PB-M4 / PB-M4-U

USER MANUAL v2
Programmable MIDI/USB-MIDI Controllers
Developed by Tom Carlo Tan

TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. DEVICE LAYOUT 1
II. DEVICE OPERATION 1
III. PRESET EDIT 2
III. SWITCH CONFIGURATION 3
IV. SETUP MENU 4
V. FACTORY RESET 5
VI. FIRMWARE 6
VII. ZOOM MS50G/MS70CDR/MS60B NOTES 6
IX. F.A.Q. – What is MIDI?, Power Requirements,
6
FOOTSWITCH

Table 1. Default Switch Assignments 2

Table 2. Default Preset PC Combinations 2
Table 3. PRESET Edit Parameters 3
Table 4. Switch Configuration Parameters 4
Table 5. SETUP MENU Parameters/Options 4
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I. DEVICE LAYOUT

USB SERIAL
USB-MIDI OUT (Firmware Update) 9v DC Jack
(PB-M4-U) 25mA (Controller)
*plug Zoom MS here 180mA (w Zoom MS)

AUX JACK
*connect either dual Reset Button
footswitch or (PB-M4-U)
expression pedal

5-PIN MIDI
SWITCH 1 OUTPUT

SWITCH 2

DISPLAY

SWITCH 3 SWITCH 4

II. DEVICE OPERATION

The PedalBot MIDI Controllers come in two sizes, the PB-M4 4-Switch Controller, and the PB-M6 6-Switch
Controller. Either of the sizes can have the USB-MIDI add-on. Both have the capability to send to up to 4 MIDI
devices chained together, or 1 USB-MIDI device like the Zoom MultiStomp pedals and 3 other MIDI Devices. The
MIDI Channels available are from 1 to 4.

Each of the built in switches can be configured to various functions such as Preset Toggle, Preset Scroll, Bank
Change etc… A list of all the various switch configurations are available in Table 2. There are a total of 9 Control
Banks; in each bank, you can configure a switch to a function and will be independent to the other bank’s
assignments.

To CHANGE BETWEEN BANKS, PRESS both S2 and S4 at the same time to move 1 BANK up; PRESS both S1 and S3
at the same time to move 1 BANK down

To EDIT any of the switch assignments, PRESS and HOLD any of the switches for 1 second until the word ‘Edit’ is
shown on the display. (*Make sure that the Edit Enable parameter is turned on in the SETUP MENU.) The
parameter identifier will be displayed for a moment, followed by the current value assigned to that parameter.

By default, all of the switches in all of the banks are configured as PRESET TOGGLE. Each switch will be assigned 2
preset numbers, and will toggle between the two. By default, the ON-STATE preset assignments are as follows:
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Table 1. Default Switch Assignments

Control Bank Switch On Preset Off Preset

Ctr.1 1 Pr.01 Pr.01
2 Pr.02 Pr.01
3 Pr.03 Pr.01
4 Pr.04 Pr.01
Ctr.2 1 Pr.05 Pr.01
2 Pr.06 Pr.01
3 Pr.07 Pr.01
… … … …

The default OFF-STATE assignment for all of the switches will call Preset 1 (Pr.01). You can change this to
whatever preset you want and will be independent per switch.

A PRESET is a collection of MIDI Program Change numbers sent to up to 4 MIDI Channels, a BPM tempo value for
the MIDI Clock, and settings for the AUX jacks. If the device is set to control only 1 DEVICE, the PRESET number
corresponds to the actual MIDI Program Change number sent to channel 1. By default, PRESETs are assigned the
following default values.

Table 2. Default Preset PC Combinations

MIDI Preset Channel 1 PC Channel 2 PC Channel 3 PC Channel 4 PC BPM EXP 1
(‘Pr’) Number (‘A’) Number (‘b’) Number (‘C’) Number (‘d’) CHAN
Pr.01 001 001 001 001 OFF OFF
Pr.02 002 002 002 002 OFF OFF
Pr.03 003 003 003 003 OFF OFF
… … … … …

To EDIT the PRESET assignments, PRESS both S1 and S2 at the same time. This will activate the PRESET EDIT
MODE.

III. PRESET EDIT MODE

In PRESET EDIT MODE, the switches will have an alternate function.

SWITCH 1 (Unlit Switch) will move to the previous PRESET parameter. Holding the switch down for 1 second
cancels any changes to the preset.

SWITCH 2 (Blinking Switch) will move to the next PRESET parameter. Holding the switch down for 1 second will
save any changes done to the PRESET.

