14 Classic 8-bit era Programmable Sound Generator SN76489
14 : Classic 8-bit era Programmable Sound Generator SN76489
- Author: ReJ aka Renaldas Zioma
- Description: The SN76489 Digital Complex Sound Generator (DCSG) is a programmable sound generator chip from Texas Instruments.
- GitHub repository
- Open in 3D viewer
- Clock: 4000000 Hz
How it works
This Verilog implementation is a replica of the classical SN76489 programmable sound generator. With roughly a 1400 logic gates this design fits on a single tile of the TinyTapeout.
The goals of this project
- closely replicate the behavior and eventually the complete design of the original SN76489
- provide a readable and well documented code for educational and hardware preservation purposes
- leverage the modern fabrication process
A significant effort was put into a thorough test suite for regression testing and validation against the original chip behavior.
The future work
The next step is to incorporate analog elements into the design to match the original SN76489 - DAC for each channel and an analog OpAmp for channel summation.
Chip technical capabilities
- 3 square wave tone generators
- 1 noise generator
- 2 types of noise: white and periodic
- Capable to produce a range of waves typically from 122 Hz to 125 kHz, defined by 10-bit registers.
- 16 different volume levels
Registers The behavior of the SN76489 is defined by 8 "registers" - 4 x 4 bit volume registers, 3 x 10 bit tone registers and 1 x 3 bit noise configuration register.
| Channel | Volume registers | Tone & noise registers |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Channel #0 attenuation | Tone #0 frequency |
| 1 | Channel #1 attenuation | Tone #1 frequency |
| 2 | Channel #2 attenuation | Tone #2 frequency |
| 3 | Channel #3 attenuation | Noise type and frequency |
Square wave tone generators Square waves are produced by counting down the 10-bit counters. Each time the counter reaches the 0 it is reloaded with the corresponding value from the configuration register and the output bit of the channel is flipped producing square waves.
Noise generator Noise is produced with 15-bit Linear-feedback Shift Register (LFSR) that flips the output bit pseudo randomly. The shift rate of the LFSR register is controller either by one of the 3 hardcoded power-of-two dividers or output from the channel #2 tone generator is used.
Attenuation Each of the four SN76489 channels have dedicated attenuation modules. The SN76489 has 16 steps of attenuation, each step is 2 dB and maximum possible attenuation is 28 dB. Note that the attenuation definition is the opposite of volume / loudness. Attenuation of 0 means maximum volume.
Finally, all the 4 attenuated signals are summed up and are sent to the output pin of the chip.
Historical use of the SN76489
The SN76489 family of programmable sound generators was introduced by Texas Instruments in 1980. Variants of the SN76489 were used in a number of home computers, game consoles and arcade boards:
- home computers: TI-99/4, BBC Micro, IBM PCjr, Sega SC-3000, Tandy 1000
- game consoles: ColecoVision, Sega SG-1000, Sega Master System, Game Gear, Neo Geo Pocket and Sega Genesis
- arcade machines by Sega & Konami and would usually include 2 or 4 SN76489 chips
The SN76489 chip family competed with the similar General Instrument AY-3-8910.
The original pinout of the SN76489AN
,--._.--.
D5 -->|1 16|<-- VCC
D6 -->|2 15|<-- D4
D7 -->|3 14|<-- CLOCK
ready* <--|4 13|<-- D3
/WE -->|5 12|<-- D2
/ce* -->|6 11|<-- D1
AUDIO OUT <--|7 10|<-- D0
GND ---|8 9| not connected*
`-------'
* -- omitted from this Verilog implementation
Difference from the original hardware
This Verilog implementation is a completely digital and synchronous design that differs from the original SN76489 design which incorporated analog parts.
Audio signal output While the original chip had integrated OpAmp to sum generated channels in analog fashion, this implementation does digital signal summation and digital output. The module provides two alternative outputs for the generated audio signal:
- digital 8-bit audio output suitable for external Digital to Analog Converter (DAC)
- pseudo analog output through Pulse Width Modulation (PWM)
Separate 4 channel output Outputs of all 4 channels are exposed along with the master output. This allows to validate and mix signals externally. In contrast the original chip was limited to a single audio output pin due to the PDIP-16 package.
No DC offset This implementation produces output 0/1 waveforms without DC offset.
No /CE and READY pins Chip enable control pin /CE is omitted in this design for simplicity. The behavior is the same as if /CE is tied low and the chip is considered always enabled.
