Misc Does anyone have experience with boards to solder FM chips on ?

Pikachuk

Well-Known Member
OP
Member
Joined
Mar 19, 2016
Messages
768
Trophies
0
Age
23
Location
Bordeaux
XP
761
Country
France
Hi
As I know composing, programming and I love music using the YM2608 chip. I wanted to get an actual one and use it for some music.
However as it's a chip meant to be soldered on a board, i couldn't easily use it on PC.
That's why I'm looking for infos on how I could get it soldered to a board that would allow me to use it on PC. I already did some soldering in the past like replacing the battery of a dreamcast by a battery slot and co. the thing i'm wondering the most is what type of board i should get. from what i could read, it's a DIP 64 so i guess the board should have a slot for it

unknown.png

this is the FM chip i'm interested in soldering to a board
 
  • Like
Reactions: The Real Jdbye

FAST6191

Techromancer
Editorial Team
Joined
Nov 21, 2005
Messages
36,798
Trophies
3
XP
28,405
Country
United Kingdom
You could solder it. Most however would suggest you get a socket instead, and suitable pliers (Can you use some screwdrivers? Sure. You will eventually bend the pins though and your vintage chip is going to need a very annoying repair or more likely replacement.) if there is no ZIF (zero insertion force, usually socket with a lever or something to hold it down and allow easy release later). That however is probably the least of your problems here.

There are also some emulations of the chip in FPGAs and such like (saw some even aiming at replacing those in sound cards, old "home computers" and such like) but that might be a different topic, though I will note FPGA to emulate (or perhaps more accurately simulate) the baseline chip that they sold to plebs vs FPGA to emulate the same line of chip but way fancier they used in their fanciest of fancy digital audio workstations (say you find/simulate a YMF288 instead, though that might be a downgrade) is not a great difference usually and you can colour outside the lines a bit (maybe allow it to use 16 bit 44KHz samples rather than 8bit low rate stuff of the stock device).

As far as using it on a PC then I would be more worried about the software side of things for this one -- having it on PC is one thing but if your only program to speak to it is custom then having your DAW or sequencer or whatever speak to it might be tricky depending upon your programming skills and how amenable to plugins said programs are (open source stuff tends to be fine with them/welcome them, professional gear less so). If you have to write serious drivers then that is even more fun.
FM chips being synthesisers rather than analogue wave fumbling fun (though it looks like this has some basic sampling options) means the obvious choice would be to see if there is any kind of midi controller (while some pro stuff is not about the plugins they will tend to have midi support) adapter and that would be a bit more reasonable. You will probably find yourself back with a programmable chip (though nothing so annoying as an FPGA unless you need some kind of serious low latency) to take the PC input and possibly even output (assuming the FM does not export something you can/care to take back in via a line in or other such things).

It is noted for its use in the NEC-PC?801 lines of computers which in turn brings us the big in Japan problem -- if this was the Amiga, C64 SID or something like that then there are a few things here (though nothing I am particularly inclined to reference for the purposes of adaptation) but what exists for this might be Japanese for Japanese speaking people. Indeed even most searches for a datasheet seem to spit back some not so nicely scanned Japanese at me but recognisable with block diagrams and clearly decent data or a basic pinout in English ( http://www.vgmpf.com/Wiki/index.php?title=YM2608 probably having more than most other datasheets as far as specs and seemingly http://www.vgmpf.com/Wiki/images/d/de/YM2608_Manual_(Translated).pdf as a just about readable translated version)
 

Pikachuk

Well-Known Member
OP
Member
Joined
Mar 19, 2016
Messages
768
Trophies
0
Age
23
Location
Bordeaux
XP
761
Country
France
You could solder it. Most however would suggest you get a socket instead, and suitable pliers (Can you use some screwdrivers? Sure. You will eventually bend the pins though and your vintage chip is going to need a very annoying repair or more likely replacement.) if there is no ZIF (zero insertion force, usually socket with a lever or something to hold it down and allow easy release later). That however is probably the least of your problems here.

There are also some emulations of the chip in FPGAs and such like (saw some even aiming at replacing those in sound cards, old "home computers" and such like) but that might be a different topic, though I will note FPGA to emulate (or perhaps more accurately simulate) the baseline chip that they sold to plebs vs FPGA to emulate the same line of chip but way fancier they used in their fanciest of fancy digital audio workstations (say you find/simulate a YMF288 instead, though that might be a downgrade) is not a great difference usually and you can colour outside the lines a bit (maybe allow it to use 16 bit 44KHz samples rather than 8bit low rate stuff of the stock device).