SWITCH 3 and 4 (Lit Switch) will cycle you through the various values assignable to the parameter in focus. For
parameters with multiple values, holding any of the switches down will cycle through continuously.

To EXIT the PRESET EDIT MODE, PRESS both SWITCH 1 and 2 at the same time.

A full list of parameters assignable per PRESET is detailed in TABLE 3.

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Table 3. PRESET Edit Parameters

PARAMETERS OPTIONS DESCRIPTION
Prst Pr.01 Selects which preset is being edited. The maximum preset number can be
to edited in the setup menu.
Pr.80
A PC A.oFF to A.128 These parameters selects which Program Change numbers are sent to
b PC b.oFF to b.128 MIDI Channels 1 to 4. Numbers with ‘A’ will be sent to Channel 1,
C PC C.oFF to C.128 numbers with ‘b’ will be sent to Channel 2, etc. You can set the value to
d PC d.oFF to d.128 ‘oFF’ if you don’t want any changes to a certain channel when the preset
is called.
bPM 30 to 999 This parameter turns on the MIDI Clock and sets the tempo when the
preset is called. To set the tempo, tap SWITCH 3 and 4 at the same time
to the beat of the song. To make coarse adjustments to the tempo, press
either SWITCH 3 or 4 to decrement/increment 1 beat. To turn off the
MIDI Clock, decrement/increment the value until ‘oFF’ is shown.
Ep.CH off to Ch 4 If the AUX jack is assigned as an EXPRESSION pedal input, this parameter
turns on the expression control for the preset and selects which channel
to send the expression control to.
EP.CC 000 to 127 If the AUX jack is assigned as an EXPRESSION pedal input, this parameter
sets which Control Change number is sent along with the current
value/position of the expression pedal.
trGr tr.oF to tr.21 If the AUX jack is assigned as a TRIGGER output, this parameter sets
which of the trigger outputs are active.
COPy to.01 to to.80 This parameter allows you to copy the parameter settings of the preset
to another preset number. Use SWITCH 3 and 4 to decrement/increment
the destination PRESET number. To copy the settings, PRESS both
SWITCH 3 and 4 at the same time until ‘SAuE’ is shown on the display.

IV. SWITCH CONFIGURATION

To EDIT the configuration of a switch in normal operation, PRESS and HOLD down the switch you like to configure
for 1 second until ‘Edit’ is shown in the display.

The switches will have the following alternate function:

The BLINKING SWITCH indicates which switch is currently being edited. Pressing this switch will cycle you through
the various parameters as detailed in Table 4. The current parameter identifier will be shown for 1 second,
followed by the value currently assigned to the parameter. To SAVE any changes you have made, PRESS and HOLD
this switch until the word ‘SAuE’ is shown.

The UNLIT SWITCH allows you to cycle down through the various parameters. To CANCEL the edit process, PRESS
and HOLD this switch until ‘CncL’ is shown. The controller will reload the current assignments to the switches and
will revert back to the default state of the bank.

The LIT SWITCHES decrements/increments to the possible values of the currently selected parameter. The switch
on the left will decrement, while the switch on the right will increment. PRESS and HOLD any of the switches to
decrement/increment continuously.
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Table 4. Switch Configuration Parameters

PARAMETERS OPTIONS DESCRIPTION
FUNC Pr.tG This parameter sets the function of the switch. The description of the functions
CC.tG are detailed below:
CC.1.S Pr.tG – Toggles between a pair of Preset/PC numbers
CC.2.S CC.tG – Toggles between 2 sets of MIDI CC Messages.
Sc.dn CC.1.S – Sends a set of MIDI CC Messages to a selected channel when it is
Sc.UP pressed.
Sy.dn CC.2.S – Sends a set of CC Message when the switch is held down, and another
Sy.UP set when the switch is released.
bA.dn
Sc.dn/Sc.UP – Scrolls down/up the PRESET number or the Program Change
bA.UP
number on a specific channel.
Md.Cl
Sy.dn/ Sy.UP – Sends a bank down/up command to a Strymon pedal when
pressed. This sends 4 sets of MIDI CC messages that mimic dual button presses
on the actual Strymon Device.
CHNL Prst This parameter sets which channel to send the Control Change messages. If the
Ch1 to 4 switch is configured to Preset Toggle or Preset Scroll, set the value to PRST to do
operations on the PRESET number itself or set the parameter to a channel
number to do operations on a single channel only.
CC.No 0 to 127 Sets the MIDI Control Change Number. Please consult the manual of the
connected third party device for the mapping of functions to CC numbers.
On.No Pr.01 to Sets the CC Value when the switch toggled on (lit). Typical values are 000 to 063
80 for Off and 064 to 127 for On. If the switch is assigned as Preset Toggle, this
0 to 127 parameter sets which Preset number or Program Change number is sent when
the switch is toggled on.
oF.No Pr.01 to Sets the CC Value when switch is toggled off. If the switch is assigned as Preset
80 Toggle, this parameter sets which Preset number or Program Change number is
0 to 127 sent when the switch is toggled off.

