WILLY - Soundcard adapter (MIDI and OPL3)

[RockRiver]

(maybe then through MSXVR/moonsound "emulated" and CPC "virtualized"  )


on real hard world:
TMT LOGIC, Prodatron and crossover MSX-CPC moonsound owners will be very happy...

I know it's crazy. But I will like it a lot.

thanks for your work, hardware, software and time. Mate!!


I'll try and check CPC + vgmplay + AMSDAP + MoonSound and report you...

[HAL6128]

Every MSX cartridge should work with AMSDAP apart from memory mapped cartridges. The MSX ports are translated into &FFxx whereas xx is the MSX port address.

[TotO]

The MSX ports are translated into &FFxx whereas xx is the MSX port address.

Exactly.

[XeNoMoRPH]

(maybe then through MSXVR/moonsound "emulated" and CPC "virtualized"  )


on real hard world:
TMT LOGIC, Prodatron and crossover MSX-CPC moonsound owners will be very happy...

I know it's crazy. But I will like it a lot.

thanks for your work, hardware, software and time. Mate!!


I'll try and check CPC + vgmplay + AMSDAP + MoonSound and report you...

I also have an AMSDAP in the CPC, with the Symbiface III, I also have the MSX cartridge Monster Sound FM Blaster ( compatible Moonsound ), what you are saying is could it work on the CPC? playing music files? .... i'm waiting for the willy adapter to arrive, by the way 

[deepfb]

Last one for this first batch.

I will take preorders from now on for a second batch (I will wait a few days to know how many boards I should order).

Hi, PulkoMandy. I would buy two units from the second batch, if possible. Thank you!

[RockRiver]

It could be adjusted to use different IO ports to work there, I think

- #FF7E - #FF7F

http://map.grauw.nl/resources/msx_io_ports.php


Then,  this is same ports on VGMplay ?
I will check PulkoMandy's VGMplay CPC with AMSDAP/MoonSound OPL4 Cartridge; and MSXVR coder would implement MoonSound device emu on CPC "virtual machine"

[PulkoMandy]

VGMPlay uses the Willy ports: FEBC, [/size]FEBD, and [/size]FEBE. But it can be recompiled to use different ports.
[/size]
[/size]Note that for OPL3/OPL4, at least 3 ports are needed, this is because there are more than 256 registers, so an address bit is used to extend the register selection port.

[RockRiver]

VGMPlay it can be recompiled to use different ports.

thanks!!!
special VGMplay CPC version for AMSDAP/MoonSound and MSXVR users...
please!!

Alberto from Vikalb/MSXVR coders can implement and is interested in Moonsound emu to MSXVR CPC VirtualMachine


great!!!
more users for your software and our loved system
CPC for ever!!!


chiptune for the people!!!

[PulkoMandy]

Preorders updates: currently I received preorders for 13 adapters. So I can plan for a batch of 20, unless I receive a lot more orders.


Summary of planned changes since the first version: only small changes, I had put some config jumpers on the first board that were in fact not needed. So I have soldered them in fixed positions. On the new version these are removed and I managed to make the board a little bit smaller again.

[RockRiver]

@Pulko, nowadays trying to mod your VGMplayer to AMSDAP/MoonSound ports... if i cannot, I'm bad with assembler, I will cry to you ha ha ha

[PulkoMandy]

I think you need to change:


Line 7: replace FE with FF (it is the high byte of the port)
Lines 59 and 73: replace BC and BE with the low byte of the register select addresses for OPL3 bank 1 and bank 2

[Joseman]

Preorders updates: currently I received preorders for 13 adapters. So I can plan for a batch of 20, unless I receive a lot more orders.


Summary of planned changes since the first version: only small changes, I had put some config jumpers on the first board that were in fact not needed. So I have soldered them in fixed positions. On the new version these are removed and I managed to make the board a little bit smaller again.

Hi
I would like to have 1 adapter too!

[hsimpson]

@PulkoMandy, Package arrived safely. Thanks a lot .

[Nitro]

@PulkoMandy: Mine arrived too! Thanks for the quick dispatch!Now I need to grab an OPL3LPT...

