RetroCade Dashboard


andymanone

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Dear Jack,

unfortunately I´m a newbie with Synthmaker , so I´ve some questions:

I´ve installed the Synthmaker Free Edition and load your RetroCade Synth.osm

from your GitHub Repository.

But I can´t  recognize any features (exept the pulldown menus and moving the knobs)

Ist this version just in a early beta state or I´m "to stupid", to recognize any function ;o)?

I imagine to use the dashboard via MIDI to control the Retrocade Synth,

or I´m wrong?

Is there any MIDI routing implemented available?

...and another question: ist the Dashboard finally also as standalone version or only as VST available?

(Unfortunately the free version of synthmaker doesn´t allow to generate an exe file.

Thanks  :),

andY

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Hello Andy,

The MIDI control functionality is embedded in the design portion of the dashboard. If you double click anywhere on a blank part of the dashboard it will switch you to the design view where you can set the MIDI inputs and outputs.

I will be working on pulling that functionality out to the main view.

Right now I'm waiting for the funding to be available from Amazon, as soon as I get access to the Kicstarter funds I will buy a full version of SynthMaker which will allow me to publish VST and Standalone versions of the dashboard.

Please bear with me while I get everything into a more polished form. What I just released was what I did to make sure everything works, but I was not trying to make it easy to use yet. :) That is what I will be working on over the next couple of months.

Your help and feedback will be greatly appreciated during this process.

Thanks,

Jack.

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Hello Jack,

thank you for the quick reply :o)!!!

@SM: Okay, thanks for the hint, I've now found the MIDI function: o)!!

Am also happy about the fact, that you want to create a stand-alone version with the full version of SynthMaker :o).

But whats interested me still burning:

you are currently using the POKEY chip integrated into the setup????

I´m an "original 8-bit Atarian", and so it is very important for me to know ;o)

Gtx.,

andY

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Andy,

The POKEY chip is already integrated into the ZPUino and I've poked the correct values into it to get tones out of it. But I have not setup C code or dashboard interface beyond that.

So, as long as the VHDL definition works correctly, the POKEY will be the next chip added. Alvie did say there was a problem with it, so it might need some troubleshooting.

Jack.

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Hey Jack, you respond faster than light speed  :D !

Btw:

I´m sorry for the "wrong" Emoticons  :-[ , all of them are "manually" set, but your "forum board software" does a wrong interpretation of it :-\

@Pokey : wow great  :)!!!

Okay , I´ll be patient, if I can see the Pokey Option soon in the Dashboard and on my MIDI-Options , I´ll be the happiest man all over the world  ;D !!!

But a second question:

the original POKEY has an 4BIT D/A-Converter inside,

is this feature also possible to use with the Retrocade soon?

(It´s important for me, ´cause I made some amazing Sample-Demos in the past on an 8-Bit Atari  :))

BR,

andY

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Andy,

I haven't looked at the datasheet for the POKEY yet, but I just looked at the VHDL source code and it looks like there is the functionality that you are asking about, but it is commented out and marked untested.

https://github.com/alvieboy/ZPUino-HDL/blob/master/zpu/hdl/zpuino/contrib/zpuino_pokey.vhd

So that could be a good start!

Jack.

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  • 1 month later...

Hey Andy,

I'm still really focused on putting together the manufacturing plan so we can hopefully have a delivery in September. I'm shipping the prototypes out this week, yay! Now I need to focus on the manufacturing packages, then I will be able to start working on the Software and the Dashboard.

Thanks,

Jack.

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Hey Andy,

I'm still really focused on putting together the manufacturing plan so we can hopefully have a delivery in September. I'm shipping the prototypes out this week, yay! Now I need to focus on the manufacturing packages, then I will be able to start working on the Software and the Dashboard.

Thanks,

Jack.

Hi Jack, thanks for the the update.

@Prototypes:

Really great! I got your email yesterday , asking for delivery information.

I´m so happy, the target seems to be so clearly tangible :) !!!

BR,

andY

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  • 3 months later...

so, now I have installed everything, upgraded the fpga+retrocade so it runs v1 (it was blank when it came), connected an midi keyboard (behringer umx250), connected audio and all.

But no sound.. from the midikeyboard?, if I start retrocade dashboard on the computer, I can get sound using they pc-keyboard, but I cannot get the retrocarde wing to read midi input, or do I need to do some tricks?

I think I have read all of the docs/getting started but no..

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Hmmm,

Is the MIDI keyboard outputting MIDI on channel 1?

Probably the easiest way to tell if you are seeing any type of MIDI data is to modify the retrocade sketch to turn on debugging and then watch the output on the serial port. You will be able to see the MIDI channel, note, and velocity that is being received over the MIDI In port.

To turn on the debugging change this line:


//#define DEBUG

to this:


#define DEBUG

Then you can load the sketch and hit the Arduino IDE's Serial Monitor button. The speed is 115200.

Jack.

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no action in the serial monitor..

In the comments its written:

Be sure to load the ZPUino "RetroCade" variant to the Papilio's SPI Flash before loading this sketch.

is that this:

RetroCade-1.0-zpuino-1.0-PapilioPro-S6LX9-RetroCade-1.0.bit

or

zpuino-1.0-PapilioPro-S6LX9-RetroCade-1.0.bit

in the C:\Program Files (x86)\Gadget Factory\RetroCade Synth\ZPUino_SOC folder`?

After editing and uploading, it seems like something hapens to the papilio pro, it reboots and so, but I was wondering if I need to upload another bit first?

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