Well....
The error was sooo basic that I was embarrassed to continue the project (and it cost me plenty of $$ that fueled the annoyance).
The basic idea is this:
You get some PC software (yet to be written) that constructs a ROM image with waveforms and presets. You can download four of these into the SIMM and happily use them. Initially there are preformed images which are merely copies of the existing ROM SIMMs. Once the format is know then you could get Waveforms from anywhere and construct the images. That is pull waveforms from existing ROM images from other supported file formats (eg .wav or whatever) and pull them together into a
waveform image. If you want to create a preset for those waveforms, the mechanism would be to download the waveforms into the SIMM, generate presets on the p2k, transfer them to the PC via sysex, convert them into a preset image and then transfer them to the SIMM.
I would make the software smart enough to link presets and waveforms, so that you could construct a waveform image from presets and it would automagically choose the waveforms that go with them and remove the duplicates (so long as the software knew they were duplicates). Anything that can be found in a ROM SIMM would be edit-able on the new SIMM. Allowing the software
to edit the preset would be a matter of course.
The USB interface in on the SIMM, so yes - you would either need the p2k open or have a flying lead into the box somehow (on a 64 voice device the unused second MIDI port would do but the others may require some metal work).
In an Ultra it would look like any P2K ROM - you can access the waveforms but presets are not available. It would not be programmable in a ULTRA or A P2K (from the OS) without modifications to the OS.
If I were to modify the OS it would be to add the ability to write presets directly to the FLASH SIMM without having to through the sysex exercise. The software already does this so it would merely be a change in the FLASH programming algorithm to accommodate the new FLASH devices and the
memory capacity. Also duplicating another SIMM (in particular an old style FLASH SIMM authored on an ultra might come in handy, although I don't know if it is possible for the OS to write to that region of memory.
As for samples larger than 32Mb.... It depends on the manner in which the sounds are generated. You certainly could not have a single sample which is larger than 32Mb because the sound producing mechanism wouldn't know how to jump from one "SIMM" to another "SIMM" (at least I would be very surprised if it did...). However, Most waves are made up of multiple samples which are set for specific tones. For example you can
have a piano which has every key sampled at multiple velocities (eg 3 velocities [soft, medium, loud] over 88 keys is 264 samples... but then modern waveforms even have additional samples for when you release each key, etc). More often you have single velocity samples for every 5th or so key in a limited range [maybe 16 samples for a piano waveform]. You could have a piano waveform (multiple samples) spread over multiple SIMMs as seperate 'sub-waveforms' allowing for a 128Mb piano and nothing else.... The p2k preset would be configured to use different waveforms (from different SIMMs) over different key ranges to make this possible.
I am not sure how the p2k handles this and what it's limitations are. Essentially the p2k maps a midi signal (key & velocity) to a sample with tone adjustment, volume adjustment, and filtering. If there were some limitation in the mapping (eg maximum of 32 samples per waveform or something) then that would be worth modifying the OS to 'fix'. Arps and so forth are just canned midi sequences...
I don't know what limitations there are in the OS for handling banks of presets, arps and so forth.... I would have thought that so long as you had enough RAM for the copy you could have as many of these as you like to
fill up the 4MB memory space usually allocated for these. In fact the FLASH SIMM has 256MB of memory (2 x 128MB devices) simply to reuse the same device. The reason why 4Mb is allocated for these things is that that is the size of preset ROM (often a FLASH device actually) on the ROM SIMMs. I don't know if the P2K can access a larger memory space or not [eg 32Mb of preset]. If the P2K can physically access that memory then there is no reason why that could not have a total of 128Mb of presets to do with what you will (but requires OS modification).
At the moment the P2K loads the contents of the preset ROM at start up and then
never looks at it again. I believe that the reason for this is that accessing the SIMMs by the microprocessor while a sound is playing could interrupt a transfer from the waveforms to the tone generators making a discernable noise - and that could actually damage speakers. However, if you were prepared to live with the consequences, the OS could probably be modified to access this information as required [if the logic device actually blocks the bus then this access would be limited to at startup, but you could alter the stuff that it loads at startup]. ie load the preset banks as they are selected - so you could have thousands of preset banks in theory.
Also the OS supports 16MB of DRAM... a 32Mb SIMM is handled like a 16MB one. Not sure if the hardware will actually support 32Mb of DRAM but if so then a modification to the software for 32Mb support would allow for more stuff in presets or compressed information in preset that is extracted into DRAM at startup [if there is a limitation to access]. The amount of RAM memory on a command station, however is fixed - it has a slightly different processor and has 16Mb SDRAM on the board rather than a DRAM SIMM.
There are lots of possibilities.
As for factory ROMS... There is no way for you to copy them (read their contents). I have made a board (the development board) which will read the current ROMs and also allow me to program the new FLASH SIMMs. The Factory ROMS will need to be provided as 'library images' for people to use as they see fit... or people could buy a development board but I didn't think many would be interested in that option.
