HeavyW8bit
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Parts Unkown

After recently learning that the Atari 2600 Joystick ports can be configured to be either input or output, I was able to get the Atari to control a Nintendo NES without out any major modifications.  In this case I configured one of the Atari joystick ports to be input and the other port to output. 

In theory you should be able to connect the Atari 2600 to 8 separate devices at once, since there are 8 pins that you can control.

Possiblilties include:
Connect Atari to any other systems.
Sync 2 Atari 2600's to get 4 channels of audio.
Sync Atari w/ a NES to get 7 channels of audio.
Using Batsly Adams' algorithm that checks for the rising edge, can even use the Atari as a clock to sync multiple systems.

herr_prof
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Wouldnt it make a pretty more clock master cause it has very few tempos it can use? Just gauging by synthcart.

Theta_Frost
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Milwaukee, WI

Syncing 2 2600's would be VERY relevant to my interests.

cTrix
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Australia
Theta_Frost wrote:

Syncing 2 2600's would be VERY relevant to my interests.

hahaha. Yeah.  I thought it'd be relevant to mine too - but I find just using one by it's self is enough out of tune note-swapping chaos let alone having two of the buggers running together.  I actually find you can power up both units together, turn them off, and back on at the wall again and they are usually within a frame of sync.

Theta_Frost
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Milwaukee, WI

Well I'm sure I can manage.  This would probably make building up my 2600 DJ set easier though... wink

Boner
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United States

program it to control and beat marble madness on an NES

little-scale
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ad-hell-aide

Synthcart's tempo limitations are due to the fact that the 2600 is generating visuals and music tempo simultaneously.

If the Atari is not generating visuals, then the output clock from the joystick ports can be set to whatever you program them to be.

2 x Synthcarts would be cool indeed...

little-scale
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ad-hell-aide

You could also run 2 x Synthcarts from one power adaptor, and just plug that in whilst the two Atari's have their power switched to on.

InactiveX
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England
little-scale wrote:

You could also run 2 x Synthcarts from one power adaptor, and just plug that in whilst the two Atari's have their power switched to on.

That's a great idea. I think I'll try that (still have 2xSC).

This is a really interesting thread. I might buy another NES.

Last edited by InactiveX (Sep 12, 2011 8:31 am)

InactiveX
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England

It's just occured to me: the 4021 used in the NES controller has a data output - pin 3.

So you could get 2-way comms between NES and 2600. Or NES and ..........

Any bright ideas, folks?

Last edited by InactiveX (Sep 14, 2011 9:01 am)

HeavyW8bit
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Parts Unkown

Sorry for the necrobump.

Just wanted to add that I updated Paul Slocum's music driver so it uses Port A output as a clock out.

Pin 8 is ground and pins 1-4 are the outputs, so it can clock up to 4 devices.

Updated code can be found here

This video shows how I was able to use the clock out feature to sync the 2600 with the NES

Timbob
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heart

boomlinde
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Sweden

Lovely combination!

Timbob
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what's the ppqn of the atari signal? in case anybody wants to sync it with lsdj or nanoloop, or maybe convert it to a midi clock signal? big_smile

boomlinde
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Sweden

I'd guess the synthcart tempo is frame based, in which case it depends on the tempo setting. Tracker speed 6, assuming the rows are 16ths, would be one tick per pulse at 24 ppqn. What you really want to do is set the speed setting in LSDJ/Nanoloop to something that matches the Atari clock in ticks per line.

Timbob
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ah yes, makes sense. since you can only select a few different tempo settings...
It's not synthcart, but paul slocums music driver program, which is basically the same tongue
(and quite hard to write music in)

Oh, but!
Ctrix made a modplug plugin to write music for this program!

anyway, yay!
new stuff to play with big_smile