The F18a DIY alternative with HDMI :)

[retrocanada76]

Ok, new core V2 and boards V2 committed to the GitHub. You need the board V2 in order to get audio. But if you are really dying for it you can modify the fat or the slim board V1 as:

 

 

 

You need to pull the audio (cyan wire) from somewhere in the computer: RF shield audio, line-in output, etc. Only tested in a CX5M MSX.

 

Warning: I did not test any board V2. I don't have them yet.

 

*** A NEW CORE ENTERS THE CHAT ***

 

A new core has been submitted for board V2 (or modified V1) The Yamaha V9958 with 32KB.

 

I will make a video about it later but it can be used as replacement to the F##a. It has the 9958 core functions but since I can only put 32kb on it only the full bitmap 256x212x16 colors out of 512 and the 512x212x4 out of 512 colors are really useful. Of course you can only have one core flashed to your TN-VDP

 

For the V9958 a new signal is need, the A1 (mode 1). When my boards V2 arrive I will talk about it.

 

Another news: I am getting the new Tang Nano 20k boards. With these boards I expect to be able to put 128KB for the V9958 core.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[retrocanada76]

You can flash a V2 core into a V1 board but unplug the VGA module then. But there is not much benefit if you don't have the ADC chip on it

[Hans23]

Thank you for posting this.  I'll get a couple of the ADCs and bodge one of them onto my board to see if I can make it work in the TI-99/4A.  Do you have a feel for the sound quality?  The data sheet mentions that a low impedance input is required to avoid noise.  The TI-99/4A has this:

The data sheet for the TMS9919 shows this:

The impedance is not specified.

 

There is probably no substitute for trying it out, so that's what I'm going to do, but maybe someone knows a bit more than I do.

 

If things work, I'll do a compact variant to fit the TI-99/4A, and also one that is more suitable for the NABU PC.  Things will be better with the TN20k as it has a smaller footprint and thus not collide with other components in the sandwich configuration.

[retrocanada76]

18 minutes ago, Hans23 said:

Thank you for posting this.  I'll get a couple of the ADCs and bodge one of them onto my board to see if I can make it work in the TI-99/4A.  Do you have a feel for the sound quality?  The data sheet mentions that a low impedance input is required to avoid noise.  The TI-99/4A has this:

The data sheet for the TMS9919 shows this:

The impedance is not specified.

 

There is probably no substitute for trying it out, so that's what I'm going to do, but maybe someone knows a bit more than I do.

 

If things work, I'll do a compact variant to fit the TI-99/4A, and also one that is more suitable for the NABU PC.  Things will be better with the TN20k as it has a smaller footprint and thus not collide with other components in the sandwich configuration.

I tried adding a low pass filter using MCP601 but I got a lot of distortion. Maybe I've set it up wrong but I don't have many tools at home.

 

Then I tried connecting direct from the MSX output audio and it ended up so good and I am very happy with it.

 

So take the pre-amplied audio and you must be good. The sampling is made as 12bits then I discard the lowest 2 bits as noise "filter" and it is working good.

 

 

 

 

[Hans23]

Following the schematics tn_vdp_v2_board, I've bodged an ADC to one of my boards:

To be on the safe side, I'm feeding an 1V 440 Hz sine to CH0.  No audio is coming out of the HDMI monitor, however.  To check where things go wrong, I'm looking at the SPI signals:

 

It seems as if an SPI transaction is begun but never ends:

CS stays low all the time, the clock keeps ticking forever.

 

Any ideas what could be wrong?  To me, it seems as if the FPGA fails to de-assert CS at the end of the sample.

[retrocanada76]

When you say an ADC which one is that ? 

[Hans23]

It is an MCP3202, is that not right?

[retrocanada76]

27 minutes ago, Hans23 said:

It is an MCP3202, is that not right?

yes it is

[retrocanada76]

Mine is working, blue is CS yellow misi

[retrocanada76]

just to confirm you are using the v2 firmware right ? https://github.com/lfantoniosi/tn_vdp/blob/main/fpga/tn_vdp_v2_v9918/impl/pnr/tn_vdp.fs

 

otherwise you are just playing VGA signal there...

