465 Reply by yogi

(3 replies, posted in Other Vintage Computers & Consoles)

Just to wrap up this thread, I got the Vaio setup. Had a little issue that turned out  to be a bad Win98 install, Seemed to work fine but couldn't detect any PnP cards ( took  half a week to figure that out). After the second install, Win98 detected the on-board YMF715 as well as the SB32 ISA card and installed drivers for both. YEA \o/ 

Had a small glitch with the 2 game ports, the on board port got installed first and took the resources before the SB card. Had to disable  the one, Install the other (it could only use ADR 201) then enable and install the first using the next higher ADR.

I was worried that Adlib Tracker would have a problem with the Win98 drivers but works just fine from a dos prompt. Even uses the YMF 715 as it should; I was prepared to have to edit the config file.

Happy camper, now just have to learn the Adlib interface, only got F3, F5 and F7 down so far.. I have to say the YMF sounds SO much better then the Vibra CQM 'OPL 3' on the SB32 (don't settle for a SB32 go for the AWE32). I can't comment on how YMF stacks up to a OPL 3 card, but I'm well satisfied. This was the best junk 'puter I've gotten my hands on.

If anyone needs the Yamaha and Sound Blaster drivers, I've found the direct links to the Support pages so you don't have to mess with the numerous 'Driver Download' sites,(had to spend an afternoon cleaning my HTPC, stupid Adware!)
Yahama OPL SAx
http://www.yamaha.co.jp/english/product/lsi/download/
Sound Blaster AWE32
http://us.creative.com/support/download … 9&y=11
The Creative Labs files are easy to find but the Yahama site doesn't have direct access to the archived drivers.
Enjoy

Go to forum: Other Vintage Computers & Consoles

466 Reply by yogi

(3 replies, posted in Other Vintage Computers & Consoles)

Thanks. Working towards that, messing with the HD ATM.

Go to forum: Other Vintage Computers & Consoles

467 Topic by yogi

(3 replies, posted in Other Vintage Computers & Consoles)

Well, I've been going through some old PII PCs to try building a SoundBlaster/tracker box. Ive got a SB32 (the very ECO model of the SB AWE32) enroute so I'm looking for a home to put it in.
One of the boxes, a Sony Vaio PCV-150 desktop, seemed like a good choice. I fired it up and went through its hardware. I found that it has a Yamaha OPL3SAx Wdm driver loaded in Device Manager. The sound manager listed midi devices are the MS GS wavetable, a Yamaha FM synth and a Yamaha MPU-401. Anyone seen a desktop Mobo with onboard sound hardware using an OPL? Could this be a similar  design to one of the Vaio laptops? Look alot like a SoundBlaster install.
Another issue I have is it's running ME, and I'm not sure how well ME will do with DOS apps, ( no DOS support in ME, AFAIK) so I'm thinking of downgrading to Win98SE. Hoping that Win98's drivers will work, would like to see if I can use the on board OPL. Been scraping the Web looking, but Sony doesn't seem to have any chipset drivers for the mobo, and don't know if there is a SB card driver I can use instead.
Any thoughts?

Go to forum: Other Vintage Computers & Consoles

468 Reply by yogi

(11 replies, posted in Atari)

rygD wrote:

....

Edit:  According to the manual for the game you "Plug the Video Touch Pad firmly into the RIGHT CONTROLLER jack", so if it were working properly with this game wouldn't that suggest it is not related to the controller port?  I don't have the game, and don't have my supercharger available to see what buttons are used.

Yes, the best way to narrow down the possible causes is to substitute with know-good. So if swapping controllers while using the Synth cart didn't make a diff, probably not controllers. And if the right port works with a diff game, Star Raiders, then probably not the right port circuit. With the symptoms only with the Synth Cart, thinking that it has to do with the carts connections.

  But, all the above is based on allot of assumptions about what is working and not. From working on other systems I know that can lead you  "down a wrong path'. For instance we don't know for sure that Star Raiders handles the port the same way that the Synth Cart does, could be a timing issue with the pot pins and the frequency that the port is read. If there was access to a second Synth cart and/or second console we could pin it down faster.
Recently had a similar problem with a Game Gear handheld. Got a fixer upper from EBay for a project. Needed new caps before it would even stay on, then wouldn't boot the SMS cart connected with a Gear Master converter. This was the only kit I had, no GG cart to try; no second SMS cart and the converter was 'new' from EBay. Ended up getting more carts, both GG and SMS, and another Game Gear. After subing all combos, turned out to be the 'new' converter. The converter was not seating correctly in the GG, too thick.

