Cool project! Just found out about it after looking into ways of getting Tandy sound without having to get my hands on a Tandy 1000.

Do you still have some kits left for sale or how far is the planned partnership with Serdaco? Being in Germany myself, shipping wouldn't be an issue.

Hiho Matze, I got your PM but sadly can't answer it directly. I'm would be taking one of your remaining kits off your hands. Is there some other way to contact you about the details of our "transaction"? 😁

Btw, how many posts do you need to be able to write PMs? I'm don't really like spamming forums just to get the post count up. Being able to answer PMs should be detached from this.

Terracresta wrote on 2020-08-27, 17:42:

Btw, how many posts do you need to be able to write PMs? I'm don't really like spamming forums just to get the post count up. Being able to answer PMs should be detached from this.

That’s what the mega threads are for: What retro activity did you do, what hardware did you get, software etc... just contribute there and maybe some other threads you are interested in.

root42 wrote on 2020-08-27, 20:43:

Terracresta wrote on 2020-08-27, 17:42:

Btw, how many posts do you need to be able to write PMs? I'm don't really like spamming forums just to get the post count up. Being able to answer PMs should be detached from this.

That’s what the mega threads are for: What retro activity did you do, what hardware did you get, software etc... just contribute there and maybe some other threads you are interested in.

Well, I already commented on threads I were thought I had something to add. With mega thread you refer to threads like 'post of pics of your "computing area"'? (only found the 3D Mark megathreads)
If it can be easily done, being able to answer to PMs even if you can't start a PM conversation should be a future change. Makes no sense that people can send PMs to new or low post users but them being unable to answer.

EDIT: Well, I reached the post threshold now. ^^

Hi, what are the I/O port of Tandy Nano ?

To put them here:

There is something that I think no Tandy VGM Player do is display the volume/Note and be able to stop the channels individually.
Thanks to this we can mesure the complexity change in the tandy musics from King quest to Thexder and Lemmings.

FreddyV wrote on 2020-09-01, 14:31:

Hi, what are the I/O port of Tandy Nano ?

IIRC, the supported ports are at least 0c0h and 2c0h. Maybe also 0e0h, 1e0h and 2e0h.
The PS/1 sound card, on the other hand, uses port 205h.
If I were you, I'd allow arbitrary port numbers with 0c0h as the default value.

Hi, Thanks,

Is the PS1 Tandy compatible ?
I see this in wikipedia:

The PSG used on the PS/1 Audio is unknown, but sounds very similar to the SN76496 used on PCjr and its PCjr 3 Voice protocol

It is more simple for me to do a port list, otherwise it will never be finished 😀

The PS/1 sound card uses a big custom chip with integrated PSG, but it should be compatible.
A port list is probably fine, but you'll have to wait for matze79's answer.
What does "Emul" stand for? An emulator TSR using int 0c0h or something else?

FreddyV wrote on 2020-09-01, 14:31:

Hi, what are the I/O port of Tandy Nano ? […]
Show full quote

Hi, what are the I/O port of Tandy Nano ?

To put them here:
MMTDY.png

There is something that I think no Tandy VGM Player do is display the volume/Note and be able to stop the channels individually.
Thankskto this we can mesure the complexity change from King quest to Thexder and Lemmings.

MMTDY2.png

Wow that player seem awesome, I need to try it! On the TNDY NANO you see there is two jumper, JP1 XT: 1-2 and JP2 AT: 2-3 which is just a fancy way to say JP1 : 0c0 and JP2 : 2c0. You can run the TNDY NANO on 0c0 using a TSR to redirect call. But that would be nice if your player natively accept 2c0. I think the SMD will support 2 other ports, but I dont remember them by heart, so why dont you add the ability to enter one's own value?

edit : oh wait I see what you did, MODM.exe could be a nice shell to play vgm music using oplx's sbvgm if it allow to play a whole directory for instance. I dont know how to add command line parameter to sbvgm.exe and it dont detect the tndy nano, but on the comand line to use the tandy nano on port 2c0 you would need to use the following command line : -t2c0

FreddyV wrote on 2020-09-01, 15:00:

Hi, Thanks, […]
Show full quote

Hi, Thanks,

Is the PS1 Tandy compatible ?
I see this in wikipedia:

The PSG used on the PS/1 Audio is unknown, but sounds very similar to the SN76496 used on PCjr and its PCjr 3 Voice protocol

It is more simple for me to do a port list, otherwise it will never be finished 😀

The PS/1 audio chip seems to be an SN76489 variant; albeit clocked at 4MHz so the pitch of the music will be different if no frequency corrections are made.

sbvgm and vgmplay working fine on PS/1 Audio.
Also on 386SX based Models the TSR Driver would work.

