How Do I Set MiniDexed Up on RPi 5

[lezarith]

Hi! This is my first foray into using anything RPi, so I might be missing something common knowledge related, but I can't seem to get this project working. I'm not unfamiliar with electronics and soldering, but I can't seem to get this to work. Apologies in advance if my formatting is off, I am absolutely not a coder and not familiar with github ( or any kind of forum) formatting.

I'm not getting any audio of any kind, not even static.
And can't get the display working.
The LED indicators for both are lit.

Here are some links to what I'm using:
(OLED and case) https://wiki.52pi.com/index.php?title=ZP-0172
(i2s DAC:) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DCFN2JGF?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1
I tried using my Arturia Keystep 37 as well as my Deepmind usb outs to no affect on either.

As far as the physical wiring is concerned I'm 90% sure I've put everything where it needs to go, if the the diagram id correct to pi 5. I might still have it wrong but i did check my wire routing and solder joints several times over. I made sure to follow the directions for soldering the jumpers on the DAC.

I did solder a TRS jack onto the pins of the DAC so I could mount that to the case and use a regular jack out as follows:

• Top right of DAC pin to tip of jack
• Middle left pin to ring of jack
• Bottom right pin to sleeve of jack

I haven't plugged in the GPIO 14 and 18 wires on the OLED. From what I could see they aren't needed, but I don't know. From my research into the few numbers on the OLED it should be a version of this: https://goldenmorninglcd.com/oled-display-module/0.96-inch-128x64-ssd1306-gme12864-11/

I have the base project unzipped and installed on an SD formatted to fat32.

I haven't changed, touched, updated, or formatted anything else except:

I went in and changed and checked the minidexed file:

 # Sound device
 SoundDevice=i2s
 #SoundDevice=pwm
 #SoundDevice=hdmi
 SampleRate=48000
 #ChunkSize=256
 DACI2CAddress=0
 ChannelsSwapped=0
 # Engine Type ( 1=Modern ; 2=Mark I ; 3=OPL )
 EngineType=1
 QuadDAC8Chan=0

 # SSD1306 LCD
 # For a 128x32 display, set LCDColumns=20; LCDRows=2
 # For a 128x64 display, set LCDColumns=20; LCDRows=4
 SSD1306LCDI2CAddress=0x3c
 SSD1306LCDWidth=128
 SSD1306LCDHeight=32
 SSD1306LCDRotate=0
 SSD1306LCDMirror=0

 # Default is 16x2 display (e.g. HD44780)
 LCDColumns=16
 LCDRows=4


 # KY-040 Rotary Encoder
 EncoderEnabled=1
 EncoderPinClock=10
 EncoderPinData=9

Any help would be appreciated. I don't currently have access to a mini HDMI and it will be some days before I get my hands on one, if that matters.

[probonopd]

Do you hear sound on the RPi built-in audio jack when you set SoundDevice to pwm?

[lezarith]

This pi 5 doesn't have one, unfortunately.

[lezarith]

Thanks for taking the time to reply and for putting the project together, probonopd!

I think the main issue I ran into is that the current continuous build minidexed.ini file was missing some of the lines that the 2024 release had. Listing out the steps I went through would eat a lot of time, but I managed to mostly get my problems sorted out via scrounging around on the wiki and using the librarian.

Moments before this response I thought to double check the releases page and it's ini files where I realized the continuous build's ini was missing some of that pre-configuration.

Now I'm at the stage where I'm trying to figure out how to get the sysex/voice files to load. I've already named them, copy-pasting the 0s and "_" onto them.

[lezarith]

For whoever happens to run into the same-ish problems I did here's how I got my situation sorted.

