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+--- Thread: Why USB-B? Expandable? (/showthread.php?tid=3623)
Why USB-B? Expandable? - unfrostedpoptart - 04-29-2025
Hi.
I've been setting up a big Eurorack modular system (DAW-less) and realized I need a MIDI router/merge. I have 3 keyboards outputting DIN MIDI and currently 3 MIDI-to-CV converters (Behringer CM1A, Model D, and B2600) and probably a 4th (2-XM) soon. The MRCC 880 looks like it's by far the closest device to what I need without buying a very old Roland A-880 or JL Cooper MSB. These have more ports but very limited merging. The JMK Music Pedals Plexus:4 also looks very nice but only has 3 DIN inputs and outputs. If it was 4 by 4 DIN, it would be a really difficult choice. So, it looks like the MRCC 880 is it but I have a couple of questions/concerns:
Why does it have a USB-B jack? I have at least a dozen USB-B to USB-A cables sitting around so that's not the issue. But it's seems really strange they didn't go with USB-C on a modern device! And the bigger MRCC - which is an older device - has a USB-C for power! Makes no sense.
Also, it's not exactly cheap so what happens in a year if I want to expand my setup? Again, the bigger MRCC is expandable but there's nothing about expanding the MRCC-880 - which is the one that you'd more like want to expand.
I thought of making my own with a Raspberry PI but I don't think I want to have a whole, big project just for a MIDI router.
Thoughts?
David
RE: Why USB-B? Expandable? - RadekPilich - 05-01-2025
Big MRCC has USB-C for power, but for computer connection, it has USB-B as well. It's a couple of years old hardware, USB-C is only slowly becoming the main standard in the current / upcoming generation of HW.
RE: Why USB-B? Expandable? - Jesse Johannesen - 05-04-2025
I will ask the team, but my money is on USB B being way less fragile than USB C. If I trip over a USB B cable, I will probably have to pick some stuff off the floor, if I trip over a USB C cable, I am going to have to get out my soldering iron to replace a port on something....
RE: Why USB-B? Expandable? - Darryl - 06-09-2025
Yes, MRCC has USB C for power but not data. The MRCC power is on the side, kind of out of the way and captured by the end-cap for strength vs. the MRCC and MRCC 880 USB device ports being on top. USB B is still widely used by the synth community due to proven robustness. Not to say we won't use USB C in the future, but as a vertical port, it lacks stability. If we can find a USB C socket that is just the right height, we could make it captive by the enclosure for strength like we did for the USB B.
We didn't make it expandable because it adds cost and complexity. It would require a faster processor, more connectors, and more development effort. The MRCC 880 was meant to be simple and portable so we didn't want to complicate it with a screen and user interface for configuration. Maybe in the future we'll make a new model that supports the same expansion options as MRCC but it would cost more.
In the meantime, we've discontinued the MRCC 880 for now. We're only a couple of guys doing this work, and we have a lot of balls in the air at the moment and from a financial standpoint it didn't make sense to spend time making more 880s. We might make more in the future, or maybe the above-mentioned upgraded version if there is interest. And with a USB host port?
RE: Why USB-B? Expandable? - Darryl - 06-09-2025
More thoughts on expansion. We can daisy chain them like with any MIDI device, but it gets very complicated to route on two different devices. MIDI is confusing enough with one MIDI router. So on the big MRCC there is a remote routing button to route to the Remote 7, or another MRCC if they are connected via the expansion port (which is an ethernet connector). An MRCC 880 like device with expansion would need something similar, along with firmware to recognize the added expansion device, and which expansion device it is. Ideally, if two are connected together, they should work in a complimentary way. A lot of our customers struggle with basic MIDI concepts like channels, MIDI loops, clocking, etc, so it has to be explainable and not over complicate things.