[XeNoMoRPH]

I have also received my unit and now also have to purchase the other necessary hardware, but are you going to share your player to play VGM music? @PulkoMandy

[PulkoMandy]

The player is available here: https://framagit.org/shinra/vgmplay
There is a link from the Willy page on http://shinra.cpcscene.net but no one reads user manuals, right?

[GUNHED]

... but no one reads user manuals, right?

Absolutely no one, my experience too. 

[PulkoMandy]

Current preorder list:


- Genesis8 (x1)
- Abraxas_Clone (x3)
- kawickboy (x2)
- GUNHED (x2)
- Proteus (x3)
- deepfb (x2)
- Rambler (x1)
- Joseman (x1)


I have ordered the PCBs today, usually it takes about 3 weeks for them to be produced and shipped. Then I will start assembling and shipping the devices.


I have ordered 30 PCBs so I will have some stock left. This means you can continue to place orders if you want to.

[PulkoMandy]

Hello,


Everyone who preordered a board should have a message with payment instructions now.


If you want to order a Willy adapter, I have several more left, let me know!

[GUNHED]

Thanks for the Willys... Looking great!!! Now waiting for modules...

Meanwhile some questions...
- On the PC printer port, which signals are there at which pins?
- Can the port be used for other LPT expansions too?

[PulkoMandy]

Following standard parallel port numbering:

   
• A0
• D0
• D1
• D2
• D3
• D4
• D5
• D6
• D7
• /RESET
• Not connected
• Not connected
• VCC
• See below
• Not connected
• See below
• See below
• Other pins at GND

Pin 14 is active (low) when:

   
• IORQ is low (the Z80 is executing an IN or OUT instruction)
• The address matches what's selected in the address jumper
• A1 is low (so only the first two addresses of each range are used in this case)

Pin 16 is active when:

   
• Z80 is executing an OUT instruction (/IORQ and /WR are both low)
• The address matches what's selected in the address jumper
• A1 and A0 are not checked, so this allows to detect writes to a range of 4 different addresses

Pin 17 is configured with a jumper:

   
• In OPL3 mode it is wired to A1 (allowing to access the second bank of registers in the OPL3)
• In S2P mode it is wired to /RD (allowing to detect IN instructions to read from the S2P midi chip, in combination with pin 14)

This may work for some other parallel port expansions as well, but not all of them (they don't always use the control pins in the same layout, sadly). It will probably not really work for printers (no BUSY signal, and a few other things are missing)


The available addresses on the jumper setting. By moving the jumper you can decide at which address you want to map the Willy device:

   
• FE84 to FE87
• FE8C to FE8F
• FE94 to FE97
• FE9C to FE9F
• FEA4 to FEA7
• FEAC to FEAF
• FEBC to FEBF

The range FEB4 to FEB7 is not available because it is used by the UART chip in Albireo and that would result in a conflict if both cards are  used together.


Maybe I will make other hardware using this port, it is quite generic if you need:
- No more than 4 writable registers
- No more than 2 readable registers

[GUNHED]

Thank you very much!!!

[OffseT]

I added a video on http://amsnet.chez.com which demontrates several things:

• Willy+OPL3LPT capabilities with a few different game musics.
• A VGM player capable to play all (uncompressed) VGM files using OPL (YM3812/YMF262) and/or AY chips (AY-3-8912).
• How easy it is to handle directories and file streaming with UniDOS (thanks to the new cmd_cas_in_seek and cmd_cas_in_read vectors).
• Video was recorded with ACE emulating the Albireo and the Willy+OPL3LPT sound card.

On the video, border color illustrates CPU usage:

• Green is free CPU time (Z80 just waiting doing nothing).
• Blue is VGM decoding and access to OPL3LPT.
• Red is access to mass storage (to read next VGM buffer).

Of course VGM format is not that good (huge and overkill), but we can see how low is the CPU usage to handle the OPL.
Now, that's true that just playing old OPL musics is not that intesresting, but good trackers exist for this chip...
With a proper player and good artists we could have funny things in next CPC games and demos.

[XeNoMoRPH]

OPL3LPT

That VGM player will it work with an OPL2PLT card?

[PulkoMandy]

It should, yes (for OPL2 files).