Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!seismo!sundc!pitstop!sun!decwrl!decvax!mandrill!neoucom!wtm
From: wtm@neoucom.UUCP (Bill Mayhew)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: MIDI interface questions
Message-ID: <1150@neoucom.UUCP>
Date: 29 Apr 88 19:07:19 GMT
References: <26800002@spica>
Organization: Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine
Lines: 28
Summary: what?

In article <26800002@spica>, hr@spica.astro.uiuc.edu writes:
+ 
+ The serial port works when attached to either a modem or printer.
+ 
+ Unfortunately, I can't flatly accuse the ECE interface. My Amiga's
+ parallel port has been dead for awhile and since the 8250s are involved
+ in so much, it is possible that the problem is there. Has anyone had
+ experience with the ECE interface? Or is there a better one I should be
+ 
+ trying?

The ECE midi interface is noting more than a than a voltage to
current converter.  It contains an opto isolator for MIDI  in and a
transistor current driver for MIDI out.  There are a couple of
resistors thrown in for proper biasing of the components.  The ECE
interface does draw current from the power pin on the serial port;
this should be a problem only if there is a short in the ECE.
MIDI data is nothing more than 8 bit, no parity, 1 stop bit data at
a rate of 31,250 bits/sec.  You can even pick that baud rate from
the WB 1.2 serial port preferences screen.  If you use the original
ABasiC running under WB 1.2, you can even program your
synthesizer from ABasiC.  Deluxe Music uses the indigenous
serial.device (apparently) for MIDI output.

If your 8250 is dead, it doesn't surprise me that the MIDI output
is not working .. but then the serial port should be dead too.

--Bill