Xref: utzoo comp.sys.ibm.pc:35690 comp.arch:11619
Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!texbell!nuchat!sugar!ficc!peter
From: peter@ficc.uu.net (Peter da Silva)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc,comp.arch
Subject: Re: MIDI on the PC (was Re: programming the com port)
Message-ID: <6403@ficc.uu.net>
Date: 3 Oct 89 20:09:24 GMT
References: <927@eutrc3.urc.tue.nl> <446@usage.csd.unsw.oz> <15046@netnews.upenn.edu>
Organization: Xenix Support, FICC
Lines: 23

In article <15046@netnews.upenn.edu>, silver@eniac.seas.upenn.edu (Andy Silverman) writes:
> You should probably know that you can't use the 8250 to talk to MIDI easily.

Yes, but.

> MIDI is a current loop, not RS-232 so without hardware modification you
> can't use standard serial ports to talk to MIDI.  Also MIDI signals are
> opto-isolated from the UART,

There are many good reasons for buying a MIDI card, but electrical
compatibility isn't one of them. Gadgets that convert RS232 levels to
MIDI are available for the Amiga, and cost $50 or so. You get a midi in,
midi out, and at least one midi thru.

The big problem with doing MIDI from a regular IBM serial port would
seem to be CPU. The machine just doesn't have the guts for it. Maybe
with a smart serial card. And for your $$$ a real MIDI card would be
better.
-- 
Peter da Silva, *NIX support guy @ Ferranti International Controls Corporation.
Biz: peter@ficc.uu.net, +1 713 274 5180. Fun: peter@sugar.hackercorp.com. `-_-'
``I feel that any [environment] with users in it is "adverse".''           'U`
	-- Eric Peterson