Pokeymax v2

[foft]

If you are in this situation please drop me a pm.

[Lastic]

So after 2 years I finally installed my Stereo U1MB Pokeymax in a 600XL without U1MB.
 

Still haven't installed the Left and Right channel audio out yet but wanted to check my options.

@flashjazzcat Do you mind sharing which audio barrel you used here ?

 
And maybe totally impossible question to everybody else, but isn't it possible to wire the stereo output to the monitor pins ? or do the monitor pins only allow mono audio ?

[flashjazzcat]

2 minutes ago, Lastic said:

Do you mind sharing which audio barrel you used here ?

Probably something like this: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/225180696960

3 minutes ago, Lastic said:

isn't it possible to wire the stereo output to the monitor pins

Not the DIN5 jack, since all five pins are already assigned (one of them being mono audio).

[manterola]

Hey @Lastic there a discussion in the linked post and inside that post, as well,  about replacing the monitor connector with a  DIN8. 

I am not sure I would go that way, but it is something it might interest you.

 

 

[Lastic]

Thanks @flashjazzcat and @manterola , interesting read on people using DIN8 , DIN7 and even DIN13.

After having now looked at all those pin-outs I do wonder , since my 600XL PAL has no mods done videowise (except I snipped away C109) , isn't pin 1 available on the DIN5 in my case ?
 

[flashjazzcat]

34 minutes ago, Lastic said:

isn't pin 1 available on the DIN5 in my case

If you want to make the machine incompatible with standard cables and have no need for s-video (chroma/luma output), you could put the second channel audio on one of the two spare pins (bearing in mind one of them is tied to GND by default).

 

[Lastic]

So I think this could work with a custom DIN5 to composite cable to add stereo onto the DIN5 PIN1 and PIN5 ?

Connect GND from PokeyMax to PIN 2 (DIN5) or is there a better place on the 600XL to pick GND ?
Connect Right Audio from Pokeymax to PIN 1 (DIN5) , this works I have already tried it .
Cut the trace between PIN 2 (DIN5) and PIN 5 (DIN5) and then connect Left Audio from Pokeymax to PIN 5 (DIN5) ?

And thus the custom cable

PIN1 Right audio
PIN5 Left Audio
PIN2 GND
PIN4 Composite

I checked a normal DIN5 to Composite Cable and it only has PIN 2 GND, PIN 3 AUDIO (split into left/right) and PIN 4 COMPOSITE connected so a normal cable would still  give me MONO output since PIN3 is still Audio ?

Edited September 30, 2022 by Lastic

[+scorpio_ny]

Hi @foft,

 

Any word on new production of the Pokeymax? I have one and I am interested in getting a couple more for my other computers.

 

Thanks!

 

 

[IndusGT]

same here looking for 2

[MADRAFi]

I have a strange issue with pokeyMAX.

I have put chip with 116M08QP. Tested that it plays stereo and mono sounds.

Today I have flashed it to 126M08QP. I have no sound except GTIA keyboard.

Changed options in pokeyCFG.xex can be (A) Applied but not stored.

Verification of the rom went ok same as flashing.

My machine is 800XL NTSC version.

How can I fix this?

 

Edit:

I have tried reflashing and verify the rom. Unfortunatelly it fails.

Edited February 26, 2023 by MADRAFi

[foft]

Sounds like issues reading/writing flash. The pokey non linear mixing table is also read from the flash, hence silence if it can’t read.

 

Let me check that core version here today on known good hardware.

[foft]

I see the issue here on my hardware too. I will investigate further this evening.

 

Please everyone hold off updating until I check this!

Edited February 27, 2023 by foft

[gsunr]

Ups! just updated v3 full to 1.26

[foft]

2 hours ago, gsunr said:

Ups! just updated v3 full to 1.26

I think v3 is fine.

There seems to be an issue with v2 starting from 1.24 onward.

[foft]

5 hours ago, foft said:

I see the issue here on my hardware too. I will investigate further this evening.

 

Please everyone hold off updating until I check this!

It is possible to recover by flashing (from 1.26) using pokeycfg.xex to the core.bin from 1.23. After you reboot with 1.23 then you'll need to set the configuration values back to the defaults using the menus. I'll provide a tool for that this evening, then work out what is wrong with the new cores on v2...

 

 

[MADRAFi]

thanks. That works. I have downgraded to 1.23 and can hear sound now.

Edited February 27, 2023 by MADRAFi

[foft]

6 hours ago, MADRAFi said:

thanks. That works. I have downgraded to 1.23 and can hear sound now.

Pleased you are back up and running.

The 'channel mode' I think gets stuck as on and the volume very low, so make sure to set them back up if you didn't already. Do you need the 'default config' tool, or did you sort all the settings out? (I made this tool, but no time to try it tonight...)

 

I have identified the flash reading issue and will be releasing 1.27 in the coming days. I've verified this one on both 10M08 and 10M16.

 

I think its obvious I need some beta testers (who at least have a usb blaster), since there are too many versions for me to check manually these days. Any volunteers?

 

In the meantime I've marked the builds of 1.24-1.26 for v2 as broken in the changelog and on the downloads.

Edited February 27, 2023 by foft

[MADRAFi]

Is there any technical reason the pokeycfg tool cannot read file system and load rom file with different name? I would like a similar functionality to the uflash tool made by a fjc.

[foft]

10 hours ago, MADRAFi said:

Is there any technical reason the pokeycfg tool cannot read file system and load rom file with different name? I would like a similar functionality to the uflash tool made by a fjc.

How does uflash do it? Type in a filename or is there a custom file selector?

 

I have to say the current hardcoded filename is not very flexible, so I should at least allow a device:filename to be typed, though a fileselector sounds like work

[+Stephen]

3 hours ago, foft said:

How does uflash do it? Type in a filename or is there a custom file selector?

It uses his great text-mode UI with windows and file selectors and dropdowns.

[flashjazzcat]

Urgh. I promised to tidy up the library and open-source it. Let me find time to do that.

[+Stephen]

1 hour ago, flashjazzcat said:

Urgh. I promised to tidy up the library and open-source it. Let me find time to do that.

No pressure - I'd love to see the source and see if I could VBXE-ify it.  I'm really starting to like coding the VBXE straight to the metal so to speak.

[Frankie]

I saw some Sophia 2’s got produced, does this mean there is light at the end of the chip shortage tunnel and might we get some PokeyMAX’s in 2023?

[foft]

6 hours ago, Frankie said:

I saw some Sophia 2’s got produced, does this mean there is light at the end of the chip shortage tunnel and might we get some PokeyMAX’s in 2023?

Yes some of the small parts are already available. The larger ones are getting cheaper every week but are still out of reach.

[foft]

1.27 beta will be released tonight (going to upload it in the next 30 mins or so. Edit: Now available).

 

* 10M08 flash read bug fix (which was broken from 1.24->1.26)

* Some cycle exact fixes. e.g.:

* * Timing on exiting init mode

* * audctl delay

* External clock fixes, there was a regression on the external clock in general. Also fixed it to create a pulse on both edges instead of just the rising edge! Fixes SIO2Midi for instance.

* Minimum paddle count corrected from 0 to 1

 

There is more to come on the timing fixes, but I thought it worth getting a release out already. I built a custom test harness for SID work allowing cycle exact test case sweeps vs the real chip and I'm now applying this to the pokey core.

http://www.64kib.com/pokeymax_files/1.27_20230327/

http://www.64kib.com/pokeymax_files/changelog.txt

 

I'm going to mark it as 'beta' for a few weeks, until some people confirm it works for them (or I hear nothing bad).

 

Edited March 27, 2023 by foft