Possible Upgrades for Yamaha CX5M

Supporter (4)

29-09-2020, 01:38

I have a CX5M SFG-01 that I want to incorporate into my MIDI bench, and I am going to upgrade it as far as I can. What is possible?

Addons and upgrades so far...
MegaFlashROM SCC+ SD 2 slots + 512K RAM (cannot use all the features with cx5m due to memory limitations)
MSX Joystick
Composite A/V 5-Pin DIN Cable
YK-10 Piano Keyboard

I'm definitely going to upgrade the the SFG-01 to SFG-05, but beyond that, is there anything else that can be upgraded of the machine itself? Can the internal memory be upgraded? Is it possible to upgrade to MSX2? Some of the posts I have found suggests these things are possible, but then it also seems like they might be referring to the CX5MII, and just failed to distinguish between the two models.

Best,

By sdsnatcher73

Prophet (3955)

29-09-2020, 04:33

Hi there. The MFR will work nicely on the CX5M and you can use all the features. Nextor requires 128kB RAM but it does not have to be in the machine, so the 512kB RAM on the MFR will do fine.

I’ve read about the MSX2 upgrade for the original CX5M. Personally I think it goes to far, a CX5MII is of course a better starting point as it already has the correct VDP.

As for keyboards, you can use a Toshiba HX-MU901 keyboard instead of the Yamaha lineup as they are cheaper (well over here in NL at least). I have a spare one, send me an e-mail if you are interested. I also have the DiN to composite A/V cable, it is recommended over RF output.

Further upgrades could be a a CA-01 for the second slot (I also have a spare one) and possibly a slot expander. If you are into chiptunes I recommend looking into an FM-PAC, MSX-AUDIO, OPL4 cartridge, Neotron.

By sd_snatcher

Prophet (3659)

29-09-2020, 12:25

Tip: take a look at this article. It's in Portuguese, but the Google Chrome built-in translator can help you with that.

The preventive maintenance of the power supply is of particular importance. Do it ASAP.

This twitter post also shows how to build the rear slot adapter.

By Robby

Master (217)

29-09-2020, 14:45

Alexey already offered a good BSA here on mrc.

By Wierzbowsky

Guardian (3603)

29-09-2020, 15:03

Yes, I made a few BSAs during the last and this year. But it's sold out. I think Peter still has 2 of them. Otherwise the project is here for anyone to reproduce:

https://github.com/RBSC/BSA

By sdsnatcher73

Prophet (3955)

29-09-2020, 18:49

I have 1 left but I actually have several original CA-01’s now. That Japanese homemade adapter does not look very durable imho.

By Tarnyko

Resident (43)

22-10-2020, 19:24

If you are interested in music-related improvements, RetroManCave just published a thorough video review of the computer.
Starting from 16'33, it lists cartridges which improve MIDI-synth ports usage, such as the DMS1 -which I didn't know about.