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Description
The Yamaha Module Slot is a connector found on almost all Yamaha MSX computers, and several computers that Yamaha manufactured on behalf of other vendors. It is a 60-pin connector, which is 10-pins more then a standard MSX cartridge slot. The modules have a central screw with which they are held in place on most systems.
With the Yamaha UCN-01 "Unit Converter", a Yamaha module can be connected to a regular MSX cartridge slot. However due to the difference in pins, not all modules will function correctly with the Unit Converter, in particular modules with video-out or sound-out.
Pinout
Pins 1 through 10 are unique to the Yamaha Module Slot. The remaining signals map 1-1 to a standard MSX Cartridge slot.
| Pin | Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SOUND OUT | O | |
| 2 | GND | PWR | Signal ground |
| 3 | GND | PWR | Signal ground |
| 4 | Phase Control | I | |
| 5 | Y | O | |
| 6 | B-Y | O | |
| 7 | C VIDEO | O | |
| 8 | R-Y | O | |
| 9 | EXT CLOCK | I | |
| 10 | CLOCK INT/EXT | I | |
| 11 | /CS1 | O | ROM addresses 4000-7FFF select signal |
| 12 | /CS2 | O | ROM addresses 8000-BFFF select signal |
| 13 | /CS12 | O | ROM addresses 4000-BFFF select signal (for 256k ROM) |
| 14 | /SLTSL | O | Slot select signal |
| 15 | RSV (N.C) | Reserved signal line - use inhibited | |
| 16 | /RFSH | O | Refresh cycle signal |
| 17 | /WAIT | I | CPU's WAIT request signal |
| 18 | /INT | I | Interrupt request signal to CPU |
| 19 | /M1 | O | Signal expressing CPU fetch cycle |
| 20 | /BUSDIR | I | This signal controls direction of external databus buffer Cartridges are selected and L level is output from each cartridge at data transmission time |
| 21 | /IORQ | O | I/O request signal |
| 22 | /MERQ | O | Memory request signal |
| 23 | /WR | O | Write timing signal |
| 24 | /RD | O | Read timing signal |
| 25 | /RESET | O | System reset signal |
| 26 | RSV(N.C) | Reserved signal line - use inhibited | |
| 27 | A9 | O | Address bus signals |
| 28 | A15 | O | Address bus signals |
| 29 | A11 | O | Address bus signals |
| 30 | A10 | O | Address bus signals |
| 31 | A7 | O | Address bus signals |
| 32 | A6 | O | Address bus signals |
| 33 | A12 | O | Address bus signals |
| 34 | A8 | O | Address bus signals |
| 35 | A14 | O | Address bus signals |
| 36 | A13 | O | Address bus signals |
| 37 | A1 | O | Address bus signals |
| 38 | A0 | O | Address bus signals |
| 39 | A3 | O | Address bus signals |
| 40 | A2 | O | Address bus signals |
| 41 | A5 | O | Address bus signals |
| 42 | A4 | O | Address bus signals |
| 43 | D1 | I/O | Data bus signals |
| 44 | D0 | I/O | Data bus signals |
| 45 | D3 | I/O | Data bus signals |
| 46 | D2 | I/O | Data bus signals |
| 47 | D5 | I/O | Data bus signals |
| 48 | D4 | I/O | Data bus signals |
| 49 | D7 | I/O | Data bus signals |
| 50 | D6 | I/O | Data bus signals |
| 51 | GND | PWR | Signal ground |
| 52 | CLOCK | O | CPU clock 3.579545MHz |
| 53 | GND | PWR | Signal ground |
| 54 | SW1 | For insertion/removal protect | |
| 55 | +5V | PWR | +5V power source |
| 56 | SW2 | For insertion/removal protect | |
| 57 | +5V | PWR | +5V power source |
| 58 | +12V | PWR | +12V power source |
| 59 | SOUNDIN | I | Sound input signal (-5bdm) |
| 60 | -12V | PWR | -12V power source |
Systems with the Yamaha module slot
| Model | Generation | Standard module |
|---|---|---|
| Sakhr AX-100 | MSX1 | |
| Sakhr AX-200 | MSX1 | SFG-05 FM Sound Synthesizer Unit II on AX-200M |
| Sakhr AX-500 | MSX2 | |
| Victor HC-5 | MSX1 | |
| Victor HC-6 | MSX1 | |
| Victor HC-60 | MSX1 | HC-A502F RF TV Module |
| Yamaha CX5 | MSX1 | SFG-01 FM Sound Synthesizer Unit |
| Yamaha CX5F | MSX1 | SFG-01 FM Sound Synthesizer Unit |
| Yamaha CX5M | MSX1 | SFG-01 FM Sound Synthesizer Unit |
| Yamaha CX5MII | MSX1 | SFG-05 FM Sound Synthesizer Unit II |
| Yamaha CX7/128 | MSX2 | |
| Yamaha CX7M/128 | MSX2 | SFG-05 FM Sound Synthesizer Unit II |
| Yamaha CX11 | MSX1 | SFG-01 FM Sound Synthesizer Unit |
| Yamaha YIS-303 | MSX1 | |
| Yamaha YIS-503 | MSX1 | |
| Yamaha YIS-503F | MSX1 | SRE-01 unit on YIS-503FB model |
| Yamaha YIS-503II | MSX1 | |
| Yamaha YIS-503IIR | MSX1 | Serial I/O Unit |
| Yamaha YIS-503IIIR | MSX2 | Serial I/O Unit Mk II |
| Yamaha YIS-603 | MSX1 | |
| Yamaha YIS-604/128 | MSX2 | |
| Yamaha YIS-805/128 | MSX2 | SKW-05 Kanji Word Processor Unit II |
| Yamaha YIS-805/128R2 | MSX2 | Serial I/O Unit Mk II |
| Yamaha YIS-805/256 | MSX2 | SKW-05 Kanji Word Processor Unit II |
Systems without the Yamaha module slot
All the other MSX systems don't have a Yamaha module slot. However, Yamaha has released a Yamaha SX-101 slot expander that adds a second standard cartridge slot and a specific module slot to the Victor HC-30 and Yamaha SX-100 computers.
If another computer has a slot with a 56-pin compatible connector, it might be possible to transform any 'normal' MSX machine into a Yamaha MSX music computer.
Module slot cartridges
| Product | Description |
|---|---|
| NHK NSFG-05 | re-branded SFG-05 |
| Victor HC-A502F | RF TV module (pre-installed in HC-60) |
| Victor HC-A602S | Superimposing module (built-in in HC-7) |
| Yamaha SCA-01 | Interface for Captain connection |
| Yamaha SFG-01 | FM Sound Synthesizer Unit |
| Yamaha SFG-05 | FM Sound Synthesizer Unit II |
| Yamaha SFK-01 | FM Sound Synthesizer Unit (without MIDI) |
| Yamaha SKW-01 | Kanji Word Processor Unit |
| Yamaha SKW-05 | Kanji Word Processor Unit II (built-in in YIS-805/128 and YIS-805/256) |
| Yamaha SMD-01 | MIDI Unit |
| Yamaha SRE-01 | 32kB RAM expansion + Unit Converter |
| Yamaha SRG-01 | RGB Unit |
| Yamaha SRM-01 | 32kB RAM expansion + RGB output |
| Yamaha STC-01 | Modem/Word Processor |
| Serial I/O Unit (used with YIS-503IIR) | |
| Yamaha CB55448 | Serial I/O Unit Mk II (used with YIS-503IIIR and YIS-805-128R2) |