FM CAP

TheFM-PAC(FM Pana Amusement Cartridge), referenceSW-M004, is a sound cartridge developed by Panasonic for MSX computers. It incorporates the chipsetYamaha YM2413, enabling compatible MSXs to benefit from improved FM sound. Very popular for its role in the audio enrichment of games, it also includes a SRAM memory of 8 Kb to save data directly on the cartridge.

189.00€

Characteristics:

Year of release:
1988
Publisher:
Panasonic
Reference:
SW-M004
Support:
Cartridge
Sound:
MSX Music (FM)
Language:
Japanese
System:
MSX
Version:
Japanese
Condition:
Occasion
State:
Good condition
Compatibility:
MSX turbo R, MSX2, MSX2+, S-RAM

About

The cartridgeSW-M004is calledFM-PAC(FM Pana Amusement Cartridge) introduced byPanasonicin1988. It's the only cartridge extensionMSX-MUSICand it was published under the trade markPanasoft, used by Panasonic for some software.

The cartridge contains the sound chipYamaha YM2413with its specific BIOS (MSX-MUSIC BASIC), and a chipSRAMof the8 kbfor the backup of game data (fully compatible with PAC cartridge).

The 8 KB are arbitrarily divided into 8 pages of 1024 bytes each. A game can use one or more pages to save its data.

Some games allow you to choose which pages to use, others are hardcoded to use specific pages. It is up to the user to ensure that he does not overwrite old game backup states, or other game backup states.

A hardware switch allows the user to choose between three possible output volumes for the MSX-MUSIC sound, which is mono.

The cartridge comes with its original box but the package leaflet is not present. The cartridge works perfectly.

The cartridge is compatible with most MSX2, MSX2+ and MSX Turbo R models. Its simple yet robust design makes it still functional decades after its release, making it an accessory sought by collectors and retro-gaming enthusiasts.

Here you will find an excellent article that describes the cartridge and even explains how to change it to English.All about FM-PAC for MSX