G.I.M.I.C Operation Manual

This page explains how to operate G.I.M.I.C motherboard.

Things to prepare

You need the items below to operate G.I.M.I.C:

USB Micro-B cable

To connect G.I.M.I.C to your PC. G.I.M.I.C also draws power from USB.
A low-quality cable may cause signal degradation or power loss, which in turn can lead to unexpected malfunctions.
Use a cable that can fast-charge a smartphone to avoid such troubles.

For reference, below are the cables we employed during the development.

Straight
Motorola ECOMOTO : SKN6378A

Right angled
Sony Ericsson : EC600L

Note that some cables shipped with smartphones or tablets are "charge-only", i.e. unable to transfer data.
Make sure that your cable offers data transfer too.

A microSD card (if you use the "Standalone" G.I.M.I.C firmware)

From which G.I.M.I.C reads song files.
G.I.M.I.C can handle SD/SDHC cards with up to 8GB capacity (SDXC cards are unsupported).

We have confirmed that UHS-I cards can be used, but they will function in compatibility mode, since G.I.M.I.C doesn't support UHS-104.

For reference, below are the cards we employed during the development.

SanDisk MobileUltra microSDHC UHS-I 8GB : SDSDQY-008G-J35A
SanDisk Extreme Pro microSDHC UHS-I 8GB : SDSDQXP-008G-J35

A pair of headphones, earphones, or other loudspeakers

G.I.M.I.C outputs audio signals through a 3.5mm mini-stereo jack. Apply adaptors as needed.
Recommended impedance range is from 16 Ω to 300 Ω.

In addition, the pro model (GMC-MB2PRO) can be connected to a breakout cable, which will provide an output through 6.5mm phone jack. See below for details.

A breakout cable (for GMC-MB2PRO only; optional)

This provides additional I/Os, namely:

We recommend using either the 6.5mm phone jack or the line-out, since they give you a better sound quality than the 3.5mm mini-stereo jack.

Be sure to use ALVA Babyface (BF-BOCMKH). Use of other cables is unsupported.

An AC adaptor (for GMC-MB2PRO only; optional)

Drawing power from an external supply, you can avail yourself of G.I.M.I.C's full potential.
Use an AC adaptor with an output voltage of 5V, a currency of 1000mA (or above), connector type of EIAJ-02.

Do not use an AC adaptor with an output valtage exceeding 5.2V, as it can cause permanent damage to G.I.M.I.C.

For reference, below is the AC adaptor we employed during the development.

AC adaptor for SONY PSP1000/2000/3000 series: PSP-100

Anatomy

The picture is of a prototype and has some minor differences compared to the actual product.

Module-loading Side

doc_001.png

1: USB Port
USB Micro-B Port for power supply and connection to a PC.

2: DC IN (only in GMC-MB2PRO)
Insert here the power extension cable (included in the GMC-MB2PRO shipment), to which your AC adaptor can be connected.

3: microSD card slot

4: Breakout connector (only in GMC-MB2PRO)

5: Reset Switch
Resets G.I.M.I.C to the initial state, i.e. the state it's in at the time of start-up.

6: 3.5mm mini-stereo jack
Connect your headphones / loudspeakers here.

7: Jog Wheel
G.I.M.I.C can be controlled through this wheel by turning or pressing it.

8: Extention I/F (currently not in use)
To connect accessories to be released in the future.

9: Host I/F
Connect a sound chip module to this port.

10: USB Standard-A port (only in GMC-MB2PRO; currently not in use)
For a future project to control USB devices from G.I.M.I.C.
Supplies 100mA of output current.

11: Front Panel Header
To be used with Abee aluminium case.

Component Side

doc_002.png

1: Power Switch

2: The POWER & the STATUS LEDs
Indicate the current power state and operation mode.

3: Analog IN Jack
 To feed in the analogue output from modules.

4: Expansion Module Slot (currently not in use)
To be used for future expansion.
Note that it's NOT a slot for a button cell battery.

Breakout cable (for GMC-MB2PRO only)

doc_003.png

1: MIDI I/O (currently not in use) For future project for G.I.M.I.C to be used as a MIDI instrument.

2: Line I/O We adapted BF-BOCMKH for our particular use, so that the "Line IN" actually works as another set of OUTPUTS.

3: 6.5mm phone jack
Use this instead of the 3.5mm jack on the motherboard for a better output.

4: Connector to GMC-MB2PRO

Controlling G.I.M.I.C

Before you start operating G.I.M.I.C, please update its firmware to the latest version, following the instruction here.

The firmware comes in two flavors: Standalone and USB-controlled.
The way G.I.M.I.C is controlled varies depending on which firmware is installed.

Connecting to the power source

Connect G.I.M.I.C to a PC via USB, or to an external power supply through an AC adaptor. When connected, G.I.M.I.C will be in standby mode. GMC-MB2PRO's relay gives one small click.

Connecting to a PC (Standalone firmware)

Up-arrow    move the cursor up
Down-arrow  move the cursor down
PageUp      scroll up one page
PageDown    scroll down one page
ENTER       play song file / open folder
BackSpace   move up one folder
F1          toggle AUTO (next song is automatically played when on)
F2          stop playing
F3          +1 to the number of times songs are looped
F4          -1 to the number of times songs are looped
F5          tempo up
F6          tempo down
F7          change repeat mode
F8          exit to shell (Do NOT press this key; as yet not implemented)

Using the Jog Wheel (Standalone firmware)

Each time you press the jog wheel, the STATUS LED alternately turns on/off.
This indicates the current set of function the jog wheel performs. Namely:

Connecting to a PC (USB-controlled firmware)

Those who use WindowsXP, Vista or 7 need to download and install the driver from the link below.

After extracting the .7z, run dpinst-x86.exe if your OS is 32-bit windows.
Users of 64-bit OS should run dpinst-amd64.exe.
(Windows8 has a necessary driver already installed, so you can skip the step above.)

You need to install c86ctl to be able to control G.I.M.I.C from third-party applications.
Download the latest version from the link below.

Copy the extracted c86ctl.dll to the same directory as the third-party application is in.

Also, c86ctl depends on Visual C++ 2010 Runtime. Install the package below, and update to the latest available version using MicrosoftUpdate. Note that you need to install 32-bit version of the components (files with _x86 in their names) regardless of your OS version.

Using the Jog Wheel (USB-controlled firmware)

Turning the wheel changes output volume.

Pressing the wheel toggles parallel output on/off. Each time you press the wheel, the STATUS LED alternately turns on/off. This indicates whether parallel output is currently enabled/disabled.

Parallel Output
STATUS LEDoffon
Line INunusedaudio signals from the module
Line OUTall audio signalsPCM sounds

Turning off your G.I.M.I.C

Press the power switch to cut off the power. G.I.M.I.C will turn back to standby mode.

G.I.M.I.C continues to consume a small amount of power while in standby mode, so unplug the USB cable and/or the AC adaptor as needed.

Supplementary Information

Line OUT is generally better suited for connection with audio equipment. It outputs PCM sound from motherboard and other audio signals from the module mixed together, which come through G.I.M.I.C's preamplifier.

Line IN is better suited for connection with a high-spec audio I/F, since the output bypasses G.I.M.I.C's preamplifier.

Turning the jog wheel to the right increases the volume, while turning it to the left does the opposite.
When G.I.M.I.C is cut off from power source for a certain amount of time, the volume setting is initialized to 25% of the max value.


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