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Supersoniqs PlaySoniq Instruction Manual

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Instruction Manual
Version 1.3
August 31, 2010

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Summary of Contents for Supersoniqs PlaySoniq

  • Page 1 Instruction Manual Version 1.3 August 31, 2010...

  • Page 2: Table Of Contents

    Software switch for VDP addresses ....................7 13 sound-channels and SID filter controllable ..................7 Gold plated slot-connector for durability ................... 8 Using the PlaySoniq ..........................8 Starting a game ..........................8 Playing SID files ..........................9 Using the 512MB Konami SCC+ Mapper ..................10 Adjusting the mapper ........................
  • Page 3 Memory not displayed correctly during boot ................... 24 Memory mapper does not work ...................... 24 Flashing capslock light or clicky sounds when powering up the PlaySoniq ........24 Does not work in slot expander ....................... 24 Dual display not working ........................24 Appendix A ............................

  • Page 4: Introduction

    Thank you for buying our new product, the PlaySoniq multi-expander for MSX. We hope that you will have hours of fun with it. At least we do! The PlaySoniq is the result of over a year of hard work. FROM making the complex design of the expander to programming the VHDL code, and the work for finding and collecting the necessary electric components.

  • Page 5: Pal/Ntsc Encoder 50/60Hz Real-Time Software Switchable

    MOS Technology 6581 or 8580 Sound Interface Device (SID) Included in the PlaySoniq is a MOS Technology Sound Interface Device (SID). The SID was created in 1981 by engineer Robert Yannes and has been used in different Commodore models such as the Commodore 64 and 128 range of home computers.

  • Page 6: Configurable Memory

    5 volt input which the MSX supplies on the cartridge connector. The Spartan FPGA runs on 80MHz and has its own crystal to generate the necessary clock speed. Because the PlaySoniq is independent of the MSX clock all generated sounds are not affected by an MSX running at 7MHz.

  • Page 7: Support For Sega Sg-1000 / Sc-3000 / Mark Iii / Master System Games

    Goonies 'R' Good Enough’. The PlaySoniq can also be set to address the VDP in a MSX1 mirror mode. This works on MSX1 and MSX TurboR (The MSX TurboR can be tricked to load a MSX1 BIOS), and only with programs and games for MSX1.

  • Page 8: Gold Plated Slot-Connector For Durability

    MSX will be paused. The PlaySoniq will detect if it’s run on a PAL or NTSC MSX and will adjust the color carrier signal accordingly. If you use the PlaySoniq in a MSX1, all screen output can be redirected to the Sega VDP and thus to the output connector.

  • Page 9: Playing Sid Files

    Combine SCC sound for PSG games?: If you type in y, all MSX PSG sound will also be rerouted to the SCC implementation on the PlaySoniq. Please note that this option only works for the PSG sound chip of the MSX, not the PSG of the Sega A/V processor. You will only see this option when loading MSX ROMs.

  • Page 10: Using The 512Mb Konami Scc+ Mapper

    Inside our software package is a MSX-DOS utility called sidtype.com. This utility will tell you if you have a 6581 or 8580 SID in your PlaySoniq. Some SID files are specifically made for either one and will sound different on the other one. Sidplay will play all SID files no matter which SID is installed. In the future Sidplay will read which SID is installed and tell you if a song was made for your SID, or not.

  • Page 11: Switching Between Tv Standards

    With the utility NTSC.COM you can set the PlaySoniq to output a NTSC signal. With PAL.COM you can set the PlaySoniq in the European PAL standard. By default the PlaySoniq will try to detect the standard color carrier so in most cases you will not need to switch this manually.

  • Page 12: Technical Information For Programmers

    Technical information for programmers Things to know At startup the PlaySoniq expander produces a WAIT signal of 200ms. This time is required by the FPGA to load its configuration. Most MSX systems start searching for memory before the FPGA has finished the start-up sequence.
  • Page 13 Instruction Manual Switching between joysticks takes a lot of time as this is selected by a register in the PSG which has to be enabled first. The options which offer ‘one joystick’ require a pre selection before executing a game. The joystick port which should be active is selected by bit 6 of register 14 of the PSG, after this, also register 14 should be enabled.