V. SETUP MENU
To change global settings/parameters, PRESS either SWITCH 1 and SWITCH 4, or SWITCH 2 and SWITCH 3 at the
same time. Holding SWITCH 1 during boot-up will also take you directly to the SETUP MENU, necessary if you have
the USB-MIDI mode turned on.

The switches will have alternate functions, and are the same as in the PRESET EDIT mode. Table 5 lists down the
setup parameters and describes possible values.

Table 5. SETUP MENU Parameters/Options

PARAMETER OPTIONS DESCRIPTION
Ed.En oFf/On Edit Enable – When enabled, the switch configurations can be changed. When
disabled, long press alternative functions are allowed such as continuous scroll if
the switch is assigned to PRESET SCROLL.
USb.F oFf/On USB MIDI Toggle – Turns on USB-MIDI functionality. When turned on, controller
will expect a USB-MIDI Compliant device inserted, boot will continue if it senses a
successful USB connection. All messages sent to Channel 1 will be routed to the
USB-MIDI Port.
rESP AFtr/oN.Pr Response – Sets the response of the switches when pressed. If set to ‘AFtr’, all
actions will be after the switch is released. If set to ‘oN.Pr’, actions will happen
as soon as the switches are pressed. This will affect Preset Toggle and CC Toggle
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only. This will give you faster response but might not work well when changing
banks using the built in switches since they require pressing two switches at the
same time.
dE.Li 1,2,3,4 Device Limit – Sets the number of devices interconnected via MIDI. If set to 1, PC
Combinations are disabled and all messages will either be sent to Channel 1 or
the USB-MIDI Port.
Pr.Li Pr.01 to Preset Limits – This parameter limits the assignable PRESET number. There are
Pr.80 100 presets available, but you can minimize this to fit the device you are using.
Zoom MS50/MS70 has 50 presets available. Line 6 M5 has 24…
bA.Li bA.1 to Bank Limits – This parameter sets a limit for the available bank. Very useful if you
bA.9 assign a switch to change between a few banks.
AU.FU oFF AUX Jack Function Assignment – This parameters sets the function of the
bA.Sc Auxiliary Jack. Set this to ‘oFF’ if no device is connected to the AUX jack.
Pr.Sc bA.Sc – A dual Footswitch will allow you to change between banks.
CC.1.s Pr.Sc – A dual Footswitch will allow you to scroll through Preset numbers or a
CC.2.S PC numbers on a channel.
Md.CL CC.1.s – Assigns each external switch to send a set of MIDI Control Change
EP.tP message whenever it is pressed.
Ep.rG CC.2.S – Assigns each external switch to send a set of MIDI CC message when
trGr
the switch is held down, and another set when the switch is released.
Md.CL – The left dual footswitch will toggle the MIDI Clock. The right switch is
for tapping the tempo of the MIDI Clock.
EP.tP – AUX jack accepts an expression pedal with the tip as hot/signal pin.
EP.rG – AUX jack accepts an expression pedal with the ring as hot/signal pin.
trGr – AUX jack as a special output jack that sends 3.3v/5v signal to
proprietary add-on device such as Trigger Box, or Relay Bypass Box
A1.CH Prst This parameter sets which channel the right switch of the external dual footswitch
A2.CH Ch.1 to 4 will send the message to. If AUX Function is Preset Scroll, selects weather to scroll
Preset numbers or Program Change numbers on a specific channel.
A1.CC 0 to 127 This parameters sets the Control Change number sent by each switch of the Dual
A2.CC Footswitch.
A1.On 0 to 127 This parameters sets the CC value sent by each switch of the Dual Footswitch
A2.On when the button is pressed.
A1.oF 0 to 127 This parameters sets the CC value sent by each switch of the Dual Footswitch
A2.oF when the button is released.