Sounds slightly different yes.

PS/1 Software will most likley not enable 3 Voice Sound..
they check for BIOS/MachineByte etc..

For 0C0h no TSR is needed.
For IO Adresses, initially there where a lot more to choose from but it seems people are really confused with too much choices. So for now we just stay at 0C0h / 2C0h Settings.

Sorry i was on Vaccation so i had no time to answer

Elbrunzy,

This is what I did first. The currently released mod master can be used to play vgm files with sbvgm and we can do a playlist.

Now I am adding vgm format for opl2 opl3 and tandy. If it fail to load, it use sbvgm.

Benedict,
I want to add tandy emulation on opl2/opl3 and even pc speaker using the Monotone tracker trick (and put back monotone support).
More or less everything is possible it is only a matter of time.

What i would love to do is add PC speaker support to the vgm format.

If you see on my youtube channel I did a video on PC speaker music.
https://youtu.be/UK_0K1ibMAk

matze79 wrote on 2020-09-07, 09:19:

For 0C0h no TSR is needed.

Maybe my test where faulty but on an AT computer if I put the card on XT mode (0c0h) it cannot be use. That's why I set the card in AT mode (2c0h) and with an TSR I can use software that only talk to 0c0h. This is what I test and found to be working, now I wish I dont spread misinformation on your card thread.

FreddyV wrote:

Now I am adding vgm format for opl2 opl3 and tandy. If it fail to load, it use sbvgm.

I wish to use this player as an sbvgm frontend. I haven't been able to find the Wave/Synth menu in your screenshot and I have suggestion on how you might add support for it since sbvgm have no way to detect where the sn76489 is, I think you have a thread in this forum about it, right ? I believe it would be a better place to discuss it.

https://github.com/pdewacht/lotech

there is also the Lotech TSR, but its only a quick hack and requires QEMM386.
If Code from TNDLPT Driver could be ported back it would work also with EMM386.

Your AT may simple conflict with DMA #2.

Also Tandy Tracker is coming soon:

More progress, supporting all Tandy Cards, TNDLPT, and in future CMS/CMSLPT.

matze79 wrote on 2020-09-09, 06:48:

Your AT may simple conflict with DMA #2.

I did some further test and it look like a conflict and DMA#2 has precedence over the TNDY NANO. Although I'm not complaining, modern software allow to select port and older work well with the TSR.

By this winter I will install my second TNDY NANO v1.0 on another AT computer and report if it work on 0x0C0. My understanding is it will fail on most. That's why I believe you should add at least a third port option for the NANO to support 2xSN76489 vgm on an AT board with 2 NANO. But in it's current design I think the NANO will be a nice companion to the SMD version that will support many more ports.

Its would be more interesting to combine CMS and SN76489 and YM2151.
Making the Ultimate Square Wave Card !

There is no Software for Dual SN76489 (like DuoSID from Fagear).

We had more ports but it just lead to confusion.
0E0 has same conflict potential as 0c0 on many chipsets for example.

It works an majority of AT Computers on 0C0h.
i tested many Boards.
But will conflict with DMA Devices on ISA Bus.. causing NE2000 to drop Packets for example.

I would recommend to add 3 pol switch then to the Pinheader.
So you can select between XT and AT without open the Case.

wait what? DMA2 is reserved for floppy and has been since the dawn of man. Yall telling me tandy used it for audio??

No, DMA 2 Channel is on first DMA Controller.
But ATs have two DMA Controllers.
Tandy only has One.

So Adress 0C0h is DMA #2 Controller on AT. Who does not exist on XT/Tandy.

matze79 wrote on 2020-09-10, 16:21:

No, DMA 2 Channel is on first DMA Controller. But ATs have two DMA Controllers. Tandy only has One. […]
Show full quote

No, DMA 2 Channel is on first DMA Controller.
But ATs have two DMA Controllers.
Tandy only has One.

So Adress 0C0h is DMA #2 Controller on AT. Who does not exist on XT/Tandy.

oooooooooooooooh right of course

you are saying DMA controller #2 not channel #2