Late to the party but great video. I've owned an MSX since childhood and I'm ashamed to say I didn't know it could support a disk drive, I always thought it was only the MSX2 that could. I'll have to build one of these for myself. Thanks as always for the great content.
The best way to load software on a MSX is with a SD-Mapper cartridge, which includes a mass storage interface (SD Card), RAM expansion (Memory Mapper) and a "MegaRAM" cartridge needed to run bigger games, like Konami MegaROM titles (Parodius, Gradius, etc). In fact, it may be that some of the titles you tried to run require the MegaRAM expansion. This was quite common here in Brazil back in the day.
Loved the "reaction" to friends sending videos on how to nail the level. *Smirk* We all have friends like that. We still love them.. sometimes. Nice job on the floppy controller. Sounds like you're in for fun exploring the platform :)
Quick tip: I-ve owned a mitch msx. If games didn't work, I had to give a command in advance. That fixed it. The command was: poke -1,170 I'd never forget. Let me know if it helps you!
Well, that's bizarre. I found this video while looking for something to put on in the background while I worked on my current little project. The project in question? A disk controller based on the WD37C65 for my homebrew 6809 machine!
MSX... now that brings back memories, I've had two of those, in my youth, both Philips, the first one with those flat keys and a slot for gamecartridges. The second one had real keys, and again the slot for cartridges, but also a diskdrive and a software package called "Ease"... something that looked like Windows, before Windows existed.
I don't own an MSX machine, but I like what I've seen. The game Hyper Racer reminds me of Pole Position. River Raid is a game I still play a lot on my Atari 2600. It's a really fun game. King's Valley looks good too! Reminds me of Lode Running a little bit. Now you are making me want a MSX machine. Do I need one? Probably not, but darnit those games look fun LOL!
Fun fact about the Mitsubishi ML-F80, RAM is located in Primairy Slot 1, physical slots are in Slot 2 and 3, it is correct within the MSX standard but not all 'cracked' (ROM Converted to Disk) software takes this into account. It could be worse, see Sony HB-F500.
Quite a surprise to find this is a project from Spain, which being Spanish myself I knew nothing about (just like I know nothing about the MSX retro community in general). Covered in this beloved channel from almost the furthest corner of the earth for me, too. That was at least slightly funny. Keep up the good work!
Here in the U.S. we never got the MSX (or if we did, it was barely and I had never seen one); interesting machine, looks like it's quite capable with the right software. I know there's an MSX 2, I wonder if the games that don't work are for that? BTW, liked the video when you flipped off the camera, haha! (OK, was going to anyway, but had to do it right away at that point 😀)
For the first stage of Jet Set Willy, you have to do what you're doing, but you gotta jump from a few pixels further to the left so you grab the key on the way down. As for the machine, it does have Spectrum style attribute clash, but it is only 8x1(horizontal x vertical), rather than 8x8. Sprites aren't affected by it, though sprites can only be 1 colour, but can be offset by overlaying one or more sprite over one another to give the appearance of multicolour sprites. There really is no excuse for that Chase HQ port.
I used to play a fair bit of Manic Miner on my Sony HitBit MSX back in the day. Despite not having played it since '89, I can still feel a clench when it comes time to hit that jump button. 😄
That's a nice and easy solution for disk loading. I'm using a SD card based cartridge solution with a RAM mapper that can load ROM files and most DSK and CAS. Some game recommendations that are mostly platform exclusives: Bosconian, Mappy, Flicky, Salamander. And of course you have to try the fantastic homebrew Night Knight!
Hi, I'm looking at this project with a mind to sourcing the parts and building the card myself. I am wondering about the cost of your solution though ! By the time i get the PCB made, source the chips and components AND a floppy disk drive and disks i might well be cheaper with whatever you have ! Can you say what it is that you use and how much it costs ?
Interesting video; I never heard of MSX computers at the time. I only know of them from reading Retro Gamer and UA-cam channels like yours. Some of the computers look really funky.
I used to play the arcade version of Road Fighter as a teenager in my fave fish and chip shop. I recently purchased an Anbernic RG351P with both mame and msx emulators full of roms for them along with a crapton of other roms as well. I should check and see if this is on either emu....and yep, on both. Awesome!!! Great vid btw.
I watched this off the back of Game Sack's coverage of the Sega SG-1000. The capabilities of the machine and the software seem very similar. In fact, I seem to remember reading about this sort of thing in the past.
