MSX Info pages

MSX hardware

MSX ICs

• i8255 description, the PPI in every MSX
• 82C55A
• MSX-2 clockchip RP5C01
• MSX engine S3527 japanese, english(all Philips MSX 2, Sony) see also Sony service manuals
• MSX Engine S1985 (Sony) see also Sony service manuals
• S1985 MSX System II , Application Manual
• TMS9918 MSX-1 VDP
• See also the Technical Summary Yamaha computers: for a good description of TMS9929A (PAL) and TMS9918 (NTSC)
• V9938 MSX-2 VDP
• V9938 and V9958 on the msxnet site maintained by Sean Young,
• MSX-2 VDP specs
• MSX-2 VDP specs (DUTCH)
• MSX 2+ schermen: dutch article about V9958 by Alex Wulms
• 2793 Floppy drive controller (many MSX-2s)
• Datasheet FDC controller 1793 as found in e.g. Spectravideo
• Datasheet FDC controller MB8877A (plugin replacement with faster logic for 1793) as found in many japanese MSX computers (e.g. National)
• TC8566AF - disk controller used in Panasonic MSX computers, including MSX turbo R (Sean Young)
• YM2413 OPL1 OPL1. (FM-PAC)
• YM2413 OPL1 (FM-PAC) application note
• FM-PAC programming
• FM-PAC more information on programming
• Dutch userguide of Panasonic FM-PAC
• AY-3 8910 psg music chip
• AY8950 MSX Audio music chip
• SCC(+) chips, on the msxnet site maintained by Sean Young
• Build a switch in a Konami SCC cartridge to use it as a music cartridge or as the original game
• Moonsound (OPL-4) information by Tristan Zondag
• MegaROM mappers, SCC mappers, MSX-DOS 2 mapper by Sean Young
• AY-3-8910 , AY-3-8912 , AY-3-8913 (PSG)
• V9990 (E-VDP-III , Application Manual) (Sunrise Graphics9000)
• YAC513 (2-Channel Floating D/A Converter) (Sunrise Moonsound)
• YMF278B (OPL 4 , Application Manual) (Sunrise Moonsound)
• YMF278B (OPL4 , FM + Wave table Synthesizer LSI ) (Sunrise Moonsound)
• SCC (Konami's soundchip) documentation (DUTCH)
• Datasheet of the Fujitsu MB89352 the SCSI controller of MegaSCSI

To see how these ICs are used in MSX see the following I/O port usage documents:

• The io poort document by Compjoetania
• The Portar document, latest version maintained by Martin Korth
• See also the MSXPro page for IC datasheets like the T7937A engine in many MSX2+ computers

  Z80 

• Z80 (Z88400)
• Z800 (Dutch/English)
• More Z800 specs
• Even more Z800 specs
• About the Z80H
• Lance Levental on the Z80 assembly language programming part 1
• Lance Levental on the Z80 assembly language programming part 2
• Lance Levental on the Z80 assembly language programming part 3
• See the books on the Ira Goldklang TRS-80 pages like the Rodney Zaks en Lance Leverthal and many more

Sound ICs   

• FM-PAC Panacart description
• FM-PAC user guide
• FM-PAC programming
• FM-PAC more information on programming
• The General Instruments AY-3-8910 Programmable Sound Generator is part of every MSX computer, either as a separate IC (40 pin DIL) or as builtin part part of a MSX engine IC version. The YM2149 is a Yamaha clone of the GI IC.
• Information on the AY-3-8910 and YM2149
• AY-3-8910 datasheet
• YM2149 datasheet
• The Yamaha YM2151 OPM (FM-Operator Type M) is used in the Yamaha SFG-01 FM Sound Synthesizer Unit for MSX computers.
  • Datasheet YM2151
  • Application manual
• The Yamaha Y8950 MSX-AUDIO is used in the MSX Audio and in the Music Module.
  • Datasheet Y8950
  • Application manual
    
• The YM2413 OPLL (FM-Operator Type LL) is the heart of the FM-PAC, many MSX2+ and the turboR.
  • Datasheet
  • Application manual

MSX Connectors

The MSX faq has a very good overview of the (non-standard) connector description on MSX  

