HX3 Drawbar Controller

HX3 Drawbar Controller

Description

HX3 Drawbar Controller is designed to be used with HX3 MIDI Expander or other NI B4 compatible organ module. It will merge incoming MIDI data on MIDI MERGE input to its own controller data.

Connect HX3 Drawbar Controller MIDI OUT to HX3 MIDI Expander MIDI IN/OUT jack by standard MIDI cable. Connect your master keyboard to MIDI MERGE input of HX3 Drawbar Controller.

Buttons control main functions of HX3 as found on Hammond (R) B3.

Phantom Supply

For use with HX3 MIDI Expander, you may utilize its “phantom” power supply feature (power over MIDI cable). To enable phantom supply on the HX3 MIDI Expander, you need to open the device and set two jumpers.

Remove four Philips screws on back and carefully pull out chassis a few inches. Insert two jumpers supplied with Drawbar Controller to jumper header PL10 on positions 7-8 and 9-10 as shown in picture. Re-assemble USB interface and back plate in reverse order and you’re done.

Connect 5-wire MIDI cable (supplied) to HX3 MIDI Expander MIDI IN/OUT and to HX3 Drawbar Controller MIDI OUT. HX3 Drawbar Controller will now be phantom powered by the HX3 MIDI Expander through the MIDI cable.

Attention: Always connect wall wart to HX3 MIDI Expander. Never connect the wall wart to Drawbar Controller when phantom power is enabled. Doing so may damage the devices.

When connecting the HX3 Drawbar Controller to other equipment, a small wall wart (5.5/2.1mm jack, 9V/200mA min., plus on center) is needed for power supply.

Additional Features

Some MIDI gear sends annoying Program Change or Continuous Controller data you may not want on HX3. You may enable a Program Change filter and a Continuous Controller filter to avoid HX3 misbehaviour:

Hold "ASSIGN LOWER" button a few seconds when powering up to enable/disable the Program Change filter.
Hold "ASSIGN PEDAL" button a few seconds when powering up to enable/disable the Continuous Controller filter.
(Hold both to enable/disable both).

Status of each filter (ON/OFF) toggles each time you hold the button on power-up. If filter is enabled, its button LED flashes 3 times on startup.

DBC will filter SysEx, real time data and other stuff to clean up MIDI transmission by default. Filters do only affect MIDI data sent to MIDI MERGE input, not directly to HX3's secondary MIDI input.

MIDI send channel is selected in a similar way on power-up:

Hold V1 button to set MIDI channel 1 (default)
Hold V2 button to set MIDI channel 2
Hold V1 plus V2 button to set MIDI channel 3
Hold V3 button to set MIDI channel 4
Hold V1 plus V3 button to set MIDI channel 5
Hold V2 plus V3 button to set MIDI channel 6
Hold V1 plus V2 plus V3 button to set MIDI channel 7

Updating the HX3 Drawbar Controller (OEM only!)

Firmware programming/update is quite simple. Use the DIAMEX ISP programmer.

Open DBC case by removing 2 black screws from back and 2 outer screws from bottom. Pull lid off from back. Connect ISP flat ribbon cable to DBC's PL4 ISP, nose of plug showing up. Power DBC up by 9 to 12V DC wall wart. Check Windows device manager which COM port is occupied by "ERFOS" (that's the name of the programmer); it is the same ISP programmer port used in HX3 Remote.

Double-click "CommandPrompt" in "DBC_Programming" folder. Type:

dbcupd_p XX

with XX = your port number (1 or 2 digits).

It should start the familiar AVRdude proceeding, takes just a few seconds. If AVRdude complains about a wrong device ID, try

<nowiki>dbcupd_a XX

instead (depends on DBC microprocessor datecode). Re-assemble lid and you're done.