TylerBarnes
Offline
Dallas, Texas
Batsly Adams wrote:

I hope your plan isn't to just rip the code from the PIC. Why not spend the effort making something that is your own intellectual property?

I'm well aware that there are problems with wayfar, but still.


Everyone to Wayfar wrote:

I hope your plan isn't to just rip money from peoples hands. Why not spend the extra effort and fulfill your orders, employ help to build your cart, and stop taking orders?

I'm well aware that there are problems with becoming an honest human being, but still.

I have zero issues stealing from the guy that stole from me, and hundreds or thousands of others just like me.

Last edited by TylerBarnes (Oct 29, 2013 8:47 pm)

yogi
Offline
Jelly Stone park, MD USA
Ness wrote:

...About the chip maestro, did I understood yogi weel : no room for improvment on the chip maestro because of "gates"? .

   Yes and no: yes as in the 'op codes' that are read by the 2A03 are static logic outputs based on the the inputs on the adr bus, such as 'If A0 & A1 & A2=00, then output XX'. In Jarek's first design he used discrete gates, but he has converted the logic to a HDL file for the CPLD. So within the CPLD all 'gate logic' is synthesized from the generic logic cell fabric but are functionally the same as discrete gates.

The logic within the CPLD can be changed, but to add features on the NES side you would need to: design logic equations for each 'op code'  of each line in a program.

  I have seen State Machines implemented with  PROMs, programed to output different bit patterns at selected address locations, to respond to input bit patterns on the adr pins. Back when u Controllers were far more expensive and difficult to use. The complexity of these designs don't scale up very well.
Yogi

TSC
Offline
Milwaukee, WI

I must be the only one xik didn't rip off. I've gotten a MIDINES anytime I've ordered.

yogi
Offline
Jelly Stone park, MD USA
Batsly Adams wrote:

I just ordered some PCBs to support FaMI, I can't do much in the way of hobby stuff nowadays due to time constraints. Most of FaMI / any other projects I work on are written on vacation days.

Reading from the controller port is flawed due to the behavior in the DPCM hardware, which meant no samples. I wrote a few workarounds but it was at the expense of some features (latency, visual feedback etc). Although the ROM ended up being pretty full featured with control of the 4 basic channels I felt as though it was incomplete if you weren't able to use DPCM. I have a working PCB now that I'll be happy to release once I'm done testing.

Bleo has been invaluable, and I love him dearly.

EDIT: If the Chip Maestro has proven itself to be unsatisfactory then I'll plan to do a short run of these carts based on demand.

YEA Batsly!! I'd love to support your work and if you do offer up boards I would be in for one.
As to the issue of 'hacking' the Midines, all I can say is while I don't priate other people's work,  ESPECIALLY within a hobby community, I find it hard to respect Wayfar's rights after he has stomped on mine. I have already paid for a Midines, so I have some right to one copy of the software.

Batsly Adams
Offline
Brooklyn, NY

I wasn't trying to cause frustration. I thought that the attitude about the clone was a bit lousy and that the energy could be better spent elsewhere if it's motivated by revenge (isn't the PCB Membler's Squeedo design anyway?). I couldn't stop you even if I wanted to.

I'm talking with Kitsch. I'll work on closing up the project with the features that I think are important and you can buy what you want. Choice is good, right?

Last edited by Batsly Adams (Oct 29, 2013 11:02 pm)

Limitbreak
Offline
Arizona

Without getting too political, I for one would like to own a Midines-esque cart somehow.

Alpine
Offline
UK, Leicester
TSC wrote:

I must be the only one xik didn't rip off. I've gotten a MIDINES anytime I've ordered.

obvs I'm hella late to all of this, but looking through past threads, complaints about midines from here and other places as well, it basically seems to come down to "If you aren't well known in the chip scene, you'll get pissed around and never get a cart" and you are someone who's well known, that could be why you've always got yours.
The idea that if you aren't well known, you probably won't get one is kinda the reason that I'd be interested in this project, I'd been thinking of getting midines for a while, but after doing some research, I'd rather wait for an alternative.
Also, pirating is part of chiptune heritage or something.

stargazer
Offline
SLC, UT

What even happened to x|k? He was such a talented member of the community. I always assumed that he got busy/bored with making midines but left his site up (presumably accidentally) and now even if he wanted to get back into it his name is tarnished and he has several years worth of backorders.

It doesn't seem to me like he intended to rip people off, just maybe got involved in a project bigger than he could support and maybe some depression/poverty set in as well.

Jose seemed like more of a sociopath that got corrupted by power and position.

Then again, I don't know anything.

I do know that jazz has given this community a huge chunk of enthusiasm and talent that its been lacking. Particularly in the last year. So I'll say thanks to you!

Victory Road
Offline
Gosford, Australia
Alpine wrote:
TSC wrote:

I must be the only one xik didn't rip off. I've gotten a MIDINES anytime I've ordered.

it basically seems to come down to "If you aren't well known in the chip scene, you'll get pissed around and never get a cart" and you are someone who's well known, that could be why you've always got yours..

celsius had been waiting 5+ years, still might not have it for all i know :v

Jazzmarazz
Offline
Michigan
Batsly Adams wrote:

I wasn't trying to cause frustration. I thought that the attitude about the clone was a bit lousy and that the energy could be better spent elsewhere if it's motivated by revenge (isn't the PCB Membler's Squeedo design anyway?). I couldn't stop you even if I wanted to.

