Posted By
MMS
on 2022-04-01
15:35:06
 |  Re: Extending the capabilities of the 264 series
The 9958 is a great video chip, much better, that the C128's VDA (has sprites, more colors, higher legal resolutions, hardware "blitter").
Imagine a GEOS with that video Chip!
Certainly it would make game development to a new level, though I have to admit, the purists will not like it.
Even the SID cards (despite their widespread ownership) still generate some debates, how much it is the part of the 264 series, and recently some really good musics were developed for these 2 puny channels.  (and certainly SID ICs became very expensive.
The V9958 IC can be bough for 30-40USD from China, so not a big deal. I agree with the forum comment, that instead of 41464 ICs it could use SRAMs, and it may save a lot of extra efforts on RAS/CAS wiring.
There are very few expert programmers on this platform, and this IC requires new programming techniques, learning new addresses. But I am not a great programmer, just a lamer
So I think it will purely depend on the final price, if few dozen people would have it, some programs could have been developed to it. I would certainly create some 80 column PETSCII of some graphics
I think adding new video IC AND new sound chip at the same time would make zero programs using both.
(only if there would be a simple method to copy the music from the original platform. It could be complicated, if it has Z80 IC, or 16 bit CPU)
As I mentioned beforehand- using an upgraded fast RS232 could make it control some General MIDI-like devices.
Yamaha developed a serial interface next to MIDI, and is communicated via the RS232.
Funny, but it has EXACTLY the same Mini Din8 connector, as the 264 series Joystick connector
You can listen to the Yamaha MU5, MU10, and MU50. MU5 is still like a toy, but even compared to SID it was a great device.
You can see the backplate of this device in the video, and there is the TO HOST interface, using CCIBM cable to connect to IBM's RS232
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiCiJCsLExI
http://www.home-machine-shop.com/AW4416_RTC_Replacement/Yamaha_CCIBM_Cable.pdf
How it can be driven? CBX.exe, I have n further information on the protocol, but it should be something serial RS232 protocol :-)
https://usa.yamaha.com/support/updates/31600_en.html
Yamaha MU5 is a kind of accessible device for $100-130 but but still gives you much better music that SB AWE32 or SVB Extgy (not to mention SB16). You can listen on all the CANYON.MID, and can do a comparison.
So it would be something extraordinary good for an 8 bit machine, and the MIDI musics are typically small. (the amour Canyon.MID is just 28KB).
Certainly MU10 is better, and MU50 is great (and expensive). But anyone can choose "his weapon of choice".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSViied2G5o
So, a proper fast RS232 good be a really good start to ease the "long term pain" LOL
But maybe that special Yamaha cable and devices are not necessary, there are direct RS232 to MIDI boards, but I have no clue about the soft-MPU protocol
https://hackaday.io/project/179964-mpu-232-rs-232-midi-interface
But sending data with 38000 baud could be a challenge for our little machine...
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