Axoloti enclosure for the Roli Blocks

Abhoth 2017-10-18 20:31:25 UTC #1

I'll probably make a small video and blog post on this with more details later on, but I was just eager to show my newly made "Axoloti Block". Powered by a lithium battery and with magnets along the sides so that it "clicks" to other blocks. I use a CME Widi Bud for bluetooth midi from the seaboard block.

flugli 2017-10-18 21:16:01 UTC #2

Wow. That’s fantastic just what i was looking for ! I have two blocks. Please keep us updated... is it functional ?

Abhoth 2017-10-19 06:21:07 UTC #3

Yes, the hardware is all done and functional, but I haven't done much on the patching side yet. When the new Roli light pad block is released I'm planning to get one of those and see if I can add the Blocks SDK to Axoloti to control it. It would be nice to let the Axoloti use the light pad to display values etc, in addition for it being a control surface.

But I haven't looked at that at all so far. For now it works well as an MPE sound source for the seaboard block.

thetechnobear 2017-10-19 09:19:29 UTC #4

this looks really cool, aesthetically really nice too... look forward to hearing the results

a few notes on this:
- you wont be able to compile the blocks sdk, as none of the supporting frameworks are available on chibios/stm32, so you will have to do this at wire level. I seem to remember this is documented somewhere, but can't find it 'off hand'
- Axoloti hardware does not support USB 2.0 high speed... not sure if blocks use this or not, but worth checking before any real effort expended (I found this out when trying to connect my Push 2)

Abhoth 2017-10-19 10:37:00 UTC #5

Hmm. I believe the SDK uses midi sysex for communication, so I guess I could probably hard-code some sysex strings if porting the relevant parts of the SDK turns out to be impossible/a lot of hassle. Static commands like "toggle MPE mode" or "show a 4x4 light pad grid". Like I said, I haven't actually looked at this at all, but my guess is that handling the topology of what blocks are present will be the hardest part without the SDK. Perhaps I will just have to hardcode my exact combo of blocks as well.

...but not critical in any case. I can toggle modes etc. using the Littlefoot scripting language on the blocks themselves if need be. Fun times ahead! I look more forward to messing about with this stuff than actually playing the blocks.

Abhoth 2018-01-16 10:02:45 UTC #6

I finally got around to making that video and blog post (with link to the design files, etc).

mtyas 2018-01-16 13:03:28 UTC #7

Fantastic work, it looks really smart and seems so easy to setup and play. Bravo !

Abhoth 2018-01-17 08:28:04 UTC #8

Thanks! And yeah, the plan is to use this as part of a minimal live setup, so I wanted it as hassle-free and reliable as possible.

I wish I had added a couple of LEDs, though. It would have been nice to have some over to the other side to where the buttons are. To show stuff like midi activity, a warning for clipping, etc.

thetechnobear 2018-01-17 10:27:47 UTC #9

Fantastic job Kai, this is the best use of the Roli blocks I’ve seen - a small tidy minimal rig makes sense of the blocks and also highlights axolotis strengths at the same time.
Very nice - now need to fight the GAS .

Buis 2018-01-19 03:35:32 UTC #10

Awesome result! Cosmetically and functionally excellent!
Two questions: so the limit for MPE is de widi bud? How does the Roli gearc”know” to pair with the bud? I will try this for myself with my yamaha bluetooth dongle. It’s larger, but perhaps it can handle more…
Kudos for sharing!

Abhoth 2018-01-21 10:19:37 UTC #11

I like the Lightpad M more than the Seaboard. More versatile and unique.

I’ve been using my Seaboard block a lot since I got it. Convenient and practical, but the actual playing experince is not in the same league as your Pico. But probably serving the same general purpose?

Abhoth 2018-01-21 10:40:00 UTC #12

The Widi Bud connects automatically after a couple of seconds. I don’t need to do anything. If I want to connect the Blocks to my iphone instead I have a couple of seconds to connect to the phone after the blocks have powered up. If not, the Widi Bud automatically connects instead.

With a lot of midi data, typically when I play two-handed chords with all expressive parameters turned on it starts dropping data, resulting in hanging notes, for instance. My guess is this starts happening at around 5-6 simultaneous notes, but not sure exactly. Sysex made the Bud crash when I experimented with that, but that was before a firmware update addressing it. Not sure how it would work now.