issue08

EMUSIC-L Digest                                      Volume 59, Issue 08

This issue's topics:
	
	MIDI driver for COM port (9 messages)

Your EMUSIC-L Digest moderator is Joe McMahon .
You may subscribe to EMUSIC-L by sending mail to listserv@american.edu with 
the line "SUB EMUSIC-L your name" as the text.
 
The EMUSIC-L archive is a service of SunSite (sunsite.unc.edu) at the 
University of North Carolina.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date:         Mon, 13 Dec 1993 19:53:17 +0100
From:         Martin Grecner 
Subject:      MIDI driver for COM port

I'm looking for MIDI driver for MS Windows and normal COM serial port,
which I modified to MIDI's frequency. Any idea ?

                                Thank you
                                Martin Grecner

------------------------------
Date:         Thu, 16 Dec 1993 12:47:13 GMT
From:         "Steven D. Bramson" 
Subject:      Re: MIDI driver for COM port

Martin Grecner writes:

I'm looking for MIDI driver for MS Windows and normal COM serial port,
which I modified to MIDI's frequency. Any idea ?

--------------

As far as I can see, you havn't a hope.

1. PC serial ports are designed to work at 9600 and 19200 baud, not 31
kbaud.

2. PC serial ports are RS 232 voltage signalling whereas MIDI uses 20mA
current loop.

Your routes would be to either

a) buy a MIDI module such as Yamaha Hello Music package which has an RS-232
interface

or

b) buy either a soundcard or a dedicated MPU-401 card.  I would recommend
the latter.  They are available for around 70 UK pounds.

 Steven D Bramson    Data Management Group   JET Joint Undertaking
 Abingdon     Oxfordshire              OX14 3EA     United Kingdom
 E-mail sdb@jet.uk   Voice 0235 465 013           Fax 0235 465 399
------------------------------------------------------------------
 JET is Europe's fusion research project
 Disclaimer: Any views expressed are mine and do not represent those of JET

------------------------------
Date:         Thu, 16 Dec 1993 16:16:35 +0100
From:         Martin Grecner 
Subject:      Re: MIDI driver for COM port

> Martin Grecner writes:
>
> I'm looking for MIDI driver for MS Windows and normal COM serial port,
> which I modified to MIDI's frequency. Any idea ?
>
> --------------
>
> As far as I can see, you havn't a hope.
>
> 1. PC serial ports are designed to work at 9600 and 19200 baud, not 31
> kbaud.
>
> 2. PC serial ports are RS 232 voltage signalling whereas MIDI uses 20mA
> current loop.
>
> Your routes would be to either
>
> a) buy a MIDI module such as Yamaha Hello Music package which has an RS-232
> interface
>
> or
>
> b) buy either a soundcard or a dedicated MPU-401 card.  I would recommend
> the latter.  They are available for around 70 UK pounds.
>
>  Steven D Bramson    Data Management Group   JET Joint Undertaking
>  Abingdon     Oxfordshire              OX14 3EA     United Kingdom
>  E-mail sdb@jet.uk   Voice 0235 465 013           Fax 0235 465 399
> ------------------------------------------------------------------
>  JET is Europe's fusion research project
>  Disclaimer: Any views expressed are mine and do not represent those of JET
>


I'm sorry but you didn't read my mail correctly :-)
I modified the COM port so that now it works fine at MIDI baud rate,
and of course I made my (5mA - that is MIDI) current loop. Device is
working, I'm able to use some DOS programs which I modified a bit to
accept my interface, but now I need a driver for Windows and don't know how
to write one. So I'm sorry if my question wasn't clear enough.

P.S. If anyone is interested in what I actually did to my COM port, I'll send
him some info.

                                Still waiting for answer.
                                Martin Grecner

------------------------------
Date:         Tue, 21 Dec 1993 13:54:12 +1030
From:         David Peters 
Subject:      Re: MIDI driver for COM port

Martin Grecner  writes:

>I'm looking for MIDI driver for MS Windows and normal COM serial port,
>which I modified to MIDI's frequency. Any idea ?

>                                Thank you
>                                Martin Grecner

I am also looking for such a driver.  I have a Sound Canvas SC55 MK II
which has a serial interface.

If anyone knows of such a driver, could you please let me know aswell.

Thanks

Dave.
--
 David Peters                               E-Mail: dpeters@eck.apana.org.au
 Adelaide, South Australia                       dpeters@apanix.apana.org.au
                                                 dpeters@cleese.apana.org.au
 "Watch this space...."                                   Fidonet: 3:800/805

------------------------------
Date:         Wed, 22 Dec 1993 17:54:56 CET
From:         Jacek Latanowicz 
Subject:      Re: MIDI driver for COM port

On Thu, 16 Dec 1993 12:47:13 GMT Steven D. Bramson said:
>Martin Grecner writes:
>
>I'm looking for MIDI driver for MS Windows and normal COM serial port,
>which I modified to MIDI's frequency. Any idea ?
>
>--------------
>
>As far as I can see, you havn't a hope.
>
>1. PC serial ports are designed to work at 9600 and 19200 baud, not 31
>kbaud.
>
>2. PC serial ports are RS 232 voltage signalling whereas MIDI uses 20mA
>current loop.
>
>Your routes would be to either
>
>a) buy a MIDI module such as Yamaha Hello Music package which has an RS-232
>interface
>
>or
>
>b) buy either a soundcard or a dedicated MPU-401 card.  I would recommend
>the latter.  They are available for around 70 UK pounds.
>
> Steven D Bramson    Data Management Group   JET Joint Undertaking
> Abingdon     Oxfordshire              OX14 3EA     United Kingdom
> E-mail sdb@jet.uk   Voice 0235 465 013           Fax 0235 465 399
>------------------------------------------------------------------
> JET is Europe's fusion research project
> Disclaimer: Any views expressed are mine and do not represent those of JET


           Hi !

