MiSTer FPGA Forum

I'm in the same boat so if you find/design one

Got the MT32 PI today, safe and sound, can't wait to give it a run.
Thank you , Nat, awesome service and fast delivery ! (Cannot say the same for Romanian Postal services, but that is not something you/me can control )

Hey @Nat!

I just received a bunch of bits from you today, like the hub and case etc.

I also got the MT32-Pi hat and I'm trying to set it up with my Pi4... However, it's a little flimsily attached. It there a specific way you're supposed to use the alternate mounting kit?


I'm managed to cobble the fixings together to make it stable, but I feel like I may be missing something obvious. It seems a lot more difficult than it needs to be! Any pointers would be helpful!

You can kinda see here what I did...


Not the most elegant solution!

chanunnaki wrote: ↑Wed Apr 14, 2021 10:04 pm It there a specific way you're supposed to use the alternate mounting kit?

Not really, it is just an alternate standoff size for Raspberry Pi cases which use M2.5 sized threads.

Due to the large number of possible configurations, such as different case types and Raspberry Pi models, it is really not possible for me to offer an off the shelf mounting kit which would suit each users setup, I just include the alternate M2.5 size set of screws, nuts and standoffs for use on other RPi cases which require M2.5 sized threads, a useful tip is the black M2.5 standoffs are nylon, and this allows for them to be easily cut with a sharp knife to any required length for neatness when fitting.

The way the mt32-pi HAT is initially supplied is with the intention of it sitting directly on top a Raspberry Pi 3 A+ using the recommended case, which is the Geekworm / UGeek aluminium case.

If you have any suggestions on what parts would help with mounting directly onto the RPi 4 as in your case that would be great, as I am more than happy to take on board and improve the included mounting kit.

Hey @Nat,
Any idea when the USB hub back orders will ship? Just realised I forgot to put an IO board in my order and since I'm in no rush until that's going to ship I was thinking of waiting and then getting you to combine the orders to save you some on shipping.

BigMac2 wrote: ↑Mon Mar 22, 2021 8:24 pm

Nat wrote: ↑Fri Mar 19, 2021 8:13 pm I have now received a fair few emails asking for some advance notification on when the next batch of mt32-pi HATs will be on sale, as they sold out so quickly last time. This next batch consists of 30 units of each OLED colour screen version (white, blue, yellow).

Hi Nat,

I've just received the mt32-pi hat from you, I'm very pleased with this cute little thing. But I've got an issue, the synth and button control do work, but the screen doesn't display anything neither on OSD. I've tried playing around with the mt32-pi.cfg file with no result.

Thanks!

Edit: I’ve finally RTFM on GitHub and everything is working like a charm now, my dream retro gaming setup is almost complete!

P.S. I was worrying about the display I've picked, but I'm glad I've chosen yellow.

IMG_4208.jpg

Out of interest what did you need to do to get the LCD working? I've just got my MT32 Pi setup and can't seem to get it working, nothing displays on the LCD at all. I've followed the setup instructions on github to add the files to the sd card and make the necessary changes to the config.

I'm using a Pi3a and a prebuilt pi hat from misterfpga.co.uk

EDIT: If anyone was wondering it was that the sdcard I was using was no good. After replacing with a new one it's now fine, it was a random SD card I had lying around and suspect it was either corrupt or too slow.

Morning @Nat,

Placed an order last night for one of the acrylic cases and need to change from the digital IO to the analog IO version.

Sent an email as well - can ping me here or on Discord (Andruno#3429). Just want to try and make the change before it ships out and I have to send back.

Andruno wrote: ↑Sat May 01, 2021 5:37 pm Placed an order last night for one of the acrylic cases and need to change from the digital IO to the analog IO version.

I have adjusted and updated your order to reflect the requested change

The contact form on the website is always the quickest way to reach me, it is a bank holiday weekend in the UK so I have been having a break from working.

Just a quick head's up another batch of mt32-pi HATs are completed and available on the website, its the blue OLED version this time.

Just got my mt32-pi hat today. Works and sounds great. Thanks!

Hi Nat,

I know I thank you through email when you said you would support me on my "special" build, but many thanks for the work that you've done on the MT32-PI today.

This arrived as ever - and the same with everything I've ordered from you in the past - extremely well packaged and ready for the installation at the weekend.

Thank you for going the extra mile for me on this in what you did with the LCD screen for me that we'd recently spoken about.

Again, another 5% off voucher that I won't be using again due to this level of service on my next order.

Cheers.

