commodorejohn
Veteran Member
So I've been playing around with my 486 and its SB16, and while I'm pretty happy with it, one thing that I've noticed is that the SB16 audio is noisy as all-get-out - there's basically an AM radio hiss even when nothing's playing. This isn't too big a deal for the digital sound, as not much from that era is particularily high-fidelity to begin with, but it's rather disappointing to have all that line noise on my lovely, lovely real honest-to-God OPL3 music.
But one thing I do know is that the OPL3 produces digital output and requires a separate DAC - so I've been thinking that it should be possible to wire up a separate replacement DAC outside the case, away from all the interference, and enjoy crystal clarity. Datasheets for both the chip itself and Yamaha's compatible DAC are available online, so I don't see why this couldn't be done.
Only problem is, low-level hardware stuff is anything but my forte. I'd like to see this done, but I don't have the knowledge or the skills needed to do it myself. I'm just kind of wondering if anybody has done this in the past, or has an idea how to go about it?
But one thing I do know is that the OPL3 produces digital output and requires a separate DAC - so I've been thinking that it should be possible to wire up a separate replacement DAC outside the case, away from all the interference, and enjoy crystal clarity. Datasheets for both the chip itself and Yamaha's compatible DAC are available online, so I don't see why this couldn't be done.
Only problem is, low-level hardware stuff is anything but my forte. I'd like to see this done, but I don't have the knowledge or the skills needed to do it myself. I'm just kind of wondering if anybody has done this in the past, or has an idea how to go about it?