censlab

  It's been a few years now that, somewhat by chance, I became interested in the MSX standard that appeared in the early 80s. In fact, 'because' of Sergey Kiselev and the creation of his MSX2 compatible computer, the Omega : Then, while trying to make this machine work, little by little, I got into its hardware and, through the forums, I met people interested in the same subject. Since 2021, the year I really started to discover MSX, I have noticed that not only are there reference people on the subject in France, but also that the community is growing, slowly but surely. It's very encouraging. So much so that this year, the association MO5, an association known in France for its work in conserving computer equipment, is organizing a meeting this year focused on the MSX standard with even the presence of Kazuhiko Nishi. No, not Billy, the other person ;-) Here is the information poster: All information is available here:  https://jmsx.mo5.com

  I made two final changes to the design of this cartridge.  First modification. The first concerns the interfacing circuits with the MSX bus : Aoineko, the developer of the MSXgl graphics library who also tests the cartridge, reported to me problems with random startup of his computer. After studying his problem and especially after looking at the datasheet of his Panasonic FS-A computer, I realized that the power supply of this machine was 'unconventional' to say the least. This results in potential ground problems : I guess you 'see' what I mean. The wire that serves as a ground reference is one of the two wires of an AC power supply! Hmm, I don't like that at all.  With this type of design, the ground is always noisy for anyone who wants to connect to this type of device by taking the electrical reference of this ground.  I therefore powered the cartridge interface circuits no longer directly with +3.3V via the cartridge's internal regulator, but directly vi

  This topic is a very long-standing one for me. I must have started thinking about it in the early 90s. At the time, the power of microcontrollers did not allow the development of complex systems. I then remember having developed a 68000 system to manage the 8 MIDI ports. I never created this system because I realized that it was far too complex to create and therefore necessarily too expensive. 10 years later, at the beginning of the 2000s, things improved in terms of the possibilities of embedded systems. So I tried to create this multi MIDI port using a micro-controller. I almost got there, but ran into a small problem, it was still difficult to find a circuit offering 8 serial ports and fast enough to manage them. Everything changed in the early 2010s. At that time, it became possible to find a micro-controller circuit with 8 serial ports and enough power to manage everything. It was then that I looked into ARM type circuits from STmicro. From that point on, the p

   What is it about this time? I did some redrawing work on certain tracks to make them more 'homogeneous'. I powered certain interface circuits directly via the +5V power supply from the MSX connector and no longer with the 3.3V coming from the 5V USB to 3.3V régulator. the goal being to avoid electrical level problems with the test machine, a Panasonic FS-A1. In theory, 3.3V interfacing should not pose any problems, but in reality, it does. And, I also added a small HF remote control module. This involves controlling remotely and without a physical link, an electrical outlet to automatically restart the MSX computer without having to manipulate the main switch, nor having to 'fiddle' with a RESET connection inside the computer. MSX.  The final circuit should look like this : Apart from the location of the HF module, the circuit looks almost the same as the previous version. Having written this, I also adjusted the external dimensions of the card so that

  We have to be honest, developing quality equipment is not easy. Downloading a cartridge directly via the USB port from your PC to the MSX computer without any manipulation to do is a good idea. But we must recognize that it is not done like that! I had to overcome hardware problems, software problems, implementation and component supply problems, etc. etc.  Fortunately, most difficulties come from not having in-depth knowledge of the issues encountered. This is the study side of 'study and development'. We're getting there but it takes time. So, after a certain number of prototypes, more and more functional, I am now arriving at the 'final touches'. What is it about? In fact, with the idea of ​​making the loading and restarting process of the MSX computer automatic, just after copying/pasting a ROM file, you have to... restart the computer. In 'real' life, a computer requires a power off/on sequence to restart on a new cartridge. This is not

 A timer in an old-fashioned version, but up-to-date . For those who remember, at the end of the 70s and beginning of the 80s, at the time when the first microprocessors and microcontrollers arrived, the TMS1000 from T.I. appeared. It was a 'factory' programmable 4-bit microcontroller. A specific version, already programmed, was offered by T.I. under the name TMS1122. It was a timer capable of managing 4 outputs over a week. Given the limited resources of the circuit, the 'man-machine' interface was reduced to its simplest expression: A few keys, LEDs and 7-segment displays. Rustic? Today maybe, but at the time it was absolutely brilliant. But that is not the question. On the other hand, the important thing is that the method of entering information had to be designed to be as efficient as possible. This is called high constraint programming. And that's the whole point of this type of device: the ease of use. I therefore wanted to undertake the construction of a tim