i got something interesting in the mail! what could be inside, i wonder. š¤
fan mail! thank you so much for the kind words, Matthew!
there's more inside the box...
it's a MIDIMAN! this little card is compatible with the MPU-401 MIDI card from Roland and lets you connect your computer to a MIDI keyboard or sound module (such as the MT-32).
the microcontroller is an 8031 with a separate EPROM containing the firmware. there's no code protection at all and these are easy to dump. *checks* aaaand someone has already dumped it.
i was going to get the wiring for the adapter cable but that's also been documented on the internet. vogons.org/viewtopic.php?ā¦
now all i need is a roland soundcanvas or an MT-32, haha.
so...what's up with the composite video output?
just kidding, this is for audio. it's got a metronome!
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i printed a new panel insert that has two BNC sockets on it (the original probes would have had captive cables)
the tricky part is that this oscilloscope has a 333K ohm input impedance instead of 1M like umm every other scope on the planet. fortunately someone designed a little conversion circuit...
in honor of Sim Wong Hoo, here's a quick historical review of the Sound Blaster! š§µ
but first we have to go back to their first sound card, the Creative Music System from 1987. (image credit: Bratgoul on Wikipedia)
this card has some special "CMS-301" chips. if you peel back the sticker, they have had their top marks removed. they're actually SAA1099 synthesizer chips made by Philips. Creative wrote music composition software for musicians on the PC.