Messages

Thank you so, so much! Works perfectly now!

It's actually running 1.28 - the firmware you sent me with feof.

This is the python script I'm using to send the data:

Code Select Expand


import serial
import time

ser = serial.Serial("COM35", 9600)

n = 127
while 1:
    c = n
    if c != 34 and c != 13:
        c = chr(c)
        ser.write(c.encode())
        print(c)
    n -= 1
    if n < 33:
        n = 127
    time.sleep(0.1)


No ASCII codes under 34 are sent so it can't be that it's sending code 3. I've just tried it and switched to a serial window and BASIC is definitely not alive any more after it crashes!

I'm currently sending the bytes over USB from a laptop. I'm not sending the data particularly fast, so I don't think that's the problem.

I've written some code to produce sound and visuals on a Vectrex. It's a bit of a mess, but it does (sort of) work. The premise is that you send in bytes over the USB serial, and the Vectrex plays a corresponding note, and updates visuals for it.

Problem is that it always crashes after a certain number of notes. It's fine if it's just left running, but when notes are coming through it always crashes eventually. I've tried commenting out all the 3D graphics stuff, and also all the sound generating stuff, but it still seems to crash even then.

Code Select Expand


call IntensitySprite(80)

call SetFrameRate(60)


char_rcd = 0

notice = { _
    {-70, 70, "1"}, _
    {-70, 50, "2"}, _
    {-70, 30, "3"}}

notes = { _
    {22,102}, _
    {21,36}, _
    {19,244}, _
    {18,213}, _
    {17,199}, _
    {16,199}, _
    {15,214}, _
    {14,243}, _
    {14,28}, _
    {13,81}, _
    {12,146}, _
    {11,221}, _
    {11,51}, _
    {10,146}, _
    {9,250}, _
    {9,107}, _
    {8,227}, _
    {8,100}, _
    {7,235}, _
    {7,121}, _
    {7,14}, _
    {6,169}, _
    {6,73}, _
    {5,239}, _
    {5,153}, _
    {5,73}, _
    {4,253}, _
    {4,181}, _
    {4,114}, _
    {4,50}, _
    {3,246}, _
    {3,189}, _
    {3,135}, _
    {3,84}, _
    {3,36}, _
    {2,247}, _
    {2,205}, _
    {2,164}, _
    {2,126}, _
    {2,91}, _
    {2,57}, _
    {2,25}, _
    {1,251}, _
    {1,222}, _
    {1,195}, _
    {1,170}, _
    {1,146}, _
    {1,124}, _
    {1,102}, _
    {1,82}, _
    {1,63}, _
    {1,45}, _
    {1,28}, _
    {1,12}, _
    {0,253}, _
    {0,239}, _
    {0,226}, _
    {0,213}, _
    {0,201}, _
    {0,190}, _
    {0,179}, _
    {0,169}, _
    {0,160}, _
    {0,151}, _
    {0,142}, _
    {0,134}, _
    {0,127}, _
    {0,120}, _
    {0,113}, _
    {0,107}, _
    {0,101}, _
    {0,95}, _
    {0,90}, _
    {0,85}, _
    {0,80}, _
    {0,75}, _
    {0,71}, _
    {0,67}, _
    {0,63}, _
    {0,60}, _
    {0,56}, _
    {0,53}, _
    {0,50}, _
    {0,47}, _
    {0,45}, _
    {0,42}, _
    {0,40}, _
    {0,38}, _
    {0,36}, _
    {0,34}, _
    {0,32}, _
    {0,30}, _
    {0,28}, _
    {0,27}, _
    {0,25}, _
    {0,24}, _
    {0,22}, _
    {0,21}, _
    {0,20}, _
    {0,19}, _
    {0,18}, _
    {0,17}, _
    {0,16}, _
    {0,15}, _
    {0,14}, _
    {0,13}, _
    {0,13}, _
    {0,12}, _
    {0,11}, _
    {0,11}, _
    {0,10}, _
    {0,9}, _
    {0,9}, _
    {0,8}, _
    {0,8}, _
    {0,7}, _
    {0,7}, _
    {0,7}, _
    {0,6}, _
    {0,6}}


cameraTrans = {0, 0, 0}
call CameraTranslate(cameraTrans)
call Randomize
call ScaleSprite(64, 324 / 0.097)

shipWidth = 7.0
shipHeight = shipWidth * 0.75
podDiameter = shipWidth * 5 / 8
ships = NewShip()

'crossDisplay = LinesSprite(crosshair)
sprite_mag = 4
play = false
print "done..."
frames = 0
vol = 0
c = 40
p = 30
char_rcd = 0
startframe = 0
arp = 0

while true
    controls = WaitForFrame(JoystickNone, Controller1, JoystickNone)

for i = 1 to UBound(ships)
    call SpriteRotate(ships[i, 1], 0.4, 0, 0)
next i
if UBound(ships) > 10 then
for i = 1 to UBound(ships)
    call RemoveSprite(ships[i, 1])
next i
'call ClearScreen()