I did some digging and you sir, are correct. The very early MIDINES cartridges used the Squeedo flash cartridge; "squeedo" of course referring to the custom memory mapper and circuit board by Memblers Industries. The content of the above mentioned PIC happens to belong to Memblers, not Wayfar. There is little information on the Squeedo cartridge besides some changelogs from Memblers himself and some sample mp3s. Memblers is not wayfar (by far) and I suppose I ought to contact him about Squeedo.

Thanks to TylerBarnes and his photos, it would seem that MIDINES 1 RevB uses "Squeedo the Flash Cart - 2005 Memblers" whereas the MIDIDNES 2 R1 uses a new board which offers no claim to Squeedo or memblers whatsoever. It does however contain the same PIC and nearly the same layout as Squeedo. So unless I am mistaken, it would seem that Wayfar took Squeedo for his own. At this point, "MIDINES" refers only to the contents of that 29F040.

I never intended to walk away a richer man if you were under this assumption. My goal is not to take from Memblers, nor is it to take from wayfar. My only goal is to give back to the community where another has let them down.

stargazer wrote:

What even happened to x|k? He was such a talented member of the community. I always assumed that he got busy/bored with making midines but left his site up (presumably accidentally) and now even if he wanted to get back into it his name is tarnished and he has several years worth of backorders.

It doesn't seem to me like he intended to rip people off, just maybe got involved in a project bigger than he could support and maybe some depression/poverty set in as well.

Jose seemed like more of a sociopath that got corrupted by power and position.

Then again, I don't know anything.

I do know that jazz has given this community a huge chunk of enthusiasm and talent that its been lacking. Particularly in the last year. So I'll say thanks to you!

heart

Last edited by Jazzmarazz (Oct 29, 2013 11:59 pm)

yogi
Offline
Jelly Stone park, MD USA
Batsly Adams wrote:

I wasn't trying to cause frustration. I thought that the attitude about the clone was a bit lousy and that the energy could be better spent elsewhere if it's motivated by revenge (isn't the PCB Membler's Squeedo design anyway?). I couldn't stop you even if I wanted to.

I'm talking with Kitsch. I'll work on closing up the project with the features that I think are important and you can buy what you want. Choice is good, right?

Didn't really mean to point my 'priate' response directly at you smile  just that there is so much bad karma with that guy that I feel 0% guilty looking at his code (if it's even his?). And Yes, building on the Midines concept with a upgrade, I would opt for a Midibox MIOS32 core solution rather then just a clone. ARM processors rulz!
After looking over the fine board photos, yea the the board was designed by Membler, the Squeedo Synth. Just did some Google'n, found a link by Membler to photos of the bare board, front and back, as well as spec sheet for his MicroMapper firmware used on the cart. Looks like he was/is active on NESDev.com
Yogi

thebitman
Offline

I will be in ecstasy over the idea of expansion chip emulation/support by means of an FPGA. Not sure how possible it is, but one can dream.

nordloef
Offline
sweden
TylerBarnes wrote:

Ok I took a large amount of pictures of both my midines carts. One was a MidiNES 1 RevB. and the other is a MidiNES 2.  All the pics can be downloaded here: https://app.box.com/s/fjxbkyff21l5k9w7e7u2

I tried to be as thorough as possible. I figured more than enough pictures was better then not enough.

Where did you get the midines 2? Didn't even know that it was released.

Ness
Offline

Reading these posts and being a noob at this, I feel like I'm in a galaxy far faaaaar faaaaaaaaaar away!
I'd like to know more about any project to create a better chip maestro and even a better midines...
If I can help create an original project, I'll be glad.
I'll keep reading this thread until someone says : I'm ready to ship some midi goodness Booooooooooys and Girrrrrrrrrrrls.
Thanks to yogi who tried explaining "gates" to me and why it seems impossible to improve a chip maestro, thanks to anyone who's got time an enthusiasm to make a midi to nes cartridge a reality.
Still, I'm wondering why I haven't seen a midi->SNES on the internet yet while searching for a midines/chip maestro replacement...
Jazz, are you a member of a cartmod community?
I'm so glad to read that so many people are eager to create that I've got a smile stuck onto my face right now big_smile

TylerBarnes
Offline
Dallas, Texas
nordloef wrote:

Where did you get the midines 2? Didn't even know that it was released.

The Electronic Bay. eBay

I'm guessing that it's not technically a "MidiNES 2" cause the missing chips like ciclone and functionality like midi out. It's just the name of the PCB board revision. As always I could be wrong.

TSC
Offline
Milwaukee, WI

From what I understand, MIDINES 2.0 as a finished product was unreleased and featured some special DJ mode or something. I was trying to find photos of this in action (they exist, I've seen em!) but no luck. I believe Don Miller was supposed to be involved in some way as well.