   I was stuuck with problem of having an Amiga's RS232 MIDI interface
and 386DX with Cubase for Windows. I figured out that Amiga and PC
had same RS232 ports so the only problem was how to change the speed
of transmission.(And get proper driver)
   I believe that there MUST be a way of connecting and using that
interface...if not as output it must work at least as input...


Jack L.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jack Latanowicz      tel/fax Pl-(0-61) 798-202
Ul.Porzeczkowa 27    Jack@plpuam11.bitnet
61-306 Poznan
 P O L A N D         "exploring life is the sense of living..."
------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------
Date:         Thu, 23 Dec 1993 09:08:53 -0500
From:         Philip Nelson 
Subject:      Re: MIDI driver for COM port

>
>    I was stuuck with problem of having an Amiga's RS232 MIDI interface
> and 386DX with Cubase for Windows. I figured out that Amiga and PC
> had same RS232 ports so the only problem was how to change the speed
> of transmission.(And get proper driver)
>    I believe that there MUST be a way of connecting and using that
> interface...if not as output it must work at least as input...

The problem here is that a standard RS232 MIDI box will not work with
the "tweaked" serial port described earlier because they must be at the
same rate.  If in fact your port is at MIDI speed get a copy of a
schematic for a Mac MIDI interface and try that.  I made mine for about
$10 using the power supply and case of an old light pen and have been
using it on my Mac for 3+ yrs.  Not usable on a PC because of the fixed
baud rates, but if you did tweak that....

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Philip Nelson                               (414)465-2309
University of Wisconsin-Green Bay           Internet:  nelsonp@uwgb.edu
Computing and Information Technology        AOL:       PhilipN3
------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------
Date:         Fri, 24 Dec 1993 09:42:39 +1030
From:         David Peters 
Subject:      Re: MIDI driver for COM port

Martin Grecner  writes:

>> Martin Grecner writes:
>>
>> I'm looking for MIDI driver for MS Windows and normal COM serial port,
>> which I modified to MIDI's frequency. Any idea ?
>>

>I modified the COM port so that now it works fine at MIDI baud rate,
>and of course I made my (5mA - that is MIDI) current loop. Device is
>working, I'm able to use some DOS programs which I modified a bit to
>accept my interface, but now I need a driver for Windows and don't know how
>to write one. So I'm sorry if my question wasn't clear enough.

YES! I need such a driver aswell.  I have a Roland Sound Canvas SC%% MK II
which has a serial interface on it.  If I could get such a driver for
windows, my life would be that little bit better.  (ie I wouldn't have
to buy a midi interface.)

>P.S. If anyone is interested in what I actually did to my COM port, I'll send
>him some info.

Very Interested.

>                                Still waiting for answer.
>                                Martin Grecner

Dave.
--
 David Peters                               E-Mail: dpeters@eck.apana.org.au
 Adelaide, South Australia                       dpeters@apanix.apana.org.au
                                                 dpeters@cleese.apana.org.au
 "Watch this space...."                                   Fidonet: 3:800/842

------------------------------
Date:         Mon, 27 Dec 1993 15:45:04 GMT
From:         Marcel Bernards 
Subject:      Re: MIDI driver for COM port

I'm busy doing this too.

It seems that the IBM 8250 ACE has a programmable divisor register
If you could be able to put the divisor into 59, your baud rate
will be 31.24 Kbaud. Probably accessing the com port trough the
BIOS call's will be too slow on XT types. (sigh, I have one)

In 1986 there was an article in Byte magazine about a cheapo
interface board. Dave Tutelman wrote a midibios TSR for it using INT 79H

I don't remember where I picked up the stuff, but I guess it should
be possible to tweak the ASM sources using the IBM 8250 ACE
instead of the Z80-B UART of the Byte MIDI board.

Also there was a file on ucsd.com called sysport-bbs.dir
in which a file IBM-MIDI.TXT was mentioned.
It must be on a bbs called sysport [area #18]
If someone should be able to post this file on this newsgroup
or mail me a copy, I'd be very pleased. I don't know the number and
I dont want to call to that US BBS from NL.

Thanx in advance

--
Marcel Bernards, UNIX & Net sysadm ECN - Netherlands Energy Research Foundation
Facilities Dept. - Group Computer & Network Management: E-Mail: Bernards@ECN.NL
SnailMail: P.O. Box 1, 1755 ZG Petten Phone: (+31 /0)2246 4579 Fax: (+31
/0)2246 1864
SCREAMNet : AAAAAARGHH!HUH?? : Disclaimer: "The AntiChrist is the Computer !"

------------------------------
Date:         Wed, 29 Dec 1993 16:17:53 +0100
From:         Martin Grecner 
Subject:      MIDI for COM port

For all those who asked me for info about my serial card modification:

I'll send it to the list in january. Now I'm on holiday :-)

                                        Martin Grecner

------------------------------
End of the EMUSIC-L Digest
******************************