PARASIT STUDIO
  • DIY GUITAR EFFECTS
    • Original Effects
    • Building blog
    • DIY Gallery
    • Stripboard layouts
    • Articles
  • SHOP
  • BUILD DOCS
  • ABOUT

Guitar to MIDI converter

6/11/2014

5 Comments

 
Here's something fun that I found at diystompboxes.com (original thread here).

It's a little circuit that converts your guitarsignal into MIDI language, so you can use your guitar with your favourite synths. :) It's monophonic, so it's not good for chords but works ok for single notes, leads, basses ect.

It requires a specific PIC chip and PIC programmer hardware (such as pickit2), software, and code (downloads at the bottom of the post) to be written onto the chip, so it's a bit harder to do then your regular stompbox. More info below.
Picture
This is what you will need:
  • The PIC16F88 chip. It's an older 8-bit chip, but still easy to find (try ebay). The code is written for the chip so other PICs with not work.
  • The hardware required is either pickit2 or pickit3. I borrowed a pickit2 from a friend, but you can buy them here. Pickit is basically a interface that connects to your computer with USB and lets you read/write/erase programs to the PIC chip. Keep in mind though that the chip-socket may not have the same pinout as the chip. I used a breadboard to jumper the connections, as shown here.
  • There are alot of choices for the software (all free). I used PICkit 2 v2.60, but MPlab and PICgm Programmer are also good,
  • Code! Download the required code below. Only one of them is needed. Try the second one if you are having trouble writing the code to the chip with pickit2.
g2mplus.hex
File Size: 2 kb
File Type: hex
Download File

g2mpluspickit2.hex
File Size: 24 kb
File Type: hex
Download File

All the info is taken from the diystompboxes forum. I just put together the important stuff here, so all credits to the original contributers at diystompboxes. :)
5 Comments
Devin McCuaig
8/20/2019 09:54:45 am

Is there a chance that you could show this cucuit functioning and an indepth assemble guide?

Reply
Fredrik Lyxzén link
8/20/2019 10:45:28 am

Hi Devin,

Here's a video I made: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4obQHD1tsuk
This was just a vero layout I made years ago from the information found in the project thread in the diystompboxes forum (link in the post), so I don't remember the details. I don't even have my own build anymore, as I gave it to a friend. However, all the info you should need is here and in the forum thread, unless you have never built a vero/stripboard layout before. In that case, check out the build guide at tagboardeffects: http://tagboardeffects.blogspot.com/2012/04/vero-build-guide.html
I hope that helps! Best regards / Fredrik

Reply
Federico link
3/24/2021 10:03:38 am

Hello!! it's just what i was looking for. I need the schematic if you still have it. In diystompboxes.com the links to the original project do not work. Thank you very much for sharing your projects, they are very inspiring to create my own projects.
A warm greeting from Argentina.

Reply
Fredrik Lyxzén link
3/25/2021 04:31:53 am

Hi Federico! I'm afraid that I don't have the schematic any longer. I've been looking in my folders, but I can't find it. Perhaps you can trace my stripboard layout to extract at schematic from it? Best regards / Fredrik

Reply
openlnvent link
4/27/2022 01:03:18 pm

you can turn pickups sideways to get polyphony!? i am going tp test this idea out if not you can remove pole pins on pickups

i ordered 3 midi kits but my order was canceled and i got 2 i cant even buy the pic16f88-1 anywhere..

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    vero layouts

    All the layouts are Verified unless noted.

    Archives

    February 2018
    October 2017
    September 2015
    June 2015
    April 2015
    February 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014

    Categories

    All
    Amps
    Boosters
    Chorus
    Compressor
    Filters
    Fuzz
    Noise
    Octave Down
    Overdrive & Distortion
    Phaser
    Pro Audio
    Ringmods
    Tremolo
    Utility

    RSS Feed

  • DIY GUITAR EFFECTS
    • Original Effects
    • Building blog
    • DIY Gallery
    • Stripboard layouts
    • Articles
  • SHOP
  • BUILD DOCS
  • ABOUT