Sometimes the best course is to list all the causes for a symptom and test them one by one, starting with the easiest.
The best case is to try the Synth Cart in a diff console, but in this case may not be possible. So the advice I can offer is to clean the contacts well, both the cart's and the console's, and determine why the cart is not seating with the same feel that the others have.
Here is the link to the controllers wiring
http://www.atariage.com/2600/archives/s … s_Low.html
Keep trying,
Yogi

Go to forum: Atari

469 Reply by yogi

(11 replies, posted in Atari)

What model A26 do you have? On the sixers, the main board is connected to the switch board with a cable. The ribbon cable is a mylar laminate that can breakdown with age. 
Also the keypad controllers use all the pin of the port, each port has two 'POT pin ,5 and 9 for the Paddle controllers, that aren't used on the joystick controller. The KP controller is a simple 3x4 switch matrix, the game kernel sets one of the strobes, a column pin, and reads the row nibble, looking for a active high. Pins 1-4 are the rows and pins 5,6 and 9 are the columns.

Each 'pot' pin  has a RC network that is used as a simple A to D converter with the paddles.  The 'pot' in each paddle is coupled to a capacitor on the main board, forming an RC network. when the kernel wants to read the paddle, the pin is energized and the RC time constant is measured; I.E how long it takes to transition From 0 to 1. On the KP controller PCB there is a resistor in place of the pot, between each pot pin and pin 7, this is used to produce a very short RC time constant.

To my mind, you may either have a problem with the cart and port or the Right gameport.
.If it's a problem  with the right port, seeing as you swapped KPs it would be on the system board . Sounds like there may be a bridge, this would account for the constant note on. Or could be a bad cap for the pot pins.

If you had a bad cart port I wouldn't expect any cart to run, but other carts do fine. So there may be a problem with the cart itself. Is this a new synth cart? Try cleaning the contacts on the card edge .  Try to figure out why it doesn't seat in very well, could be something to do with the dust cover on the cart.
Good luck

Go to forum: Atari

470 Reply by yogi

(6 replies, posted in Atari)

Just a bump with an update on Antichamber's project. I had not seen his blog @ AtariAge till today. Really worth a look.
http://atariage.com/forums/blog/536/ent … dibox-tia/
In addition, check out this drum patch demo
https://soundcloud.com/bdupeyron/mb-tia … reset-drum
for more details check his Wiki page
http://www.midibox.org/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=midibox_tia
He is moving at full steam with more software controls to come! Very exciting!!
(P.S he is also updating another project as well, the MidiBox POKEY started by nILS @MIDIBox.org)
(P.P.S  a 'Thank You' to Eptheca for helping and motivating Antichamber smile )

Go to forum: Atari

471 Reply by yogi

(27 replies, posted in Other Hardware)

GenSek wrote:

...Ouch! For me (and my poor english) this is too difficult, I didn't understand...
Is this a kit?
Is it a real hardware synth that you play via midi?
The only thing that I understand is that it's an emulation, and searchin' here & there nobody seems to use it.

KIT, no. They had sold some kits awhile ago, but everything is SMD so most ppls don't/won't like soldering QFP chips.

Not exactly EMU, more like a reverse engineered chip design. The FPGA is a 'sea of gates' that lets you design logic circuits. Can be defined as a schematic or as a logic equation in a HDL language. Kind of like writing a program, but you are describing the logic design (inputs, outputs and the truth table), and the chip interconnects the needed gates.  Like a really big GAL that you can reset easily.

The RetroArcade has the HDL bitstreams and GUI already setup, so the user can treat the running hardware as a synth. Of course one could make changes at the hardware level if they chose. There is a GUI to interact with the boards, over a USB connection and/or send MIDI. But, in the end the 'SID' or 'AY' is a redesign based on how the original preforms. Not having the original die design for the chips, the 'soft cores' are not 100% copies of the originals. It's the same with the clone consoles that are hitting the market, ASIC designs to recreate the originals, sometimes they don't get it right.

  Very little learning curve for this application, the user just uploads the bitstream the first time, it's stored in flash on the board and thereafter gets loaded into the FPGA after every power cycle . The real strength with FPGAs is the way you can reconfigure it; at one time, you could have a 'SID' synth and then upload a FATMAN synth, or a PacMan game, or your own design. Most of the users of FPGAs are interested in logic level designing; and the 'chip' scene, at large, is interested in the originals.

For example synth designs, take a look at http://jovianpyx.dyndns.org:8080/public/FPGA_synth/
Scott G's designs are closer to analog synths and show the power of FPGAs.