Hi ! When do you plan to restock the mt32-pi addon ?
Cheers

Hey, I've actually just emailed you many questions ! I think it would be more relevant to post them here instead, some other people may be interested ! So I'm pasting my email below

Regarding the mt32-pi addon :
(1) is it the version making use of the IO Board "user port" which can power the Raspberry and also transmit the digital audio signal to the MiSTer in order to mix the Pi and MiSTer sound ?
(2) is it possible to use it without an IO Board ?
(3) do you sell a power supply which is strong enough to power a Pi 3a + the MiSTer ?

Regarding the IO Board :
(4) can you sell it with a silent fan (a Noctua one) and/or powered at a lower voltage in order to make it spin as slowly as possible and make as little noise as possible ? (a full speed Noctua fan for instance is way too noisy for me
--> actually the answer is YES so I'm turning this question into a different one :
(4-2) which fan is more silent ? The regular one or the Noctua one ?
(5) can you sell it with only an heatsink and if yes, will it dispell heat correctly ? (I don't plan to use the MiSTer for many hours in a row but plan to use it with any core) ?
(6) does your IO Board provide a better DAC like the I2S DAC sold by Antonio Villena ?

Regarding the case :
(7) do you plan to sell a metal case in the future, like the ones on misteraddons.com ?

mahen wrote: ↑Sat May 08, 2021 9:30 am
(4) can you sell it with a silent fan (a Noctua one) and/or powered at a lower voltage in order to make it spin as slowly as possible and make as little noise as possible ? (a full speed Noctua fan for instance is way too noisy for me
--> actually the answer is YES so I'm turning this question into a different one :
(4-2) which fan is more silent ? The regular one or the Noctua one ?

You can change the voltage for the fan to 3v with the jumper on the board so it will be quiet and still provide enough cooling and airflow.

mahen wrote: ↑Sat May 08, 2021 9:30 am Regarding the mt32-pi addon :
(1) is it the version making use of the IO Board "user port" which can power the Raspberry and also transmit the digital audio signal to the MiSTer in order to mix the Pi and MiSTer sound ?
(2) is it possible to use it without an IO Board ?

(1) From the one I got this week, it powers my Pi and mt32pi just fine with only a USB cable. No separate power needed for the Pi (though I did have to edit the config to disable low voltage warning). Mixes the sound without issue on my setup. Don't need any separate audio out from the Pi.

(2) If you don't have an IO board, you could do what this guy did and use dupont cables to wire it directly to the DE10: viewtopic.php?f=13&t=2168

@Stupid Dufus : thanks for the reply

(1) Do you use the "official" DE10 power supply ? (the US one provided in the kit)
(2) Hmm... Interesting... I'm afraid of frying something, does anyone sell one by any chance ?

CDR_Jameson wrote: ↑Sat May 08, 2021 10:28 am You can change the voltage for the fan to 3v with the jumper on the board so it will be quiet and still provide enough cooling and airflow.

Yep, sorry I saw that in the meantime & edited my post
I'm wondering if the Noctua at 3v is silent. At full speed it (this very fan) was very noisy on my previous MiSTer build.

mahen wrote: ↑Sat May 08, 2021 11:35 am (1) Do you use the "official" DE10 power supply ? (the US one provided in the kit)

I use a NorthPada Power Supply Cord 5V 3A PSU Micro USB 5 Feet with Power On/Off Switch, with a USB C Adapter.. (£9.99 amazon) then plugged this into a JENOR DC 5.5x2.1mm Male Plug to Micro USB Female Connector Adapter Charge Converter..(£3.50 amazon) which plugs into the de10nano. I never had any issues, powers wired keyboard, mt32pi, usbHD and gamepad.

mahen wrote: ↑Sat May 08, 2021 11:35 am (1) Do you use the "official" DE10 power supply ? (the US one provided in the kit)

I use the stock power supply for the DE10. Only thing attached to my setup are mt32pi with pi board itself, daemonbite adapters.

All my games load off a network share. No external hdd or anything. Only SD card in the system is the one for booting.

Hi, I have question if there is any tax added for UE customers or there is no such crap?

mrtomato wrote: ↑Sun May 09, 2021 6:55 pm Hi, I have question if there is any tax added for UE customers or there is no such crap?

That's a very good question. In my experience, on the first weeks/months after brexit, we got charged with double VAT (on the seller side, and then in customs). Has that problem been resolved? I'm wary of ordering anything from the UK since January, and god knows how much I'm eyeing on some things

mahen wrote: ↑Sat May 08, 2021 9:23 am Hi ! When do you plan to restock the mt32-pi addon ?

