Hi. I just got one of those btc 1853 cards unpopulated of the wavetable part. Is there any reliable source of those ES690F chips? What other components are needed? Crystal, Rom, anything else?
Thanks a lot!

Hi! I think your best bet is to check datasheet for ES690 chip. There's one floating around with schematics and components listed. The chip itself is often available on eBay or Aliexpress, but good source is Jotrin. Just send them a request, I've bought from them several times in the past and always got original parts.

Is there any possibility of making a Soundfont from this ESS ROM dump? I have an AWE32 with 2 x 1 MB SIMMs (2 MB total) and it would be great to use instead of the 1 MB AWE ROM.

moturimi1 wrote on 2023-03-13, 10:36:

I will give it a try and exchange the ES981P with ES982 written to a MX29F1610 Chip.
I do have the same 233X card.
Hope I will be able to make it work. Anyhow the card has the ES689 Chip onboard. But I guess for a first test that should be fine.

Finally I was able to make it work. As mentioned I programmed a MX29F1610 chip with the ROM available in this thread.
I removed the old ES981P soldered the MX Chip in and added a wire to connect PIN1 and PIN23 (VCC).
Anyhow I had to check that solder joints again as there was an issue while playing wavetable music. I was only able to hear some drum instruments.
After reflowing everything and checking the contacts again everything works fine. But in my case with the ES689 and not the ES690 Chip, so without Reverb!

I'm glad you made it work. Nicely done!

Paar wrote on 2023-12-27, 10:06:

I'm glad you made it work. Nicely done!

Thanks for the ROM and this thread.
I would have loved to also use a ES690F Chip, but I am not really able to source one online.
Does not seem so easy nowadays.

I digged one ISA soundcard with ESS 1869F, ES690F and ES981P. I would like to try this mod but where to get the flashrom MX29F1610 or some other that can be used? I have one AM29LV160DB in compatible SOP package but unfortunatelly it's 3,3V only device, most of such flashes I have are tiny TSOPs...

UPDATE: well, found some cheap on AliExpress, probably recycled and sell as new but who cares, ordered 2 pcs...
http://aliexpress.com/item/1005005830407454.html

Getting ICs is not that hard. However getting a compatible programmer is another issue. Do you have the means to flash those ICs?

I have ELNEC Labprog48 that can handle thousands of chips 😀 But I don't have SOP-DIL adapter so I'll have to do some wiring or make a simple PCB... BTW nasel jsem to pres tve vlakno na high-voltage.cz ale tam skoro nikdo nechodi a nikdo nebastli 😀

I'm just happy that the project brings joy to others 😉.

I'm playing with the soundcard attached via LPC2ISA adapter to relative new MB with sandybridge, hearing the ESS MIDI again after 15 years or so. The sound is very noisy as this card don't have lineout jack but only speaker jack with some shitty PA. I should bridge it. I'm forward to hear the difference of 2MB bank.

RayeR wrote on 2024-01-02, 06:24:

I have ELNEC Labprog48 that can handle thousands of chips 😀 But I don't have SOP-DIL adapter so I'll have to do some wiring or make a simple PCB... BTW nasel jsem to pres tve vlakno na high-voltage.cz ale tam skoro nikdo nechodi a nikdo nebastli 😀

Please check if a SOP44 to DIP44 Adapter can be used with your programmer. They are very cheap. I got mine from Ebay for approx. 7-8 Euros. And I can say that programming a MX29F1610 works with such an adapter with my programmer. The MX29F1610 are the perfect fit for this project. YOu just have to connect pin1 and Pin23, then everything will be fine.

Do you mean some adapter with ZIF socket or that when you need solder the chip? I will do programming only once and then I will propably have no further usage for such adapter so I can simply use flat cable or such improvisation...

RayeR wrote on 2024-01-06, 15:27:

Do you mean some adapter with ZIF socket or that when you need solder the chip? I will do programming only once and then I will propably have no further usage for such adapter so I can simply use flat cable or such improvisation...

I mean such an adapter: https://www.ebay.de/itm/404236321834
You'll never know if you need it again!

Yeah, it's ZIF socket, nice...

I ordered the ZIF socket from AliExpress too. It arrived today together with 2 FlashROM chips. Quite decent quality of the socket for such low price.
So I'm ready to flash it and do the mod 😀

RayeR wrote on 2024-01-25, 14:45:

I ordered the ZIF socket from AliExpress too. It arrived today together with 2 FlashROM chips. Quite decent quality of the socket for such low price.
So I'm ready to flash it and do the mod 😀

Great. I also ordered one for a project regarding the Ensoniq Soundscape Soundcard.
https://1drv.ms/i/s!AuD8nQsQeS3h5TODVTYWrWb_SazS?e=RkDxTL
Interestingly the M27V160 Chip which is a 3.3V chip can also operate at 5V (check out the TDS).
And it is pin compatible with the 2MBit Mask Rom and the M27C160 in SOP44 format.
The Soundscape works like this out of the box.

Hm, SPEA, I though they made graphics cards...

I tried to program one flash chip and repeately getting
Warning: ID check error (0000h/0000h)!
and memory reads all the time FF00h value. Insertion test passed so it's not a bad contact. When ignored ID error it cannot be erased, obviously...it seems damaged chip.
The second one was erased, read ID properly and programming was successful. Simply chinese 'quality', probably some recycled/waste chips...

I tried again to day but now way, 2nd chip is dead. I opened dispute on Ali...