Wow, what a datasheet! I spent a good 15 min reading that (just skimming!!). Looks like a good chip, and not too complex at that! I liked your RAM idea, but I am not sure about how to do it. I do know that the chip has RAM built in, but for software, not hardware. Umm, what software language are you going to use? How do you plan to convert the digital aduio signal into "computer talk" that can be recieved by the M-board? You could probibly link it to your sound card internaly, through the CD-ROM internal audio output (plug the CD-ROM into the card, and plug the card into the sound card). Or, there is the messy external way That is, if you want to connect the 2 at all. Signing out...
many questions eh? hehe, well, here it goes: I'm thinking of custom PCB, and cut some parts off the copper plate so it fits in the slot (if it works anyway). About the ram: the chip has about enough ram built in for 1 second of MP3 data. When it needs new data (with a margin of course) some pin goes high, so at that point data from the 5mb RAM I'm planning on using must flow to the chip, until the pin goes low again and the chip has enough data. When the 5mb RAM is running out, the PC sends data through the PCI slot to the memory, filling the 5mb with new data. I'm planning on using Delphi as software language for the PC programming or C++ if necessary. I was thinking of sending the sound signal external to the soundcard, but your idea of cd-sound sounds good too. For the encoder I was already planning on using the audio wires from the cd to the MP3-card, and then via the PCI to the software which then saves the MP3file to a file on the hard disc
You'll probibly need sone sort of a selector in your program to decide what input you want to use, that also means you'd need a logic circut (yech!). Possibly, we could use a simple bunch of nor, or and, nand, etc. gates to control that. I think that the ram idea is going to be [H]ard, in more ways than one! I don't know much about ram, but I'm asuning that computer ram works moch the same way. If we found one of those chips they used to use on Simm rdram, we'd probibly be in busness! Cut peices off a coper plate and cram it into the slot ? ? I don't think that would work well, because there are contacts on either side of the slot! I think you might be better of buying a copper plate with the proper contacts already there (just don't mess up, there goes $60!). I like doing stuff through hardware, if you haddn't noticed! I just don't like the software guys to have all the fun! I'll try to find some time to find some RAM that will work. Signing out...
lol, why use a lot of and or nor nand ports? We could just use a PIC? They are cheap, and reprogrammable so if there's a fault in the circuit we could just reprogram it!
Ok, a pic it is! I don't know any hardware programing languages, so it would be all up to you! Still trying to find free time...
I think your block diagram looks prety correct, but I will ask a few questions about it. I think you could probibly get a ram chip that is 4 or more megs, and be done with it, rather than using 3-1 meg chips (unless you are triple buffering, which seems frivolious!). Why 2 CD ports? Is one in and the other out to sound card (the cd sound needs to eventualy connect to sound card to work), or are you planing to use 2 cd-roms? I forgot something about my "great idea" to connect the CD-Rom to the PCI card, there are 2 CD audio chanels, and one input chanel on the MP3 decoder! We might need to construct a audio mixer (I have a circut diagram of one already, designed for a previous project). I like the MP3 chip realy well!! It looks like a cool chip (after days of wading through technical manuals and specs :rofl: ). What kind of PIC do you want to use (yet another question )? Signing out...
yes, that seems to be a very good idea too, but it's a bit more expensive than a normal PIC, and I think it's only good for really complex programming, like I²C stuff (I plan on using one for my rheobus). Yo-Duh: yeah, 1 4mb chip would be better, but maybe more complex too? I dunno really. 2 CD ports yup, one for the DVD, one for the CD-RW. A CD-out is a very good idea, especially if you just want to play a song of a CD, and I think we then better have 1 cd-out and mix the 2 cd-inputs together. I don't get it that the MP3 IC has only 1 input ... how is it supposed to encode stereo then? Think I'm gonna have to search again a bit through the pdf document... What PIC? Errrr ... the one that works with 20Mhz ... dunno which one it is, but it is mainly used in projects like ours because it's very simple to program. (Haven't worked with one yet) I also have another idea: maybe we can use some sort of chip to have an equalizer and other cool stuff? Maybe now I'm asking too much, lol I like the MP3 chip very well too. It's used in most MP3 projects. You should check out www.mp3projects.com it's a really cool page with lots of MP3 projects like we are planning to do. Okay, and one main goal is to decrease CPU usage to a minimum for decoding MP3's, so we can program the PIC to do most of the jobs, like fastforward, rewind, mmmm rewind ... there's a problem ... okay, now we have 2 choices: or we use plain FIFO for the memory (so the whole song goes into the memory, and everytime some data is taken from the memory it's deleted) or we put the whole song in the memory and don't delete it until the song is done so we can use rewind ... sigh, though choice ...
Mixing the CD and DVD inputs is easy, I'll handle that! Putting the whole song in memory is a good idea, but means we need more 4 megs ram! Ouch! I think 1 4 meg chip would be alot less complicated, myself! Got to go, skooling!
but there is an input for left and right: INL and INR. Even for a mic (MICIN and MICBI) and what's the differince between OUTL and OUTR and FILTL and FILTR ?? The document sais that the first ones are used for direct output to headphones or speakers and the second one is used as the input for an (optional?) amplifier ... or is it that the FILTx is independent of volume control and bass or treble control? ... hey wait, they are 'IN' not 'OUT' ... wtf??? edit: okay, I've got some names: PIC: PIC16C65A (maybe?) MP3: MAS3587F
FiltL and FiltR are feedback inputs for the optional amplifier, what ever that is! I don't think we need those. I don't think we need to wory about anilog outs, there are digital outputs to be had (mwahh ha ha ) Looking for Pic datasheet now...
This is kind of like reading the old serial novels. I can't wait till the next chapter comes out . Way over my head, but I'm very interested.
Downloaded the PIC datasheet, looks good, although I don't know what I'm looking at as far as the programing specs Got a good mixer circut semi-figured out, will post circut diagram when I get it all figured out. Are you going to put a Compactflash, smart media, or other adapter (whatever your mp3 player uses) on the pci card? It would be cool if we could make it so you could access files from it (the memory card) as well (I have a digicam that uses compact flash!). Just a few ideas, looking for RAM datasheets is like looking for a resistor in a drawer full of wires, not easy! Signing out...
well, I wasn't really planning on using smartmedia stuff as I don't have a smartmedia card, but we can always implement it! For the programming of the PIC's: leave that too me lol
I think putting a compact flash or something would be cool, but it would probibly be an extra expence :cries: Ok, you do the pics How are we going to get the pic to interface with the PCI bus? Are we going to use the digital output, the spdf, the plain audio output, or other output Hey, did you see the new smiles? :cries: :unsure: Cool!
Hey, got a circut diagram for ya! Here ya are: Hope this works! If not, here is the URL: http://arctic.photoisland.com/sessions/50141492187/10587225.jpg Edit: Pic, design, diagram, idea, etc. @ 2002 Yo-DUH_87 Signing out...
