Developing Retro-Softwares for OS/2 using Sibyl

In the last blog-post I discussed developing retro-apps for Windows that can be run under OS/2 using the WLO toolset from Microsoft. But what about native coding under OS/2 directly? Since 2003 I’m coding software for lot of different target-systems, like microcontrollers (started with Atmel Studio 4 and the Atmel AT90S2313), personal computers (Borland Delphi…

FPGA-based Audio-over-IP

Ethernet on Microcontrollers is available without problems: using FreeRTOS or the Arduino-libs is always a good start. But for FPGAs? I was shocked how expensive Ethernet is for FPGAs – but I found a good solution… In 1997 I bought my first NE2000-compatible ISA-Ethernet-Card for my Windows 95 computer. Why? Well, not that my 13-year-old…

DIY Expansion Card for Behringer X32

Based on my Audioplayer-project I developed a DIY card for the Behringer X32. In addition to the youtube-video here you will find some more detailed information about this project and the implementation. Definition of reverse-engineering by Elliot J. Chikofsky: “Reverse-engineering is the process of analyzing a subject system to identify the system’s components and their interrelationships…

FPGA-Audiomixer: Compressors and Noisegates

Implementing an audio-compression-algorithm in pure logic is a bit challenging as it uses a division. Time for some deep-diving into audio DSP with VHDL. Background As I’ve started implementing logic for the FPGA-Audiomixer, first I had not planned to implement more enhanced audio-functions. My primary goal was to understand how a volume-control could be done…

Developing PCI Cards with Plug&Play

Plug&Play is a mystery to you? Until recently it was for me too, but let’s take a look at the PCI specifications and lift the fog of mystery about PnP. Plug&Play Christmas 1994 my family and me got the first computer: an Intel 486Dx4-100 with 16MB RAM and a 534MB harddisk-drive. The only expansion-card was…

Working with multi-channel audio-signals

Todays digital-mixing-consoles are offering high number of audio-channels for processing. I was curious of how modern devices are dealing with realtime digital audio-data and had a look into some of these protocols. I2S, TDM and UltraNet Even if you are not working with professional audio-equipment, at least one of the following systems has been used…

FPGA-based realtime audiomixer with equalizer

Using an Arduino MKR Vidor4000 board I created a realtime multi-channel audiomixer with nice audio-processing-features. General background Sure, digital logic has ones and zeros – but in the right order these two states can have an impact on your sound. I wanted to know how digital logic can be used to change the volume and…