Zemmix FPGA MSX by 8bits4ever

Nice design . And good that these machines stay available with new batches from various sources. Really shows the power of open source & open hardware.

It’s pretty much identical to a 1chipMSX, like all Zemmix Neos.

1) In theory yes, in practice no. I wouldn’t allow such a program on my OCM, too scary that it might brick it, or even cause hardware failure, and too annoying that I would have to reprogram the firmware back to normalcy afterwards. Software developers shouldn’t nilly willy tamper with my FPGA. Besides, we’re not exactly swimming in developers with VHDL coding experience.

2) If you brick it you need a USB Blaster to recover.

External FDD interface should work like on any other MSX. Just like Sunrise IDE, MegaFlashROM SCC+ SD, etc. which use the same standard extension system.

Oh, a Zemmix Neos clone from Europe!
It may be nicer to round some corners at the front.

Neo Zemmix use a filter? I thought that all OCMs did not use filter nor mixer.

I wonder if it would be a solution to cut the audio rails en put high quality shielded audio cables far away from the cause of interference in its stead. I once bought an OCM with the expectation to be rid of these audio issues. I was very disappointed

@ Kdl

Yeh, that noise looks quite bad.

I'd agree that it's down to the board design (audio traces too close to IO signals). Turbo-R has similar problem, the IO noise interference on that comes from it's FM circuit.

@Samor The hardware has USB but the FPGA does nothing with it (no free space remaining).

Well, not entirely, if you have a PS/2 compatible mouse you can connect it to the USB port without a need for an adapter plug. But USB mice and keyboards don't work.

If one of your screens has a DVI-I input (not DVI-D) you should be able to feed it VGA with an adapter plug.

Yes, for sure.

It is quite noisy, but I've seen worse, and all sound chips are well balanced and sound clear. There's an option for balanced audio output which should mitigate most of the problem, but I haven't been able to test it yet. I got the cable, though.

Edit: I have a Brazilian Zemmix Neo. Since it is so similar to the Korean one, I bet it sounds just as bad. I've heard OCM is also bad, but not quite. Haven't listened to it myself.

Ok,
I have to stop dreaming now.
I still remember the last ZemmixNeo from Brazil. I was one of the first subscribers for it and after about 1 year I discovered they would never ship ZemmixNeo to Italy.

Now this... Yes, it is fantastic. But ...
how many months would it necessary to wait?
at which price considering that it would be made in spain?
More news about it?

Samor, how did you contact them? I've tried using the contact form on their website, to show interest as well, but haven't heard back from them.

Yes, I intend to do that.

The case closely matches the form of the zemmix neo board.
They quite literally cut the corners on the original zemmix neo case. It's not gonna get any smaller.
Also, seems the one in the pictures was auctioned on ebay.

yeah i love the 3d printed case.

Going by the picture with the keyboard, it seems in terms of size the zemmix sits somewhere between a dreamcast and a playstation.
Considering it was originally a console, that seems fitting

yeah price is also better than the korean and brazilian zemmix neos. I am definitely getting one.

I do hope the case is sturdy enough though because its 3D printed. (since most ppl put some pressure on the case when inserting/removing cartridges) but I have no doubt this will be tested

Thanks for the update!
Great that you will provide people with the available stl files. Keep up the good work.

It is already available on the shop. Purchased the full pack with case, PSU and programmer. With this I have MSX for a long long time.

Doesn't say "coming soon" anymore here.
Ordered one as well, ending my 10 year break from MSX hw ;-)

I'm interested in the full version including PSU and the Altera USB Blaster programmer.
About the box I am especially interested in being robust and safe.
Greetings and waiting.

Hello people! We've received your (many) orders in the last two days. Now the Zemmix status in our shop is back to "Out of Stock" until we delivered the ones already sold. These units should ship within the next 10 days or so; remember we need to assemble and test them before shipping.

Cheers!

