1088XLD - Custom A8 Computer in 1050 Drive Case

[+mytek]

It has to be General Midi to keep it compatible I guess ?

 

Yep .

 

Maybe now that we know the tune, maybe Ivop can key something in with his MIDI setup. Since he also has a Dream Blaster he'll have a much better chance at getting it to sound good on the hardware that'll be in use.

[+Stephen]

Small change to the DIN Interface header: Pin-5 now = Midi-CLK. Although this isn't going to be currently used in any DIN interface board I have in the works, I figured it might come in handy for something else down the road. The XEL-MIDI PCB has had it's interface header modified as well.

 

1088XLD_MIDI_schema.png

 

Here is a preliminary look at the DIN Interface PCB.

MIDI_DIN_INTFC_pcb.png

 

Will work with either the 1088XLD or the MIDI-XEL add-on board.

 

1088XLD installation using threaded stand-offs to elevate above the motherboard.

 

Screenshot_2018-09-23_16-08-04.png

Dude - if I can use this to interface my Atari to my Alesis dm6 digital kit! Heaven. "Have I played my drumset today?" - my basement Atari is setup right next to this:

 

Snare and toms have new heads, and NO - the bass isn't stuffed to sound like a cardboard box any more. I really need a cleaner pic - I'll post in a few weeks when my new room is complete.

[AtariGeezer]

Dude - if I can use this to interface my Atari to my Alesis dm6 digital kit! Heaven. "Have I played my drumset today?" - my basement Atari is setup right next to this:

 

Snare and toms have new heads, and NO - the bass isn't stuffed to sound like a cardboard box any more. I really need a cleaner pic - I'll post in a few weeks when my new room is complete.

Slightly OT, but have you ever heard this girl on youtube? She's pretty good

 

Cool drum set you have there Stephen :thumbsup:

Edited September 24, 2018 by AtariGeezer

[+Stephen]

Slightly OT, but have you ever heard this girl on youtube? She's pretty good

 

Cool drum set you have there Stephen :thumbsup:

Yeah - she's amazing. I'll never post videos of me playing because of ones like that

[+mytek]

Aww come on Stephen you're not going to let that young gal spook you . Post a video of you banging away on that very cool drum set of yours.

 

---------------

 

I discovered a problem with the DIN-5 jack footprint I was using. For one it didn't match up with anything I could find, and after looking around for a bit, I found something much better size-wise. So here's an update on what the MIDI Interface PCB layout looks like with the new improved DIN-5 connectors (due to the smaller DIN connector size, the overall width of the board has been reduced).

 

 

 

Schematic (note: once again a small update on the signal break-out, swapped the MIDI-IN and MIDI-CLK assignments)

 

 

Digi-Key P/N: CP-2350-ND

Mouser P/N: 490-SDS-50J

Arrow P/N: SDS-50J

[ivop]

Just the basic notes. Staccato and last note sustains a little. All on channel one and program zero (piano). For different sounds, edit (or add) a program change event on channel 1.

 

 

haveyouplayedataritoday.zip

[ivop]

And the selftest/Mussorgsky tune (first six notes).

 

atariselftest.zip

[+mytek]

Thanks to Ivop and a few others I think I have the right power-up intro.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdB-a6QCiso

 

I took the provided MIDI file and initially used it as is. But it just didn't sound quite right when I converted it with Midi2tones for use in the PIC's firmware player routine. So I went on-line and uploaded the original MIDI file into a browser based sequencer where I could do a bit of fiddling around. After a few trials I decided to shift it by one octave. This sounded right to me, and is what I ended up using.

 

In conclusion I think it works very well for an intro, putting you in that play Atari mood, and happens to be just the right length.

 

The other MIDI file that Ivop uploaded although nice, just wasn't what i was looking for.

[Kyle22]

I like the notes, just not the piano. How about a more synth-y type sound?

 

I once changed the default startup beep of the Indus GT by writing a small Z80 code routine that fit in some unused space in the EPROM. It was trial and error, but 'Have you played Atari today' sounded good in the end. It's a shame I lost that code when I left California.

 

Edit: Maybe a little faster tempo as well.

 

Edit2:

Edited September 25, 2018 by Kyle22

[Level42]

Yup I agree....it's a bit slow and that cheesy synthy sound would be awesome but I guess it would require finding a General Midi sound that's acceptable.

 

LOL, can't believe we're discussing such things while the thread is about a 1088XEL in a 1050 case

 

Oh and I agree about not using the Atari Self-Test notes.....I'm pretty tired of hearing them and....I never really liked them...... maybe someone can hack the Self-test to play "Have you played Atari today" instead ? Now that would be cool

[Kyle22]

Yup I agree....it's a bit slow and that cheesy synthy sound would be awesome but I guess it would require finding a General Midi sound that's acceptable.

