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Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Fijuu2


Demo of the new 3D music-making software, Fijuu2. The player morphs forms with a PS2-style gamepad, which alter sounds that are then recorded to tracks. Fijuu2 is an open-source project and runs on Linux.
more info: http://fijuu.com


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"no input" music



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Monday, July 30, 2007

the secret of planet xenome



http://www.16bit.com/gijoe-xenomered.asp


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meanwhile, back at the lab...


A little video of my progress so far on the xenome touch-controller


Blogger Shawn at August 8, 2007 9:43 PM | Permalink
Hey Josh - Great looking site. Have you seen this:
http://www.abc.net.au/tv/newinventors/txt/s1993073.htm
Just saw it on the show "New Inventors" last night. It's a mixing board, but instead of 100 knobs it has 10 and a touch-sensitive arc across the top which shifts which channels you are on - dynamically (eg physically) changing them to where you set them last.
I'll have a closer look here too.  
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Saturday, July 28, 2007

Tenori-On Demo



This is Yamaha's upcoming music toy/interface, the Tenori-On. Similar in concept to the monome but it is self-contained rather than requiring a computer and software, and it is transparent, so can be viewed from both sides. It will come pre-loaded with an assortment of programs and sounds. Of course it is not opensource like the monome, and the price is rumored to be over $1000.
Lots more details, here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenori-on
Circuit-Benders... heat up your irons!


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Saturday, July 21, 2007

monome in blue


monome 40h kits have shipped and people are starting to send in pics of their progress - mmmm blue


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Thursday, July 19, 2007

Socratic Electronics

http://www.ibiblio.org/kuphaldt/socratic/


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Perceptive Pixel

Jeff Han's website - cool video: http://www.perceptivepixel.com/


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Nice MS Surface demo

http://www.brightcove.com/title.jsp?title=933742930

Microsoft "invents" tangible computing. Still pretty cool.


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Wednesday, July 11, 2007

open source flower power

- from MAKE open source hardware article


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random grid runner - monome app


Monome_RandGridRunner_01.swf from formalplay and Vimeo.


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noce fears putnam

I was lucky enough to be at the debut performance of this intriguing act. Much of the music was made via monome 40h. Nicely recorded and a very enjoyable listen: nocefearsputnam.com


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DIY EEG machine

the OpenEEG project

"The OpenEEG project is about making plans and software for do-it-yourself EEG devices available for free (as in GPL). It is aimed toward amateurs who would like to experiment with EEG."


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microbusiness usa



Inspired by the business model of monome.org, I did a bit of googling about microbusinesses and the opensource business model:

A nanocorp is a ruthlessly small business - Sohodojo

Wikipedia: Small business, Mesoeconomics, Micro-enterprise: "Broadly stated, a micro-business is a business started with as little capital as possible, or less capital than would be usual for a business. More precisely, the term is often used in Australia to refer to a business with a single owner-operator, and no employees."

Excerpted from the monome.org manifesto : "we strive for economic and ecological sustainability. careful design practice allows us to contribute to culture and preserve the environment by choosing domestic, high-quality, and responsible providers and production facilities. we acknowledge that our future will depend on our ability to support and maintain a local, regenerative economy."

eXtropia.com: "The open source business model relies on shifting the commercial value away from the actual products and generating revenue from the 'Product Halo,' or ancillary services like systems integration, support, tutorials and documentation."

Wikipedia: Open source hardware

Writings on Open Source Hardware - opencollector.org

the Open source Hardware project

MAKE:
Open source hardware, what is it?

Wanted: Nobody - Businesses with 0 employees use outsourcing to get the job done By Jim Hopkins, USA TODAY (December 11, 2006)

More:

Help Not Wanted - Rise of the nanobusiness
Small Is The New Big


Blogger window at September 11, 2007 3:03 AM | Permalink
thought you might be interested in this post i did a while ago which touches on nanobusiness, small business, and why it's more attraction than necessity these days.

http://window.org.nz/2007/08/help-not-wanted-rise-of-nanobusiness.html

nice to see your progress on you custom instrument (stribe? xenome?), be anxious to hear some full compositions soon.  
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LED notes



TB029 from microchip.com discusses multiplexing LEDs: TB029

Maxim APP NOTE 1880 from maxim.com: Charlieplexing - Reduced Pin-Count LED Display Multiplexing This application note discusses "Charlieplexing" -- a pin-count reducing multiplex technique used by the MAX6950, MAX6951, MAX6954, MAX6955, MAX6958, and MAX6959 LED display drivers.

