Casio DM100

[gmeredith]

Well I just got my Casio DM100 today, all I can say is "amazing"!! It is the most beautiful thing to look at and to touch. It's so small! I'm thinking of even putting some strap pins on it and a handgrip to turn it into a keytar!
It actually has some very useable stock sounds, and a delay/chorus unit (non switchable) in stereo.
Here is what I'm going to do to mod it:

Add MIDI in/out/thru
Expand sample memory 32x (to get 128 sample slots instead of the standard 4!!!)
Individual outs for the lower keys, upper keys, drums and accompaniment instruments
Install MIDI sequencer
Switchable chorus/reverb/delay effects
Distortion
Slo-AD mod for the sampler keyboard
Pitch bend/mod wheels
Phat Philter Bank Filter unit for sampler section

But first I need to buy the service manual...gotta save some loot!

I'll keep you updated, and will tell you what I've done. I'll try and write up a few DIY guides for it and put them up here.

Cheers, Graham

[01012k7]

good luck with you new project..

[gmeredith]

So I've started the process of opening the beast up and getting it ready for some UMR2 MIDI IN/OUT boards from Highly Liquid. I'm going to install one on each of the upper and lower keyboards; each keyboard will have the ability to be a MIDI sound module via MIDI IN, as well as a be a controller keyboard via MIDI out, on separate MIDI channels. Or, I can control the top keyboard witn the bottom keyboard etc. I will have a MIDI patch switch selector that will enable me to configure different arrangements such as these.

The first thing I found on opening up the case is that the DM100 is an amazing keyboard to do mods to. There is a huge amount of space in there for other boards. There is acres of room all over the front of it for switches and knobs etc.

The second thing I discovered that, contrary to rumours and posts that I've read about it, it is not two separate casio keyboards (an Sk8/5 and an MT240) shoehorned into a single case. It contains only one large board. The presets for the upper board are the same as an sk8, and it has 4 sample slots, as the sk8 does. The board has the same RAM chip as the SK8. That is where the similarity ends. It has no SK type drum sounds. There is an area on the board that contains some of the chips from an SK8, and another for the lower keyboard, which has the same sound set as the MT240, but all built on to the single board, so there is no similarity for the address lines and tracks in comparison to the SK and MT. It is its own beast.

I've prepared the DM100 for the MIDI boards when they arrive by soldering ranbow ribbon looms with 16-way plugs on them (floppy disk cable type plugs) for easy connectability. Today, I'm going to remove the sample RAM chip and put a socket in its place, to mount a much larger RAM chip, capable of giving it 16 times the sample capacity of the original chip - so instead of 4 samples, it will have 64 samples, in 16 selectable banks!!

I'll put up some pics of the board and my work so far very soon.

Cheers, Graham

[gmeredith]

So I started doing the memory expansion while I wait for the MIDI boards to arrive. Pulled the old chip out, replaced it with a chip 16x larger in memory size.

WOOOOO HOOOOOO!!!!! Success!!!

I now have 16x sample memory in the DM100 mega sampling beast! I've been taking photos all the way through the process so I can make up a guide for you all. I'm chuffed!! Sooooo cool!

Cheers, Graham

[gmeredith]

Hi everyone,

I've just finished writing up my illustrated DM100 sampling memory expansion guide.
I've uploaded it here on my band's webpage:

http://www.warningwillrobinson.com.au/index_files/Professor.htm

Feel free to try it out sometime, I'm having a ball with 64 samples!

Cheers, Graham

[Jaytee]

I am eagerly looking forward to details of how you hook up the midi. I am considering building a case to house two Casio SKs (maybe a 1 and an and I'm very interested in any exciting ways to interconnect/patch the two together.

[gmeredith]

MIDIing the Sk's are well established and easy to do. Here's the MIDI board you can use for an SK 1/5/8:

http://store.highlyliquid.com/collections/midi-retrofits/products/umr2


Here's the installation details:

http://forum.highlyliquid.com/forumdisplay.php?f=21


The DM100 has also been documented for their earlier board, but is almost the same for this new UMR2 board. I'll update the installation guide when I get mine installed.

Cheers, Graham

[Jaytee]

Oh yeah, I'm a big fan of HL already, they make awesome stuff. I'm more curious about the switching options you mentioned for patching the two keyboards together via midi. For my planned double keyboard, I was originally planning on having a single midi board that could switch between interfacing with one keyboard or the other, but your two-midi-board solution sounds like *way* more fun.

[gmeredith]

I was effectively going to make a MIDI patchbay using a multi-way switch. Because the new UMR2 boards can operate as a MIDI IN and MIDI out board, I thought it might be useful if I could make several different MIDI setup scenarios with the switches. Here are some of the possibilities:

1. Bottom keyboard is master controller keyboard, going into and driving top keyboard slave, both on same MIDI channels

2. Bottom keyboard and top keyboard are both master keyboards on different MID channels. They can output to 2 separate MIDI out ports, or daisy chained bottom output into top input going to top thru and coming out of a single port but both still master keyboards driving external modules.

3. Bottom keyboard is a slave and the top keyboard is master controller going into it, controlling it on same MIDI channel.

4. Bottom keyboard is a slave to external sequencer/keyboard and top keyboard is a controller keyboard to external module

5. Both keyboards are slaves on different MIDI channels to MIDI sequencer/keyboard


- and other possible scenarios I haven't thought of.

I think that this can be done with a multi-way rotary selector switch like on older hi-fi units, or speaker router boxes.
it would also be possible using a CMOS switching IC like a 4066 quad switch or 2. I haven't thought it through properly yet. Or perhaps some simple stereo mini jacks in a patchbay layout.

Cheers, Graham

[gmeredith]

OK latest update - I have MIDI installed!  

Both the upper and lower keyboards are responding nicely to MIDI inputs from a controller keyboard. I can layer them on the same MIDI input channel or run them on different ones and have each keyboard doing something different.

More updates soon....


***UPDATE*** just tried out MIDI OUT on the lower keyboard - I now have the lower keys controlling the upper ones - a synthy sound on the bottom, layered with a fairlight "ahhh" type sample on the top. Sounds amazing!! This thing really rocks! Next, I'll try driving the bottom keys using the top keyboard. I'm going to have to seriously think about this MIDI switching setup or patchbay soon because already the potential of this rig is fast becoming evident.

Having said this, there were a few issues in the installation, due to some as yet unsolved quirky keyboard matrix design on the lower keyboard - I'm hoping the service manual will make it clear when it arrives. I found a workaround, but if anyone wants to see the installation issue you can follow it here at the Highly Liquid Forum:


http://forum.highlyliquid.com/showthread.php?t=993

Cheers, Graham

[gmeredith]

Here's some installation pics for you all.

[gmeredith]

I've just adapted and completed my Slo-AD mod for the upper keyboard of the DM100. Now I have attack and decay control of the preset sounds and sampled sounds! The preset sounds such as the trumpet and violin now sound like synth pad sounds. Nice  

If anyone is interested in doing the Slo-AD mod for the DM100, use my guide for the SK5/8:

http://www.warningwillrobinson.com.au/index_files/SloAD.htm

Then just adapt the hookup points of the output wires to these points on the DM100 board: