/tilted/ Posted June 16, 2008 Report Share Posted June 16, 2008 can you replace the xtal with a 555 timer circ.?Not really.Perhaps we can find a source for the oscillator, or work around it with the code. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stryd_one Posted June 16, 2008 Report Share Posted June 16, 2008 Would that work Stryde? ???I don't see why not....the SBC is run by a far less powerful PIC than ours, and it does all the same stuff. Where did the greybox website go? It'd be very handy to get the original source. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theta_Frost Posted June 18, 2008 Report Share Posted June 18, 2008 Hey Chr0n1c, have you worked out that module yet? Don't let this die people! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMS Posted June 18, 2008 Report Share Posted June 18, 2008 Hey Chr0n1c, have you worked out that module yet? Don't let this die people!well, i have to build a MB_CORE first, i'm sorta just reasearching in the forums until i get all the parts rounded up adding my 2 cents along the way. ;)BUT!!! if someone wants to draw a prototype schematic, i'll do a prototype pc board and we can build the first one with donated parts to the assembler person and then send it off to the coders! assuming it's doable... with everyone documenting the progress along the way it would turn out awesome, i have seen what the MIDIbox crew is capable of! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theta_Frost Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 Wait, but didn't you design this?http://web.archive.org/web/20030807154729/greybox.norfair.org/proto_r4.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMS Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 Wait, but didn't you design this?http://web.archive.org/web/20030807154729/greybox.norfair.org/proto_r4.jpgehhh, not me... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theta_Frost Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 ahhhh, who did? ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMS Posted July 18, 2008 Report Share Posted July 18, 2008 ahhhh, who did? ;)might be this guy? http://www.chrisbethea.com/http://www.myspace.com/ovenrecordingUPDATE: i emailed that guy to see if he was the nes synth prototyper presentation person... will post an update when i hear back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theta_Frost Posted July 18, 2008 Report Share Posted July 18, 2008 It looks like the greybox/norfair domain thing is up for sale and the site is down. But I was chopping up the URL to see if I could find anything and I found this!http://web.archive.org/web/20030805180424/greybox.norfair.org/Now I must read it!Update: found this in a random review of MIDINES some guy said it Note that the "greybox" synthesizer, a system based around the NES sound chip with a better MIDI implementation and facilities for realtime control, will finally be completed in 2006.Even More from that guy- I'll be testing the greybox as soon as the hardware is completed and the software approaches that stage. The guy working on it is a very good friend of mine, and has attached an ultimatum to the project: really bad shit happens to him if it isn't completed on schedule. I'm not sure what his plans are for the Greybox after its completion (he evaluated some options for manufacturing but they were too expensive for the demand that the project received a few years ago), but I think it would be cool if it would be able to be distributed in kit form or something.Yeah, interfacing the 2A03 to a microcontroller seemed to be a tough point of design for him... I think many of the hardware revisions from a few years ago made use of some obscene dual-port RAM configuration. I hear the new designs are much more compact and well-engineered, but I haven't seen them for myself yet.It's cool to see that his project has come this far, evolving out of some wishful thinking about 6 years ago. Back then, we discussed how such a MIDI-based NES device could be accomplished... his idea became the greybox, while I briefly wondered if a cartridge-based MIDI interface could be possible (which wayfar has accomplished with style!)I figure he'll put up a webpage documenting the greybox's progress once the project gets back into a presentable condition. There was a webpage with tons of information on the product a few years ago, but it was trolled by dipshits from TGS that would rather argue about the page's profanity and inconsequential elements of presentation rather than discussing important musical issues that the greybox had brought to consciousness.Nother update this is the schematic that he designed!http://web.archive.org/web/20021123203524/http://greybox.norfair.org/fabprint.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slorrin Posted September 13, 2008 Report Share Posted September 13, 2008 It should be noted that x|k who is the maker of the midines is working on midines 2.0, which will have substantially improved features. It will possibly involve a built in tracker software, for instance, and there is talk of an FPGA to emulate the mappers that make NES music so great.See, the RICOH 2a03 only has 5 channels.. 2 pulse, 1 tri, 1 w/n, and 1 dpcm sample channel. But loads of games had memmory mappers allowing for larger storage, but that also integrated extra oscillators.The japanese famicom had a channel that took the combined output of audio channels on the cart, and fed them through the audio out along with the 5 2a03 channels. Not sure if the american nes can use the extra mappers for audio..Anyhow.. the midines 2.0 is supposed to respond to many needs people who use it have brought to x|k's attention. Like, having to program volume envelopes and pulse width changes into your sequencer, rather than having instruments that contain that information stored in the cart by some means (like patches).One solution, for current midines users, is to use a tracker like renoise with midi out. Famitracker i believe has midiout too. Then you can do whatever the hell you can possibly think of with the real midines. Famitracker actually has pretty good instrument settings screens. Again, i'm not 100% sure if it has midi out. Though, famitracker shoudl deffinately work on creating integration with midines. That seems onyl logical. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m00dawg Posted September 13, 2008 Report Share Posted September 13, 2008 Any idea when 2.0 will be out? Sounds like it has some awesome features! I've ALMOST purchased one, but have opted to hold off until I can fix up my NES (the usual bent cartridge pin connector and I think I have a bad cap somewhere along the video out). That said, I don't think the US version had the audio outs on the carts. I could be wrong since it has been some-time since I have looked into that sort of thing. That said, while it may be a Japanese only thing, a few choice carts had some crazy add-ons. One had an FM synthesis chip built-in (I forget which game that was though). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slorrin Posted September 13, 2008 Report Share Posted September 13, 2008 you may be right re: the extra audio line. It may not be able to provude audio via the cart. infact, you are PROBABLY right.Re: 2.0, x|k is not saying anything regrding dates.. last i heard he was saying "i'm still developing the idea".I would say a year would not be too far off, but that's just a guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skrasms Posted October 12, 2008 Report Share Posted October 12, 2008 you may be right re: the extra audio line. It may not be able to provude audio via the cart. infact, you are PROBABLY right.Only the Famicom had the connection for audio from a cartridge. Additionally, due to legal constraints by Nintendo America's license agreement, American games had to use Nintendo mappers. All the mappers that included sound hardware were custom designs in the Japanese market (ie Konami's VRC7, the FM-capable chip someone mentioned). Anything brought to the US had to be re-done using only Nintendo chips. That means the extra chips can only be found in imports.I've been tracking down a couple of the Famicom chips to work with. Recently I found a VRC6. It adds a sawtooth channel plus two more pulse wave channels with EIGHT different duty cycle settings (vs. 3 on the 2A03). Check the soundtrack to Akumajou Densetsu. If you are used to listening to an NES alone, it sounds so much more full and lush mixed with the 2A03. I haven't found or built a circuit to treat it like a soundchip, yet, though. The other really neat chip is the VRC7, a basic FM chip that was used in LaGrange Point. It ventures into Sega Genesis audio territory. It's so expensive to get ahold of, though, that it makes more sense just to track down similar FM chips from the same period. I am trying to find some YM2413 chips if anyone knows where to look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m00dawg Posted October 13, 2008 Report Share Posted October 13, 2008 Holy crap that sounds AMAZING! Alas, I was only able to find crappy YouTubes and NSF files (no MP3s from the real thing) but it certainly gets the point across. Damn you Nintendo of America for screwing me over yet again!Anyways thanks for the explanation skrasms! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Echopraxia Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 BUmpin hereHas any one successfully controlled a nsf/nerdtracker tracker using midi cc, notes ect..? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.