w/o words 
http://www.midibox.org/midibox_fm/mbfm_demo1.mp3
Best Regards, Thorsten.
???
what’s that???
SMD?
an oscillator? (12.288Mhz + 4040??)
tell us more!!! ;D
SMD or not, I cannot wait for this project!!
I need a nasty little FM synth I can build cheap.
it’s seems like some digital stuff??
(I can be wrong)…
but the small pcb with the xtal seems to be a Lr clock generator? the big smd chip is a dsp? (alesis? al1301) and the small is an alesis DAC? (al1201?) and the last chip is an output buffer?(lm324?)
am I dreaming? 
ohoh!
is it time to dust off that old SB awe32??
…on a upper board, bigger SMD on the right side is a yamaha YMF262, smaller is YAC512. ;D
Information gathered from TK’s previous posts and having a look at Pro Audio Spectrum Soundcards pcb
Bye, Moebius
Those old yamaha FM chips are mad!
especially if you write to the registers at high speed with mutating values!
They have plenty of multi timbral polyphony for big sounds as well.
Those old yamaha FM chips are mad!
Say what? 4Op FM (Dx100) is the second definitive element (apart from 909) on classic Detroit techno/house tracks.. Funky basses, leads, strange noises and squecks
especially if you write to the registers at high speed with mutating values!
That’s how its done
And checked the specs:
Yamaha OPL3 (YMF262) Device
4 Operator FM Synthesis
20 Voice Channels
And it’s Stereo
Bye, Moebius
Wow, you work fast! I haven’t even received my MBHP boards yet - first I have to build my SID, then I have to get going on my other chip synths.
Unfortunately, it’s Saturday and I’m at work AGAIN… things aren’t boding well for this at the moment, but with any luck I’ll have a new job in 3 weeks which should give me a bit of free time.
You never cease to amaze, TK I’m looking forward to when a PCB is ready for this (though really, it seems simple enough to wire up on some stripboard)!
WOW!
Who said you have to spend thousands on hardware synths!
That sounds very sexxy, I hope we can hood them in parallel like the sid modules.
Imagine 4 of those, 4 sid and a 909 (and my rs7000 for sequencing of course)
Bingo! Yes, it’s the OPL3
I’ve started with a very basic driver which allows to trigger some notes, but - please be patient - a first version won’t be released until end of this year. I need this time to find an optimal user interface and an optimal sound architecture (like Duggle mentioned: even more interesting sounds can be expected once the parameters are modulated via LFOs/ENVs/Wavetables).
The prototype is not the final one. The selfmade 14.318MHz oscillator will be replaced by an integrated one, the LM314 by a TL074 for high quality sounds, I will add a second YAC512 for two additional audio channels (the YMF262 provides 4 seperate outputs), and finally I want to put this on a PCB. Hopefully the background noise disappears then (I think so…)
Here a new example (the last for this month) - drums can be accessed via MIDI now - the bass is a killer!
http://www.midibox.org/midibox_fm/mbfm_demo2.mp3
Pilo: like in the first example the delay/chorus/etc effects are made with external VST effects - sorry, no DSP
Andrew: today I received a AtariST from an ebay auction (for 1 EUR) - looking forward for your YM2149F synth!
Best Regards, Thorsten.
P.S.: please don’t start to desolder the SMD chips from old soundcards if you never did this before. I will provide a desoldering guide!
Hey…
Howzabout getting a list together of the soundcards/devices these chips are on…?
Great stuff!
Oh its time to go in the recycling cente, and to take a look in to the electronic crap tun.
? how old they must be, (the soundcards) like 486 or 150 Mhz times or older or newer-
Or should I take alle cards I find -
ahhh opl3-this is a generation before the wavetables-thats very old-how old?
This family of chips OPL3 etc were on all of the “Soundblaster compatable” soundcards right up until the SB AWE. This means early to right through to late 1990’s. There were many millions produced. These should be easy to find at second hand computer markets and cheap.
great, something to do after the sid…
a list of the needed material would be great, so that i can begin the search!!!
thorsten, you are great!
i hear that the sega megadrive also has an fm chip inside (the same as in the yamaha TX81Z.. 7 or 8 dx7’s in a box)
More info and data sheet here:
http://members.chello.nl/h.otten/vortexion.htm
see YMF262 and datasheet.
i hear that the sega megadrive also has an fm chip inside (the same as in the yamaha TX81Z.. 7 or 8 dx7’s in a  box)
YM2612 has more or less different specs than YMF262 - there are many generations of FM chips around.
(tx81z is multitimbral alright, but it’s still 4op (vs. DX7’s 6) - so less is more, or.. what?)
Bye, Moebius
When I started wiring up my newly-arrived Core & SID modules last night, I remembered that a few years back I had pulled the old soundcard out of my 486 (when I started using it as a router). After finding it in a drawer full of parts, guess what I found?
That’s right, a YMF262! The one old soundcard that I have, and it’s got the right chip on there. Hooray!
The card is a “Mediamagic ISP-16”, for those who are looking for old ISA soundcards to loot.