HxC floppy emulator and other stuff

[danielb]

Hi all,

The HxC floppy emulator is in and working. It really puts the EII on a whole new level of usability.

There are some pictures of the installation process here:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/6vfv39tys683le2/K0fFbB_wlR

I also cleaned up most the its buttons using a method similar to that detailed by someone elsewhere on this forum. I took each button apart by levering out the cover with a small screwdriver, and then cleaned the contacts with a q-tip soaked in contact cleaner, and a wooden toothpick. I also cleaned the dome cover with contact cleaner. The difference is huge. Previously unresponsive buttons only need a light touch to work now.

Another minor triumph is that I managed to import a WAV file with EMXP and play it on the Emulator II - this makes up for the technical problem that stops it sampling once its warmed up. I still have no idea why it does this.

I must say I'm quite surprised at the sound of the Emulator II. It's MUCH more hifi that I expected it to be. It really doesn't sound like an 8-bit sampler, or even a 12-bit one. I might get excommunicated for this, but, apart from its magnificent analogue filter, it really doesn't sound all that different to my Emax II.  

Anyway, now that I've had a few hours of quality time with the EII and its sound libraries, I think I'm in love...

D.

[Electro disco club]

and ! I think that your EII is compatible with a macintosh!

But it missing some memory ram on the digital board?

How long can you sample?

Wondering if mine has an EII mémory upgrade. I have an extension mémory board 

[Elmbeatz]

and ! I think that your EII is compatible with a macintosh!

But it missing some memory ram on the digital board?

How long can you sample?

Wondering if mine has an EII mémory upgrade. I have an extension mémory board 

Maybe you're talking of the of the so called "piggy back" board?
E-Mu used to install an additional ram board (with less capable ics) in earlier eIIs before switching to bigger chips.

There is no ram extension for the eII exept for the additional ram installed in EII+ models.

Anyway -  this didn't mean more sampling time - instead it gave you the option to load two banks into the EIIs ram (which can then be toggled, NOT used parallel).

[danielb]

and ! I think that your EII is compatible with a macintosh!

But it missing some memory ram on the digital board?

How long can you sample?

Wondering if mine has an EII mémory upgrade. I have an extension mémory board  

Yes, I was wondering about those empty sockets. Is that normal or am I missing some memory?

I haven't noticed any adverse effects. The EII says it has 17.6 seconds of sample time.

After trying it out quite extensively, everything seems to work except the sampling problem that I mentioned earlier. The leftmost slider has a problem staying in the lowest position and presumably needs cleaning or calibrating. Cleaning the buttons made a massive difference.

I do actually have 3 very elderly macs - a Mac Plus and a couple of Quadras - so I might try connecting the EII to one of them.

D.

[Electro disco club]

Good collection.

from dropbox, On picture N°7 , what kind of black connector is it?

[danielb]

This is the connector:



It works well and allowed me to use the original cable.

Since I took those pictures, I had a minor EII emergency: I turned it on one day and it failed to recognize the HxC emulator. It turned out that there is a fault in the original ribbon cable. I fixed it by connecting the lower rather than the upper connector. It works fine now but I will be replacing the cable with a new one eventually. This will also allow me to reconnect the floppy drive.

Apropos memory; I don't remember the exact number (I can't check it right now), but free memory is approx. 485000 bytes with no samples loaded.

D.

[dfiorucci]

Hey where did you get that connector from?
Thanks,
Dana

[danielb]

Hi,

I only just noticed your question, so sorry about the delay in replying.

I got it from eBay. Here's another one:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/330434350599?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

D.