Concerto - Revision history

Batari: /* Concerto Plus */

2025-07-28T03:04:45Z

‎Concerto Plus

Batari: /* Concerto Plus */

2025-07-28T03:04:20Z

‎Concerto Plus

Batari: /* Concerto Plus */

2025-07-28T03:04:06Z

‎Concerto Plus

Batari: /* HOKEY sound module */

2025-07-28T02:37:37Z

‎HOKEY sound module

Batari: /* HOKEY sound module */

2025-07-28T02:36:46Z

‎HOKEY sound module

Batari at 02:36, 28 July 2025

2025-07-28T02:36:03Z

Batari: /* Concerto Plus */

2025-07-28T02:01:43Z

‎Concerto Plus

Batari: /* Break button: */

2025-07-28T01:59:54Z

‎Break button:

Batari: /* Concerto Plus */

2025-07-28T01:59:32Z

‎Concerto Plus

Batari: /* Break button: */

2025-07-28T01:01:12Z

‎Break button:

@@ Line 63: / Line 63: @@
 *Enhanced support for USB cable-based firmware updates (previously, only older Concertos support this)
 *Concerto+ now uses a MicroSD card slot (SD card slot has been deprecated)
-*[[#HOKEY firmware|HOKEY firmware version 1.2]] debuted with the release of Concerto+.
+*[[#HOKEY firmware versions|HOKEY firmware version 1.2]] debuted with the release of Concerto+.
 CEM #0 features not implemented:

@@ Line 63: / Line 63: @@
 *Enhanced support for USB cable-based firmware updates (previously, only older Concertos support this)
 *Concerto+ now uses a MicroSD card slot (SD card slot has been deprecated)
-*[[HOKEY firmware|HOKEY firmware version 1.2]] debuted with the release of Concerto+.
+*[[#HOKEY firmware|HOKEY firmware version 1.2]] debuted with the release of Concerto+.
 CEM #0 features not implemented:

@@ Line 49: / Line 49: @@
 Concerto Plus is a minor hardware refresh of Concerto with some new features.
-In order to make room for new features, some unused Harmony Encore functions were removed (no games are affected). Also removed were hardware vestiges that formerly supported the 40-pin IC socket (for a socketed HOKEY, or OEM POKEY chip.) As a result, Concerto is no longer available with a 40-pin IC socket option. Only the built-in, soldered-on HOKEY chip is available.
+In order to make room for new features, some unused Harmony Encore functions were removed (no games are affected). Also removed were hardware vestiges that formerly supported the 40-pin IC socket (for a socketed HOKEY, or OEM POKEY chip.) As a result, Concerto is no longer available with a 40-pin IC socket option. Only the built-in, soldered-on HOKEY module is available, and is included as a standard feature in Concerto Plus.
 The hardware refresh adds some of the features of the CEM #0 device into the Concerto hardware itself without making the hardware more complex.
@@ Line 63: / Line 63: @@
 *Enhanced support for USB cable-based firmware updates (previously, only older Concertos support this)
 *Concerto+ now uses a MicroSD card slot (SD card slot has been deprecated)
 CEM #0 features not implemented:

@@ Line 266: / Line 266: @@
 All Concertos may be used with a HOKEY sound module. Most Concertos were shipped with a HOKEY sound module built in, but some, particularly older Concertos, shipped with a 40-pin socket where a HOKEY module may be added later. The 40-pin socket also supports an OEM POKEY chip.
-HOKEY began as a pin-compatible replacement for the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/POKEY POKEY chip], which is a sound chip used in some Atari 7800 games. Soon, HOKEY evolved into a general sound chip, capable of features beyond what the OEM POKEY chip could manage.
+HOKEY began as a pin-compatible replacement for the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/POKEY POKEY chip], which is a sound chip used in Atari computers, consoles and arcade games, as well as some Atari 7800 games. Soon, HOKEY evolved into a general sound chip, capable of features beyond what the OEM POKEY chip could manage.
 As of this writing, Concertos utilize the Basic HOKEY, which is a version of HOKEY intended to add enhanced sound to Atari 7800 games. The other features of the OEM POKEY chip, such as paddle ports, keyboard scan and serial I/O are not supported with the Basic version of HOKEY, but are not needed for Atari 7800 games.

@@ Line 264: / Line 264: @@
 == HOKEY sound module ==
-All Concertos may be used with a HOKEY sound module. Most Concertos were shipped with a HOKEY sound module built in, but some, particularly older Concertos, shipped with a 40-pin socket where a HOKEY module may be added to a Concerto. The 40-pin socket also supports an OEM POKEY chip.
+All Concertos may be used with a HOKEY sound module. Most Concertos were shipped with a HOKEY sound module built in, but some, particularly older Concertos, shipped with a 40-pin socket where a HOKEY module may be added later. The 40-pin socket also supports an OEM POKEY chip.
 HOKEY began as a pin-compatible replacement for the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/POKEY POKEY chip], which is a sound chip used in some Atari 7800 games. Soon, HOKEY evolved into a general sound chip, capable of features beyond what the OEM POKEY chip could manage.
@@ Line 296: / Line 296: @@
 New HOKEY firmware versions will be available in the [[#Firmware downloads|Firmware downloads]] section when available.
 ==Concerto Enhancement Modules==

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:36, 28 July 2025
Line 262:		Line 262:
	* Custom bankswitching is not a specific format but rather a stub that allows new Atari 2600 bankswitching schemes to be added to the .bin files themselves, so future firmware updates are not necessary to support them. Examples are the Atari 2600 ARM-based schemes such as DPC+ and CDFJ.		* Custom bankswitching is not a specific format but rather a stub that allows new Atari 2600 bankswitching schemes to be added to the .bin files themselves, so future firmware updates are not necessary to support them. Examples are the Atari 2600 ARM-based schemes such as DPC+ and CDFJ.

