I have a love/hate relationship with MIDI.
More than half the projects I work on require some kind of MIDI interface, and I can *never* remember the hookup. All the diagrams on the web never indicate if the view is from the front, or the back of the connector. *And* I can never find a 220 ohm resistor when I want one.
So….

I thought it was about time I put together reusable MIDI IO module that can be hooked up to any 5v microcontroller.
It boils the pins down to just 4 – +5v, Gnd, In (Rx), and Out (Tx). Parts are two MIDI jacks, 4n25 opto, 220, 100K, 3.3K resistors and a 1N4148 diode.
The good news is I can just re-use this module whenever I need MIDI input or output with an Arduino, a PIC or XMOS processor.
Here are links to the 600dpi etch masks for both top and bottom of a single sided PCB.
These can be etched onto copper clad using the ubiquitous “toner transfer” method – the top mask is optional.

Steve Hobley works for a software company, but in his spare time likes to deconstruct all the lovely consumer goods with a goal to make unique and interesting things.











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Just wanted to point out that you just added yet another diagram to the web, that doesn’t indicate if the view is from the front or the back of the connector.
Just etch it up, and you’ll never need to know…
Thanks for the work! I needed an excuse to make a PCB and this is something I’m going to make!
(Actually planning on milling it with PCBGCode I think)
Neat stuff. Any tips for adapting this to a 3.3v micro?
joseph, for 3,3v MPs you can connect a 3,3V power supply instead of 5V to the JP1.
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