projects from year 7
Completed projects from year 8
Completed projects from year 9
Completed projects from year 10
Completed projects from year 11
Disclaimer for http://24hourengineer.blogspot.com and 24HourEngineer.com
This disclaimer must be intact and whole. This disclaimer must be included if a project is distributed.
All information on this blog, or linked by this blog, is not to be taken as advice or solicitation. Anyone attempting to replicate, in whole or in part, is responsible for the outcome and procedure. Any loss of functionality, money, property, or similar, is the responsibility of those involved in the replication.
All digital communication regarding the email address 24hourengineer@gmail.com becomes the intellectual property of Brian McEvoy. Any information contained within these messages may be distributed or retained at the discretion of Brian McEvoy. Any email sent to this address, or any email account owned by Brian McEvoy, cannot be used to claim property or assets.
Comments to the blog may be utilized or erased at the discretion of the owner. No one posting may claim property or assets based on their post.
This blog, including pictures and text, is copyright to Brian McEvoy.
2025-03-01
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