-----Original Message-----
From: Brent A. Busby [mailto:
brent@...]
Sent: Monday, December 04, 2000 12:43 PM
To:
analogue@...Subject: [AH] Like Superman, We Cut Holes Through Solid Steel...
I have a JP-8 that I've been using for some time now with the MD-8
DCB/MIDI convertor. I also have Encore's JP8MK MIDI upgrade board.
Getting the two to become one is going to involve some problems.
The electronic part doesn't bother me much. The real problem is that
Roland built the darn thing TOO well. I swear, if you shot a gun at a
Jupiter-8, the bullet would probably bounce off. It might not even
scratch the paint.
How does one make holes for the MIDI ports in such a solid instrument
without using enough force to create a bomb crater in one's general
vicinity? I've emailed Encore before about it, and they said the best way
was to use what they called a "hole punch," which I've checked around on
and found that it's an expensive machine I'm not likely to get my hands
on. Also, it would probably involve taking every single circuit board out
of the JP-8 first in order to use one safely, an idea I'm not very fond of
either. Encore and Analogics will both do the upgrade for you of course,
but it's somewhat expensive, and the worst part is it would involve
shipping it to them and back. My JP-8 already survived a trip through UPS
once from Georgia with no side-effects. I'm not feeling lucky enough to
go to Las Vegas, so I'd really rather not try that twice.
Then again, you could use an electric drill, which would involve terrible,
chip-loosening amounts of vibration, and metallic shavings flying
everywhere and potentially shorting things out if every single one isn't
recovered from the area. Not good. Or maybe you could use a hand-augur
of the kind used for drilling into wood. It would take forever, and you
might wear through several bits trying to get through the thing, but maybe
it would work.
Or maybe I'll just ask Mr. Chekov if I can check a phaser out of the
ship's armoury and cut through cleanly. I'm about out of ideas. Anybody
ever put MIDI ports onto a board with a thick skin like this before?
--Brent