Because the disk controller is _not_ built-in, there are some restrictions on what it can do - essentially, a cartridge based floppy addon has to remain compatible with MSX-1, and because of that, the ROM's used reflect that too, which is why some disk games wont work (basically they are v1 Disk ROMs) - _internal_ floppy controller, totally different story, also usually _not_ v1 Disk ROMs
King's Valley: What you do after getting the gems; ;is go through the door. There's a mummy guarding it now; so you either have to time it right, or kill it; and I'll be damned, if there isn't a convenient dagger for you to pick up on the middle platform over there. IIRC at least some of the enemies respawn after a while; so don't diddle daddle too long. Anyway, the game is what I call an Action Puzzler; as you progress the levels become more difficult and require you to puzzle out the path you need to take to avoid and/or kill the enemies at such a time their respawn doesn't screw you over. It gets very difficult, very quickly.
R-type, I don't think it came with a version for msx1. There are dsk versions of mega rom games for msx1 that require a memory mapper of at least 128KB for the same size of rom image. Msx1 doesn't have a memory mapper. There are 256KB and 512KB too, the latter for example is Hyde lide 3. Great game if you can find a translated version. You'd need a flash rom cartridge with sd and memory mapper to run most megarom games. And an msx2 to run the better msx2 disk based games. These are on a whole different level compared to msx1 and zx spectrum games, comparible with some 16 bit systems. Like metal gear 2, feedback, hydefos, undeadline, aleste. Coupled with a scc for many konami games and fmpac/ym2413 (hydefos, aleste, undeadline feedback have support for improved sound) sound chips gives you the full msx2 experience. So for now you can only run 16 to 32KB rom games or tape to disk conversions.
I thought "no clean flux" meant it might still look messy, but possible conductivity isn't an issue like with regular flux? I might be remembering it wrong. In either case, I'd rather tidy it up myself as well just to look nice.
I still haven't got myself an MSX yet (just that home-brew MSX2 clone) ... I like the look of your machine ... do you have a recommendation of what machine I should get? /Brett
Nothing specific as I’m pretty new to it myself. Excluding the home brew clone, if you were to have just one, at least make it an MSX2. It’ll do everything this can do and more.
I guess some games are MSX2, an improved version, for others thare are catrige dump that need more of 64k in floppy mode. Usually occiendal ports are from pectrum and are very bad in quality.
The fdd adapter that I had with my Sony HitBit MSX1 had MS Disk Basic 1.1 and the floppy was 360k single side. Maybe you coul use that ROM instead? Are there any differences between the versions?
Hi Everyone. Just found the channel. The YTA randomly promoted the thumb of this video. I watch a bit of 8-Bit an MSX content so i guess its doing its job ! Now as a long time MSX'er since 13 or 14 yo I have awesome memories of the platform. I'm having a nostalgia revisit to it this last year or two and am still using a cassette deck ! I WOULD LOVE A FLOPPY DRIVE ! But I'm a bit skint so can someone link me to the information on where i can buy the parts or perhaps even a kit ? Is there a project page for this anywhere ? I can do the soldering and can mostly understand components and some simple schematics but I'm no electronics expert so please advise me as best as your able.I will likely need it ! Thanks. Ive learned a lot from Adrain and Noel and many other retro channels. P.S. I have found the link to the MSXMAKERS Page but three are no Photos ? I have a list of components now but need to know where to find the PCB ! Anyone know or have a spare one ? :D
If a game is not working, it could be that it was ment for MSX-2, MSX-2 Plus, Turbo-R or MSX-3. Officially the game designer should have let the user know that it was made for a more capable MSX, but sometimes they simply do not follow the rules. Some games need more RAM, some programmes need other special hardware. Most the time games are not working is caused by copy protection, a game that was made for being in ROM can write to its own memory area, and if it is able to overwrites itself then the game knows it is a copy. Think of the great emotional conflict a game can feel, working as it like to work or stop working because the programmer ordered him to do so. Ever tried to get an MSX on the sofa at the psychoanalysts office?
Quick correction, there was no MSX 3. There is a project by this name being developed right now by the original creator of the MSX (Kay Nishi) but besides the name it bears little resemblance to the past machines.
I just LOVE Road Fighter on the MSX, such an addictive game.
Late to the party but great video. I've owned an MSX since childhood and I'm ashamed to say I didn't know it could support a disk drive, I always thought it was only the MSX2 that could. I'll have to build one of these for myself.
Thanks as always for the great content.
The best way to load software on a MSX is with a SD-Mapper cartridge, which includes a mass storage interface (SD Card), RAM expansion (Memory Mapper) and a "MegaRAM" cartridge needed to run bigger games, like Konami MegaROM titles (Parodius, Gradius, etc).