It must be the fate...
First ZEMMIX neo from brasil delayed for sending problems
Now ZEMMIX from 8bit4ever missed due to hospital surgery, the same 4 days of the 1st batch.
Maybe it is my destiny

I would like to know if there's any manual available for this Zemmix? Or there's no difference and it is fine to look for Zemmix manual of any revision?

Thanks. Though i found that there were an english manual for Zemmix Neo but the link is broken (not the link itself, but the page doesn't contain any download link, looks like a page was rendered incorrectly)

UPD: With some googling i have found post on brazilian forum with direct link to the file: Manual-ZemmixNEO-EN.pdf

@Haze, @giuseve
Just got a mail that they have more machines available for order.

just order one from this site ^_^

Yes, the first batch is on the way and people who missed it can order again

Did anyone receive his/hers yet? I'd just like to know as PostNL seems to be increasingly unreliable and simply drop off packages at nearby delivery points without leaving a notification at all.

Yes, I have the tracking number, and it's probably still in Spain if the information is correct.
I just had some bad experiences with PostNL (Dutch postal service) recently so I'm a bit more cautious than usual.... especially since this isn't some 10 euro package

And thanks, normally things should work out and I'm happy to get back into MSX hardware
The Goonies are good enough to be tested in a Zemmix ;-)

Clap hand with the German one. Lazy,arrogant and slow.
And stupid.
Bought items online last week:
Fifteen years away from Amazone: Here is what you had in your shopping cart FIFTEEN YEARS ago.
Fifteen seconds away from DHL.de. We´re sorry, we´d locked you out. Of course we´d forget everything you entered.

Received.

Good device, PSU is powerful enough, programmer not used yet (fortunately). Firmware upgraded and no problem. The case is good. All well attached, no sound of loose pieces.

I only would make the cartridge slots a bit wider. The cartridge is attached fine, very fine indeed, so for extracting it would be good to have some horizontal room for moving it, you have to extract it in only vertical movement, pulling with force. Maybe having an extra half centimeter on each side could be good to allow some cartridge movement for extracting.

Now I have to test the joy ports and other video outputs (only used the VGA and audio L/R), but I think they will work.

Even noticed, I directly updated the firmware with the one from the url you get on your email. Used the korean one, the non-br one, and works fine.

Mine arrived as well
Seems to be working just fine. I am positively surprised by the case, It's actually nicer than I expected from the images.
I agree though with DarkSchneider that the space around the slots is very tight.
For some reason my keyboard didn't work (even though it's connected through ps/2 on pc) but a spare one did.

Try Romload http://www.tni.nl/products/romload.html
or perhaps SofaROM (I never used that).

Does yours not have a zemmix logo on it?
Either way, nice pictures

Yeah it is, but I don't think it would break easily.

Afaik loadrom loads roms into your ram instead of the scc+ mapper and it has some problems afaik and that is the main difference between loadrom and romload.

I've got my PCBs in as well! Can't wait to test them!

I don't have any cases though, as unfortunately @8bits4ever was out at the time. But I did get the links everyone mentioned, along with the STL files, for 3D printing. Seeing as how multiple people here mentioned "tight fitting" cartridge slots, would it be possible to edit those files, before sending them off to get 3D printed? And which changes would be recommended? (wider?)

I'm kind of new to this whole world of 3D printing your own materials.

I finally found my perfect keyboard for the Zemmix.

Although my old IBM M did work via the PS/2 connector. I was lokking for some smaller mechanical keyboard. I found this Blackwidow, witch is connected via a active USB-PS/2 adaptor. I'm happy.

Mine arrived and tested: really cool!
I’m just trying to improve colors with VGA output: white is a bit yellowish... maybe tha cable, maybe the monitor but I’m still not able to get satisfactory results... I’ll try some play little more with my configuration.
Anyway nice job 8bits4ever!

8bits4ever is offering one on ebay, including psu and altera programmer. Current price stands at 25 Euro + 20 shipping

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Zemmix-Neo-FPGA-based-fully-compati...

....and now it works again, but I'm not sure why/how.

