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  From: Alan Kennington <Alan.Kennington@dsto.defence.gov.au>
  To  : process9@lynx.net.au
  Date: Mon, 2 Nov 1998 12:47:35 +1030 (CST)

Re: MIDI cable for 15-pin sound blaster interface

Kirsty,

Outrageous price for MIDI breakout cable would be about $140.
And that's what it seems is the going price.
The reason I think it's outrageous price is the fact that my old Atari ST
had it included for free -- the electronics is not that difficult.

It seems that Dick Smith's do a kit for $40.
But many years ago, I used some software (a device driver etc.)
on a sparc station which used the built-in SCC chip (a Zilog of some sort)
at a modified rate to get the 32.5 kbit/sec of midi.
This has the advantage that you can give away softw3are
to large numbers of people and get them to use it _wihtout_ having
to go out and buy some kit or overpriced cable.

The Y-cable for 15-pin sound card port to two joysticks is not costly.
It's just the MIDI aspect.

Anyway, I've decided to get the DS kit for $40 and solder it myself.
I just wish the sound blaster people had designed their cards with
the right electronics for MIDI on the card.
But maybe the "business case" wasn't strong enough at the time.
That's the trouble with MBAs running comapnies...

Cheers and thanks for all the hints from you and others,
Alan Kennington.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Dr. Alan Kennington
Room 2.A.26, Building L205, Communications Division,
Defence Science and Technology Organisation, Department of Defence.
post: CD/MIN (L205, 2.A.26), DSTO, PO Box 1500, Salisbury SA 5108, Australia
internet: alan.kennington@dsto.defence.gov.au
tel: +61 8 8259 6384, fax: +61 8 8259 6549
gsm mobile: +61 417 881 823
http://dartagnan.maths.adelaide.edu.au:8080/~akenning/README.html
[My "thinned" home page outside the firewall.]
home tel/fax/ans: +61 8 8342 1689, 2nd home tel: +61 8 8342 1836
home coordinates: 138.58970 E, 34.89744 S

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