Hi everyone!
I want to share a project I've been working on: Aura MSX, a fully working MSX1 emulator for the M5Stack Cardputer.
What is Aura MSX?
Aura is an MSX1 emulator written from scratch for the Cardputer. It runs real MSX software — games, BASIC programs, and tools — straight from the SD card, with a custom launcher to pick what to load.
Under the hood:
- CPU: Z80 core by superzazu
- Video: TMS9918A VDP emulation
- Sound: AY-3-8910 PSG
- BIOS: C-BIOS (free and open-source — no proprietary firmware required)
- Custom launcher to browse ROMs and cassette images from the SD card
Datasette module (this is my favorite part)
Aura includes a working Kansas City Standard datasette emulator. It outputs FSK audio at 1200 baud through the Cardputer's headphone jack, so you can:
- Save BASIC programs from the emulator as real .cas files
- Load .cas files placed in the
/cintasfolder on the SD card - Connect the headphone output to a real MSX and transfer programs to original hardware
The timing was validated against cas2wav to make sure the audio is bit-accurate.
Hardware compatibility
Aura runs on both the original Cardputer and the Cardputer-ADV from a single binary. On the ADV, it uses the TCA8418 keyboard and the ES8311 audio codec automatically.
How to use it
- Flash the firmware to your Cardputer
- Prepare a FAT32 microSD card with:
- ROM files in the root or in a folder
- A
/cintasfolder for.cascassette images
- Insert the card, power on, and the launcher takes over
Documentation
A full Spanish user manual is included, plus a printable trifold quick reference card.
SD (FAT32)
/msx/roms/ cartuchos .ROM
/msx/disks/ programas .BAS
/cintas/ cintas .CAS
I'll be uploading it to M5Burner shortly so it's a single click to flash. I'll edit this post with the link once it's up.
Feedback, bug reports, and suggestions are very welcome.
Cheers,
Altaris Software