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MIDI is very similar to RS232 https://www.compuphase.com/electronics/midi_rs232.htm https://www.compuphase.com/electronics/midi_rs232.htm But RS232 dates back

MIDI is very similar to RS232 https://www.compuphase.com/electronics/midi_rs232.htm https://www.compuphase.com/electronics/midi_rs232.htm But RS232 dates back to the 60s https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RS-232 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RS-232 > In telecommunications, RS-232 or Recommended Standard 232[1] is a standard originally introduced in 1960[2] for serial communication transmission of data. It formally defines signals connecting between a DTE (data terminal equipment) such as a computer terminal, and a DCE (data circuit-terminating equipment or data communication equipment), such as a modem.

horsawlarway 3y ago
Shout out to RS232, as an aside! One of my very first experiences with coding was communicating with devices over serial with RS232. 25 years later it's mostly usb-adapters and 5v TTL converters instead of the old school (in my day) db9 connectors. But I still use it all the time for hobby projects.
ilyt 3y ago
> MIDI is very similar to RS232 It wouldn't be wrong to say MIDI is protocol running on top of RS232 (of specific config and bitrate) In fact easiest way to get MIDI IN/OUT is using UART on microcontroller + an optocoupler
dfox 3y ago
MIDI is similar to RS-232 only if you conflate RS-232 (which specifies voltage levels and physical connector) with asynchronous start-stop serial, while that is the most common application for RS-232, it can be carried over a lot of physical layers and also RS-232 can carry synchronous serial (which is a part of the reason for the DB25 with a lot of “unused” pins). MIDI physical layer is pretty much unique to MIDI and a kind of an ugly, but cheap and reliable (when done correctly), hack. Edit: technically you can wire RS232 transmitter to MIDI receiver and if both follow the respective specification the Tx should not source enough current to blow the Rx optocoupler. But it will generally not work the other way around because in absence of said optocoupler the relationship of the MIDI signal (which is a current loop referenced to more or less unspecified potential) to receiver ground matters.

horsawlarway 3y ago

Shout out to RS232, as an aside! One of my very first experiences with coding was communicating with devices over serial with RS232. 25 years later it's mostly usb-adapters and 5v TTL converters instead of the old school (in my day) db9 connectors. But I still use it all the time for hobby projects.

ilyt 3y ago

> MIDI is very similar to RS232 It wouldn't be wrong to say MIDI is protocol running on top of RS232 (of specific config and bitrate) In fact easiest way to get MIDI IN/OUT is using UART on microcontroller + an optocoupler

dfox 3y ago

MIDI is similar to RS-232 only if you conflate RS-232 (which specifies voltage levels and physical connector) with asynchronous start-stop serial, while that is the most common application for RS-232, it can be carried over a lot of physical layers and also RS-232 can carry synchronous serial (which is a part of the reason for the DB25 with a lot of “unused” pins). MIDI physical layer is pretty much unique to MIDI and a kind of an ugly, but cheap and reliable (when done correctly), hack. Edit: technically you can wire RS232 transmitter to MIDI receiver and if both follow the respective specification the Tx should not source enough current to blow the Rx optocoupler. But it will generally not work the other way around because in absence of said optocoupler the relationship of the MIDI signal (which is a current loop referenced to more or less unspecified potential) to receiver ground matters.