 

[retrocanada76]

also you can try the 9958: https://github.com/lfantoniosi/tn_vdp/blob/main/fpga/tn_vdp_v2_v9958/impl/pnr/tn_vdp_v9958.fs

 

[craftsman1234]

On 6/1/2023 at 4:52 PM, retrocanada76 said:

yup. rebranding. i can't name it f18a.

In the newer version with the new Tang boot screen was there a version that was done for the original board?   I noticed that when I flashed what I thought was the update (just for the name change) the colors for the VGA are incorrect now.  

 

 

[retrocanada76]

Should be the tn-vdp-v1.

 

honestly i did not test the vga. I replaced the hdmi output code.

[craftsman1234]

7 minutes ago, retrocanada76 said:

Should be the tn-vdp-v1.

 

honestly i did not test the vga. I replaced the hdmi output code.

Yep that is the one I am using and has the messed up VGA colors.

[retrocanada76]

Care to send a picture? Mine has no such thing

[craftsman1234]

7 hours ago, retrocanada76 said:

Care to send a picture? Mine has no such thing

Here you go.   The HDMI colors are fine but as you can see the VGA boot into 80c CPM has the wrong colors.   Should be the stock colors.   If I downgrade the Tang firmware to the original the colors are then correct.  The 1.01 boot screen is on HDMI.   The others are VGA.   I've tested it with different cables monitors and even different PCBs.    Hopefully today I'll be able to even try a different Tang waiting for a few to arrive in the mail.

 

NOTE:  Just to add my guess it is a graphic mode issue.    Games like Pacman look just fine but the boot logo and menus are messed up.

 

Edited June 5, 2023 by craftsman1234

[retrocanada76]

10 hours ago, craftsman1234 said:

Yep that is the one I am using and has the messed up VGA colors.

It's not your board, it was the code. Somehow that little green watermark on the corner broke the code vga signals. Now it's ok, just update it.

[craftsman1234]

28 minutes ago, retrocanada76 said:

It's not your board, it was the code. Somehow that little green watermark on the corner broke the code vga signals. Now it's ok, just update it.

Yep that fixed it.  Thanks

[Hans23]

I've given the latest GitHub versions a try and with them, the audio works!  I think I killed two Tang 9k boards in the process.  The audio has a lot of noise in it, however, so I think that at least with the TI-99/4A, a preamp seems to make some sense.  I'll experiment some more, though.

[retrocanada76]

4 minutes ago, Hans23 said:

I've given the latest GitHub versions a try and with them, the audio works!  I think I killed two Tang 9k boards in the process.  The audio has a lot of noise in it, however, so I think that at least with the TI-99/4A, a preamp seems to make some sense.  I'll experiment some more, though.

check the voltages, may needs a resistor, AC decoupler etc.

[retrocanada76]

 

I got a nice TI99 thanks to @Duewester but I have no software for it. Is there any basic program for a nice audio test ? When my new boards arrive I will test on it.

 

[retrocanada76]

@Hans23 from where are you taking the audio ? I am getting from the MSX the audio that goes to the composite output.

[Duewester]

1 hour ago, retrocanada76 said:

 

I got a nice TI99 thanks to @Duewester but I have no software for it. Is there any basic program for a nice audio test ? When my new boards arrive I will test on it.

 

@pixelpedant, can you help us out here. Probably just as easy to write your own routine of words and tones for testing.

 

https://www.atarimagazines.com/compute/issue41/PROGRAMMING_THE_TI.php

Edited June 5, 2023 by Duewester

[pixelpedant]

 

One nice little TI Console BASIC music demo (for unexpanded TI-99) is this one, which is a New Years 1983 "Auld Lang Syne" demo. 

 

But probably needless to say, 95% of music demos are Extended BASIC.  All of Sam Moore Jr.'s best stuff.

