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What the Arduboy MSX Cartridge does
Asuka Kuroda’s 2021 project documentation describes an Arduino Pro Micro, an Arduino Micro clone based on the ATmega32U4, paired with an SSD1306 SPI OLED. The author selected those components to support existing Arduboy-compiled games. The cartridge has no onboard game buttons: the MSX joystick provides directional input and two action-button states.
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The concept joins three pieces: Arduboy-compatible hardware and display, MSX software that reads the joystick, and cartridge logic that turns the software’s output into button presses on the Arduboy inputs. The standard MSX cartridge slot is a 50-pin expansion connector, but slot implementations can vary by host machine; the MSX Wiki’s cartridge-slot overview describes the standard and those variations. That background does not establish that this specific build works on every MSX.
How joystick control works
The MSX runs a supplied program that reads joystick input and writes six button-state bits to an I/O port. Decoder and logic chips on the cartridge translate those bits into simulated presses on the Arduino’s Arduboy button inputs. According to the project author, ordinary joystick control does not require changes to an Arduboy game’s code.
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Kuroda’s documentation says, “There is no Arduboy code change necessary to make the joystick control work, so all Arduboy games should work.” Treat the final phrase as the author’s design claim, not as independent verification: the project does not establish compatibility across all compiled games or MSX host models.
How the MSX-to-Arduboy I2C link works
A PCF8584 bridges the MSX’s 8-bit I/O bus to I2C. In the documented setup, the MSX is the I2C master and the Arduboy is the slave. The example sends text from the MSX to the OLED and returns a coordinate value from the Arduboy to the MSX.
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The I2C connection is an additional feature, not a requirement for joystick play. Kuroda notes that the Arduboy2 library disables the Arduino I2C pins during normal setup, so a project using the link must enable those pins.
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Parts and tools listed for the build
The project page provides a bill of materials, a Fritzing schematic and file, and example code for the Arduboy demo, GAL, joystick and I2C demo. Its listed components are:
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- Arduino Pro Micro (Arduino Micro clone with ATmega32U4)
- SSD1306 SPI OLED
- MSX cartridge prototyping board with 50-pin edge connector
- Small breadboards
- 3 MHz oscillator and PCF8584 DIP-20 I2C-to-8-bit-bus controller
- 74LS682 address decoder, 74LS32 and 74LS05 open-collector logic chips
- GAL16V8 programmable logic and a DIP switch for selecting the MSX I/O port address
- Reset button (the project says it is not needed with an Arduino Micro), buzzer, ceramic and electrolytic capacitors, and I2C pull-up resistors
The listed software and equipment are Arduino IDE, Fusion-C v1.2 for MSX, SDCC, WinCupl 5.30.4, Fritzing, an MSX computer and a GAL programmer. This is a parts-and-programming project: sourcing correctly specified components and matching the cartridge interface and physical layout are part of the work.
Basic setup and operation
Play a game using the MSX joystick
- Flash the Arduboy with a game using the normal method.
- Turn off the MSX before inserting the cartridge; the project author specifies that the cartridge should be inserted with the computer powered off.
- Start the MSX, then run the supplied joystick program from MSX-DOS.
- Use a joystick connected to MSX port 1 to control the game.
Run the I2C demonstration
- Flash the supplied Arduboy I2C demo sketch.
- Enable the Arduino I2C pins as required by the project’s Arduboy2-library setup.
- Run the supplied MSX demo to send text to the OLED and receive the coordinate value from the Arduboy.
Startup and power cautions
- Unexpected input at startup: The author reports that some inputs may register as pressed when the system powers up, producing an all-white OLED. The joystick program can clear the states; the author then suggests resetting the Arduino.
- Pro Micro power: The project warns that powering a clone Pro Micro from the MSX slot’s 12 V through its RAW input depends on the quality of that board’s regulator. The documentation does not establish that every clone can safely handle this arrangement.
- Flashing games: Switch off the MSX when flashing a new game, as the project author advises.
How it differs from official Arduboy hardware
Arduboy’s official FX-C page describes an ATmega32U4 handheld with a 128×64 monochrome OLED, 16 MB external flash, six buttons, USB-C and I2C link support, and more than 300 included games. Its Jr page describes a DIY development board with an ATmega32U4, external flash and broken-out GPIO; a compatible 128×64 OLED and six buttons are needed to make a complete game system.
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Those products are useful context for Arduboy hardware, but neither is the MSX cartridge or evidence that it supports this project’s MSX integration. The cartridge’s distinctive function is linking an MSX joystick and MSX software to Arduboy-compatible hardware, with the option of an I2C data channel.
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