AY/YM Sound-card
Assembly guide
v 0.1
Table of Contents
Introduction..........................................................................................................................................2
Parts list................................................................................................................................................3
Assembly..............................................................................................................................................4
Step 1: Add resistors........................................................................................................................4
Step 2: Add audio jack.....................................................................................................................
Step 3: Add IC sockets.....................................................................................................................6
Step 4: Add the jumpers...................................................................................................................7
Step : Add the DIP switch..............................................................................................................8
Step 6: Add the Z 0Bus connector..................................................................................................8
Step 7: Add the capacitors...............................................................................................................8
Step 8: Clean and dry the board, inspect.......................................................................................10
Step 8: Installing integrated circuits..............................................................................................10
Preparing for use.................................................................................................................................11
Introduction
The Z 0AYMSound is a chip-sound card designed around the General Instuments AY3-8910 and
the compatible Yamaha YM2149 sound chips. The AY3-8910 is a 3-voice programmable sound
generator, and was a widely used chip, appearing in famous computers such as the Amstrad CPC,
the MSX-line and probably most famously was used with the ZX Spectrum computer from Sinclair.
The YM2149 is a directly pin-compatible version of the '8910 made by Yamaha, and used in the
Atari ST. As such there exists a vast library of music created for these chips, much of it in
ProTracker format which can be played directly using the Z 0AYMSound card. Of course the card
is not limited to playing back tunes created by others. What you use the card for is fully in your
control.
The card features:
•Z 0Bus interface, designed to work with LiNC80 SBC1 and other Z 0Bus based
microcomputers.
•Stereo line out, user selectable ABC/ACB.
•Header for the two 8-bit digital I/O ports that the sound chip has built-in.
•I/O address fully decoded to any even base address.
•Generous prototyping area where you can build your own clock- or filter-circuits, or
anything else you want.
•The audio frequency clock is by default derived from the CPU clock, and can be set to Clk/4
(YM) or Clk/4 (AY).
Note the the YM and AY chips are both end of life. eBay often has these available, which are either
pulled from old hardware or Chinese clones. Because of this, I will only supply this kit without the
YM/AY chip, and you will have to source this yourself.
KiCAD schematic and layout, as well as example code, can be located at
https://github.com/linc80/Z 0AYMSound
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