In fact, it may be that some of the titles you tried to run require the MegaRAM expansion. This was quite common here in Brazil back in the day.
Loved the "reaction" to friends sending videos on how to nail the level. *Smirk* We all have friends like that. We still love them.. sometimes. Nice job on the floppy controller. Sounds like you're in for fun exploring the platform :)
Quick tip: I-ve owned a mitch msx. If games didn't work, I had to give a command in advance. That fixed it. The command was: poke -1,170
I'd never forget. Let me know if it helps you!
My Lurch! I love this video! This is the exact content I love.
Well, that's bizarre. I found this video while looking for something to put on in the background while I worked on my current little project. The project in question? A disk controller based on the WD37C65 for my homebrew 6809 machine!
MSX... now that brings back memories, I've had two of those, in my youth, both Philips, the first one with those flat keys and a slot for gamecartridges. The second one had real keys, and again the slot for cartridges, but also a diskdrive and a software package called "Ease"... something that looked like Windows, before Windows existed.
I don't own an MSX machine, but I like what I've seen. The game Hyper Racer reminds me of Pole Position. River Raid is a game I still play a lot on my Atari 2600. It's a really fun game. King's Valley looks good too! Reminds me of Lode Running a little bit. Now you are making me want a MSX machine. Do I need one? Probably not, but darnit those games look fun LOL!
Fun fact about the Mitsubishi ML-F80, RAM is located in Primairy Slot 1, physical slots are in Slot 2 and 3,
it is correct within the MSX standard but not all 'cracked' (ROM Converted to Disk) software takes this into account.
It could be worse, see Sony HB-F500.
Oh! That’s interesting.
Coffee mentioned as first thing while counting the important parts is exactly how to do it :)
Quite a surprise to find this is a project from Spain, which being Spanish myself I knew nothing about (just like I know nothing about the MSX retro community in general). Covered in this beloved channel from almost the furthest corner of the earth for me, too. That was at least slightly funny. Keep up the good work!
Here in the U.S. we never got the MSX (or if we did, it was barely and I had never seen one); interesting machine, looks like it's quite capable with the right software.
I know there's an MSX 2, I wonder if the games that don't work are for that?
BTW, liked the video when you flipped off the camera, haha!
(OK, was going to anyway, but had to do it right away at that point 😀)
For the first stage of Jet Set Willy, you have to do what you're doing, but you gotta jump from a few pixels further to the left so you grab the key on the way down.
As for the machine, it does have Spectrum style attribute clash, but it is only 8x1(horizontal x vertical), rather than 8x8. Sprites aren't affected by it, though sprites can only be 1 colour, but can be offset by overlaying one or more sprite over one another to give the appearance of multicolour sprites. There really is no excuse for that Chase HQ port.
Nice! You are using the good Deoxit! That is my favorite version.
I used to play a fair bit of Manic Miner on my Sony HitBit MSX back in the day. Despite not having played it since '89, I can still feel a clench when it comes time to hit that jump button. 😄
That's a nice and easy solution for disk loading. I'm using a SD card based cartridge solution with a RAM mapper that can load ROM files and most DSK and CAS. Some game recommendations that are mostly platform exclusives: Bosconian, Mappy, Flicky, Salamander. And of course you have to try the fantastic homebrew Night Knight!
Hi, I'm looking at this project with a mind to sourcing the parts and building the card myself. I am wondering about the cost of your solution though ! By the time i get the PCB made, source the chips and components AND a floppy disk drive and disks i might well be cheaper with whatever you have ! Can you say what it is that you use and how much it costs ?
@@JohnDoe-qg6hm the thing I'm using is the SD512. Not available at the moment. Around € 100 if I remember correctly
Thanks for the info. Hmm I don't know what to do.@@KolliRail
Interesting! I've also never played Road Fighter but I can see the similarity to Action Fighter, one of my favourite games on the Atari ST as a kid!
Interesting video; I never heard of MSX computers at the time. I only know of them from reading Retro Gamer and UA-cam channels like yours. Some of the computers look really funky.
I used to play the arcade version of Road Fighter as a teenager in my fave fish and chip shop. I recently purchased an Anbernic RG351P with both mame and msx emulators full of roms for them along with a crapton of other roms as well. I should check and see if this is on either emu....and yep, on both. Awesome!!! Great vid btw.
I watched this off the back of Game Sack's coverage of the Sega SG-1000. The capabilities of the machine and the software seem very similar. In fact, I seem to remember reading about this sort of thing in the past.
You have to jump earlier, so that "Manic Miner" takes the key in the fall, and take the key before him from the place.
