Search found 282 matches

by mikeb
Tue Feb 05, 2019 6:34 pm
Forum: Technical questions
Topic: Oric Speech Synthesizer + Cumulus/Microdisk
Replies: 42
Views: 21407

Re: Oric Speech Synthesizer + Cumulus/Microdisk

The page-3 thing is because the ULA does the donkey work of decoding "this is in 0x3FF" (to the I/O line, an output). That is used by the VIA (internally) with no further decoding, to save on hardware. It means the VIA can't help but repeat up page 3. An external device that wants some of ...
by mikeb
Mon Feb 04, 2019 6:19 pm
Forum: Technical questions
Topic: Oric Speech Synthesizer + Cumulus/Microdisk
Replies: 42
Views: 21407

Re: Oric Speech Synthesizer + Cumulus/Microdisk

I don't think that's right, but I always disliked the interaction on these signals, and having learned from bad/incomplete examples at an early age, I was always suspicious of how it should work :) I/O Control low: Forces the VIA off the bus, to allow external peripherals to take over the un-decoded...
by mikeb
Mon Feb 04, 2019 6:00 pm
Forum: Technical questions
Topic: Oric-1 RGB to SCART - pin 8?
Replies: 29
Views: 22607

Re: Oric-1 RGB to SCART - pin 8?

I don't think your Oric is broken, more likely that the Sync output from Oric is not compatible with the board you are using (wrong level, wrong polarity, or just not configured/wired right). Is Sync connected? :) Remember Oric only provides composite sync, not H/V separate, so the board will need t...
by mikeb
Sun Feb 03, 2019 10:12 pm
Forum: Technical questions
Topic: Oric Speech Synthesizer + Cumulus/Microdisk
Replies: 42
Views: 21407

Re: Oric Speech Synthesizer + Cumulus/Microdisk

Maplin's name for it was "Oric Talkback" -- also for the VIC-20 and Speccy -- The Oric one is in Maplin 1983-Dec (Issue 9). Surprise surprise, it's a Robert Penfold project :) Sadly, it wasn't the printer port after all (what was I thinking of -- maybe one of the other variants which I can...
by mikeb
Sat Feb 02, 2019 7:21 pm
Forum: Mags and books
Topic: IOUG
Replies: 17
Views: 18701

Re: IOUG

Hi Steve :)

IOUG have been scanned (23 issues+supplement) and are with Dbug as PDFs -- they were not made public due to concerns over "data protection", addresses, phone numbers.
by mikeb
Sat Feb 02, 2019 7:19 pm
Forum: Technical questions
Topic: Oric Speech Synthesizer + Cumulus/Microdisk
Replies: 42
Views: 21407

Re: Oric Speech Synthesizer + Cumulus/Microdisk

SPO256 (or SP0256) is certainly a correct chip number for speech synth, that was used in the "Maplin" Speech synth (for Oric and I think Spectrum, different PCBs). The Oric version plugged into the printer port, which avoided all this trouble :)
by mikeb
Sun Jan 27, 2019 8:39 pm
Forum: 6502 assembly coding
Topic: Substraction and Addition
Replies: 4
Views: 7638

Re: Substraction and Addition

Maybe one day I would try to OCR the listing :) A lot of those listings were of questionable readability for human eyes, never mind computer OCR. I think OCR of listings (especially small print) is probably slower than just typing the thing in. By hand. Correcting, using best judgment and skills as...
by mikeb
Tue Jan 22, 2019 5:33 pm
Forum: Technical questions
Topic: Oric-1 RGB to SCART - pin 8?
Replies: 29
Views: 22607

Re: Oric-1 RGB to SCART - pin 8?

I'm pretty sure that pin 8 open (0v) will simply leave you at the mercy of your TV set. Depending on the set, it may show a) Correct aspect (especially if set is old and 4:3!) b) Stretched/Squished aspect (16:9 set trying to stretch to fill) c) Have a setting that let's you tell it: "This is a ...
by mikeb
Mon Jan 21, 2019 6:39 pm
Forum: Games
Topic: Trouble In Store
Replies: 9
Views: 6800

Re: Trouble In Store

Seeing as your existing WAV didn't work out, I went looking for the cassette for this -- because I know it has to be around here somewhere. Sadly, I cannot find it amongst other Oric and Enterprise-64 tapes, and that's got me puzzled as to where it's gone. It has to exist, I remember playing it, and...
by mikeb
Sun Jan 20, 2019 6:57 pm
Forum: Games
Topic: Trouble In Store
Replies: 9
Views: 6800

Re: Trouble In Store

Symoon wrote: Sun Jan 20, 2019 3:02 pm Hi,
I'm looking for a nice audio recording (ideally 8 bits, 44kHz stereo WAV file) of the original game Trouble in Store.
Oh, I thought you meant the music track! "Coney Island Cakewalk", as I recall ...

<distorted-voice-fx>"Whoops!" :)
by mikeb
Fri Jan 04, 2019 6:30 pm
Forum: Hardware hacks and extensions
Topic: Cumana Disk Controller PCB
Replies: 3
Views: 5553

Re: Cumana Disk Controller PCB

The Cumana ROM (personally dumped from my own unit) seems to be 8K ... -r--r--r-- 1 root root 8.0K Oct 6 2010 Data/EPROM Images/OwnedStandard/cumana11.rom And this dumped from a chip loaned by Steve Marshall ... -r--r--r-- 1 root root 8.0K Oct 6 2010 Data/EPROM Images/Downloaded/Steve Marshall Loane...
by mikeb
Tue Dec 04, 2018 6:42 pm
Forum: Demos
Topic: OricExos - making the impossible
Replies: 156
Views: 112834

Re: OricExos - making the impossible

It is a bit surprising that nobody in this community started such a project, or even a core for those already working on FPGAs... but that is another matter. I know for a fact that someone did do a VHDL ULA model, I came across it while looking for ULA related material. It was dated some time after...
by mikeb
Mon Dec 03, 2018 6:11 pm
Forum: Demos
Topic: OricExos - making the impossible
Replies: 156
Views: 112834

Re: OricExos - making the impossible

iss wrote: Sun Dec 02, 2018 9:14 pm without buffer on the parallel port
when all VIAs start to write together to their AY then there will be smoke :?.
Reminds me of this magazine :)

Image
by mikeb
Sat Nov 10, 2018 6:32 pm
Forum: Demos
Topic: OricExos - making the impossible
Replies: 156
Views: 112834

Re: OricExos - making the impossible

Definitely getting a better balance on the weighting of the colours in the new colour bars video! Keep going :) On the video output card, that AD(unreadable) surface mount chip makes me think of this for some reason ... https://pmcvariety.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/volvo-jean-claude-van-dam.jpg?w=1...
by mikeb
Thu Oct 25, 2018 5:40 pm
Forum: Demos
Topic: OricExos - making the impossible
Replies: 156
Views: 112834

Re: OricExos - making the impossible

what can be done about attribute clash in this configuration .. like, if it can be exploited somehow, actually .. Think about using even-odd operation based on the column number: While one Oric is emitting PAPER colour (because that byte is an attribute), the other one can be emitting a character/r...