Unlike the original SN76489 which took 32 cycles to update registers, this implementation handles register writes in a single cycle and chip behaves as always READY.
Synchronous reset and single phase clock The original design employed 2 phases of the clock for the operation of the registers. The original chip had no reset pin and would wake up to a random state.
To make it easier to synthesize and test on FPGAs this implementation uses single clock phase and synchronous reset for registers.
A configurable clock divider was introduced in this implementation.
- the original SN76489 with the master clock internally divided by 16. This classical chip was intended for PAL and NTSC frequencies. However in BBC Micro 4 MHz clock was employed.
- SN94624/SN76494 variants without internal clock divider. These chips were intended for use with 250 to 500 KHz clocks.
- high frequency clock configuration for TinyTapeout, suitable for a range between 25 MHz and 50 Mhz. In this configuration the master clock is internally divided by 128.
The reverse engineered SN76489
This implementation is based on the results from these reverse engineering efforts:
- Annotations and analysis of a decapped SN76489A chip.
- Reverse engineered schematics based on a decapped VDP chip from Sega Mega Drive which included a SN76496 variant.
How to test
Summary of commands to communicate with the chip
The SN76489 is programmed by updating its internal registers via the data bus. Below is a short summary of the communication protocol of SN76489. Please consult SN76489 Technical Manual for more information.
| Command | Description | Parameters |
|---|---|---|
1cc0ffff |
Set tone fine frequency | f - 4 low bits, c - channel # |
00ffffff |
Follow up with coarse frequency | f - 6 high bits |
11100bff |
Set noise type and frequency | b - white/periodic, f - frequency control |
1cc1aaaa |
Set channel attenuation | a - 4 bit attenuation, c - channel # |
| NF1 | NF0 | Noise frequency control |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | Clock divided by 512 |
| 0 | 1 | Clock divided by 1024 |
| 1 | 0 | Clock divided by 2048 |
| 1 | 1 | Use channel #2 tone frequency |
Write to SN76489 Hold /WE low once data bus pins are set to the desired values. Pull /WE high before setting different value on the data bus.
Note frequency
Use the following formula to calculate the 10-bit period value for a particular note :
$ tone period_{cycles} = clock_{frequency} / (32_{cycles} * note_{frequency}) $
For example 10-bit value that plays 440 Hz note on a chip clocked at 4 MHz would be:
$ tone period_{cycles} = 4000000 Hz / (32_{cycles} * 440 Hz) = 284 = 11C_{hex} $
An example to play a note accompanied with a lower volume noise
| /WE | D7 | D6/5 | D4..D0 | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1 |
00 |
01100 |
Set channel #0 tone low 4-bits to $C_{hex} = 1100_{bin}$ |
| 0 | 0 |
00 |
10001 |
Set channel #0 tone high 6-bits to $11_{hex} = 010001_{bin}$ |
| 0 | 1 |
00 |
10000 |
Set channel #0 volume to 100%, attenuation 4-bits are $0_{dec} = 0000_{bin}$ |
| 0 | 1 |
11 |
00100 |
Set channel #3 noise type to white and divider to 512 |
| 0 | 1 |
11 |
11000 |
Set channel #3 noise volume to 50%, attenuation 4-bits are $8_{dec} = 1000_{bin}$ |
Timing diagram
CLK ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____
__/ `____/ `____/ `____/ `____/ `____/ `___ ...
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
/WE _ __ __ __ __ _______
`_____/ `______/ `______/ `______/ `______/ *
^
D7..D0_______ ________ ________ ________ ________ |
_/10001100 00010001 10010000 11100100 11111000`_|______
chan#0 chan#0 chan#0 chan#3 chan#3 |
tone=h??C =h11C atten=0 div=16 atten=8 |
h011C = 440 Hz /16 = ~1 Khz |
white noise |
|
noise restarts
after /WE goes high and
there was a write to noise register
Configurable clock divider
Clock divider can be controlled through SEL0 and SEL1 control pins and allows to select between 3 chip variants.
| SEL1 | SEL0 | Description | Clock frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | SN76489 mode, clock divided by 16 | 3.5 .. 4.2 MHz |
| 1 | 1 | -----//----- | 3.5 .. 4.2 MHz |
| 0 | 1 | SN76494 mode, no clock divider | 250 .. 500 kHZ |
| 1 | 0 | New mode for TT05, clock div. 128 | 25 .. 50 MHz |
| SEL1 | SEL0 | Formula to calculate the 10-bit tone period value for a note |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | $clock_{frequency} / (32_{cycles} * note_{frequency})$ |
| 1 | 1 | -----//----- |
| 0 | 1 | $clock_{frequency} / (2_{cycles} * note_{frequency})$ |
| 1 | 0 | $clock_{frequency} / (256_{cycles} * note_{frequency})$ |
Some examples of music recorded from the chip simulation
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghBGasckpSY](Crazee Rider BBC Micro game)
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXLAdA02I-w](MISSION76496 tune for Sega Master System)
External hardware
DAC (for ex. Digilent R2R PMOD), RC filter, amplifier, speaker.