 

 

100 REM  **AULD LANG SYNE**
110 CALL CLEAR
120 CALL SCREEN(4)
130 CALL CHAR(96,"000101030307070F")
140 CALL CHAR(97,"0F1F1F3F3F7F7FFF")
150 CALL CHAR(98,"FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF")
160 T=600
170 CALL SOUND(T*1.1,262,5)
180 CALL CHAR(104,"00030F1F3F3F7F7F")
190 CALL CHAR(105,"7F7F3F3F1F0F03")
200 CALL CHAR(106,"00C0F0F8FCFCFEFE")
210 CALL CHAR(107,"FEFEFCFCF8F0C0")
220 CALL SOUND(T*1.5,349,5,262,12,175,15)
230 CALL VCHAR(8,5,98,9)
240 CALL VCHAR(8,4,96)
250 CALL VCHAR(9,4,97)
260 CALL SOUND(T/2,349,5,262,12,196,15)
270 CALL SOUND(T,349,4,262,12,220,15)
280 CALL CHAR(108,"7F3F1F070F1F3F7F")
290 CALL CHAR(109,"FEFCF8C0F0F8FCFE")
300 CALL SOUND(T,440,5,349,12,175,15)
310 CALL HCHAR(8,10,98,3)
320 CALL HCHAR(8,9,104)
330 CALL VCHAR(9,9,98,3)
340 CALL SOUND(T*1.5,392,5,330,12,131,15)
350 CALL HCHAR(12,9,105)
360 CALL HCHAR(12,10,98,3)
370 CALL VCHAR(8,13,106)
380 CALL VCHAR(9,13,98,7)
390 CALL SOUND(T/2,349,5,294,12,131,15)
400 CALL SOUND(T,392,5,330,12,131,15)
410 CALL HCHAR(16,13,107)
420 CALL HCHAR(16,10,98,3)
430 CALL HCHAR(15,9,98)
440 CALL HCHAR(16,9,105)
450 CALL SOUND(T,440,5,330,12,131,15)
460 CALL HCHAR(8,17,104)
470 CALL HCHAR(8,18,98,3)
480 CALL HCHAR(8,21,106)
490 CALL VCHAR(9,21,98,3)
500 CALL SOUND(T*1.5,349,6,220,12,175,15)
510 CALL VCHAR(9,17,98,3)
520 CALL HCHAR(12,17,108)
530 CALL HCHAR(12,18,98,3)
540 CALL HCHAR(12,21,109)
550 CALL SOUND(T/2,349,6,220,12,175,15)
560 CALL VCHAR(13,17,98,3)
570 CALL SOUND(T,440,4,349,12,175,15)
580 CALL VCHAR(16,17,105)
590 CALL HCHAR(16,18,98,3)
600 CALL HCHAR(16,21,107)
610 CALL SOUND(T,523,3,349,10,175,13)
620 CALL VCHAR(13,21,98,3)
630 CALL HCHAR(9,25,98)
640 CALL HCHAR(8,25,104)
650 CALL SOUND(3*T,587,2,349,8,233,10)
660 CALL HCHAR(8,26,98,3)
670 CALL HCHAR(8,29,106)
680 CALL VCHAR(9,29,98,3)
690 CALL HCHAR(12,27,98,2)
700 CALL HCHAR(12,29,109)
710 CALL VCHAR(13,29,98,3)
720 CALL HCHAR(16,29,107)