 

LOL, can't believe we're discussing such things while the thread is about a 1088XEL in a 1050 case

 

Oh and I agree about not using the Atari Self-Test notes.....I'm pretty tired of hearing them and....I never really liked them...... maybe someone can hack the Self-test to play "Have you played Atari today" instead ? Now that would be cool

As long as the self-test includes the SC-01(a) speech Atari Self Test, press select start or reset. As in the 14xx series.

[+mytek]

Yup I agree....it's a bit slow and that cheesy synthy sound would be awesome but I guess it would require finding a General Midi sound that's acceptable.

 

LOL, can't believe we're discussing such things while the thread is about a 1088XEL in a 1050 case

 

Oh and I agree about not using the Atari Self-Test notes.....I'm pretty tired of hearing them and....I never really liked them...... maybe someone can hack the Self-test to play "Have you played Atari today" instead ? Now that would be cool

 

Its all in the details .

 

I'll be playing around more with the tune. Although I really don't think it should sound just like the commercials, that would likely get annoying real fast. If you think about some of the start-up sounds that have been done for other computers and operating systems, the better ones tend to be more like an orchestra piece with a dramatic build up. Perhaps something like that is in order, starting out simple and then ending dramatically. I think this idea can be applied to this tune.

 

Anyway this whole exercise has made a lasting impression upon the 1088XLD design, since it will now integrate both a wave table synthesizer as well as MIDI expand-ability. And if it the presence of such 'introduces' itself, that'll be icing on the cake .

 

My goal is to have everything that isn't integrated into the motherboard, to plug directly into it without the need for wires. So with a bit of moving stuff around in the layout, I should be able to get this to apply to most everything, or at least the main items. This is also the reason why I am taking my time, and holding off on routing the main board. because I'm presently exploring what makes sense to build-in, and what not. And unlike the XEL, I'm also trying to insure that the Rapidus will work without any interference problems.

[ivop]

Here's a faster version (120-->150bpm), plus it includes a program change event, which hopefully survives midi2tones. After that it's trivial to try out different sounds. Currently it is set to 81 (lead sawtooth).

 

Edit: forgot to mention that each note is doubled one octave lower for a fuller sound. Those can easily be removed if desired.

haveyouplayedataritoday2.zip

Edited September 25, 2018 by ivop

[+mytek]

New Intro Player Code to accommodate Program (instrument) Change command.

;Set-up variables for use by PlayTune Player

  Dim length As Word
  Dim index As Word
  Dim delay As Word
  ReadTable intro,0,length  'retrieve length of table
  length=length+2           'and adjust value for read routine
  MbyteCnt=0                'zero message byte counter


;PlayTune Player (sends intro music to Synth upon power-up)

  For  index = 1 to length

  ReadTable intro,index,data       'get MIDI data from table
  Chan=(data AND 0xF0)             'extract channel byte if present

  ;Check for end of MIDI data table

      If data=0xF0 Then Goto Done  'Leave if at end of data table

  ;Check for Program Change command

      If Chan=0xC0 Then    'equals Program Change?
        HSerSend data      'Yes, Send it!
        index=index+1      'and then get specific Instrument..
        ReadTable intro,index,data
        HSerSend data      'and Send it!
        MbyteCnt=0
        Goto Cont          'Bypass all other checks
      End If

  ;Check for Note-Off command

      If Chan=0x80 Then    'equals Note-Off?
        MbyteCnt=3         'Yes, preset for next byte in table
        data=data+0x30     'and then create Mode Change byte (0xBx)...
        HSerSend data      'Send it!
        data=0x7B          'ALL NOTES byte...
        HSerSend data      'Send it!
        data=0x00          'Velocity OFF byte... (to be sent below)
      Else
        MbyteCnt=MbyteCnt+1   'increment message byte count
      End If

  ;Check for sequential Note-On without inter-Note delay

      If Chan=0x90 AND MbyteCnt=4 Then  'Note-On without delay?
        MbyteCnt=1                      'Yes, reset count, and then send Note-On byte
      End If

  ;Check for inter-Note delay

      If MbyteCnt=4 OR (index=1 AND Chan<>0x90)Then 'delay parameter?
        MbyteCnt=0                  'Yes, clear message byte count
        tmpH=data                   'and store high byte of delay
        index=index+1               'get ready to retrieve the next byte
        ReadTable intro,index,data  'now get low byte of delay from table
        delay=(tmpH*256)+data       'combine to create word...
        wait delay ms               'and use it for delay, not as note data!
      Else
        HSerSend data               'send MIDI data
      End If
  Cont:
  Next

  Done:
  TXEN=0  'Disable UART TX output --- give up port

------

 

Latest "Have You Played Atari Today" intro.bin file incorporating said Program Change command.

 

intro music.zip

 

 

This was first converted by the Midi2tones program, and then I went inside the file and converted all the Note-On and Note-Off commands to Channel 2 from their defaults and modified the velocity setting to 7F for full volume. Then I appended the Program Change command, which gives us a lot of different choices other than a piano for our instrument. These are the first two bytes in the front of the file (C2 50). This was the same one I saw in the original MIDI file that Ivop uploaded. Not exactly a straight forward process, but the file size is much smaller than the original MIDI one.

