The much awaited Midi-Fighter project has officially kicked off, and it’s first incarnation — the DIY kit — is up for sale in the DJ TechTools webstore. This first production run of Black PCBs and clear acrylic layers look amazing and can be easily configured into any color scheme you want. More info, videos and photos after the break.
One of the main breakthroughs on the Midi-Fighter are the custom designed arcade button clips, which allow you to snap in and remove high-performance Sanwa arcade buttons. These hand soldered clips enable a number of amazing possibilities that would not be possible with traditional controller construction. First, you can assemble the entire kit without any soldering or electronics equipment; only the included hex wrench is required. Second, you can use any color combination of buttons that reflect your personal tastes or the mapping of your choice. Finally, everything is re-configurable at any time. Take the controller apart in minutes, re-arrange the buttons, re-paint a new top sheet and you have a brand new look without dishing out any cash.
Not just a DIY project, the Midi-Fighter is also a DIY MIDI board and controller all wrapped in one. There are 4 analog and 4 digital input ports on the side of the PCB. Just solder extensions to your buttons, sliders, toys, joysticks and add more analog controls. Now what commercial controller can do that?
DO IT YOURSELF
Putting together a Midi-Fighter is a super fun and easy process. Check out the video above to learn how to assemble one yourself and then peep the video below to dive into some custom painting ideas. In the first part of the video we visit San Francisco based stencil artist, Casemo, who is going to be painting a limited-edition group of Midi-Fighters next month.
SE MODELS
In a respectful nod to our most popular product, we are going to create 50 SE models of the Midi-Fighter from this first batch of 350. The SEs will come fully assembled with corian sidewalls, custom tops and a few special modifications to the PCB. The color configuration has yet to be determined, but we hope to have the SEs up for sale in late December or January. Sign up on the Midi-Fighter email list for more info as these become available.
MIDIFIGHTER.COM
We created a mini-site dedicated to the Midi-Fighter, which will be expanding over time. The main purpose of the site is to collect information about how people are using our controller platform and spread resources to enable more creativity. Tag your photos with #midifighter, and they will show up in the buttons. Tweet about your controller with #midifighter, and it will also show up on the site.
THANK YOU!
I have to give a big thanks to the DJ TechTools community and a few specific people who helped support the development of this project over the past year. It would not have been possible without your help and dedication.
MidiFidler: The muscle behind the electronics desings- Michael made this thing possible and will help us build many more.
Fatlimey: The brains inside the firmware- Robin created an amazing open source firmware that will grow into many exciting things.
Tommy: The Coder guru who created our new store, webstore and now Midifighter.com!
Thanks to both of these gentlemen and to all those that have pitched in along the way including Chris, Sam, Nicholas and anyone else I might have left out in my exhaustion.
SO MANY POSSIBILITIES
Instead of everyone owning the same controller, I am most excited that there are soon going to be endless variations of Midi-Fighters out there that each express their owners creativity. What will you create?