730 CALL HCHAR(16,26,98,3)
740 CALL HCHAR(16,25,105)
750 CALL HCHAR(15,25,98)
760 CALL SOUND(T,587,2,349,8,233,10)
770 CALL SCREEN(8)
780 PRINT " `b   hbbbj   hbbbj   a"
790 CALL SOUND(T*1.5,523,3,349,10,220,13)
800 PRINT " ab   b   b   b   b   b"
810 CALL SOUND(T/2,440,4,349,12,175,15)
820 PRINT "  b   b   b   b   b   b"
830 CALL SOUND(T,440,6,349,12,175,15)
840 PRINT "  b   b   b   b   b   b  b"
850 CALL SOUND(T,349,6,220,12,175,15)
860 PRINT "  b   ibbbb   lbbbm   b  b"
870 CALL SOUND(T*1.5,392,6,330,12,131,15)
880 PRINT "  b       b   b   b   bbbbb"
890 CALL SOUND(T/2,349,6,294,12,131,15)
900 PRINT "  b       b   b   b      b"
910 CALL SOUND(T,392,6,330,12,131,15)
920 PRINT "  b   b   b   b   b      b"
930 CALL SOUND(T,440,6,330,12,131,15)
940 PRINT "  b   ibbbk   ibbbk      b"
950 CALL SOUND(T*1.5,349,6,294,12,147,15)
960 PRINT
970 CALL SOUND(T/2,294,7,220,12,147,15)
980 PRINT
990 CALL SOUND(T,294,7,233,12,117,15)
1000 PRINT
1010 CALL SOUND(T,262,8,233,14,131,16)
1020 PRINT
1030 CALL SOUND(3*T,349,8,220,15,175,17)
1040 PRINT: : :
1050 CALL SOUND(T,587,5,349,12,175,15)
1060 CALL COLOR(9,5,1)
1070 CALL COLOR(10,5,1)
1080 CALL COLOR(2,7,1)
1090 CALL SOUND(1.5*T,523,5,349,12,175,15)
1100 FOR I=1 TO 25 STEP 5
1110 CALL HCHAR(6,I,42)
1120 NEXT I
1130 CALL SOUND(T/2,440,6,262,15)
1140 CALL SOUND(T,440,6,349,12,175,15)
1150 CALL HCHAR(4,13,42)
1160 CALL HCHAR(4,17,42)
1170 CALL HCHAR(2,11,42)
1180 CALL HCHAR(2,19,42)
1190 CALL SOUND(T,349,6,110,18)
1200 CALL HCHAR(4,8,42)
1210 CALL HCHAR(2,6,42)
1220 CALL HCHAR(4,22,42)
1230 CALL HCHAR(2,24,42)
1240 CALL SOUND(1.5*T,392,6,330,14,131,16)
1250 FOR I=1 TO 25 STEP 5
1260 CALL HCHAR(18,I,42)
1270 NEXT I
1280 CALL SOUND(T/2,349,6,294,12,131,17)
1290 CALL SCREEN(8)
1300 CALL SOUND(T,392,7,330,15,131,17)
1310 CALL HCHAR(20,13,42)
1320 CALL HCHAR(20,17,42)
1330 CALL HCHAR(22,11,42)
1340 CALL HCHAR(22,19,42)
1350 CALL SOUND(T,587,6,330,14,131,16)