 

I used Channel 2 since that was the channel originally specified by the Program Change command. Anyway the good news is, that it all appears to work correctly .

 

 

And here is what it sounds like...

 

https://youtu.be/NOZcjIa7CPU

[ivop]

Nice! But do you also notice that the attack/punch/staccato of the first note is muffled? I suppose somehow the whole audio mixing circuit takes some time to start up (caps charging etc?) and it's not fully operational when the synth starts playing.

[+Stephen]

I'm not a fan of system startup sounds, but that is insanely cool. Now we just need a way to customize U1MB startup screen

[+mytek]

Nice! But do you also notice that the attack/punch/staccato of the first note is muffled? I suppose somehow the whole audio mixing circuit takes some time to start up (caps charging etc?) and it's not fully operational when the synth starts playing.

 

It's my monitor's fault as it syncs to the video signal, during which time the audio is muted.

 

Simple solution is to change the initial delay as set in the PIC.

 

From this

wait 2 s  'allow for Synth set-up time

To something like this

wait 2250 ms  'allow for Synth set-up time

-----

 

End result of delay change...

 

https://youtu.be/CzKdFTZgp4U

 

Seems to have fixed it .

[+mytek]

I'm not a fan of system startup sounds, but that is insanely cool. Now we just need a way to customize U1MB startup screen

 

Thanks Stephen . Yeah I too think it's extremely cool, and it helps pass the time in an entertaining way as the U1MB comes up.

 

Curious what you mean by customize the start-up screen?

[_The Doctor__]

There it is! awesome! NAILED IT!

[+Stephen]

 

Thanks Stephen . Yeah I too think it's extremely cool, and it helps pass the time in an entertaining way as the U1MB comes up.

 

Curious what you mean by customize the start-up screen?

Well, the 1st console I ever owned with a "startup sound" was the Atari Jaguar. So, using the have you played Atari jingle, if we could have a Jaguar looking screen. Or maybe for the younglings that started on a PSX, use that sound, and a PSX logo.

 

Just having fun of course - I know fjc doesn't want to implement this.

[_The Doctor__]

I'd boot with your profiles picture

Edited September 26, 2018 by _The Doctor__

[+mytek]

There it is! awesome! NAILED IT!

 

Yep I do believe that is official. So this will be the intro song on the final firmware release.

 

 

Well, the 1st console I ever owned with a "startup sound" was the Atari Jaguar. So, using the have you played Atari jingle, if we could have a Jaguar looking screen. Or maybe for the younglings that started on a PSX, use that sound, and a PSX logo.

 

Just having fun of course - I know fjc doesn't want to implement this.

 

Got it . But I highly suspect it won't be an option .

[flashjazzcat]

Correct.

 

Hint: same bitmap is used for three different purposes in the BIOS owing to severe space constraints. Fortunately.

Edited September 26, 2018 by flashjazzcat

[Level42]

 

 

I'll be playing around more with the tune. Although I really don't think it should sound just like the commercials, that would likely get annoying real fast. If you think about some of the start-up sounds that have been done for other computers and operating systems, the better ones tend to be more like an orchestra piece with a dramatic build up. Perhaps something like that is in order, starting out simple and then ending dramatically. I think this idea can be applied to this tune.

 

 

 

 

.....actually, giving it a re-think....you are right on that word for word.

 

We have plenty of POKEY musicians here....can't imagine there is no-one with a keyboard set-up that could ad some "dramatic" extra chords or something towards the end....

 

But your last version really sounds good and I could totally live with it

 

Would be nice to retrofit it for original machines with a Midi-out device

[+mytek]

.....actually, giving it a re-think....you are right on that word for word.

 

We have plenty of POKEY musicians here....can't imagine there is no-one with a keyboard set-up that could ad some "dramatic" extra chords or something towards the end....

But your last version really sounds good and I could totally live with it

 

Would be nice to retrofit it for original machines with a Midi-out device

Yeah I'm happy with the last version, and even the perfectionist in me suggests it's time to move on to other things. However I am refactoring the code, which has gotten a bit messy with all the patches. Will be changing over to a Select Case structure.

 

For a standard A8 it might make a lot more sense to go back to single board design like Ivop's Midi-Muse, but do so with the new PIC chip approach. Whatever I've come up with in this project is open source, so even if I don't get around to it, someone else is free to do so . Of course if a person only wants the built-in wave table synthesizer aspect, and is not interested in MIDI connectivity, then something like the MIDI-XEL can be internally connected by soldering 5 SIO related wires into any A8 system to give you that.

 

-------

 

Some may say why do this whole power-up music intro in the first place? Well to that I would say it was essentially free, only requiring a firmware change in an existing MIDI controller design, as well as being an excellent way to know if a machine has wave table synthesizer capability built-in. No unscrewing or popping open the lid required .