'cameraTrans = {0, 0, 0}
'call CameraTranslate(cameraTrans)
'call Randomize
'call ScaleSprite(64, 324 / 0.097)

ships = NewShip()
endif
    'call SpriteRotate(triangleSprite, 1)
    frames = frames + 1

if feof(Stdin) = false then
call ReturnToOriginSprite()
         ships = AppendArrays(ships, NewShip())
'print "data!"
c = fgetc(Stdin)
command = false
if c = 34 or c = 13 then
command = true
endif
if c = 1 then
command = true
if arp = 1 then
arp = 0
else
arp = 1
endif
endif
if not command then
p = c - 30
endif
'xy[1,1] = xy[1,1] + 1
'info[1, 3] = "SCALE: " + p
char_rcd = char_rcd + 1
play = true
         vol = 15
         startframe = frames
endif

    if controls[1, 4] then
print "play from joy", UBound(ships)
play = true
vol = 15
startframe = frames
endif

if play and vol > -1 then
         
if vol > -1 and (frames - startframe) mod 4 = 0 then
vol = vol - 1
endif

if frames - startframe = 1 then
              'print "playing something!"

call Sound({{0, notes[p,2]}, {1, notes[p,1]}})
call Sound({{7, $3e}, {8, vol}})
if vol > 10 then
for i = 1 to UBound(ships)
call SpriteSetMagnification(ships[i, 1], p/10)
next i
sprite_mag = p/10
endif
endif

if frames - startframe = 2 then
arp_add = 0
if arp then
arp_add = 5
endif
call Sound({{0, notes[p+arp_add,2]}, {1, notes[p+arp_add,1]}})
call Sound({{7, $3e}, {8, vol}})

if vol > 10 then
for i = 1 to UBound(ships)
call SpriteSetMagnification(ships[i, 1], (p+arp_add)/10)
next i
sprite_mag =(p+arp_add)/10
endif
endif

if frames - startframe = 3 then
arp_add = 0
if arp then
arp_add = 10
endif
call Sound({{0, notes[p+arp_add,2]}, {1, notes[p+arp_add,1]}})
call Sound({{7, $3e}, {8, vol}})
if vol > 10 then
for i = 1 to UBound(ships)
call SpriteSetMagnification(ships[i, 1], (p+arp_add)/10)
next i
sprite_mag =(p+arp_add)/10
endif
endif

if frames - startframe = 4 then
startframe = frames
endif

endif

     if sprite_mag > 1 or sprite_mag < 1 then
if sprite_mag > 4 then
sprite_mag = sprite_mag - 0.1
endif
if sprite_mag < 4 then
sprite_mag = sprite_mag + 0.1
endif
for i = 1 to UBound(ships)
call SpriteSetMagnification(ships[i, 1], sprite_mag)
next i
endif

    'if controls[1, 6] then
    '    stop
    'endif
endwhile

function TieFighter(shipWidth, shipHeight, podDiameter, wingSides, podSides)

tie = { _
{ MoveTo, -10,-10,10},_
{ DrawTo, 10,-10,10},_
{ DrawTo, 10,10,10}, _
{ DrawTo, -10,10,10}, _
{ DrawTo, -10,-10,10}, _
{ DrawTo, -10,-10,-10}, _
{ DrawTo, 10,-10,-10},_
{ DrawTo, 10,10,-10}, _
{ DrawTo, -10,10,-10}, _
{ DrawTo, -10,-10,-10}, _
{ MoveTo, 10,10,10}, _
{ DrawTo, 10,10,-10}, _
{ MoveTo, -10,10,-10}, _
{ DrawTo, -10,10,10}, _
{ MoveTo, 10,-10,-10}, _
{ DrawTo, 10,-10,10} _
}
    return tie
endfunction



function NewShip()
    dim ship[1, 2]
    ship[1, 1] = Lines3DSprite(TieFighter(shipWidth, shipHeight, podDiameter, 6, 8))
    ' Choose a distance from us between 150 and 300 meters
    z = rand() mod 150 + 150
    ' Choose an apparent position on the screen in meters (the screen is
    ' about 0.15 meters by 0.18 meters)
    x = (rand() mod (150 - shipWidth) - 75) / 1000.0
    y = (rand() mod (180 - shipHeight) - 90) / 1000.0
    ' Scale the apparent position on the screen to an actual translation based on
    ' the ship's z distance (and assuming the user sits 0.5 meters from the screen)
    x = x / 0.5 * (z + 0.5)
    y = y / 0.5 * (z + 0.5)
    ship[1, 2] = {x, y, z}
    call SpriteTranslate(ship[1, 1], ship[1, 2])
    ' Set the rotation of the ship
    call SpriteRotate(ship[1, 1], rand() mod 360, rand() mod 360, rand() mod 360)
    return ship
endfunction

Thanks for the info Bob, I guessed that a notification probably hadn't gone off!

I'd like to send MIDI data via the serial connection. Pretty standard three byte groups describing note on/off, pitch and velocity. The Vectrex32 would then interpret these and instruct the AY-3 using the Sound command accordingly.

A very basic version of this could work with the existing functionality, but I'm keen to have software envelopes and an arpeggiator (and maybe even generated visuals on screen), which means I need a free running event loop to handle all this. I have this up and running so far, but just without a way to externally input sounds.

Previous people have done this and used the button inputs 1-4 on both controllers to send 8-bit values, but I haven't got this to work so far, and thought it would be great if I could just use the serial cable to the Vectrex32.

I've been trying to make a loop to read from Stdin, using FGetc(Stdin), but it seems to be blocking. Is there a non-blocking way I can read data from the terminal input?

I'm working on making a MIDI input (MIDI over serial) to the Vectrex so it can be used as an instrument.