As far as using it on a PC then I would be more worried about the software side of things for this one -- having it on PC is one thing but if your only program to speak to it is custom then having your DAW or sequencer or whatever speak to it might be tricky depending upon your programming skills and how amenable to plugins said programs are (open source stuff tends to be fine with them/welcome them, professional gear less so). If you have to write serious drivers then that is even more fun.
FM chips being synthesisers rather than analogue wave fumbling fun (though it looks like this has some basic sampling options) means the obvious choice would be to see if there is any kind of midi controller (while some pro stuff is not about the plugins they will tend to have midi support) adapter and that would be a bit more reasonable. You will probably find yourself back with a programmable chip (though nothing so annoying as an FPGA unless you need some kind of serious low latency) to take the PC input and possibly even output (assuming the FM does not export something you can/care to take back in via a line in or other such things).

It is noted for its use in the NEC-PC?801 lines of computers which in turn brings us the big in Japan problem -- if this was the Amiga, C64 SID or something like that then there are a few things here (though nothing I am particularly inclined to reference for the purposes of adaptation) but what exists for this might be Japanese for Japanese speaking people. Indeed even most searches for a datasheet seem to spit back some not so nicely scanned Japanese at me but recognisable with block diagrams and clearly decent data or a basic pinout in English ( http://www.vgmpf.com/Wiki/index.php?title=YM2608 probably having more than most other datasheets as far as specs and seemingly http://www.vgmpf.com/Wiki/images/d/de/YM2608_Manual_(Translated).pdf as a just about readable translated version)
well for the computer side of things I thought I could basically modify the source of bambootracker which is a tracker meant for the ym2608 in order to make it speak to the chip

for the hardware side of things though yeah from what i've seen i should probably more use a slot
 

Site & Scene News

Popular threads in this forum

General chit-chat
Help Users
  • BigOnYa @ BigOnYa:
    I'm behind that tree
  • Xdqwerty @ Xdqwerty:
    @BigOnYa, what tree?
  • BigOnYa @ BigOnYa:
    I'm out back now
  • K3Nv2 @ K3Nv2:
    @BigOnYa, is the wishing tree from courage the cowardly dog
    +2
  • S @ salazarcosplay:
    @Xdqwerty from what I read in the forums you are a good, kindhearted, person. the world needs more people like you to be a kinder place.
    +2
  • K3Nv2 @ K3Nv2:
    I want people to know the pos that I am
  • Sonic Angel Knight @ Sonic Angel Knight:
    You're space ghost :P
  • K3Nv2 @ K3Nv2:
    I'm a woman
  • Xdqwerty @ Xdqwerty:
    @BigOnYa, making the first level on my game
    +1
  • Xdqwerty @ Xdqwerty:
    @K3Nv2, uremum is
  • BigOnYa @ BigOnYa:
    That's cool, what's the game about?
  • S @ salazarcosplay:
    @K3Nv2 you wantign people to know the pos you are, thats also a good too. In communicating with people you are having them learn about your opinions and who you are as a person, you will be remembered by them, as we remember you in the forum. You are not indifferent
  • Xdqwerty @ Xdqwerty:
    @BigOnYa, kind of like megaman or contra
    +1
  • Xdqwerty @ Xdqwerty:
    its too simple what i have done
  • BigOnYa @ BigOnYa:
    You using the Smart camera extention, its nice, centers you on screen but with little lag so feels better than just Center player on screen. You can add/ subject lag amount also.
  • Xdqwerty @ Xdqwerty:
    @BigOnYa, i dont use it
  • Xdqwerty @ Xdqwerty:
    i use the "center camera in object" action
  • Xdqwerty @ Xdqwerty:
    and i cant find that smart camera extension
  • BigOnYa @ BigOnYa:
    Sorry, its called Smooth Camera
    +1
  • S @ salazarcosplay:
    @BigOnYa we should have a meeting with other forum memebers and take shrooms
  • S @ salazarcosplay:
    i think you would be a great trip guider
  • BigOnYa @ BigOnYa:
    Nuh, I'd wonder off somewhere probably
  • BigOnYa @ BigOnYa:
    My wifey made some Sun tea yesterday, and cut up some peaches in let sit in there, shit is Da bomb. Bout to try it with some peach vodka..
    BigOnYa @ BigOnYa: My wifey made some Sun tea yesterday, and cut up some peaches in let sit in there, shit is Da...