SoundGammon Posted November 18, 2017 Share Posted November 18, 2017 Would it be possible to put a Pokey chip into the 7800, maybe piggy-back it on to the Sally chip and "wire" it into the system? Then all games that require the chip wouldn't need a special cart, especially the homebrews. And maybe some of the early games like Asteroids, Centipede, Galaga and others could be reprogrammed for more enhanced sound! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPUWIZ Posted November 18, 2017 Share Posted November 18, 2017 Yes. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+slx Posted November 18, 2017 Share Posted November 18, 2017 But could that be wired to make it work for existing POKEY carts? I.e. could one take the POKEY out of Ballblazer, wire it into the 7800 with some clever circuitry and still have Ballblazer with POKEY sound? If that can be done, it would be great as it would greatly lessen the need for POKEYs, the supplies of which are dwindling. Or, if that is easier, maybe a piggyback POKEY cart into which game carts with POKEY support are inserted (like R-Time8 or SpartaDOS on the 8-bits)? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPUWIZ Posted November 18, 2017 Share Posted November 18, 2017 Yes, the internal POKEY would work the same way as the VersaBoard, original POKEY games would not be affected. This was achieved eons ago, by the X-Board, which also added bankswitched RAM. Or, if that is easier, maybe a piggyback POKEY cart into which game carts with POKEY support are inserted (like R-Time8 or SpartaDOS on the 8-bits)? Done that, cart edge connector is the problem. I've posted examples in the forums years ago, along with the proposed PCB to do just that. The XM is what everyone needs. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+slx Posted November 19, 2017 Share Posted November 19, 2017 Yes, the internal POKEY would work the same way as the VersaBoard, original POKEY games would not be affected. This was achieved eons ago, by the X-Board, which also added bankswitched RAM. Found some info about the X-Board here but it seems to be no longer available. I suppose programs using POKEY would need to be patched to activate it and use the right address. As for XM, I thought it was for NTSC units only. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tep392 Posted November 19, 2017 Share Posted November 19, 2017 Found some info about the X-Board here but it seems to be no longer available. I suppose programs using POKEY would need to be patched to activate it and use the right address. As for XM, I thought it was for NTSC units only. I have an xboard in my 7800. Froggie, Beefdrop and Donkey Kong XM all work with it as is. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+save2600 Posted November 20, 2017 Share Posted November 20, 2017 I can has xboard too? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+slx Posted November 20, 2017 Share Posted November 20, 2017 (edited) I have an xboard in my 7800. Froggie, Beefdrop and Donkey Kong XM all work with it as is. Lucky you I asked the original designer about availability without much hope. I suppose there are no schematics around? XM sounds great, but isn't that a much bigger and more expensive add-on? As long as both are unobtainium price doesn't matter much, though... Edited November 20, 2017 by slx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
virtvic Posted November 21, 2017 Share Posted November 21, 2017 I bought a boxed ballblazer (here in the UK) on Sunday for £13 and it HADN'T had the pokey stolen! It got me thinking about why someone couldn't make up some sort of daughter board to go in the 7800, then I look on herer and you guys are on it already! Can someone not take up the XM and finish it off, sounds like we all need it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynxpro Posted December 3, 2017 Share Posted December 3, 2017 Someone was selling an internal POKEY mod service earlier this year in the AtariAge Marketplace. He wasn't using an XBoard. A clone of the XBoard would be a nice option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mr. Video Posted December 20, 2017 Share Posted December 20, 2017 One thing I've been wondering about recently is if it's possible to make a Pokey piggy-back cartridge in which you plug the game cartridge into a pass-through slot on top of the Pokey cartridge with that plugged into the 7800. Kinda like the High Score cartridge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Posted December 20, 2017 Share Posted December 20, 2017 One thing I've been wondering about recently is if it's possible to make a Pokey piggy-back cartridge in which you plug the game cartridge into a pass-through slot on top of the Pokey cartridge with that plugged into the 7800. Kinda like the High Score cartridge. yes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inky Posted December 20, 2017 Share Posted December 20, 2017 One thing I've been wondering about recently is if it's possible to make a Pokey piggy-back cartridge in which you plug the game cartridge into a pass-through slot on top of the Pokey cartridge with that plugged into the 7800. Kinda like the High Score cartridge. That's pretty much what the XM is designed to be. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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