I am currently building the next batch ready to sell, just add your email address to the wait list on the MiSTer mt32-pi HAT page, this is done by selecting the OLED screen color type and clicking on the wait list button.

Then when I have finished building the next batch and I add the stock to the store for sale you will receive an email notification.

I have no fixed time frame as I build these around the other MiSTer boards I make, but they are usually about 10 days between batches.

mahen wrote: ↑Sat May 08, 2021 9:30 am Regarding the mt32-pi addon :
(1) is it the version making use of the IO Board "user port" which can power the Raspberry and also transmit the digital audio signal to the MiSTer in order to mix the Pi and MiSTer sound ?
(2) is it possible to use it without an IO Board ?

Yes it is. For ease of setup you do really require a USER IO port this is provided by either of the IO boards, and allows you to connect and power the mt32-pi HAT. However you could manually link the mt32-pi HAT to the DE10 Nano, it would not look very neat but would work fine.

mahen wrote: ↑Sat May 08, 2021 9:30 am (3) do you sell a power supply which is strong enough to power a Pi 3a + the MiSTer ?

For powering a full MiSTer stack and Raspberry Pi, this meanwell supply is an excellent MiSTer power supply to use.

mahen wrote: ↑Sat May 08, 2021 9:30 am Regarding the IO Board :
(4-2) which fan is more silent ? The regular one or the Noctua one ?

The Noctua fan is by far the quietest when ran on the 3.3 volt setting.

mahen wrote: ↑Sat May 08, 2021 9:30 am (5) can you sell it with only an heatsink and if yes, will it dispell heat correctly ? (I don't plan to use the MiSTer for many hours in a row but plan to use it with any core) ?

I do not sell any IO boards without a fan. The solid copper MiSTer heatsink I sell works passivley, however active cooling is only beneficial so I always supply one with either IO board type and recommend using a fan.

mahen wrote: ↑Sat May 08, 2021 9:30 am (6) does your IO Board provide a better DAC like the I2S DAC sold by Antonio Villena ?

I only sell the MiSTer project official IO boards, they are not a custom design like Antonios boards.

mahen wrote: ↑Sat May 08, 2021 9:30 am Regarding the case :
(7) do you plan to sell a metal case in the future, like the ones on misteraddons.com ?

Yes, however it will be a larger form factor. I have been working on a dedicated metal ITX case design, no ETA at this point but will happen eventually.

Nat wrote: ↑Mon May 10, 2021 7:30 am Yes, however it will be a larger form factor. I have been working on a dedicated metal ITX case design, no ETA at this point but will happen eventually.

shall i just set up a direct debit to your bank account Nat..

When are the pi-hats from last week likely to ship? I got my order in on Wednesday when there were still plenty in stock but not got a shipped email like previous orders.

Fuzzball wrote: ↑Mon May 10, 2021 11:52 am When are the pi-hats from last week likely to ship?

This week, once shipped you will get an email confirming I have sent your order.

Nat wrote: ↑Mon May 10, 2021 1:20 pm

Fuzzball wrote: ↑Mon May 10, 2021 11:52 am When are the pi-hats from last week likely to ship?

This week, once shipped you will get an email confirming I have sent your order.

Thanks. I was really just checking it hadn't shipped without an email as I won't be in this week and need to let the wife know when a delivery is expected. There is no hurry from my point of view as I'm still setting up the Mister.

Just a couple of updates, as I am now getting a fair few messages about the stock status of mt32-pi HATs and if I am yet selling the latest v2.9 128MB SDRAM memory modules.

If you have been waiting to buy a MiSTer mt32-pi HAT my next batch is just about finished being built, these should be ready by Monday 14th June. This new batch will include all OLED screen colour versions, I also have a fairly good stock of USB to USB male cables for those who want to order an mt32-pi with a good quality known working USB cable.

As for the v2.9 128MB SDRAM MiSTer memory module, I have now been making and selling these for a couple of weeks, I do now only provide the latest revision of the 128MB module. I think some confusion may stem from the fact I have not updated the 128MB memory module picture on my website, only the product title and description states version 2.9 however as soon as I get some spare time I will have a bit of a photo shoot and get them updated, sometimes I just do not have enough hours in the day.

Doesn't the 7TCN version have a significantly lower operating temperature range when compared to 7TIN/6TIN? What kind of impact do you think that will have on performance?

EDIT: Yeah just looked up again, it's 2.6 USD cheaper per module though, so if it doesn't affect the user you can keep your prices competitive during the shortages, so makes sense. But 70C versus 85C. I could see if someone used MisterAddons aluminum case on a warm day the TCN might be at or above that temperature internally.