AMSDAP - Amstrad MSx aDAPter - connecting any MSX I/O hardware to the CPC

[TMTLOGIC]

Amsdap42  schematic link:

Amsdap42 circuit

[poulette73]

Received today 

[genesis8]

Which cartridges will you use with your Amsdap ?

[poulette73]

Soundcards like MSX Sunrise Moonsound, MSX WozBlaster Reloaded, and OPL4 compatible.

Graphic cards like MSX V9990 PowerGraph (Yamaha) from Tecnobytes.

And some others MSX still in developments.

https://cpcrulez.fr/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&p=59690#p59588

[GUNHED]

Nice hardware all together. But software developers are not using them all too much sadly. Same is also true for CPC original expansions - in a lesser extent though. 

Time to support new hardware! 

[poulette73]

Technobytes Brazil offers a new batch for a V9990 PowerGraph graphics card.



This is the MSX version, therefore to be connected to an AMSDAP 4.2 card
The price with shipping is quite high $200... around 185€.
http://www.tecnobytes.com.br/

[dodogildo]

Technobytes Brazil offers a new batch for a V9990 PowerGraph graphics card.

Sold out like hotcakes!

[poulette73]

Sold out like hotcakes!

Had to act quickly!!   

[darkhalf]

Yeah there was a limited amount of the V9990 chips available. Another batch was sourced and the boards made. Total cost with shipping was very expensive.

But software developers are not using them all too much sadly

Not enough people with that type of hardware. Cost is very prohibitive. For now its just symbos

[Mork]

Hi - I connected my new V9990 MSX Cartridge TRH9000 via AMSDAP to my CPC 6128. 
Everything looks fine but the keyboard doesn't respond anymore. 
What might be wrong? 

[HAL6128]

Interesting, I've never seen the TRH9000 connected to a CPC. Working with an older Version of an MSX V9990 card on the Amsdap no issues occur. Could you place a photo?

[Mork]

I tried it now with my CPC 6128 Plus and the keyboard works.
Might there be something wrong e.g. with the gate array of my 6128 ?
M4-Board works flawlessly with the 6128.

P. S.: how can I place a photo?

[HAL6128]

The M4 is also connected / attached on the AMSDAP?

[Mork]

Yes.
But the keyboard of the 6128 also doesn't work without the M4, only the TRH9000 being connected.

[HAL6128]

Did you build the card by yourself? Maybe a check of the soldering point would be worth?

[Mork]

No, it's a new cartridge from Brazil which works fine with a MSX-computer and also with the 6128 Plus but it blocks the keyboard of my 6128.
The AMSDAP was also not built by myself.

[HAL6128]

Do you have any other MSX card available to plug it into the socket?

[Mork]

Yes, two FM-Sound-cartridges and a memory-cartridge. I will try them tomorrow. 

[Mork]

Ok, so I checked all the other cards and they are causing no problems.
Only the TRH9000 blocks the keyboard. 
I run a V9990-Basic-program as an autoexec.bas from the M4 and it works flawlessly with the TRH9000 but I can't use the keyboard. 

[dodogildo]

Hi - I connected my new V9990 MSX Cartridge TRH9000 via AMSDAP to my CPC 6128.
Everything looks fine but the keyboard doesn't respond anymore.
What might be wrong?

I'm having the exact same problem with Amsdap since I received it. It makes my CPC unresponsible when used with a TRH9000 video card.
I tried Amsdap on my 6128 with two MSX cartridges (both from "The Retro Hacker") TRH9000 and Wozblaster Reloaded with no luck. Both cartridges work great with my MSX computers but never with Amsdap + CPC.

I decided my Amsdap is faulty and let it go.

[HAL6128]

I'm wondering what the Amsdap might disturb in the CPC. The keyboard is connected to the Soundchip and the PPI 8255 IO.

[poulette73]

Surprising indeed.

I have 2 AMSDAP adapters :
- 1 original made by @Prodatron at the time of its creation.
- 1 other made by @gflorez in 2024.

Each of my 2 AMSDAP cards work perfectly with 1 MSX OPL4 WozBlaster Reloaded sound card, and 1 MSX V9990 PowerGraph graphic card.

All tested on two different CPC 6128 without any keyboard or other problem (1 AZERTY model in CRTC 1, and 1 AZERTY model in CRTC 4) 

[Mork]

@dodogildo: Did you try the WozBlaster Reloaded also alone without the TRH9000 ?

[dodogildo]

@dodogildo: Did you try the WozBlaster Reloaded also alone without the TRH9000 ?

Yes I did. That time CPC didn't freeze. But SymbOS didn't recognize the WozBlaster Reloaded neither.
So, a summary:

A) Amsdap + TRH9000 = CPC freezes (unresponsible keyboard being just a symptom)
B) Amsdap + Wozblaster Reloaded = CPC works but the Wozblaster Reloaded remains invisible. 

PS. Maybe I needed a special version of SymbOS to work with the setup B. But by that point I was so tired of dealing with Amsdap so I gave up. I didn't look into it any further.

[poulette73]

My config in 512x212 and 16 colors :











And a video with demo games like "Flappy Bird" and "Robot in Forest" :