The Official MSXALL Blog

Wouldn't it be cool if, in the eventuality you have a 64Kb FlashROM memory (W27c512) handy, you could record four 16Kb ROMs or two 32Kb ROMs in it, plug it to the MSX, and select which ROM would be executed via switches or jumpers? Well... this is exactly what this project is all about! Thanks to the collaboration of PAKOTOMSX with the initial MSXMakers! project, the team completed their 64Kb EEPROM cartridge page where they explain about their project and provide advanced details on how to prepare and program it with a ROM that is a combination of multiple games. The proposed cartridge is fully programmable by users with a 64 Kb ROM file that is a combination of multiple MSX programs, as far the ROMS are either 16Kb or 32Kb. The instructions are fairly simple and can be found in this post . Basically, the ROMS must be combine in a way each individual ROM will seat on an exactly position in the EEPROM, so the device can be configured (via jumper/switches) to point to that locati...

MSX hardware and software developer, Eugeny Brychkov ( @Eugeny_Brychkov ), who brought to us the amazing platform known as GR8BIT , also created the incredible MSX extension GR8NET , a standalone Network cartridge compatible with any MSX generation that also provides 8 distinctive mapper modes, 7 composite mapper modes, a very extensive MSX-BASIC add-on, flash ROM, SD-Card interface accessible through internal _NET instructions (FAT16/FAT32/exFAT) and/or through Nextor (in composite mapper modes - FAT12/FAT16), plus a range of display options and several multimedia devices such as MSX-MUSIC, MSX-AUDIO, OPL4, PSG, and SCC that also has been able to - until now - to operate as a MP3 media player by playing MP3 files either from the network, the SD-card, or online streams (internet radio). I said " until now " because with the help of Maarten Loor and Laurens Holst , Eugeny was able to extend the GR8Net and add MIDI replay features and capabilities to his already Herculean dev...

ASCII8, ASCII16, Konami, Konami SCC - all these names are well known in the MSX community. These are so-called "mappers" that allow games larger than 64kb to work on our favorite MSX computers. The mapper technology requires additional electronic components to be used on a cartridge board. Those could be custom chips by Konami that incorporate mapper and SCC sound or special ASCII8/16 mapper chips. Those chips are impossible to buy these days. So, if your cartridge has a broken mapper chip, it's unlikely that you can fix it. There are several available multimapper cartridge solutions for MSX, and each solution has its pros and cons. However, a commonality among most of the universal solutions is that they either require CPLD or FPGA chips, which are costly and hard to come by these days. The Unimapper project by RBSC features an easy multimapper solution Unimapper 3D Printed Cartridge (https://www.thingiverse.com/groups/rbsc/things) With one single question in mind ( how ...

Initially, the omega design contemplated a 2.1mm barrel connector for 5v power or an 8-pin connector to power the motherboard with +5v, -12v and +12v. Not even a power switch was contemplated. Although the OMEGA MSX can work with just the 5v from the barrel connector, there are multiple interfaces that would require additional voltages, so having all the voltages available became crucial for the overall project. The new version of the DC-DC mini power supply installed, perfectly fitting in the project construction design. As usual, Jordi Solís published a fully detailed step-by-step article following the DIY spirit carefully written to allow anyone to reproduce the adapter at home! The tutorial is as through as it can be, complete with explanations, list of parts, schematics, diagrams, photos, and project annotations to assure anyone can have a pleasant time and successfully constructed the device. The complete tutorial for the new version of DC-DC power supply can be found here (...