[sdiy] programmable synth module

[Grant Richter]

The processor for "that box" is a Basic Atom Pro 28 based on a  
Hitachi H8 16 mHz processor.
Software is stored in Flash memory programmed from the Dev system.
Takes about 2 minutes to load your next bug fixed "masterpiece" of code.
It has a hardware math coprocessor which will do a 32 bit floating  
point multiply in 2 microseconds.
Floating point math is much faster than integer math for an H8,  
contrary to old school micros.
This thing kicks ass for hobby work.

http://www.basicmicro.com/Category.aspx?CategoryID=2

Schematics are included. You will need an H8 data sheet also.

It has a usable development system in BASIC, which is available for  
free from:

http://www.basicmicro.com/ViewPage.aspx?ContentCode=d_basicatompro

Which includes a breakpoint system, single stepper with realtime  
display of all variables
and other debug tools.

The musical application software already available on the Yahoo list  
is extensive.
ADSR, 4 channel quantizers, MIDI to CV, CV to MIDI, Analog,DIN,MIDI  
master synchronizers, aleatoric composers etc.
Mostly written by Myself, Mike Murphy and Dave Brown.
Dave Brown has even written interrupt service routines to maintain  
realtime MIDI buffers.
These are all stored in the Yahoo archive.
The software is API based, calling modifiable sub-routines with fixed  
I/O variables and return codes.

The hardware is brain dead simple. Analog inputs are existing port  
pins, Jacks and pushbuttons
are just port pins. The output DACs are a serial quad 12bit DAC chip  
from TI.
It is all documented in the software.

The weak link is the serial DAC and lack of enough port pins.
Any of you guys could make a better design in your sleep.
Just read the BasicATOM-28 manual, FREE on-line.

I would definitely keep the BasicATOM Pro 28 though. The free DEV  
software is very cool, period.
Don't be thrown by the BASIC keywords, it is a tokenized BASIC where  
keywords point to
blocks of optimized machine code. It is a very fast language, perhaps  
100 BASIC lines per millisecond.
Yes, millisecond.
Remember convert all numbers to floating point for speed improvement.

I kid you not. You kids today are so lucky...

When I was your age, we had to walk up the floating point mountain  
carrying milliseconds on our back...




The Woggle-Bug forever
     Is making some remark
Which may be mighty clever
     But leaves us in the dark;

- L. Frank Baum