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Efika 5200B Project
Live Performance MIDI server/ Graphic FX stationin category Other
proposed by kidde on 7th October 2006 (accepted on 9th October 2006)
Project Summary
Using a soundcard in the PCI slot, the EFIKA in question will control instruments (synthesizers, samplers, drum machines - and) via MIDI, and react to MIDI input and make changes in the output signals depending on the input. Also, by using MIDI over USB and a graphics card in the PCI slot, making the system produce graphic effects (think X with SDL fullscreen in a low enough resolution to use on a projector), that changes depending on the MIDI signals received. The software intended would be Linux 2.6.x based live CD, with all the drivers and scripts needed to take (most of the time headless) system into a usable state, as well as user programs and MIDI-files.Project Blog Entries
Finally got around to boot linux on the board today, and it works like a charm.. School's taking a lot of time right now, but I'll try to put together a minimal ramdisk to base the rest of my work on as soon as possible.
The new board came today, and it works like a charm. I realised I probably won't be booting this project off CDROM, but will be using a USB flash drive instead.
Yesterday, 18th of December, my EFIKA arrived. I got straight to setting it up, and didn't even have the time to get dressed. In my robe, I took out the EFIKA of it's white box, and placed it on top. I then went on to connect a serial cable between it and my main computer, as well as to connect a PSU.
I launced minicom on the main box, and then powered the EFIKA on. Beautiful. Boot diagnostics and information filled my terminal, and then came the familiar "ok" prompt. "Great" I thought. "Let's see what's on this board". I typed "ls" and pressed return.
Nothing happened. The characters didn't even echo. "Damn" I thought. And at once I knew what was wrong. Or so I though at least. Of the three PSUs I had in my shelf, I must've picked the one I retired from my main computer because it wouldn't give enough power. And now it seemed, it had given up completely.
"Okay then" I thought, and switched off the power. Let's try another one. Only that yielded the exact same result. As did the third PSU. "What am I doing wrong?" I said to myself. So I did what I thought any one would do. I tried again with the first PSU. And then the second. And so on.
And suddenly, minicom wouldn't even show me the boot diagnostics. Then I did what I know anyone would do. I posted on the forums. The answers I got told me what I really should've known all along.
Hardware. Handshaking. That's what prevented me from sending any input to the EFIKA. Unfortunately, no turning off hardware handshaking in the world could bring the EFIKA back from the state I had put it in while fiddling with the PSUs. Right there and then, I thought this project had come to an early and abrupt end.
It hasn't. The great people at Genesi offered to exchange the EFIKA I had killed myself for a new, working unit. Can anyone name one, single, other company that, free of charge, replaces a product that the user has destroyed from carelessness?
I know I can't.