Follow these steps:

• Download and install the RPi imager and select "bootloader (4 or 5 depending on which of the two you're using)" under the "misc utility images" in OS to ensure up-to-date firmware. Apply to SD card. Slot in sd and power up the pi. once the led is continuously blinking green, power down.
• Now put the SD back in PC and find Erase. Execute, and reconnect the SD if it was ejected.
• Download the Continuous Release and/or the last stable release.
• Extract the continuous release AND the stable performance.ini and minidexed.ini.
• Follow the instructions for setting up your device with your hardware, found in https://github.com/probonopd/MiniDexed/wiki/Hardware
• Go into performance.ini and check that the lines for each TG at MIDIChannel[#] is set to 0, except for TG1. This will make sure that only one TG will play at a time. To enable multimbrality or allow yourself to swap voices on the fly you may change that number to any midi channel of your choice. anything greater than 16 will play on all midi channels. You can also save any setting done manually on the device by navigating to root->performance->save performance.
• Follows instructions for setting up display at the hardware and file pages on the wiki. If you use the exact same stuff I grabbed, the oled included functions perfectly without modification, plug it up according to the instruction, ignoring the two grey wires.
• create folder "sysex" in root directory, then "voice" in sysex folder.
• Download, upload, etc. your sysex file following the number and naming scheme of "000001_FILENAME.syx", raising each by a digit, into the "voice" folder. Those are actually your bank files and the easiest way I personally know to edit your banks is to use the free Dexed vst and go from there.
• If you're using a cooling fan and there hasn't been an update to enable it with minidexed you can disconnect the wires except for the vIn and ground. In my case I disconnected the blue and yellow wires leaving the two middle wires, black and red, untouched BUT MAKE SURE TO READ ANY MANUAL INCLUDED WITH THE FAN. This will make the fan run at full speed. DO NOT CONNECT ANY OF THEM TO THE DPIO OR YOU MIGHT FRY YOUR PROJECT, TAPE THE LOOSE WIRES OFF
• Slot in SD card and boot up.
• plug in your midi controller via usb (or MIDI if you've built the midi circuit). It should work with arturia keystep as well as the behringer deepmind keyboard.
• plug in audio cable. In my case I soldered a 1/4 stereo jack to the 3.5mm jack pins. If you're not familiar with soldering stick to using the jack with maybe an adapter.

It should work from there. This page has the general controls https://github.com/probonopd/MiniDexed/wiki/Menu

[probonopd]

"Extract the continuous release AND the stable performance.ini and minidexed.ini." - I don't understand this step. You only need either continuous OR another release.

[lezarith]

The continuous release I grabbed had a borked configuration file. I didn't realize it until I mostly got it sorted and thought to redownload the latest release and the last stable release to see if I missed something. In the case of that happening again its more reliable to grab that older release's performance and minidexed ini file.

Thanks again for the response! I apologize if I'm coming or came across rude. I admit I wrote these posts while frustrated and exhausted from university work and all the soldering and drilling.

[Banana71]

Hello @lezarith,
great that your miniDexed works now 👍

If I see it correctly, the display installed in the case is an SSD1306 with 128x64 pixels. Then the configuration in the minidexed.ini should actually look like this!?:

# SSD1306 LCD
# For a 128x32 display, set LCDColumns=20; LCDRows=2
# For a 128x64 display, set LCDColumns=20; LCDRows=4
SSD1306LCDI2CAddress=0x3c
SSD1306LCDWidth=128
SSD1306LCDHeight=64
SSD1306LCDRotate=0
SSD1306LCDMirror=0

# Default is 16x2 display (e.g. HD44780)
LCDColumns=20
LCDRows=4

How do you operate the miniDexed? Do you have a KY-040 installed?

I haven't plugged in the GPIO 14 and 18 wires on the OLED.

I don't understand your statement. GPIO 14 is for the classic MIDI output and GPIO 18 should be connected to DAC BCK.!? Does the Raspberry Pi5 have a different pin assignment?

Peter

[lezarith]

The case I grabbed came with instruction on wiring up the display, which included two extra pins, probably to make it work with whatever spec monitoring code they link you to grab in that user manual. As far as I can tell the GPIO's are in fact the same, but I included because I didn't know if it was important or not. This is my first Pi setup so its all new territory to me.

[lezarith]

As for the other questions, yes, I did grab a KY pot and soldered up those capacitors as per the hardware page, and after sorting out the ini config problem I was having everything works. It did take some digging to figure out all the specs, but its all good now!

Thanks for the response!