ChanServ changed the topic of ##yamahasynths to: Channel dedicated to questions and discussion of Yamaha FM Synthesizer internals and corresponding REing. Discussion of synthesis methods similar to the Yamaha line of chips, Sound Blasters + clones, PCM chips like RF5C68, and CD theory of operation are also on-topic. Channel logs: https://freenode.irclog.whitequark.org/~h~yamahasynths
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<andlabs>
what's a good ROM dumper
<andlabs>
I don't have any specific ROM part numbers yet
<cr1901_modern>
tl866 if you can find one
<cr1901_modern>
the manufacturer got pissed that the firmware and schematic was RE'd so they stopped producing one
<andlabs>
lol
<andlabs>
so I imagine this thig has loads of DRM on it?
<cr1901_modern>
yes
<KitsuWhooa>
There is an open source implementation of the software iirc
<andlabs>
yeah I'll take your next offer, but thanks
<KitsuWhooa>
You can always also get a clone :p
<cr1901_modern>
Well, if you find something as nearly as cheap, let me know
<cr1901_modern>
b/c my first answer is "there are none unless you're willing to make sacrifices to its openness and/or to your wallet."
<andlabs>
heh
<andlabs>
well what's the best clone of the tl866
* cr1901_modern
doesn't know, tbh. Mine could be a clone for all I know.
<andlabs>
heh.
<andlabs>
I'll keep that in mind I guess
<andlabs>
thanks
<andlabs>
I have a whole bunch of unopened C64 carts (and soon TI 99/4A carts) as well as used Sequential andNOS passport MIDI
<andlabs>
so... yeah
<andlabs>
shouldn't have opened that cynthCart once but whatever
<cr1901_modern>
andlabs: Perhaps /join #proghq and see if they can give you some recommendations based on your needs
<cr1901_modern>
they are the ones doing the FOSS tl866 firmware as well
<andlabs>
I'll do that after I open these things up and see what form factor ROM chips we're dealing with
<andlabs>
meanwhile I found a newer TOSEC
<andlabs>
still no sign of Recomposer
<andlabs>
I used to have a PC-98 torrent form underground gamer but of course it was from underground gamer so it's not likely to be seedable anymore, although I could try to add other trakcers to it
<andlabs>
that torrent had a LOT MORE than anything else I've found since
<cr1901_modern>
Do you still have all the files?
<andlabs>
nope
<andlabs>
I didn't have all the files to begin with
<cr1901_modern>
I still have a crapload of stuff from bakabt that prob can't be seeded anymore
<andlabs>
I only downloaded certain zips from that set; sorry
<cr1901_modern>
Not that I would know b/c they f***ing pruned my acct and it's by invite only ever since nyaa got paranoid
<andlabs>
brb
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<Lord_Nightmare>
cr1901_modern: they produced the tl866II after the original was RE'd/bootlegged
<Lord_Nightmare>
and iirc people have already cracked the tl866II DRM (it used some really shitty xor encryption of every block)
<cr1901_modern>
No comment on whether it's been cracked or not :)
<Lord_Nightmare>
and i think the open tl866 stuff may have already been ported to it
<m4t>
i have tl866i
<m4t>
works well but limited to 18v and 32pins i think
<m4t>
i just got an adapter for big'uns
<m4t>
have to bank switch :/
<cr1901_modern>
21v and 40 pins is the one I have
<m4t>
er, mine is 40pin sorry
<m4t>
but 18v
<m4t>
if you need higher voltage stuff the "wilhem" programmers seem like they might work
<Lord_Nightmare>
the original parallel port designs had no protection whatsoever and you could burn out chips very easily
<m4t>
heh
<Lord_Nightmare>
and they used jumpers for configuration
<m4t>
theres like 10 revs
<m4t>
which is why its in quotes :P
<Lord_Nightmare>
even when configured properly i've heard the willem programmers were extremely unreliable
<cr1901_modern>
willem was also way out of my budget range last I check
<cr1901_modern>
but I think they can do GALs and PAls
<Lord_Nightmare>
the only programmers i've ever used here are an ancient digelec/wavetek ep804 which works surprisingly well given its age, but only supports a small subset of older chips
<Lord_Nightmare>
and a bp1200, later a bp1600
<m4t>
tl866ii does some pal/gal
<m4t>
i just dumped the pal on an old motu midi interface
<andlabs>
starting to think I may ahve gotten in over my head
<andlabs>
before starting
<Lord_Nightmare>
andlabs: c64 carts are simple enough to dump from a c64
<Lord_Nightmare>
but opening them up and getting scans of both sides of the pcb inside is recommended