		+	== HOKEY sound module ==
		+
		+	All Concertos may be used with a HOKEY sound module. Most Concertos were shipped with a HOKEY sound module built in, but some, particularly older Concertos, shipped with a 40-pin socket where a HOKEY module may be added to a Concerto. The 40-pin socket also supports an OEM POKEY chip.
		+
		+	HOKEY began as a pin-compatible replacement for the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/POKEY POKEY chip], which is a sound chip used in some Atari 7800 games. Soon, HOKEY evolved into a general sound chip, capable of features beyond what the OEM POKEY chip could manage.
		+
		+	As of this writing, Concertos utilize the Basic HOKEY, which is a version of HOKEY intended to add enhanced sound to Atari 7800 games. The other features of the OEM POKEY chip, such as paddle ports, keyboard scan and serial I/O are not supported with the Basic version of HOKEY, but are not needed for Atari 7800 games.
		+
		+	The original HOKEYs were released with firmware version 1.0, and soon, they were being released with firmware version 1.1. HOKEY version 1.2 debuted with the release of Concerto Plus. Older HOKEY devices may be updated to the latest firmware version when the update utility is available.
		+
		+	To use your HOKEY module in your Concerto, you don't have to do anything special. Generally, a game that supports POKEY sound will be automatically detected, and sound will be rendered by the HOKEY chip.
		+
		+	=== HOKEY and CEM devices ===
		+
		+	On older Concerto versions, games using certain hardware configurations, particularly, 128k games using RAM, may not play HOKEY (or POKEY) sound quite correctly. Using a CEM device will correct these issues. Concerto Plus does not require a CEM device for this purpose.
		+
		+	For more information, see [[#Concerto Enhancement Modules\|Concerto Enhancement Modules]].
		+
		+	=== HOKEY firmware versions ===
		+
		+	Version 1.0: Initial release.
		+
		+	Version 1.1: Major features include:
		+	*Support of dual POKEY. By bankswitching of POKEY registers, two POKEY cores may work together to produce up to eight channels of POKEY music.
		+	*Bug fixes
		+
		+	Version 1.2: Major features include:
		+	*Filter support
		+	*Two-tone mode
		+	*Volume increase
		+	*Many bug fixes
		+	*Reduction in hardware resources (so many more features may be added.)
		+
		+	New HOKEY firmware versions will be available in the [[#Firmware downloads\|Firmware downloads]] section when available.
	==Concerto Enhancement Modules==		==Concerto Enhancement Modules==

@@ Line 57: / Line 57: @@
 *Fixed graphics glitches in some 128k+RAM or 144k games
 *Fixed sound glitches in HOKEY sound for 128k+RAM and 144k games
-*[[Break button|Break Button]]
+*[[#Break button|Break Button]]
 New features not related to CEM #0:

@@ Line 364: / Line 364: @@
 While some CEM devices will retain data for extended periods, perhaps even for weeks, it's still better to sync right away, as some CEM devices are only designed to maintain data on the battery-backed RAM between power cycles in a typical gaming session.
-===Break button:===
+===Break button===
 The break button is a tactile button, typically on the front of the CEM #0, or on the top of the cartridge on a Concerto Plus. It's designed to restart the Concerto's menu without requiring a power cycle. Just press the button while in an Atari 7800 game and both the Concerto and the Atari 7800 will perform a warm reboot.

@@ Line 366: / Line 366: @@
 ===Break button:===
-The break button is a tactile button, typically on the front of the CEM #0. It's designed to restart the Concerto's menu without requiring a power cycle. Just press the button while in an Atari 7800 game.
+The break button is a tactile button, typically on the front of the CEM #0, or on the top of the cartridge on a Concerto Plus. It's designed to restart the Concerto's menu without requiring a power cycle. Just press the button while in an Atari 7800 game and both the Concerto and the Atari 7800 will perform a warm reboot.
 On some CEM #0 devices, the break button might be a bit hard to access. If this is the case, try using a small implement to press the button. The button only requires 50g of force, so don't press hard. If you press it hard enough that the entire CEM #0 moves, this might cause the CEM #0 to momentarily lose contact with the 7800 and the game may crash.
 Note that the break button will only reset to menu for 7800 games. Additionally, only Atari 7800 games may be selected after reentering the menu via the break button. Atari 2600 games always require a full power cycle.
 As of this writing, Save Game functionality is not functional, but this feature is planned for upcoming Concerto firmware versions.