Cost... broad estimate $100-$200 probably closer to $200, but depends on the number I think I can sell (buying in bulk reduces the costs, but buying too many means I get stuck with a large inventory of parts)
From: steve_the_composer
To: xl7@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Thursday, 11 July 2013 11:21 PM
Subject: [xl7] Re: [p2k] Any interest remaining in a self-programming FLASH SIMM?
To: xl7@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Thursday, 11 July 2013 11:21 PM
Subject: [xl7] Re: [p2k] Any interest remaining in a self-programming FLASH SIMM?
�
I remember some of the previous discussion on this project, but haven't reviewed it. Sorry to hear that you had an error and had to toss a bunch of boards. Maybe there is someone in the group with detailed expertise that can proofread the board and triple check everything before a new batch is made.
As for the current thread, either I am confused, or others are (or maybe a bit of both). Let me try to sort out what I think I know from what seems confusing.
Correct me if I am wrong the the end product would be a newly designed flash based SIMM that would contain up to 4x32 MB of data that the P2K line would see and access as 4 Sound ROMs. So far I have seen talk about these ROMs holding ROM instruments and presets. In addition the newly designed SIMMS would have the ability to connect to a usb which could be used to exchange the contents between the new SIMMS and a computer using custom-designed software.
It is unclear if uses would have to mount a usb connector in their e-mus or if there would be a wire dangling out through a hole. Also, I am wondering if the software would have the ability to place arps and riffs on the new SIMMs.
It is unclear what it would do in an Emulator 4 (Classic or Ultra), though it seems clear that it could not be written to from an Ultra.
Also, people are talking about the P2K/CS operating system. So far as I can tell your project has nothing to do with modifying the operating system, but the discussion makes me wonder about that.
It seems as though you are saying people would be able to take their factory ROMS, upload them into their computer using your customized software, and then flash them to your newly designed SIMMs. It is unclear what amount of reorganizing could be done.
For example, people have access to the samples, the way Emulator 4 owners do? Or would users only have access to the ROM Instruments?
Could I, for example, combine the samples/ROM instruments from different Sound ROMs in such a way as to delete duplicate or unwanted samples/ROM instruments and then edit and select the presets?
As noted before, could original arps and riffs be edited, organized, and placed on the new SIMMs? (Some of the arps and riffs are the same on different factory ROM, so simply copying the factory ROMs would seem to me to waste resources.)
The number of preset banks per factory ROM varies. (I have seen ROMS with 2,4,5, and 8 banks.) Would it be possible with your SIMMs, for example, to have samples/ROM Instruments using 64MB, and the rest usable as banks, arps, and riffs?
I think I had some other thoughts on this project, but that's all I can think of at the moment. Oh yeah--cost. Any projections on the cost of these babies?
It is indeed an exciting project for sure!!!!!
Steve
By the way, since the P2K line can be used without any sound ROMs--basically as a standalone 32-channel arpeggiator (as I seem to recall), could one of the other banks hold an ARP/RIFF-SIMM?
As for the current thread, either I am confused, or others are (or maybe a bit of both). Let me try to sort out what I think I know from what seems confusing.
Correct me if I am wrong the the end product would be a newly designed flash based SIMM that would contain up to 4x32 MB of data that the P2K line would see and access as 4 Sound ROMs. So far I have seen talk about these ROMs holding ROM instruments and presets. In addition the newly designed SIMMS would have the ability to connect to a usb which could be used to exchange the contents between the new SIMMS and a computer using custom-designed software.
It is unclear if uses would have to mount a usb connector in their e-mus or if there would be a wire dangling out through a hole. Also, I am wondering if the software would have the ability to place arps and riffs on the new SIMMs.
It is unclear what it would do in an Emulator 4 (Classic or Ultra), though it seems clear that it could not be written to from an Ultra.
Also, people are talking about the P2K/CS operating system. So far as I can tell your project has nothing to do with modifying the operating system, but the discussion makes me wonder about that.
It seems as though you are saying people would be able to take their factory ROMS, upload them into their computer using your customized software, and then flash them to your newly designed SIMMs. It is unclear what amount of reorganizing could be done.
For example, people have access to the samples, the way Emulator 4 owners do? Or would users only have access to the ROM Instruments?
Could I, for example, combine the samples/ROM instruments from different Sound ROMs in such a way as to delete duplicate or unwanted samples/ROM instruments and then edit and select the presets?
As noted before, could original arps and riffs be edited, organized, and placed on the new SIMMs? (Some of the arps and riffs are the same on different factory ROM, so simply copying the factory ROMs would seem to me to waste resources.)
The number of preset banks per factory ROM varies. (I have seen ROMS with 2,4,5, and 8 banks.) Would it be possible with your SIMMs, for example, to have samples/ROM Instruments using 64MB, and the rest usable as banks, arps, and riffs?
I think I had some other thoughts on this project, but that's all I can think of at the moment. Oh yeah--cost. Any projections on the cost of these babies?
It is indeed an exciting project for sure!!!!!
Steve
By the way, since the P2K line can be used without any sound ROMs--basically as a standalone 32-channel arpeggiator (as I seem to recall), could one of the other banks hold an ARP/RIFF-SIMM?