laptop joystick footcontrol

["Tilmann Dehnhard" <tilmann@dehnhard.com>]

when travelling i use a laptop setup.
here is a picture of my box w/switches:
http://www.dehnhard.com/picture
my electronic gear is 100 percent hand luggage now!

for controlling mobius (inside bidule) i have built a controller based on 
this joystick control chip:
http://www.lbodnar.dsl.pipex.com/joystick/

well, it's sexy to have your whole gear in a bag you can carry on board.
and astonishingly security has NEVER asked what all these cables and 
buttons 
are for. i guess the flute in the same bag gives it away...

but computers are risky.
once i had a virus the day before the gig (and i was in india and there 
was 
no german windows recovery disc in sight...).
another time the laptop started to fire key commands at mobius randomly 
about 20 min before the gig, probably due to high temperature and 
moisture. 
i stopped that by getting rid of all key commands and go foot control only.
call me a pessimist, but i also expect my laptop to fall one day.
accidents happen and stages are not the safest places on earth - cables 
and 
people and quick soundchecks...

as per suggested, i will get together a survival kit for travelling:
an identical harddrive with the whole music setup already installed, a 
windows cd and a cd with all the progs i use.

keeping the fingers crossed - tilmann