MSX Floppy disks

Replacing a broken drive, add a second drive, use a PC floppy disk drive

Floppy disk drives are, next to powersupplies and keyboards, the most volatile MSX hardware components.In the past, getting replacement drives was possible, although expensive. Many types with all kind of connectors were used. A good example is the drive in the TurboR: a very special type and connector.
The 360 Kb and 720 Kb floppy drive is nowadays very rare and very expensive compared to the HD 1.44 Mb floppy drives used in PC's. To fix a faulty floppy drive with another secondhand 360 Kb or 720kB or with a new PC drive you need some information.
Here are some articles that may help you:
Avatars floppy drive connector descriptions (recommended!, new turboR section)
Add a second drive to the turboR, repair etc (tested working instructions)
Replace the belt in a turboR
(belt is 48mmX3mm,
Part N° DFWV75C0009
Part Name: Round Belt, Rubbor, 3mm
Item N° S01-4-Y2000 (FW-U1P501J)
MatsuhitaElectric)
The belt in the Phips VG8235 and NMS8245 is the type label BF60 in dutch electronic shops.
Portugese description and circuit diagram how to place a PC drive in a turboR by Luciano Sturaro.
Add a second drive to the SVI.738 X'Press german
Add a second drive to HB-F700P/D and Philips MSX in dutch , in english
Add a second drive to the HBD-50
Floppy configuration guide
How to replace the drive in a VG8245 (by Ag0ny, from www.aamsx.org)
Connect a PC floppy drive to a Sany Wavyy 70FDD (spanish version)
Connect a PC floppy drive to a Sany Wavyy 70FDD (english version)
Connect a 3 inch drive to a SVI 738 Xpress
Add a Teac PC drive to the Yamaha FDD-051
Replace the drive in the NMS8245 with a PC floppy disk drive
Replace a MSX floppy disk drive with a PC floppy disk drive
Replace the drive in the NMS8245 with a PC floppy disk drive
Replace a MSX floppy disk drive with a PC floppy disk drive (based on information by Hans Oranje)
Replace the main floppy drive in the NMS8250 with a PC drive (picture)

Floppy Disk Drives

Here are the specs of some 5.25 and 3.5 inch floppy disk drives ripped out of a PDF document (http://www.amos-online.com/dss10/40200A03.pdf). Made by Rene van Belzen

• Panasonic JU-475-2 5.25 download
• Panasonic JU-475-3 5.25 download
• Panasonic JU-475-4 5.25 download
• Toshiba ND-0801 5.25 download
• Epson SD-680L 5.25 download
• Teac FD-55GFR 5.25 download
• Toshiba ND-356T-A 3.5 download
• Toshiba ND-3561 3.5 download
• Teac FD-235HF 3.5 download
• Epson SMD-300 3.5 download

The Books and Magazines and the Manuals will lead to even more hardware related infomation.

Various MSX technical documentation files

• RS232C Extended BIOS Call specification
• MSX RS232C interface hardware specification
• All MSX basic tokens
• BDOS routines + addresses
• Programming of clockchip (DUTCH)
• MSX-DOS 2 users manual
• CRC routines for 8080/Z80
• Diskrom routines + addresses
• The MSX disk structures, from Albert Siersema
• MSX-dos 2.xx technical documentation
• All diskrom variabeles (DUTCH) Version 1.0
• All diskrom variabeles (DUTCH) Version 1.1
• Disk I/O fouten afvangen onder MSX DOS 1 (DUTCH)
• MSX-DOS 2 users manual (DUTCH)
• MSX-DOS 2 variabels/entries
• Unofficial Z80-instructions (DUTCH)
• The FCB-structure: layout + short description
• Programming the FM-PAC/MSX-MUSIC (DUTCH)
• Programming the FM-PAC/MSX-MUSIC (DUTCH)
• MSX-DOS Version 2 technical specifications (BDOS functions)
• Hitachi HD64180, Summary of Features , Revision 2
• Hoe MSX-DOS op harde schijf weer te herstellen (DUTCH)
• The use of hooks
• Summary of all used I/O ports (DUTCH)
• Key-matrix table
• Very short MEMMAN specification
• Music module (NMS 1205) registers (DUTCH)
• MemMan MSX-2 memory manager introduction (DUTCH)
• MemMan MSX-2 memory manager specification (DUTCH)
• Music Module programming (DUTCH)
• MathPack: BIOS math routines (DUTCH)
• MSX-1 BIOS calls (DUTCH)
• MSX-2 BIOS calls (DUTCH)
• MSX-2 BIOS calls and variables (DUTCH)
• MSXDOS 2.33 specs (DUTCH)
• How to program/read the MSX mouse (DUTCH)
• Music Module programming (DUTCH)
• What are partitions (DUTCH)
• portar: various MSX technical documentation
• MSX-DOS2 programming documentation
• PSG programming documentation (AY-3-8910) (DUTCH)
• R800 specifictations (DUTCH)
• SCART pin assignments (DUTCH)
• About SCREEN 10-12 (MSX2+) video modes
• SCSI BIOS routines
• BIOS system variables
• turbo R docs
• Message about turbo R

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