dysamoria wrote on 2021-01-15, 17:28:

"Just"... ha ha... 😁 I don't have an EEPROM writer or the ROM image.

do you have access to one? a friend maybe? or nothing at all so the only solution is to get a programmer and some eproms?

keropi wrote on 2021-01-15, 21:58:

dysamoria wrote on 2021-01-15, 17:28:

"Just"... ha ha... 😁 I don't have an EEPROM writer or the ROM image.

do you have access to one? a friend maybe? or nothing at all so the only solution is to get a programmer and some eproms?

I don't have access to one. I have never needed one of my own and I assume they cost a lot(?). I would likely never need it again.

EDIT: Huh. Maybe not expensive. Would this work?
https://www.amazon.com/Aceirmc-TL866II-Univer … 10758258&sr=8-1

I guess this is the appropriate thread to ask this in... so, this music quest card "fell" into my hands ^^
see other thread: Re: Bought these (retro) hardware today

I haven't found much info online apart from the same card also being sold by opcode
FCC ID is IH91X1 (registered 1992?)
it seems to be a later revision from 1993, but otherwise the parts on it seem to be pretty similar to most other music quest cards... just "less" ^^,the jumpers are also the same.
I guess they just integrated more in the main "midiengine" chip?

functionally this should be the same though right?

dysamoria wrote on 2021-01-16, 00:50:

EDIT: Huh. Maybe not expensive. Would this work?
https://www.amazon.com/Aceirmc-TL866II-Univer … 10758258&sr=8-1

That should work great, I just bought one of these myself. I had no prior knowledge of this stuff, but it´s great to have the ability to burn your own ROMs for a variety of projects 😀

yes , the TL866 series are both affordable and usable to anyone that messes with old hardware!

imi wrote on 2021-01-16, 01:14:

[...]
I guess they just integrated more in the main "midiengine" chip?

functionally this should be the same though right?

yes, it is exactly like that and it works the same

that's good to hear, thank you :3

Arvid wrote on 2021-01-16, 06:27:

dysamoria wrote on 2021-01-16, 00:50:

EDIT: Huh. Maybe not expensive. Would this work?
https://www.amazon.com/Aceirmc-TL866II-Univer … 10758258&sr=8-1

That should work great, I just bought one of these myself. I had no prior knowledge of this stuff, but it´s great to have the ability to burn your own ROMs for a variety of projects 😀

Thank you. Now I need the firmware and a chip (I wonder if I have any in my junk collection). I better keep the old one intact just in case. Is it legal to ask someone to share the firmware? The company no longer exists and they would have given the updated firmware possibly at low cost or free anyway, since it was a bug correction.

Check your pm dysamoria, I already sent you the fw files yesterday 😉

keropi wrote on 2021-01-17, 06:32:

Check your pm dysamoria, I already sent you the fw files yesterday 😉

Thanks so much! Also thanks for the advice on the EEPROMs to choose! Very much appreciated! 😀

Do you have any recommendations on EEPROM programmers? The reviews for the one I linked above are kinda scary... I am utterly new at this specific area of computer tech, so lacking documentation and support is a bad thing in a product.

None of the cheap programmers have any serious docs or support ... I can recommend you the TL866 series programmers , they are affordable and easy to use. Select the proper chip, load your data and press program. They are perfect for retro-systems users.

keropi wrote on 2021-01-18, 06:34:

None of the cheap programmers have any serious docs or support ... I can recommend you the TL866 series programmers , they are affordable and easy to use. Select the proper chip, load your data and press program. They are perfect for retro-systems users.

Thanks again 😀

I have a bunch of 28-pin EPROMs in my box of pulled chips, from old motherboards and such, but I don't have an eraser. The UV erasers on Amazon look to all be the same cheap crap (and I'm already about to spend $50 on the programmer). I also cannot find the Winbond EEPROMs on Digikey. I guess I could go through eBay, but I hate eBay (otherwise I wouldn't have so much junk sitting around here, ha).

How do electronics hobbyists deal with acquisition of parts?? This seemed an easy task at first.

You can use one of these parts that are stocked at digikey: AT27C512R-70PU or AT27C512R-45PU they are basically a 27C512 device but they are OTP: meaning you can only be programmed once and that's it (they come blank so just write to them, trying to erase or write more than once will make these useless). They are great to use for pcmidi firmware so get these 😉

keropi wrote on 2021-01-22, 06:41:

You can use one of these parts that are stocked at digikey: AT27C512R-70PU or AT27C512R-45PU they are basically a 27C512 device but they are OTP: meaning you can only be programmed once and that's it (they come blank so just write to them, trying to erase or write more than once will make these useless). They are great to use for pcmidi firmware so get these 😉

Thanks for the part recommendations. $2.50 per chip. Is there much chance that I'll fry these on first try?

Is it possible to erase a UV EPROM by setting it in the sun for a few hours?

no the sun won't cut it...
I don't see how you can "fry" them unless you load the wrong data to burn

Success!!! Thanks so much for all the help and encouragement. I can now play Wing Commander with my MT-32 via the Music Quest PC MIDI Card. I got past the pre-intro, fireworks (where it usually crashed), through the intro, went to the two screens on the Tiger's Claw (kind of a small ship, no?), a mission briefing, a combat mission escorting a Drayman, a debriefing, and a bronze star award ceremony... all with no freezes!

Funny thing is, I think I prefer the Adlib music and sound effects during actual combat, ha ha ha... But the rest of the music is nicer and I have a bunch of other games to try with the MT-32... finally, after 30 years... (I wanted this setup back when I was 15, but the MT-32 was NOT in my childhood budget).

Hehe nice! Enjoy!

nsputnik wrote on 2020-07-29, 16:02:

I am wondering if anyone has the sequencer that was included with Music Quest MIDI Card called Easy-8. I checked the disk files (the drivers) linked to by the OP but did not see them.

I have also been hunting for a copy of Easy-8, since I have about a dozen songs in the “LSQ” format but my binary is long since corrupted... have you had any luck?

patsac wrote on 2021-03-14, 17:50:

nsputnik wrote on 2020-07-29, 16:02:

I am wondering if anyone has the sequencer that was included with Music Quest MIDI Card called Easy-8. I checked the disk files (the drivers) linked to by the OP but did not see them.

I have also been hunting for a copy of Easy-8, since I have about a dozen songs in the “LSQ” format but my binary is long since corrupted... have you had any luck?

I have boxed copies of both the regular Music Quest PC MIDI Card and the MQX-32M and neither one has Easy-8. It is not listed on the box or in the manual and the driver/utility disks do not have it.

Edit: It seems like Easy-8 only came with a specific kit that included the card. That kit was called "MIDI Starter System":
https://books.google.com/books?id=fHghpJa3va4 … epage&q&f=false
https://books.google.com/books?id=FC-L2faxEVk … epage&q&f=false