<Lord_Nightmare>
ti 99/4a cards however are an entirely different can of beans
<Lord_Nightmare>
3rd party cards often have eproms inside and are easy enough to dump, but the first party 99/4a cards used whats called "GROMs" which were these weird self-decoding serial roms
<Lord_Nightmare>
and are a pain in the ass to dump
<Lord_Nightmare>
they live on a bus that even the ti 99/4a cannot directly access
<Lord_Nightmare>
the 99/4a's bus setup is bizarre
<Lord_Nightmare>
its sort of 2 buses, not unlike the NES with its CHR and PRG buses
<Lord_Nightmare>
except one of the buses is parallel, and the other is serial, and the cpu can indirectly execute code from one and directly execute code from the other
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<andlabs>
yes, because the 99/4A wasn't crazy enough already by dropping in a CPU it was not designed for at the last minute and restricting its advanced 16-bit bus to a whopping 128 bytes of data, there's an external bus that makes things even more confusing :D
<andlabs>
too bad the two carts I bought ARE first-party
<andlabs>
or rathe rone of them is
<andlabs>
the other one is hunt the wumpus which I bought just for the novelty of having a commerical release of hunt the wumpus but I forget hwo published it
<andlabs>
for the record I bought a 99/4A only because it cost $20 and was mint condition
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<Stilett0>
99/4A was my first computer <3
<Lord_Nightmare>
the only way there used to be to dump GROM carts on the 99/4a was with a piracy/backup device called the GRAM Kracker
<Lord_Nightmare>
i don't know of any clones of that device
<Lord_Nightmare>
kevtris eventually did figure out how to dump the 99/4a serial roms since he found a 3rd party device which also used them
<Lord_Nightmare>
they're annoying 3 voltage parts iirc, similar to the tms6100 speech roms, I think?
<Lord_Nightmare>
and i believe they work a similar way, where you bang in an address then serially read out the ROM data from that address, auto-incrementing
<Lord_Nightmare>
so technically the 'start address' like on a tms6100 is part of the mask for the chip
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<andlabs>
so how hard would it be to just dump the ROM serially like that
<andlabs>
also can I just say
<andlabs>
thank you TI for making the Editor/Assembler cart
<andlabs>
I haven't even treid it out yet but
<andlabs>
just
<andlabs>
a late 70s / early 80s microcomputer having a NORMAL TEXT EDITOR of any sort
<andlabs>
while it was alive
<andlabs>
it's the future, man
<andlabs>
I have an interest in collecting productivty software for the c64 now because I want to know how people actually USED their computers back then
<andlabs>
it could not have possibly be only for games
<andlabs>
or BASIC programs
<andlabs>
or word processors that demanded to imitate 80 column typewriters
<andlabs>
that's a bizarre obsession
<andlabs>
hell I'm especially unsure if any of these so-called "word processors" are just text editors that try to imitate a typewriter -- no formatting commands or anything
<andlabs>
as far as I can tell MacWrite was the first WYSIWYG word processor apart from what ran on those $4000 Xerox machines from the 1970s
<andlabs>
also the lack of any sort of disk file management system on any Commodore 8-bit computer is going to be forever baffling
<andlabs>
though I don't know what other computers did back then or if you really could only load and save and verify on all of those
<andlabs>
rename! delete! idk
<andlabs>
I'm rambling now :D
<andlabs>
maybe I'm not thinking outside the box enough and limiting my expecjtations for computers to what we currently use computers for, but then again, MS-DOS and CP/M... and Unix...
<andlabs>
also after looking at a list of TI 99/4A software I now understand WHY no one seemed to want it: most of the software library is educational software
<andlabs>
good night
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<emily>
andlabs: I mean, MS-DOS didn't have directories at first...
<cr1901_modern>
As much as I "like" DOS, DOS 1.x is worthless
<cr1901_modern>
Which probably means I wouldn't like CP/M either
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<m4t>
made in canada etc. kinda wish i'd bought one of those instead of the tl866ii but they're probably 2-3x expensive when you factor in the adapters
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