On the rolandjxanalogs list, Margus Kliimask mentions that if you have an M-64C cartridge where the last byte is A5 hex, and you plug it into a JX-10, the whole thing is treated as a "developer cartridge" and the JX-10 firmware will jump to the first byte. I think that's pretty cool, and potentially useful. Imagine a "super cartridge" with memory-mapped, bank-switched RAM providing enough space to actually implement some decent MIDI routines, that didn't even require replacing the EPROMs within the synth...

In other news, my Klee sequencer PCBs arrived today. I've ordered the parts kit as well, but I haven't heard anything about that yet. Apparently the kits will be shipped in April. This looks like a pretty ambitious project, particularly the making of some sort of front panel. God knows when I'll get to it, but hey...

I have put up a page with pinouts for Roland guitar synth cables. Enjoy (or ignore, which would make more sense really).

OK, in an attempt to keep this weblog better updated, I'm just going to list a few things that have been happening lately.

• The Flex/ActionScript 3 development has been going well. The GUI framework is nice, the static typing isn't too painful, and basing everything on Cairngorm was an excellent idea.
• I have been working with Simon Owen to explore the Prophet 2000 3.5" disk format (well, so far he's provided all the tools, knowledge & advice, and I've operated the sampler). Stay tuned for a web page with details and an actual disk utility program.
• I have ordered a 1GB RAM kit as an upgrade for Chris's Pismo PowerBook. It's PC100 rather than PC133, but it's pretty cheap. And the Pismo is a nice little machine (for downloading episodes of House via Acquisition).
• If I had more time, I'd read these free books on meta-modelling & language-oriented programming from Ceteva. But I don't.
• I've acquired an old Roland GM-70 guitar-to-MIDI converter to go with my GK-2a pickup. I'll need to build an interface to go between them, which will mean cutting the 24-pin cable (c.f. here and here).
• I have all the bits for Johnny Chung Lee's Wii Remote-based head tracker; I just need to assemble them all.
• I'm trying to snag a NOVINT Falcon 3DOF haptic controller of eBay for cheap. Apparently they're going the same way as the P5 glove...
• The PCBs and components have arrived for my Dan Armstring Orange Squeezer clone, so I need to populate it so I can try and fit it in the body of my Strat. Then it's on to the copper shielding, the Bartolini puckups, the Wilkinson tremelo, the OTT pickup switching, the Rothstein passive filter block, the GK-2a integration, the Earvana compensated nut, the re-fret & de-laquering of the neck...

Anyway, back to work now. Time for another coffee. (Arse, my MPEG video works in VLC and Windows Media Player but not QuickTime.)

Oh wow, there's this cool site called YouTube. I've put up the version with sound and no caption.