Just to be sure I flashed OCM-PLD Pack v3.5 on it (I hadn't flashed it so far). Fingers crossed that everything stays ok now

Some other things I noticed while using it (not meant as criticism, just findings):

- Interference (in the video signal) can change a lot depending on the used cables (both the audio and video cables). I've found a setup that works well for me.

- I'm not sure how much this differs between MSX machines, but certain colours seem to be a little different from what I'm used to, e.g. the floor in the beginning of Metal Gear 2 looks more purple than I've seen on other MSX machines (it's normally dark grey). I have only tested VGA output on one particular monitor though, and did not try s-video and/or composite yet.

- In some instances (aside from the regular interference that was mentioned before by several people) I can hear a high-pitched noise playing alongside the PSG (PSG only, not noticeable with SCC or fmpac), kind of like a hihat on a low bitrate mp3. You actually have to listen quite closely to notice it at all.

I really like the machine though, but I was a bit worried when the SD kept failing for a while... I hope that won't happen again (or that I discover a surefire way to fix it whenever it happens).

That looks nice and sharp.
I haven't been able to get "perfect pixel" on my monitor but I got pretty close. The "auto" function makes a mess of it so I had to tune manually. The scanline generator actually helps "hiding" the blurry pixels a bit, it looks a lot better when it's on.

Looking forward to it

Seller has other FPGA stuff on sale so i suppose it is not 8bits4ever

got this Deltaco keyboard finally, tested, now i'm being completely satisfied and happy with it, it can keep 8 to 10 simultaneous keypresses on USB with Zemmix with no issues (and of course passes the Nemesis test flawlessly)

Orders are currently open again, right now: https://www.8bits4ever.net/product-page/zemmix-fpga-msx

Yess, I finally bought one.
Now I have to find the best way to use it.
Can anyone help me?
1) I got an Samasung syncmaster S23b350. Does someone know if it works fine with zemmix? I know CRT is best....
2) I'd like to use SOFARUN with SOFAROM. Should I use 1 Mb ESE-MegaRAM or 1 Mb ESE-RAM SCC+??? What are the differences?
3) Does someone know if my Logitech Cordless desktop EX110 shoul work fine on PS2 and or USB?

Regards and thanks in advance

When I bought it only naked version was available. Now that I am looking to print STL I discover that it would be cost more than 90euros. Can someone suggest me a cheaper way to get a case for my brand new zemmix?

Ys, build your own is much more fun, than spending 90€.

Another thing I noticed is that the colours are sometimes slightly off... I don't know what the cause is (could be the monitor), maybe someone here has an idea:

This is an image from the pixel art collection; as you can see, the colours on the tires are somewhat purple whereas I'd normally expect them to be gray. Any ideas?

SDTV RGB uses the Rec.601 colour space, I think the one used for VGA signals is different, in other words they have a different gamma. Also your monitor may have different settings for VGA input, check its calibration menu…

Btw KdL was mentioning on twitter that he was doing something with the aspect ratio, although I haven’t understood what exactly… awaiting the update :D.

OK, here we go

Here's how is it with S-Video

Here's how is it with RGB...

...and with VGA (scanlines, but the same thing happens without scanlines too)

The actual videos (from where i picked up those screenshots):
S-Video, tube
RGB, tube
VGA, LCD, scanlines
VGA, LCD, no scanlines

The image doesn't depend on is it original firmware or KdL firmare. Moreover, if f.e. you don't get off the s-video cable while connect RGB/VGA - the image gets really distorted colors - lots of red (so while becomes nice pink btw). I wonder if it is something with my Zemmix or somebody else has similar problems?

OK so if nobody else has those issues then i will get in contact with 8bits4ever because it looks like some issue with only my Zemmix...

Which image is this? I can check how it looks on OCM over VGA/S-video...

Oke colors are definitely off. Here is output from OCM:

S-Video to CRT:

VGA to CRT:

Do you have another monitor to test on?? At this moment OCM is all I got to test (I have ordered a Zemmix FPGA from 8bits4ever), anyone else have this with Zemmix (Neo or FPGA)?