Older article about power issues when driving lots of LEDs and a nice explanation of LED multiplexing to save pins: Don Lancaster's Tech Musings August 2001

Maxim APP NOTE 141: Data Multiplexer Adds Cursor To MAX7219 or MAX7221 LED 7 Segment Display Driver Abstract: The MAX7219 or MAX7221 7-segment LED display driver can highlight any one digit of its 8 digit display by adding a data multiplexer. This circuit intensifies the brightness of the selected digit to provide a cursor function for data entry as well as readout.

MAX6956: 2-Wire-Interfaced, 2.5V to 5.5V, 20-Port or 28-Port LED Display Driver and I/O Expander
MAX6956 Programming Guide
Using a Digital Potentiometer for Push-&-Hold Control-Setting Adjustments

Digital Potentiometers Replace Mechanical Potentiometers
Driving 4-1/2 Digit Meter Displays with MAX6958/59 LED Drivers
MAX7219, MAX7221
MAX6950, MAX6951
LED Manufacturers' Web Sites
Maxim Tutorials

I just received a couple sample MAX6969's. "The MAX6969 uses the industry-standard, shift-register-plus- latch-type serial interface. The driver accepts data shifted into a 16-bit shift register using data input DIN and clock input CLK. Input data appears at the DOUT output 16 clock cycles later to allow cascading of multiple MAX6969s. The latch-enable input, LE, loads the 16 bits of shift register data into a 16-bit output latch to set which LEDs are on and which are off. The output enable, OE-bar, gates all 16 outputs on and off, and is fast enough to be used as a PWM input for LED intensity control."

"Multiplexing doubles the MAX6974/MAX6975 drive capability to 48 LEDs."

code and schematic to run 8x8 led grid w/7219 and Arduino

Ok, here's an exact schematic for a 7219 8x8 led matrix and even a pre-made board is available: http://www.woe.onlinehome.de/e_projects.htm


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Monday, July 9, 2007

on the slab



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Thursday, July 5, 2007

semuta & marteleur - o my

or should I say oo la la?

...now that's what i'm talkin about!

servovalve.org

These are software-based musical instruments similar to Reaktor instruments but standalone. The website itself is also worth checking out (requires Shockwave) for a portfolio of less interactive but very beautiful sound/image/generative works. The names are in French I think.


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Beat Blocks


"Beat Blocks is a tangible interface for a rhythm sequencer. The user is able to create and manipulate an 8-track drum loop (4 tracks in the featured prototype) on the fly by physically re-arranging blocks within a matrix. Each block is actually a sub-sequence identified by a patterning scheme." go here for more details and a video


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hometown boy totally wired for steam


Childhood chum and early inspiration Jake Von Slatt has landed himself in the pages of Wired magazine! Meet Mr. Steampunk - Wired 6.29.07



As an impressionable highschool techno-dork, I remember tearing my gaze away from Von Slatt's lovely sister just long enough to admire his hand-made platter of vintage 2-button TV remotes, each wired to activate a different gizmo in the room.

Von Slatt continues to awe and inspire: http://steampunkworkshop.com/


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140" ftir multi-touch video



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Tuesday, July 3, 2007

baby steps


Downloaded the Arduino software and scrounged up an led and a 100K resistor, plugged the Arduino board in and uploaded an example program and voila, I was adjusting the speed of a blinking LED with my touchpot in like 10 minutes. Meanwhile I'm researching bar graph array leds and reading more about multiplexing MAX7221s.

blinky blinky

Arduino library for MAX7221/MAX7219


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Monday, July 2, 2007

DIY: touch sensor pillow made of videotape


I saw an earlier project like this described elsewhere but it lacked some details. This one is from ITP Sensor workshop Wiki, a great resource: HOME MADE LINEAR TOUCH POTENTIOMETER


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I knew it



arduino library for the MAX7221 and MAX7219

This article describes how (and has links to code) to use an Arduino into 8 7221s to drive 512 leds. That might be enough or maybe I can double the recipe. A forum link touches on issues with power consumption when running all this stuff at once.


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Sunday, July 1, 2007

Project Blinkenlights - Buildings as Displays


This and other animated designs are shown on the side of a building - supacool:
http://www.blinkenlights.de/gallery/yin_yang.en.html


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charlie-plexing leds

Found some good led matrix info:
TB029 Complementary LED Drive
Charlieplexing: Reduced Pin-Count LED Display Multiplexing

Then brian crabtree sent me to this awesome page:


luscious electric delight
Be sure to check out the example movie at the end.


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April 2007 * May 2007 * June 2007 * July 2007 * August 2007 * September 2007 * October 2007 * November 2007 * December 2007 * January 2008 *