The return of the Hybrid Sid Player by xAD/Nightfall

Basato sul progetto di Markus Gritsch pubblicato negli anni 2011-2015 sul forum dangerousprotypes. Grazie Markus.

Changelog:

v2.00 – 11/5/2024

Added:

• Added a new parameter in the configuration file (config.ini).
  • Now you can also choose the FPGASid as well as the ARMSID for SID auto switching.

Below is an excerpt from the “config.ini” file.

# FPGASid/Armsid Auto Switching (0:Disabled – 1:Socket #1 – 2:Socket #2) – default: 0
# When you use this mode the other socket it does not activate automatically.
FPGASID_SOCKET=0

• Implemented auto switching for the FPGASid.

When choosing this mode the FPGASid must be installed ONLY in one of the two sockets,  you must also choose which socket to use for the FPGASid by editing the configuration file.

When configuring auto switching for the FPGASid during boot the SID Player is displayed the message “FPGASid Socket #” followed by the socket number where the FPGASid was configured in the configuration file.  This message is intended only to inform you that the configuration has been correctly activated.

*** Please read if you want to use the FPGASid in Auto Switching mode ***

The status LED indicating the SID that is used to play the song will remain fixed on the socket where the FPGASid was installed, therefore it will not change between Socket #1 and Socket #2.

The display of the SID model from the music track being played will consequently be displayed Only on the display.

The ‘sidSet’ mode will work exactly as before, the only difference is that if no SID is installed in the other Socket no sound will be played :-D while if a SID model 6581 or 8580 is installed you will be able to compare the fidelity of the FPGASid by switching between the two SIDs (obviously better if the same model).

The configuration of the model of the Sid with which to play the piece of music in the configuration file although working in this case it is to be considered Virtual because we would no longer have a change of state between Sockets for each SID model, therefore i decided to assign a static numbering to the SID.

• Write 1 for the SID 8580 model
• Write 2 for the SID 6581 model

For files in DMP format (conversion from RSID to RAW) playback is automatically forced with the 8580 SID of the FPGASid.

Jumpers to configure if the FPGASid is installed:

• Filter capacitors (JP4/JP5 or JP6/JP7): Does not matter.
• SID voltage 9v/12v (JP2 or JP3): Does not matter.
• Resistor 1k (JP10 or JP15): Better to remove.

Updated:

• Slightly fixed timing for SID song playback. Unnoticeable problem :-D

Fixed:

• Config.ini Parser BUG. The “ARMSID_SOCKET” parameter was not read correctly.

NOTE: The SID Player currently only supports the FPGASID for SID auto switching.

Ho voluto provare il SIDKick pico anche con il mio SID Player, tutto ok, funziona bene come mi aspettavo.

Il LED verde acceso subito sotto il Socket del SID indica che sta suonando il SIDKick.

Video:

SIDKick pico di Frenetic è un sostituto del chip SID per C64 basato su microcontrollore. Gli ingressi analogici per paddle e mouse sono disponibili proprio come per il SID originale.

SIDKick pico utilizza un firmware simile al suo “fratello maggiore” SIDKick. Tuttavia, la variante pico si basa sulla scheda Raspberry Pi Pico che utilizza il microcontrollore RP2040 che è molto più economico e ha una migliore disponibilità rispetto al Teensy utilizzato dal normale SIDKick.

Caratteristiche tecniche:

• Doppia emulazione 6581 e/o 8580 basata su reSID 0.16 (opzionale: riproduzione delle digitalizzazioni audio).
• Indirizzo 2° SID a $d400, $d420, $d500, $d420 + $d500 contemporaneamente, $de00, $df00 ($d500 non è disponibile sul C128) o qualsiasi indirizzo quando viene utilizzato un segnale di CS esterno (ad es. sulle schede Ultimate 64).
• Supporto paddle/mouse.
• Menu di configurazione integrato (avvio con “SYS 54301″/”SYS 54333″, anche dalla modalità C128).
• Uscita audio tramite PWM (mono) tramite la scheda madre C64/C128 o in stereo utilizzando una scheda PCM5102A-DAC.
• LED RGB lampeggiante (WS2812) su GPIO 23 (installato su alcuni cloni Pico)

La mia opinione personale:

La mia opinione personale da purista incallito e che nessuna emulazione o implementazione avra’ la resa sonora del SID nativo (6581/8580).

Posso accettare come una buona implementazione l’FPGASid e ARMSid dove gli sviluppatori hanno fatto veramente un buon lavoro.

Il SIDKick si difende bene ed e’ a basso costo, inoltre e’ Open Source, inoltre ha una simpatica caratteristica che ho trovato molto carina, ha il software di configurazione integrato che puo’ essere eseguito con un semplice SYS sia in modalita’ C64 che 128.

Dunque la mia opinione finale e che la maggior parte delle persone non notera’ mai nessuna differenza, ma vi assicuro che le differenze ci sono, dunque lo consiglio a tutti almenoche’ non siete puristi del SID.

Nota:

L’uscita audio e l’emulazione migliora se utilizzate la scheda aggiuntiva PCM5102A-DAC, nel mio test ho scelto di non utilizzarla perche’ volevo mostrarvi un plug’n'play senza troppi cavi, jack e patch. Forse era meglio includere questo modulo aggiuntivo direttamente sul PCB del SIDKick ? forse.