1360 CALL HCHAR(20,8,42)
1370 CALL HCHAR(22,6,42)
1380 CALL HCHAR(20,22,42)
1390 CALL HCHAR(22,24,42)
1400 CALL SOUND(1.5*T,262,6,349,14,131,16)
1410 CALL HCHAR(4,3,42)
1420 CALL HCHAR(2,1,42)
1430 CALL HCHAR(4,27,42)
1440 CALL HCHAR(2,29,42)
1450 CALL COLOR(9,7,1)
1460 CALL COLOR(10,7,1)
1470 CALL SOUND(T/2,440,7,131,16)
1480 CALL SOUND(T,440,6,349,14,175,16)
1490 CALL HCHAR(20,3,42)
1500 CALL HCHAR(22,1,42)
1510 CALL HCHAR(20,27,42)
1520 CALL HCHAR(22,29,42)
1530 CALL SOUND(T,523,5,220,15)
1540 CALL SOUND(3*T,587,3,349,12,233,14)
1550 CALL COLOR(2,16,1)
1560 CALL SOUND(T,698,2,349,13,233,15)
1570 CALL COLOR(2,12,1)
1580 CALL SOUND(1.5*T,523,3,349,12,220,14)
1590 CALL COLOR(9,11,1)
1600 CALL COLOR(10,11,1)
1610 CALL SOUND(T/2,440,4,349,13,175,15)
1620 CALL SOUND(T,440,4,349,13,175,15)
1630 CALL COLOR(2,5,1)
1640 CALL SOUND(T,349,5,262,13,110,15)
1650 CALL COLOR(2,16,1)
1660 CALL SOUND(1.5*T,392,5,330,13,131,15)
1670 CALL COLOR(9,14,1)
1680 CALL COLOR(10,14,1)
1690 CALL COLOR(2,7,1)
1700 CALL SOUND(T/2,349,5,294,13,131,15)
1710 CALL COLOR(2,16,1)
1720 CALL SOUND(T,392,5,330,12,131,15)
1730 CALL COLOR(2,12,1)
1740 CALL SOUND(T/2,440,5,330,13,139,15)
1750 CALL COLOR(2,16,1)
1760 CALL SOUND(T/2,392,5,330,13,139,15)
1770 CALL COLOR(2,3,1)
1780 CALL SOUND(1.5*T,349,5,294,14,147,16)
1790 CALL COLOR(9,16,1)
1800 CALL COLOR(10,16,1)
1810 CALL COLOR(2,16,1)
1820 CALL SOUND(T/2,294,6,220,14,175,16)
1830 CALL COLOR(2,6,1)
1840 CALL SOUND(T,294,7,233,15,117,17)
1850 CALL COLOR(2,14,1)
1860 CALL SCREEN(11)
1870 CALL SOUND(T,262,7,165,15,131,17)
1880 CALL COLOR(2,12,1)
1890 CALL SOUND(T*4,349,6,220,15,175,17)
1900 CALL SCREEN(8)
1910 CALL COLOR(9,7,1)
1920 CALL COLOR(10,7,1)
1930 CALL COLOR(2,16,1)
1940 CALL COLOR(2,14,1)
1950 CALL COLOR(2,16,1)
1960 CALL COLOR(2,11,1)
1970 CALL COLOR(2,16,1)
1980 CALL COLOR(2,7,1)
1990 CALL COLOR(2,16,1)
2000 CALL COLOR(2,6,1)
2010 GOTO 1930
2020 END

