Let's Resurrect this TS-6GM1 Board

[famiac]

anybody have more information about this accessory? I just got it for pretty cheap.

http://page9.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/k189071117

I'm hoping it will perform at least as well as the Sacom board. Original retail value was about twice as much.

[SuperDeadite]

That is actually an internal sound module board.  If my information is correct, it's a CM-32L.  Meaning if you are playing an MT-32 game, you simply hook up a headphone cable to the jack and it will produce the music with no external module needed.  The standard MIDI plugs are still there so it can work as a MIDI interface as well for games that use different modules.

Typically cards like this feed MIDI data to both the internal music hardware and to the interface output using internal MIDI-THRU, so it shouldn't need special drivers as long as it functions like a standard MIDI interface card.

One site says it's compatible with CM-64, but I think that is probably a mistake, as I can't imagine all the hardware from a CM-32L and CM-32P being fit onto such a small board, and no PCM card slot either.

[famiac]

Thanks superdeadite! I'll most likely use it just as a midi board.

Anything i should do before testing it? I'll definitely clean it up

[kamiboy]

Famiac, if you want to get a trade deal going for that baby versus my actual sharp midi board let me know. I am interested in an all in one solution to midi. If I had known this thing existed I would never have bothered with an external solution.

If not at least let us know whether it works and how it sounds.

[famiac]

Unfortunately, it doesn't work.
When i try to load Dracula it just freezes.
I'll be replacing the caps in august. I'll also try giving it a cleaning. Anybody know the best way i can clean the crap out of this PCB?

[kamiboy]

Interesting. Are we sure that it is supposed to work out of the box?

Have you tried the other input slots on your machine? Are there any dip switches on the board?

As for cleaning, I use isopropyl alcohol.

[famiac]

I use isopropyl as well, but i need to get into the smaller areas. Should i give it a bath?

I'm currently traveling, so i'll have to give it a closer look later. I don't think there are dip switches.

[kamiboy]

Unless the things you want to clean are contact points I do not see the point. Dirt on masked traces or soldered joints should not interfere with the operation of the unit.

But if you insist you can use a toothbrush and a lot of high grade (99%) isopropyl. Wouldn't recommend a bath using regular water.

Best bet is a recap, or try some other game.

[famiac]

I was proposing an alcohol bath. Not tap water
Dirt could accelerate oxidization, that's why i wanted to clean it.

I'll recap and give you an update in august

[famiac]

Alright, so i have extensively tested this board with different jumper settings.
The capacitors are replaced and now brand new.

i never attempted to thoroughly clean it, because, after a good dusting and some spot cleaning, it looks just fine.

The lowest jumper (next to the JP1 mark), when set to the left (default), causes my x68k to freeze when i load up dracula or any other midi enabled games.
When set to the right, the midi board is not detected and ignored.

The other two jumpers are left in the default position.

What could be causing this problem?

Here are pictures of the PCB:
http://imgur.com/a/ch1of#0

[kamiboy]

I had the same problem with my midi interface board. Which is to say Akumajo would freeze during boot. I am not sure what the problem was, I suspect I had made a mistake when recapping my Compact motherboard because after going over all the caps and discovering one that had a broken connection, and mending it, the problem went away and I could boot Akumajo again.

But I have actually never used the midi board. I am not sure whether the problem was the capacitor or not, perhaps the problem was fixed when reseating the midi board or something else entirely.

Akumajo seems to be a good indicator of problems with an installed midi board in that it freezes up during start if something is not right. You may want to try another game with midi support though, one that does not do any check to see whether they work or not.

Short of that you may have to check all traces for continuity, then measure voltages when the board is inserted and working. But for that you would need to have a spec sheet for the components that you test voltages on.

[SuperDeadite]

Based on the behavior, I would scrub the hell out of the board contacts.  It could also be a connection problem due to the slot being dirty or broken itself.  Memory boards and MIDI boards use different pins, so unless you've tested your slots with a known good MIDI board, you can't really confirm.

[famiac]

Good idea. I'll bring my working MIDI board from home and give you guys an update.

[famiac]

Oh boy.
Looks like my x68030 Compact doesn't like any of my midi boards...
What could i do...

Do you know what area the cap was in, kamiboy?

[kamiboy]

Not at all, sorry. That was years ago. It was an SMD cap though.