First Spear Posted May 23, 2019 Share Posted May 23, 2019 I can't seem to find any definitive information on what the expansion connector in the top of the Intellivoice "can do". I recall that some units have expansion under the little door in the top, and some don't. I'm trying to get all of the tech info I can. All pointers appreciated. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr_me Posted May 23, 2019 Share Posted May 23, 2019 (edited) From intellivisionlives.com: https://web.archive.org/web/20180710010337/http://www.intellivisionlives.com/bluesky/hardware/voice_tech.html#systag The Intellivoice contains a buffer chip [sbp640] needed to interface the Master Component and the Orator chip. Since this buffer could conceivably be useful in interfacing other devices with the Master Component, the Intellivoice was designed with a peripheral connector, hidden under the Mattel Electronics plate on its top. Only one peripheral was ever on the drawing board that would have used this connector: wireless hand-controllers. When marketing decided to build the Intellivoice into the Intellivision III, the promise of wireless hand-controllers came with it. Edited May 23, 2019 by mr_me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Lathe26 Posted May 24, 2019 Share Posted May 24, 2019 Here are some of the signals available on the connector: D0-D7 from the MC's data/address bus (bottom 8 bits) A0-A2 from the SPB640, these are 3 address-only lines that should be treated as address bits 8, 9, and 10 (address bits 0-7 are from D0-D7). The SPB640 handles mapping small regions of the MC's 16-bit address range into the connector's 11-bit address range. BDIR/BC1/BC2 from MC to indicate the bus phase. RESET is a request from the peripheral to initiate a reset the MC MSYNC is the reset signal from MC to peripherals for the peripherals to reset themselves EXT AUDIO is analog audio sent to the MC MCLK IN/OUT is the MCLK from the MC, but there are 2 pins on the connector that need to be jumpered together for the system to function correctly. CBLNK is the Character Blank / Horizontal Retrace signal from the MC. GND and VCCs. Note that 2 VCC pins need to be jumpered together on the connector for the system to function correctly. V UNREG is VCC after passing through a 8.2 Ohm, 2W resistor (name is short for "Vcc Unregulated") RMHC is an input pin to the Keyboard Component to enable reading certain address ranges within $0000-$3FFF from the Intellivoice. Normally, the Keyboard Component blocks read requests to cartridges and/or the Intellivoice in this address range. RMHC mean ReMote Hand Controller (the wireless hand-controllers mr_me mentioned above). Note that in an unrelated project, this disabling of reads made dumping my Black Whale cartridge from the Keyboard Component over the Cuttle Cart 3's serial port a little tricky (its serial port registers are in that low address range that the KC disables reads from). 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tschak909 Posted December 17, 2022 Share Posted December 17, 2022 On 5/24/2019 at 12:09 AM, Lathe26 said: Here are some of the signals available on the connector: D0-D7 from the MC's data/address bus (bottom 8 bits) A0-A2 from the SPB640, these are 3 address-only lines that should be treated as address bits 8, 9, and 10 (address bits 0-7 are from D0-D7). The SPB640 handles mapping small regions of the MC's 16-bit address range into the connector's 11-bit address range. BDIR/BC1/BC2 from MC to indicate the bus phase. RESET is a request from the peripheral to initiate a reset the MC MSYNC is the reset signal from MC to peripherals for the peripherals to reset themselves EXT AUDIO is analog audio sent to the MC MCLK IN/OUT is the MCLK from the MC, but there are 2 pins on the connector that need to be jumpered together for the system to function correctly. CBLNK is the Character Blank / Horizontal Retrace signal from the MC. GND and VCCs. Note that 2 VCC pins need to be jumpered together on the connector for the system to function correctly. V UNREG is VCC after passing through a 8.2 Ohm, 2W resistor (name is short for "Vcc Unregulated") RMHC is an input pin to the Keyboard Component to enable reading certain address ranges within $0000-$3FFF from the Intellivoice. Normally, the Keyboard Component blocks read requests to cartridges and/or the Intellivoice in this address range. RMHC mean ReMote Hand Controller (the wireless hand-controllers mr_me mentioned above). Note that in an unrelated project, this disabling of reads made dumping my Black Whale cartridge from the Keyboard Component over the Cuttle Cart 3's serial port a little tricky (its serial port registers are in that low address range that the KC disables reads from). Is there a complete pin mapping of the edge connector somewhere? -Thom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnPCAE Posted December 17, 2022 Share Posted December 17, 2022 (edited) 17 minutes ago, tschak909 said: Is there a complete pin mapping of the edge connector somewhere? -Thom We can do you one better. Here's the Intellivoice service manual, which includes a complete schematic: The Intellivoice connector would be a great solution for FujiNet, but it can also be problematic. Data pins D0-D7 are open-collector, but not all Intellivoice units have the required pull-up resistors R28-R35. So anything you plug into it should provide its own pull-ups. A simple SIP resistor pack can do the trick. Also, many Intellivoice units don't have the IDC connector at all. Those would have to be retrofitted. In my Intellivoice II project, I provide the expansion connector but not the pull-up resistors. Intellivoice_Service_Manual.pdf Edited December 17, 2022 by JohnPCAE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Lathe26 Posted December 18, 2022 Share Posted December 18, 2022 Keep in mind that only 40% of Intellivoices have that connector populated. The rest are missing the connector and the panel is glued shut. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tschak909 Posted December 18, 2022 Share Posted December 18, 2022 noted, we'll stick to using the cartridge slot. -Thom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
First Spear Posted March 26, 2023 Author Share Posted March 26, 2023 On 5/24/2019 at 1:09 AM, Lathe26 said: Here are some of the signals available on the connector: D0-D7 from th[snip] Is that available anywhere else besides this forum? I will get to queue it for a FAQ update with the right link. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Lathe26 Posted March 26, 2023 Share Posted March 26, 2023 95% of the above information is from the Intellivoice schematic that is available in PDF format. It's in various places on the internet but I don't have a link handy at the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Gunoz Posted March 26, 2023 Share Posted March 26, 2023 Pgs 10-11 here? https://annarchive.com/files2/Intellivoice Service Manual.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Lathe26 Posted March 26, 2023 Share Posted March 26, 2023 Yes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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