 

 

And also, here's a rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow, from a pretty cool TI BASIC game called Adventures in Oz:

 

 

100 REM  *RAINBOW* TI BASIC
110 REM  FOR USE WITH ADVENTURE IN OZ GAME
120 REM  FROM PROGREMS FOR THE TI HOME COMPUTER
130 REM  COPYRIGHT (C) 1983 BY STEVE DAVIS
140 CALL SCREEN(2)
150 CALL CLEAR
160 FOR I=9 TO 14
170 CALL COLOR(I,2,2)
180 NEXT I
190 CC=96
200 FOR I=1 TO 24
210 CALL HCHAR(I,1,CC,32)
220 CC=CC+8
230 IF CC<129 THEN 250
240 CC=96
250 NEXT I
260 CALL COLOR(9,7,7)
270 CALL COLOR(10,12,12)
280 CALL COLOR(11,13,13)
290 CALL COLOR(12,5,5)
300 CALL COLOR(13,14,14)
310 GOSUB 410
320 CALL SOUND(230,40000,30)
330 GOSUB 410
340 CALL SOUND(115,40000,30)
350 GOSUB 720
360 CALL SOUND(10,40000,30)
370 GOSUB 410
380 CALL SOUND(1000,40000,30)
390 CALL CLEAR
400 STOP
410 A=0
420 B=6
430 C=9
440 CALL SOUND(922,196,B,233,B,311,A)
450 CALL SOUND(922,392,B,466,B,622,A)
460 CALL SOUND(461,294,B,466,B,587,A)
470 CALL SOUND(230,294,B,392,B,466,A)
480 CALL SOUND(230,294,B,440,B,523,A)
490 CALL SOUND(461,294,B,466,B,587,A)
500 CALL SOUND(461,277,B,523,B,622,A)
510 CALL SOUND(922,208,B,262,B,311,A)
520 CALL SOUND(461,156,B,392,B,523,A)
530 CALL SOUND(461,156,B,370,B,523,A)
540 CALL SOUND(461,196,B,349,B,466,A)
550 CALL SOUND(461,196,B,311,B,466,A)
560 CALL SOUND(461,175,B,294,B,466,A)
570 CALL SOUND(461,165,B,277,B,466,A)
580 CALL SOUND(922,156,B,208,B,262,A)
590 CALL SOUND(922,175,B,311,B,415,A)
600 CALL SOUND(461,233,B,311,B,392,A)
610 CALL SOUND(230,233,B,262,B,311,A)
620 CALL SOUND(230,233,B,294,B,349,A)
630 CALL SOUND(461,233,B,330,B,392,A)
640 CALL SOUND(461,233,B,277,B,415,A)
650 CALL SOUND(461,220,B,294,B,349,A)
660 CALL SOUND(230,220,B,247,B,294,A)
670 CALL SOUND(230,220,B,262,B,311,A)
680 CALL SOUND(461,208,B,294,B,349,A)
690 CALL SOUND(461,208,B,294,B,392,A)
700 CALL SOUND(1383,196,B,233,B,311,A)
710 RETURN
720 CALL SOUND(230,466,A)
730 CALL SOUND(230,156,C,311,C,392,A)
740 CALL SOUND(230,156,C,311,C,466,A)
750 CALL SOUND(230,156,C,233,C,392,A)
760 CALL SOUND(230,156,C,233,C,466,A)
770 CALL SOUND(230,156,C,262,C,392,A)
780 CALL SOUND(230,156,C,262,C,466,A)
790 CALL SOUND(230,156,C,233,C,392,A)
800 CALL SOUND(230,156,C,233,C,466,A)
810 CALL SOUND(230,262,C,311,C,415,A)
820 CALL SOUND(230,262,C,311,C,466,A)
830 CALL SOUND(230,262,C,311,C,415,A)
840 CALL SOUND(230,262,C,311,C,466,A)
850 CALL SOUND(230,233,C,294,C,415,A)
860 CALL SOUND(230,233,C,294,C,466,A)
870 CALL SOUND(230,233,C,294,C,415,A)
880 CALL SOUND(230,233,C,294,C,466,A)
890 CALL SOUND(922,156,4,392,4,523,A)
900 CALL SOUND(1383,311,4,392,4,523,A)
910 CALL SOUND(115,40000,30)
920 CALL SOUND(230,466,A)
930 CALL SOUND(230,156,C,311,C,392,A)
940 CALL SOUND(230,156,C,311,C,466,A)
950 CALL SOUND(230,156,C,233,C,392,A)
960 CALL SOUND(230,156,C,233,C,466,A)
970 CALL SOUND(230,156,C,262,C,392,A)
980 CALL SOUND(230,156,C,262,C,466,A)
990 CALL SOUND(230,156,C,233,C,392,A)
1000 CALL SOUND(230,156,C,233,C,466,A)
1010 CALL SOUND(230,262,C,311,C,440,A)
1020 CALL SOUND(230,262,C,311,C,523,A)
1030 CALL SOUND(230,262,C,311,C,440,A)
1040 CALL SOUND(230,262,C,311,C,523,A)
1050 CALL SOUND(230,185,C,311,C,440,A)
1060 CALL SOUND(230,185,C,311,C,523,A)
1070 CALL SOUND(230,185,C,311,C,440,A)
1080 CALL SOUND(230,185,C,311,C,523,A)
1090 CALL SOUND(922,349,4,466,4,587,A)
1100 CALL SOUND(922,311,4,370,4,587,A)
1110 CALL SOUND(922,349,4,523,4,698,A)
1120 CALL SOUND(922,294,4,370,4,523,A)
1130 RETURN

 

[retrocanada76]

nothing smaller eh ? 😅