ProjectXG Redux

[XDelusion]

(NOT MY PROJECT)

http://retroramblings.net/?p=412

Anyone remember CU Amiga Magazine’s “ProjectXG”?  This was a DIY project they ran, based on a hack that was published on Aminet, to interface a Waveblaster MIDI daughterboard to the Amiga’s serial port, to provide a pretty good quality MIDI tone module.

The daughterboard most commonly used for this project was Yamaha’s DB50XG, though any card which attached to a “Waveblaster” header could be used.  (Googling Waveblaster now, however, will find you a Yamaha product of quite a different nature.)

The DB50XG’s successor, the DB60XG was manufactured under license by NEC as the XR385, and this seems to be the easiest such card to find these days.  It’s very similar to the DB50XG, it just has some very subtly different voicing, and can apply its DSP effects to incoming audio as well as its own sounds.

Having built a ProjectXG many years ago, then selling it a year or so back and promptly building another one, I naturally wanted to interface a Waveblaster card to one of my Minimig variants, and listen to some old MIDI files again...

[commodorejohn]

If I were you I'd just get yourself an Amiga serial-to-MIDI adapter (I've got a spare, if you want) and any given GM sound module. Heck, some of the early-'90s modules even support direct serial connection with a slightly higher data rate (38.4Kbps vs. MIDI's 31Kbps.) No soldering required, tons of options to choose from for tone modules.

[magnetic]

Yes this is a really cool project I actually have one of these boxes that was further modified with a MIDI THRU port as well.

[XDelusion]

If I were you I'd just get yourself an Amiga serial-to-MIDI adapter (I've got a spare, if you want) and any given GM sound module. Heck, some of the early-'90s modules even support direct serial connection with a slightly higher data rate (38.4Kbps vs. MIDI's 31Kbps.) No soldering required, tons of options to choose from for tone modules.

Very true, and I still have my external Yamaha synth, but this is just cool!!!



@Mag Lucky!!!

[Iggy]

Being a big fan of Yamaha sound chips this appeal to my hacking nature.

[Karlos]

My DB50XG was fitted internally into an a1200 wedge, with a serial isolator switch and hooked onto the kbreset line too so that it didn't need seperately resetting all the time.

When it eventually died, I missed the sound so much I replaced it with an external tone gen (MU100R) which I still have.

[freqmax]

Could someone describe DB50XG technically? it seems to be a daughterboard to a PC ISA card. Kind of hard to connect to Amiga?

Found a PCB picture. (2048x1536)

Manual (.pdf)

The pinout (perhaps quite easy to interface?)

[Jeff]

I have been SO SLOW in my cleaning up tasks that my Wavetable card is still attached to my old Soundblaster (I think I have just about all the C/L stuff from 8 bit SBP <---> to Audigy/Live). I might have to dig out those boxes and look in to this!  Thanks...

[magnetic]

Could someone describe DB50XG technically? it seems to be a daughterboard to a PC ISA card. Kind of hard to connect to Amiga?

Found a PCB picture. (2048x1536)

Manual (.pdf)

The pinout (perhaps quite easy to interface?)

I suggest anyone interested in this project read the actual CU Amiga article here:

http://amr.abime.net/issue_655_pages

fun and interesting.