Because the disk controller is _not_ built-in, there are some restrictions on what it can do - essentially, a cartridge based floppy addon has to remain compatible with MSX-1, and because of that, the ROM's used reflect that too, which is why some disk games wont work (basically they are v1 Disk ROMs) - _internal_ floppy controller, totally different story, also usually _not_ v1 Disk ROMs
King's Valley: What you do after getting the gems; ;is go through the door. There's a mummy guarding it now; so you either have to time it right, or kill it; and I'll be damned, if there isn't a convenient dagger for you to pick up on the middle platform over there. IIRC at least some of the enemies respawn after a while; so don't diddle daddle too long.
Anyway, the game is what I call an Action Puzzler; as you progress the levels become more difficult and require you to puzzle out the path you need to take to avoid and/or kill the enemies at such a time their respawn doesn't screw you over. It gets very difficult, very quickly.
It is the piece of resistance..road fighter looks reminiscent of spyhunter..
Thanks Lurch, when you gave the middle finger I spit soda everywhere laughing.
R-type, I don't think it came with a version for msx1. There are dsk versions of mega rom games for msx1 that require a memory mapper of at least 128KB for the same size of rom image. Msx1 doesn't have a memory mapper. There are 256KB and 512KB too, the latter for example is Hyde lide 3. Great game if you can find a translated version.
You'd need a flash rom cartridge with sd and memory mapper to run most megarom games. And an msx2 to run the better msx2 disk based games. These are on a whole different level compared to msx1 and zx spectrum games, comparible with some 16 bit systems. Like metal gear 2, feedback, hydefos, undeadline, aleste. Coupled with a scc for many konami games and fmpac/ym2413 (hydefos, aleste, undeadline feedback have support for improved sound) sound chips gives you the full msx2 experience.
So for now you can only run 16 to 32KB rom games or tape to disk conversions.
@18:20 Knightmare great sound track.
I thought "no clean flux" meant it might still look messy, but possible conductivity isn't an issue like with regular flux? I might be remembering it wrong. In either case, I'd rather tidy it up myself as well just to look nice.
I still haven't got myself an MSX yet (just that home-brew MSX2 clone) ... I like the look of your machine ... do you have a recommendation of what machine I should get? /Brett
Nothing specific as I’m pretty new to it myself. Excluding the home brew clone, if you were to have just one, at least make it an MSX2. It’ll do everything this can do and more.
I guess some games are MSX2, an improved version, for others thare are catrige dump that need more of 64k in floppy mode. Usually occiendal ports are from pectrum and are very bad in quality.
Ah, Knightmare: recently reverse engineered for the Amiga (by the same guy who did the Metal Gear port).
The fdd adapter that I had with my Sony HitBit MSX1 had MS Disk Basic 1.1 and the floppy was 360k single side. Maybe you coul use that ROM instead? Are there any differences between the versions?
Hi Everyone. Just found the channel. The YTA randomly promoted the thumb of this video. I watch a bit of 8-Bit an MSX content so i guess its doing its job ! Now as a long time MSX'er since 13 or 14 yo I have awesome memories of the platform. I'm having a nostalgia revisit to it this last year or two and am still using a cassette deck ! I WOULD LOVE A FLOPPY DRIVE ! But I'm a bit skint so can someone link me to the information on where i can buy the parts or perhaps even a kit ? Is there a project page for this anywhere ? I can do the soldering and can mostly understand components and some simple schematics but I'm no electronics expert so please advise me as best as your able.I will likely need it ! Thanks. Ive learned a lot from Adrain and Noel and many other retro channels.
P.S. I have found the link to the MSXMAKERS Page but three are no Photos ? I have a list of components now but need to know where to find the PCB ! Anyone know or have a spare one ? :D
I need those specs. Just day-to-day use.
If a game is not working, it could be that it was ment for MSX-2, MSX-2 Plus, Turbo-R or MSX-3. Officially the game designer should have let the user know that it was made for a more capable MSX, but sometimes they simply do not follow the rules. Some games need more RAM, some programmes need other special hardware. Most the time games are not working is caused by copy protection, a game that was made for being in ROM can write to its own memory area, and if it is able to overwrites itself then the game knows it is a copy. Think of the great emotional conflict a game can feel, working as it like to work or stop working because the programmer ordered him to do so. Ever tried to get an MSX on the sofa at the psychoanalysts office?
I suppose that's possible, but usually people who have compiled these games have made sure to put MSX-2 and on games in their own separate section.
Quick correction, there was no MSX 3. There is a project by this name being developed right now by the original creator of the MSX (Kay Nishi) but besides the name it bears little resemblance to the past machines.