MSX-Engine

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The MSX-ENGINE chip is a specially developed integrated circuit for home computers that are build according to the MSX specifications. The first MSX-Engine chip, the T7775 operated next to a standard Zilog Z80-clone chip, the main CPU of the system, but later versions of the engine also included the CPU in a same single chip package, except for the last one, the S-1990, which also used an external CPU.

The T9769 is used in MSX 2 computers, while in MSX 1 computers mostly the T7775 and T7937 are used. You can also find the S-1985 and S-3527 in these systems. After the MSX 2 generation (from MSX2+ onwards) Toshiba took over the complete production of MSX engine chips. The last generation of MSX, the Turbo-R used the NEC S-1990 "TurboR bus controller" together with a R800 CPU. MSX engine chips from Yamaha were mostly used in MSX-computers from Sony and Philips, while the Toshiba chips were mostly used in computers from Sanyo and Matsushita (Panasonic/National).

1 Overview
2 External links

[edit] Overview

Here is a short overview of MSX-Engine chips.

[edit] MSX 1

T7775

CMOS-chip with all MSX 1 functions.

T7937

main CPU, a Zilog Z80 (clone) with a clock speed of 3,58 MHz.
a PSG-sound chip, compatible with a General Instrument AY-3-8910
Video Display Controller: Texas Instruments TMS9918
parallel I/O chip: backward compatible with the Intel i8255
MSX 1-functions
dimensions: 10,5 × 8,60 mm

[edit] MSX 2/MSX 2+

Toshiba T9769C MSX-ENGINE

T9769

main CPU, a Zilog Z80 clone with a clock speed of 3,58 MHz (MSX2; switchable to 5,36 MHz on some MSX2+ machines)
a Programmable Sound Generator - sound chip, compatible with a General Instrument AY-3-8910
parallel I/O chip: backward compatible with the Intel i8255
MSX1 and MSX2-functions (MSX2-computers)
MSX2+-functions (MSX2+-computers)
dimensions: 10,5 × 8,60 mm

Yamaha S-1985 MSX-Engine

S-1985

main CPU, a Zilog Z80 clone with a clock speed of 3,58 MHz.
a Yamaha YM2149 a Programmable Sound Generator - sound chip, compatible with a General Instrument AY-3-8910
parallel I/O chip: backward compatible with the Intel i8255
MSX1- and MSX2-functions
RAM: 16kB

S-3527

Yamaha S-3527 MSX-Engine

a Yamaha YM2149 PSG-sound chip, compatible with a General Instrument AY-3-8910
parallel I/O chip: backward compatible with the Intel i8255
MSX1- and MSX2-functions
100 pins

[edit] MSX Turbo R

ASCII S-1990 TurboR bus controller

S-1990 combined with a T9769C

See S-1990 for the main article.

The S-1990 is not in itself an MSX-engine but acts like "bus controller", it is the combining element that combines the Z80 inside the T9769C (the actual MSX engine) and a R800 CPU, and the memory and slot logic and other hardware inside the T9769C. It also contains hardware to assists in the debugging of software.