Does FM3 use all 5 pins of MIDI?

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cmc2878

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Before I go ahead and make my own midi cables, I was wondering if I needed to wire up all 5 pins? If the outer pins aren’t used, I could just use 3 conductor wire.
 
Personally, I would wire up all five pins, no matter what. Mainly because I don’t want to have a nonstandard MIDI cable lying around that might mess me up with some other piece of gear.
 
But don’t MIDI cables normally wire all five pins to accommodate multiple devices?
 
Rex said:
But don’t MIDI cables normally wire all five pins to accommodate multiple devices?
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Okay, I see that they often don’t. If you will only ever use this as a MIDI cable, then you should be fine with three conductors. Other non-MIDI devices also use the DIN5 connector, and may require all five pins.
 
Rex said:
Okay, I see that they often don’t. If you will only ever use this as a MIDI cable, then you should be fine with three conductors. Other non-MIDI devices also use the DIN5 connector, and may require all five pins.
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Many MIDI devices (like foot controllers) DO use all 5 pins - ie, the MIDI is on 3 pins, then something else like phantom power is on the other 2. Subtle but important distinction.

As for whether to wire all 5 - as others have said you won’t need all 5 for this application, but when you have a drawer/box full of MIDI cables and need a 5-pin will you know which are or aren’t 5-pin? Consider marking it somehow so you know it’s only wired 3-pin. The internet is filled with threads troubleshooting why devices aren’t working as intended, only to discover it’s because not all pins of the connector are in fact wired …
 
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Rumbletone said:
Many MIDI devices (like foot controllers) DO use all 5 pins - ie, the MIDI is on 3 pins, then something else like phantom power is on the other 2. Subtle but important distinction.

As for whether to wire all 5 - as others have said you won’t need all 5 for this application, but when you have a drawer/box full of MIDI cables and need a 5-pin will you know which are or aren’t 5-pin? Consider marking it somehow so you know it’s only wired 3-pin. The internet is filled with threads troubleshooting why devices aren’t working as intended, only to discover it’s because not all pins of the connector are in fact wired …
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Thanks for the suggestion…fortunately these won’t be used for any other application so I don’t have to worry about potentional confusion as they’re wired to a customer pedalboard and locked in.
 

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STANDARD MIDI cables, for goodness sake! For ALL Fractal offerings.

You insist on "voltages" ... FAS-LINK.
 
cmc2878 said:
Thanks for the suggestion…fortunately these won’t be used for any other application so I don’t have to worry about potentional confusion as they’re wired to a customer pedalboard and locked in.
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Neat solution, Looks like youre powering the MC6 from the FASlink port - what voltage is it supplying?
 
KFF said:
STANDARD MIDI cables, for goodness sake! For ALL Fractal offerings.

You insist on "voltages" ... FAS-LINK.
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5V supply voltage on PIN 4 is part of the official MIDI spec when using 5-pin DIN as a transport mechanism. The spec was updated in 2014 to allow for 3.3V supply since so many modern devices use 3.3V supply voltage now.

It's easy enough to pull 5V from the USB-A port, or 12V(?) from the FASLink port. I'm just asking what the FM3 is putting out on PIN 4 of the MIDI OUT.
 
benvigil said:
5V supply voltage on PIN 4 is part of the official MIDI spec when using 5-pin DIN as a transport mechanism. The spec was updated in 2014 to allow for 3.3V supply since so many modern devices use 3.3V supply voltage now.

It's easy enough to pull 5V from the USB-A port, or 12V(?) from the FASLink port. I'm just asking what the FM3 is putting out on PIN 4 of the MIDI OUT.
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According to this thread: https://forum.fractalaudio.com/thre...idi-master-is-getting-hot.171579/post-2100431

AxeFX III MIDI OUT is 3.3v
FM3 MIDI OUT is 5v
 
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