Go to forum: Other Hardware

472 Reply by yogi

(27 replies, posted in Other Hardware)

Well, the Papilio is a FPGA board with an Arduino type form factor. The RetroArcade is like a Arduino shield. It mounts to the Papilio and supplies connectors and lcd I/O for the FPGA.
In the end you upload  bitstreams that set up the FPGA chip as a synth, there are IP cores (configurations of the FPGA's internal logic to recreate a hardware device) for SID, YM and Pokey I think. You can also create a totally new synth design. It's kind of like a emulation but at a transistor level, more of recreating the chips on a re-programable design platform.

Go to forum: Other Hardware

473 Reply by yogi

(13 replies, posted in Other Vintage Computers & Consoles)

Thanks, this is cool. I have a couple CoCo's in a box (somewhere) that I should dig out. (bad case of 'pack-ratism") Never thought of them as musical, been focused more on Ataris, but could be fun. I know I have a MC10 and I think there is a ram pack for it (can't remember the size, 16K?). Even have a Model III but never fired it up, (got it helping to clear out a NASA building; just love the 'terminal' style).
Don't know how hard to would be, but a simple sequencer would be cool. like a 8 or 16 note stack. Thinking it could be interesting with, like you mentioned, ext-fx.

Go to forum: Other Vintage Computers & Consoles

474 Reply by yogi

(4 replies, posted in Other Hardware)

I use a simple 4-to-1  A/V switch box, no amps or auto switching, just simple mech 'radio' push buttons. The type with RCA plugs for composite video. Each switch input can handle 3 signals, so if you aren't using video you could ran another audio channel through the 3rd one. I run my stuff into a regular stereo and a TV, so works for me. If you added a second, you could setup a matrix, I.E. a 4-to-1 connected to 1-to-4, to route your signals to different locations.
Of course you need to come up with 1/8" or 1/4" to RCA adaptors as needed.

Go to forum: Other Hardware

475 Reply by yogi

(17 replies, posted in Nintendo Consoles)

OOOOH nice!

Go to forum: Nintendo Consoles

476 Reply by yogi

(35 replies, posted in Releases)

Some of your best!!! Lov'n IM35, Feels like you poured lemon juice on my brain and then bitch slapped it, OH yea!!!

Go to forum: Releases

477 Reply by yogi

(27 replies, posted in Other Hardware)

herr_prof wrote:

Its not a seqeuncer or a way to automate anything, it just exposes the settings of the synth in a way to edit them visually as opposed to digging through menus.

I had thought that being a VST you could send automation commands from the host DAW to it.  But re-thinking, you can map the MBSid's CCs in the DAW directly, so no need for the GUI, right?

Go to forum: Other Hardware

478 Reply by yogi

(27 replies, posted in Other Hardware)

herr_prof wrote:

http://www.ucapps.de/midibox_sid_manual_ed.html

I'm a total noobie with DAWs, trying to learn Renoise ATM, but the MBSid GUI is a big plus to me. Being able to automate filter sweeps or ASDR changes as well as all the other great features of the firmware, how can you beat that?

The SammichSID was by design a 'easy to build' kit; giving up some front panel control. The beauty 'bout MIOS (firmware)  is you can build a MBSid with a full on CS, or control everything over SysEx. Just depends on how you want to work, knob twisting or mouse click'n.
EDIT- you can still get to all the prams from the CS on the Sammich, you just need to drill down through more screens/menus. The full CS has  knobs and switches for all prams, far less menu hopping.

Not sure about the other Sid boxes out there, but to me, MIOS just beats them hands-down. BUT if you need/want a sid box like yesterday, Plug'n'Play: let's start jammin'; well then I can see buying a ready made one. You really need to like DIY projects to get a MB built.

Go to forum: Other Hardware

479 Reply by yogi

(41 replies, posted in General Discussion)

OT as to LSDJ; but when talking about post-production effects, Yerzmyey's "Strange Light Under My Bed" http://ubiktune.org/releases/ubi051-yer … der-my-bed blows me away

Go to forum: General Discussion

480 Reply by yogi

(22 replies, posted in Nintendo Consoles)

Yea, I'm sure once ppls start digging into the code, we can expect  to see interesting apps. His original project was based on the Arduino Mega, don't know if he has stayed with, or ported to full ASM and/or nev AVR. The inclusion of CPLD for the glue logic limits the DIY build. But with his cart as a dev platform, code mods seems likely.

Here is a related project that is based on Jarek's Tsunder, 
Part 1 ]http://shiftmore.blogspot.com/2012/11/a … art-i.html
Part 2[ http://shiftmore.blogspot.com/2012/11/a … -part.html
UNO based. Hasn't been updated in quite awhile; yet to include Midi control. But could be a start for the DIY minded. (I'm seeing a Teensy based USB Midi interface)

Go to forum: Nintendo Consoles