Il KIT e’ stato acquistato da restore-store.de, spedizione veloce e servizio impeccabile.

Galleria della scatola della spedizione:

Galleria:

Video:

source: c64-wiki.com github.com/frntc/SIDKick-pico restore-store.de

The return of the Hybrid Sid Player by xAD/Nightfall & Gianluca Renzi (RetroBit Lab)

Basato sul progetto di Markus Gritsch pubblicato negli anni 2011-2015 sul forum dangerousprotypes. Grazie Markus.

Changelog:

v1.18 – 28/1/2022

Fixed:

• When you are in Manual mode of playing SID the timeout timer wrongly are also increased into a variable but this timer works only for the modes: auto/random/intro.
• Wrong STATIC variable for the debug via serial. the serial debug don’t works correctly in some part of the code. %-)
• Wrong variable for the Timeout check if the time is longer then 99 seconds. %-)

Updated:

• Freed and remapped to another destination the MCU pins of PAUSE and FFWD buttons to use them with the CS for the SID #2 and R/W because we needed 2 MCU pins 5v tolerant and there aren’t many left :/
• Described some parts of the source code.
• Added new parameters to the configuration file (config.ini).
  • Playback timeout in seconds of the .SID files for AUTO/RANDOM and INTRO modes.
  • Configure the best baudrate for the debug via Serial.
  • Disable or Enable the visualization of the VU-METER for the 3 sid voices.

Below is an excerpt from the “config.ini” file.

# Serial Debug Baudrate – default: 115200
SERIAL_BAUDRATE=115200
# Set the Timeout in Seconds for the AUTO/RANDOM playing mode – default: 2 minutes
AUTORND_TIMEOUT=120
# Set the Timeout in Seconds for the INTRO playing mode – default: 15 seconds
INTRO_TIMEOUT=15
# Write 0 if you want to disable the visualization of the vu-meter for the 3 x sid voices.
# Default: 1
SID_VUMETER=1

The return of the Hybrid Sid Player by xAD/Nightfall & Gianluca Renzi (RetroBit Lab)

Basato sul progetto di Markus Gritsch pubblicato negli anni 2011-2015 sul forum dangerousprotypes. Grazie Markus.

Changelog:

v1.17 – 31/12/2021

Added:

• Change visualization status of the LED for Socket #1 and Socket #2 available on the Olimex Development Board and the SID Player PCB.
• A configuration file (config.ini) for some important settings of the SID Player. The file will be loaded during the boot and must be present in the ROOT of the filesystem of the USB key.If the file is not found, the player will configure itself with the default values. Thanks to Gianluca Renzi (RetroBit Lab) for his lite INI file parser.

Below is an excerpt from the “config.ini” file.

# Select the Sid model for the Tune played by the SID Player on the Socket #1 or Socket #2.
# Specify the socket which you want to play the sid tunes (example for SID_8580_SOCKET write
# the number 2 if you want it to be played with the SID 8580 installed on socket #2)
# This configuration makes the use very dynamic for everyone. – default: socket #1,#1,#2,#2
TUNE_UNKNOWN_SOCKET=1
TUNE_6581_SOCKET=1
TUNE_8580_SOCKET=2
TUNE_BOTH_SOCKET=2
# Use Armsid with Auto Switching (0:Disabled – 1:Socket #1 – 2:Socket #2) – default: 0
# Note: When you use the auto detection and switching of the SID model with the ARMSID this can be
# used only in one of the two sockets, the other socket is completely ignored and can remain empty.
ARMSID_SOCKET=0
# Brightness of the OLED. (0 … 255) – default: 127
OLED_BRIGHTNESS=127
# Brightness of the OLED in IDLE mode. (0 … 255) – default: 10
OLED_BRIGHTNESS_IDLE=10
# Enable the serial DEBUG. (1 Enable | 0 Disabled) – default: 0
SERIAL_DEBUG=0

The return of the Hybrid Sid Player by xAD/Nightfall & Gianluca Renzi (RetroBit Lab)

Basato sul progetto di Markus Gritsch pubblicato negli anni 2011-2015 sul forum dangerousprotypes. Grazie Markus.

Changelog:

v1.14 – 22/8/2021

Added:

• Illegal/undocumented opcodes to the CPU Emulator:
  • ISC (Combination of two operations with the same addressing mode: INC, followed by SBC)
• Display emulation clock:
  • I used the same position of the OLED display where the sid Subtunes are displayed (if are present), otherwise if the song doesn’t support subtunes it will displayed in the same position the type of clock speed emulation: |CIA| or |VBI|.

Fixed:

• DMP files additional information:
  • Display of additional information of the SID when a DMP files is played but there are no additional information to display in the header of the DMP files.
• CPU timing:
  • Some months ago when i wanted to fix the timing of the 6510 CPU emulator i made an unforgivable huge mistake :-D
• Random Playing Mode:
  • The load routine try to load a index of a file that don’t exist and everything freeze.
• File error handling:
  • When an load error occurs and you are in the TUNEINFO mode the player don’t back to the FILE Browsing mode.