The data bus of the SN76489 chip has to be connected to microcontroller and receive a regular stream of commands. The SN76489 produces audio output and has to be connected to a speaker. There are several ways how the overall schematics can be established.
8-bit parallel output via DAC One option is to connect off the shelf data parallel Digital to Analog Converter (DAC) for example Digilent R2R Pmod to the output pins and route the resulting analog audio to piezo speaker or amplifier.
uController SN76489
,---------. ,---._.---.
| | 4 Mhz ->|CLK SEL0|<-- 0
| GPIOx|----------->|D0 SEL1|<-- 0
| GPIOx|----------->|D1 | ,----------.
| GPIOx|----------->|D2 OUT0|-------->|LSB |
| GPIOx|----------->|D3 OUT1|-------->| |
| GPIOx|----------->|D4 OUT2|-------->| pDAC | Headphones
| GPIOx|----------->|D5 OUT3|-------->| or | or
| GPIOx|----------->|D6 OUT4|-------->| RESISTOR | Buzzer
| GPIOx|----------->|D7 OUT5|-------->| ladder | /|
| GPIOx|----------->|/WE OUT6|-------->| | .--/ |
`---------' | OUT7|-------->|MSB |-----| |
`---------' `----------' `--` |
| `|
|
GND ---
AUDIO OUT through RC filter Another option is to use the Pulse Width Modulated (PWM) AUDIO OUT pin that combines 4 channels with the Resistor-Capacitor based low-pass filter or better the Operation Amplifier (Op-amp) & Capacitor based integrator:
uController SN76489
,---------. ,---._.---.
| | 4 Mhz ->|CLK SEL0|<-- 0
| GPIOx|----------->|D0 SEL1|<-- 0
| GPIOx|----------->|D1 |
| GPIOx|----------->|D2 |
| GPIOx|----------->|D3 | C1
| GPIOx|----------->|D4 | ,----||----.
| GPIOx|----------->|D5 | | |
| GPIOx|----------->|D6 | | Op-amp | Speaker
| GPIOx|----------->|D7 AUDIO| | |X | /|
| GPIOx|----------->|/WE OUT |-----+---|-X | C2 .--/ |
`---------' `---------' | }---+---||---| |
,--|+/ `--` |
| |/ | `|
| |
GND --- GND ---
Separate channels through the Op-amp The third option is to externally combine 4 channels with the Operational Amplifier and low-pass filter:
uController SN76489
,---------. ,---._.---.
| | 4 Mhz ->|CLK SEL0|<-- 0
| GPIOx|----------->|D0 SEL1|<-- 0
| GPIOx|----------->|D1 |
| GPIOx|----------->|D2 |
| GPIOx|----------->|D3 | C1
| GPIOx|----------->|D4 | ,----||----.
| GPIOx|----------->|D5 chan0|---. | |
| GPIOx|----------->|D6 chan1|---+ | Op-amp | Speaker
| GPIOx|----------->|D7 chan2|---+ | |X | /|
| GPIOx|----------->|/WE chan3|---+--+---|-X | C2 .--/ |
`---------' `---------' | }---+---||---| |
,--|+/ `--` |
| |/ | `|
| |
GND --- GND ---
IO
| # | Input | Output | Bidirectional |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | D0 data bus | digital audio LSB | (in) **/WE** write enable |
| 1 | D1 data bus | digital audio | (in) **SEL0** clock divider |
| 2 | D2 data bus | digital audio | (in) **SEL1** clock divider |
| 3 | D3 data bus | digital audio | (out) channel 0 (PWM) |
| 4 | D4 data bus | digital audio | (out) channel 1 (PWM) |
| 5 | D5 data bus | digital audio | (out) channel 2 (PWM) |
| 6 | D6 data bus | digital audio | (out) channel 3 (PWM) |
| 7 | D7 data bus | digital audio MSB | (out) AUDIO OUT master (PWM) |