Midihub Hardware Suggestions

Suggestions concerning the Midihub device itself.

  1. The Preset Select Button: better debouncing. Jumps very often two or more values.
  2. Labelling: A/B/C/D Prints on the Input and Output sockets would be great.
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I have noticed this too. Added to our bug list.

Do you think the current design is something one will get used to after a while or in general it is a bad UX? The initial design had the labels on the sides, but we decided to strip them for more ā€œcleanā€ look as the LEDs have the same ordering and labeling.

They design is great and the clean interface is really beautiful!!!
And the casing is rock solid. Perfect :wink:

But it seems optimized for desktop-work, looking on the top of the device, USB pointing away from you.

In all my/our Live-Setups, for example, those hardware-tools have to be build in somewhere. And when, for example only the sides of the device remain visible in the setup then you always have to check orientation first to be sure where is IN and OUT and A or D.
When working a lot with a device, that can be this flexible used like the Midihub, it is likely to happen that people start to implement it in very different setups. And that means re-cable it quite often, work with it on stage with little or no light, etc. ā€¦ and experience with other devices showed us, that it really helps avoiding silly mistakesā€¦ and ever step, that is a no-brainer when setting up a complex setup, is helpful :wink:

And it makes it easier to label cables for what ever reason (like staff assisting with setting up gear)

And even though the LEDs are very niceā€¦ right now you always need spacer if you want to stack gear on top of the box. And the Midihub with its layout could be a perfect box with some other device on its back :wink:

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a couple from me :slight_smile:

a) mounting slots/holes on back?

given its form factor, in the studio Id actually quite like to mount it on the wall, so i dont have midi cables trailing across my deskā€¦ and since the lights are on the front, and button on top, seems it would work nicely

others may find this useful for mounting inside a performance case.

(i think with the weight of midi cables, velcro possibly is not secure - but of course this is a possibility too)

b) USB midi indicator
it would be very handy to see when midi usb data is being sent/received.
could perhaps re-purpose the power light if its possible, as thats in a logical position (by the usb port)

c) lights off mode?
in a dark performance environment, some may not want blinky lightsā€¦
they are however great for normal use, so you can see whats going on.
(of course, they could just stick tape overā€¦ so perhaps its not necessary )


I found this quite logical, and do like the clean look (hence why I wouldnā€™t mind putting it on the wall :slight_smile: )

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Do you think you could increase the diameter of the cutout for the DIN sockets by about 0.5mm? Iā€™ve found a few DIN leads with metal plugs that are just a tiny bit to large to fit through.

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The rubber feet are screw based, you can try unscrewing them with fingers and see whether those holes could work for you. The thread is M3 size.

Makes sense, indeed I think we could use negative logic for USB activity, like the status LED always on, and blinking off while thereā€™s USB data flowing.

We could add this to the settings, but it would make sense to have at least the status LED to be constantly on in that case, so that you know that the device has been powered up.

Weā€™ll look into that! What is the company / product id of the cables that didnā€™t fit?

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Itā€™s these ones: https://www.dem-uk.com/deltron-components/products/din_connectors/din_connectors_5_pin_60_plugs_and_sockets/610-0510.asp

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What do you guys think if those 8 LEDs are ā€˜flat topā€™ like this?

Just a notion :wink:

Do you mean flush with the top surface? Or different lens color? :slight_smile:

Yes, I like flat LEDs. :sweat_smile:

Also, to me the on-off toggle is not use at all, I keep it on all the time. I believe a reset button is more suit the purposes (for freeze, MIDI panic, OS error, etc.)

I quite like devices with on/off switchesā€¦ means they can remain in power strips that are always on, but I can turn off the device when not using.
that said, I guess being a hub, its likely to be on for the most part.

The current LEDs are flat top, but they do stick outside of the case a bit, getting them flush with the surface would be tricky, if I remember right we couldnā€™t find LEDs of the right body height for this, and offsetting the PCB to be lower then would move the MIDI ports and make the height of the whole device higher.

The On/Off switch is useful in various situations and weā€™d like to encourage use of Midihub as a standalone device, powered by a USB power supply.

@thetechnobear, did you check out unscrewing the rubber feet for mounting options? :slight_smile:

I believe you mean something like this. (above picture is a iConnectivity Mio2)

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The LEDā€™s do not blink for MIDI clock info just notes. It may be helpful to have the option to see this.

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The tempo sync messages are really spammy - thereā€™s 24 of them for every quarter note, so the LED would constantly be on, so we filter it out so that events like notes and CCs are visible as they go through.

What if we made the activity blink every 24th sync message, do you think it could work?

that would work

sorry, got guests heres so limited time this weekā€¦

had a quick lookā€¦ looks like this could work, as i could created some kind of bracket that could then be screwed on to the back of the midihub.

are these screws only for holding the feet on (they are quick long :)), or do they also support the board.
(ive been meaning to open up the hub to see whats going on inside)

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They are just for the feet, we like them, even though the screw is so long. :slight_smile:

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