VI. FACTORY RESET

 To revert the controller to default settings. PRESS and HOLD SWITCH 2 and SWITCH 3 at the same time
while booting up.
 Default parameters are as follows:
o Edit Enable: On
o USB MIDI: Off
o Response: After
o Number of Device: 1
o Preset Limit: 80
o Bank Limit: 9
o MIDI PC Preset Combinations: *as shown in Table 2
o Switch preset assignment: *as shown in Table 1
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VII. FIRMWARE
 To show current firmware number, press and hold SWITCH 2 while booting up. This will temporarily show
the current version number and will resume normal operation after 1 second.
 The current firmware version as of writing this manual is v2.0.
 To install new firmware, follow the following steps:
o Install USB-Serial Driver (CP210x_Windows_Drivers.rar)
as provided by PedalBot.
o Power the PB-M4 Controller then connect the USB
Serial port to the computer using a MICRO USB cable.
Check if device is recognized.
o Run Xloader.exe as provided.
o Locate the correct firmware hex file for your device.
Note that the file for the PB-M4 is different for the PB-
M4-U. Please choose accordingly.
o Select the correct COM port assigned to the controller
by the PC operating system.. Then press upload and
wait until finished.

VIII. ZOOM MS50G/MS70CDR/MS60B NOTES

 The PB-M4-U variant of the controller allows control of Zoom MultiStomp devices via USB-MIDI.
 There is limited support for MIDI Commands: Program Change (PC) Messages from PC# 0 (PATCH 1) to
PC# 49 (PATCH 50) are allowed and only 2 Control Change (CC) Numbers are found to have functions (CC#
74 for Mute Tuning and CC# 75 for Bypass Tuning, values 0 to 63 for Off, and values 64 to 127).
 To make the controller work with Zoom MS, please set the following options in the SETUP MENU:
o USB MIDI Toggle (USb.F) : On
 You can also choose to limit the preset cycle to 50 to match what is available in the Zoom MS device.
 If you have set the USB-MIDI functioned turned on, the controller will only continue to boot up if it senses
a successful USB connection, so it is necessary to plug the Zoom MS first using the appropriate USB cable
before booting up. If ever an error has occurred in the USB connection, or the device stalls due to this,
press the RESET BUTTON to restart the connection.
 The Zoom MS can directly be powered by the Controller via the USB connection, but not the other way
around. If some grounding noise occurs, experiment with your wiring; try isolating the supply for the
controller or daisy chaining both the controller and the Zoom to the same supply.

IX. F.A.Q.
 What is MIDI?
o MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) messages are used to communicate with
digital musical equipment. It can play songs or, in this case, control or change various
settings of a device.
o It is divided into 3 bytes of serial data; 1 byte for ‘status’ and 2 bytes for ‘data’. The status
byte contains information of the type of message and the channel number. The 1 st data
byte contains either the Program Change (PC) number or the Control Change (CC)
number. The 2nd data byte will contain the value for the particular CC number.
o This device prepares the 1st byte depending on the mode of operation and parameters.
Note that the device can only send to channels 1, 2, 3, and 4.
o The user only needs to indicate the PC number or CC number and CC value per preset.
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o Consult your device’s manual for more information on how to set the appropriate
channel per device and the various controllable feature and their MIDI mappings.
 What is the power requirement of the controller?
o The controller works with regular 9v Center Negative power supplies. The new version
only consumes about 25mA of current. The PB-M4-U has a USB-MIDI Module and can
power the Zoom MS Device via USB. The current draw with the Zoom MS is around
180mA.
o Avoid running the controller in an underpowered or overloaded supply. Running it below
recommended supply will corrupt the boot loader and might require servicing.
 When using with Zoom MS devices, can you swipe left and right to change the pedal on the
screen? Can you turn on individual effects inside a patch?
o The Zoom MS Devices have very limited functions that respond to standard MIDI
Messages. Only Program Change (PC) messages from 0 to 49, and 2 Control Change
messages for Mute Tuning (CC#74) and Bypass Tuning (CC#75, values 0-63 Off, 64 -127
On) work. Note that MIDI is not an advertised function of the Zoom. Please expect some
quirks, like settings being auto-saved when switching with the controller, and delay trails
being cut when switching to a different preset.
 What type of footswitch/expression will work with the PB-M4?
o The PB-M4 accepts momentary normally-open switches wired using a stereo cable; one
switch connects Tip to the Sleeve, while the other connects Ring to the sleeve. PedalBot
makes the PB-FS1 which has the TIP-SLEEVE switch on the right, while the RING-SLEEVE
switch on the left. You can use other dual footswitches, as long as you consider the above
information.
o For expression pedals, it is ideal to use an expression pedal with a 10k potentiometer.
The developer used the Dunlop X Mini during development of the functionality, with the
trimmer switch all the way off. You can set controller to accept the TIP as the hot/signal
pin, or the RING.