They kindly responded and i sent my one back for investigation, so i'm looking forward to get it back fixed

SPeaking about colors - are there any trimmer resistors on R, G, and B channels in the circuit of OCM? Actually, with RGB there should be some calibration, right?

But really while most of MSX machines has some very small differences in RGB colors and look-n-feel of image, but Zemmix output is different. First of all, the pixels are more thick (at least in screen 0 at 80 column mode), and color is a somehow different. Didn't perform any scrupulous investigation for other screen modes, will do that when my Zemmix will be back (and when i have some time for that).

They are sick on the RGB SCART too. The exact immediate feeling at first sight was "is it MSX?"

sick ==> thick (OMG typo which changes that meaning drastically, sorry)

On the video i posted above, RGB output on tube monitor, i get phone closer to show that pixels. Yes, i understand, video quality is not perfect, but it really looks quite different than with original MSX computers

Note you need to press one of the higher function keys or use the DIP switches to use 15 kHz RGB output instead of VGA...

Hi, thats probably a solder point gone loose. You can send the unit anytime for repair. Just contact us through our webpage/email.

Oke. just wondering...

Only USB keyboards that also output PS/2 protocol are supported. There is no USB HID implemented on the Zemmix/OCM

This just occurred to me: what if your VGA cable has some issues??? Might be worth it to try another VGA cable before returning your Zemmix.

My Zemmix returned today and it's all fine now:

:)

Hallo,

my zemmix works on the SM s23b350 with PINS 2&3 set ON/OFF VGA 31khz/60Hz or ON/ON VGA w/ scanlines, 31Khz/60Hz

But it shows a kind of shadow (left side, gray color) of the main screen.
Does 3.6 version of KDL?

Wow, this sounds like a fascinating device!
I read it has different turbo-functions, but does it mean that it will be capable of running Turbo R-softwares? (like "PaRaDream" etc). Anyone tried Ys III on this one?

And are there plans for new batches? Currently I only see the SX-1 for sale on 8bits4ever.net

I recommend having the Zemmix Neo repaired as EPCS4 will probably need to be replaced. I sent you the infos to contact Daniel privately.

I had the strangest experience with keyboards the other day after taking my three MSX FPGA's out of storage like a year after moving when I got a 22 year old Sony Trinitron UltraScan monitor from my parents house. I have the SX-1, the Zemmix Neo and the SX-2. I first hooked up the SX-1 with this huge PS/2 HP keyboard with additional media player buttons on it and used the sd card backup for it on my PC. The keyboard worked fine. Then I tried the SX-2 with the same SD card and the HP keyboard didn't work. So, I tried a minimalist small PS/2 keyboard from Rose, which didn't work and then a standard PS/2 one from Compaq which didn't work. Then I tried them all on the Zemmix Neo with the same SD card. There were extra random letters on the startup MS-DOS2 screen and none of the keyboards worked.

Then, I went back to the SX-1 and none of the keyboards worked, so, I re-formatted the sd card and copied the backup from the PC onto it and now the big HP and the small ROse still didn't work, but the standard Compaq keyboard did work. Then, only the Compaq worked on the SX-2, as well. The Zemmix Neo, I could not get to boot up. Some LED would flash and go out, but the others wouldn't come on permanently. Maybe, to many power cycles in too short of a time. I ordered a new 5V 2A PSU to use with it. The one I used was a Radio Shack variable voltage 3A PSU that does 5V, 9V and 12V (and also 3, 6, and 7.5V).

I saw the keyboard patch on your twitter that said one could do the patch or try another keyboard. Is it advisable to try using an active usb to ps/2 adapter or usb splitter to direct a voltage that is the same as the PS,U at 1A or so, into the PS/2 port to help power the keyboard? I have seen people do that with Keyboard/Mouse FPS adapters for video game consoles (xbox, playstation 2, etc.).