  • Page 14: Vdp Wait

    Expanding the slot will result in a slot expander with four times 4mbytes or four times 2mbytes, this is according to the MSX standard. Expanding the slot will not work when the PlaySoniq is inserted into a slot expander which does not mask the sub-slot register. To achieve the full 16mbytes, set bits 1 and 0 of register 31 to 0 and disable the SCC+ emulation.
  • Page 15 8k of the memory, the second 8k is not accessed and the Sega SRAM will be the second 16k. This is done to make switching of the mapper mode possible when the PlaySoniq memory is used by the MSX itself. If, as by default, I/O address &HFF is set to 0, the first 8k of the first sub-slot will be used in address space &HC000-&HDFFF.
  • Page 16 Instruction Manual Subslot (default): Switching from subslot to Sega mapper system IO FC- Subslot Subslot Subslot Subslot Subslot Subslot Subslot 1 Subslot 3 … … … … Map F8: Map Sega: IO F8- IO F8- IO FC- Addr FFFC- (Sub)slot (Sub)slot FFFF: …...

  • Page 17: Addressing

    Registers &H00 to &H1C are directly the SID registers according to the SID datasheet, registers &H1D to &H1F are for PlaySoniq settings. The data can be read back at &H2B at any time, registers &H19 to &H1C are read back from the SID. The SID normally is a write only device but in the PlaySoniq all other SID registers are mirrored internally by the FPGA.
  • Page 18 Instruction Manual Registers accessible via I/O address &H2A: &H00 Voice 1 Freq Lo &H01 Voice 1 Freq Hi &H02 Voice 1 PWLO &H03 PW11 PW10 Voice 1 PWHI &H04 NOISE | |_| /|/| /\/\ TEST Ring SYNC GATE Voice 1 Control Reg &H05 ATK3...
  • Page 19 Instruction Manual Register &H1D: This sets the base address of the VDP. When the read bit is set, reading from the VDP is inhibited. Register &H1E: Same as &H1D for the PSG. Registers &H1D and &H1E can be useful for running software of other consoles, for example: ColecoVision: Set &H1D to &HBE Set &H1E to &HFF Note: PSG conflicts with memory mapper, set read inhibit...

  • Page 20: Hold Mapper

    Therefore the slot expander will be disabled in the loader tool provided with PlaySoniq. The card will write 00 to address &H4000 after a hard-reset or power cycle to prevent the MSX of starting a game again.
  • Page 21 Instruction Manual Examples and tips for programmers: There are program’s which require an SCC in the primary slot, if the SCC is enabled in a primary slot the memory will disappear… When using an MSX Turbo-R this is no issue because the internal memory will be the primary memory anyway, for other MSX machines the easiest solution is to: ...

  • Page 22: Addressing

    Registers &H00 to &H1C are directly the SID registers according to the SID datasheet, registers &H1D to &H1F are for PlaySoniq settings. The data can be read back at &H2B at any time, registers &H19 to &H1C are read back from the SID. The SID normally is a write only device but in the PlaySoniq all other SID registers are mirrored internally by the FPGA.

  • Page 23: Troubleshooting

    PlaySoniq. Please bear in mind that sound from the MSX such as MSX-MUSIC or PSG is not send to the PlaySoniq. If you start a game and route the OPLL music to the MSX, you need to connect the audio output from the MSX to a monitor or stereo also to enjoy those sounds.

  • Page 24: Memory Not Displayed Correctly During Boot

    Since the PlaySoniq has a build-in slot expander to address all the available memory, putting the PlaySoniq in an external slot expander will give unpredictable results to the MSX If for some reason the PlaySoniq must still run in an expander, switch off the sub-slots of the external expander at power-on.

  • Page 25: Vga-Type Connector

    Also, make sure that you have turned the volume on the PlaySoniq PCB off (with the volume control on the PCB) when you want to feed the MSX audio out signal into the audio input of the PlaySoniq (Pin 15).

  • Page 26: Compatibility Matrix

    Instruction Manual Appendix B Compatibility matrix These are the systems used for testing the PlaySoniq, tested was the memory, I/O and Sega support: Brand Type Version Test Result Canon V-20 MSX1 Goldstar FC-200 MSX1 Memory and I/O okay, no 2nd slot to test...
  • Page 27 *Some models have a expansion port that can be converted to a real cartridge slot. We didn’t have this converter so we could not test the PlaySoniq together with a CF or SD-Card interface containing our software. Sony HB-55/ HB-75 MSX1 systems have a data buffer inside which masks internal data from the outside world.

  • Page 28: Detailed Information Of Overlay Codes

    Instruction Manual Appendix C Detailed information of overlay codes Simplified Both Scan Extra Executed Keyboard Keyboard Joystick Joysticks Interval cycles codes: 2,3,4 6,7,8 10,11 28 28...

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