Multifx (digital petalboard)
Project Overview:
The MultiFX project is a modular, open-source digital effects processor built around the Raspberry Pi platform. It’s designed to emulate the functionality of professional-grade guitar pedalboards by chaining LV2 audio plug-ins through JACK and controlling them via a custom PyQt5 GUI and MIDI footswitch hardware.
My contributions focus on integrating the software and hardware layers into a cohesive, reproducible system from remote deployment through Pi Connect, to the audio service chain debugging that keeps JACK and mod-host stable, to the mechanical design that makes the hardware rugged and stage-ready.
Contributions:
- Developed and tested Pi Connect, a remote Raspberry Pi linking system that massively streamlined deployment and management across multiple devices in the project cluster.
- Worked extensively on Issue #14, investigating complex configuration and service-dependency problems between JACK, mod-host, and the GUI. While the final solution drew from legacy code by a former dev, I mapped out the breaking points and system dependencies in depth. This groundwork that clarified how everything fits together now that the system runs cleanly.
- Assisted with debugging of startup scripts, testing various JACK service timings and environment configurations for more reliable audio initialization
- Designed and 3D-printed a custom LCD stand-off bracket, improving durability and cable routing for the main pedalboard display.
week 2 update
Creating my To Do list:
- organize my goals
- Simple single cell BMS
- Under & Over current protection
- Fault protection
- Step-up
- Battery level monitoring
- Thermistor
- PMIC
- Unpluggable battery
- One on each esp
- Might need another for the camera
- Mini drone batteries
- Run time calculations
- Clip on, using parametrically modeled spline to facilitate batteries of different sizes.
- Off board charging (do we really want to charge the batteries with the glasses or have a standalone charger
- I think I’m going to do more research on existing BMS
- I have some Onshape project the I have made in the past that I think will work well for holding the battery, they can be quickly replicated this week
- a major thing I need to do with my team is figure out spacing for parts of the project
- I need to set up a development environment for prototyping the code and hardware for the BMS
- dedicated file system
- insure access to repositorys
- learn lab resources
- I have a bread board to use
- pick up esp from team
- I need to take the boards to the lab and get an idea of the power draw.
my only concern is not really a concern, but I’m sad because I don’t think we will have a near eye display.
week 1 update
I was mostly learning about how the enterprise operates. I meet my enterprise team and got caught up in the project.