Commodore Free 9/Commodore_Free_Issue_09_2007_Commodore_Computer_Club.d64/t.iv toni

Text File | 2023-02-26 | 11KB | 363 lines

u    Interview with Toni Westbrook
           Shredz64 Creator

Q - Please can you tell our reader a
little about yourself

I'm a 26 year old database developer
living in a great little city on the
seacoast of New Hampshire.  I've been
a Commodore (and classic computers in
general) fanatic since my first C64.
I'm a pretty big fan of life in
general, and "geeking out" whenever
possible.

Q - Please tell our reader about your
full time job

I program database and web
applications for Concord School
District - (Concord is New Hampshire's
state capital).  I enjoy it as it
allows meto work on a wide range of
projects.  I also run a software
development company called Synthetic
Dreams in my off hours which
specializes indatabase development and
neural network simulations.  I'm
pretty busy in general, but its fun
stuff.

Q - How did you become involved with
the Commodore 64

My family purchased a C64 when I was
about 4, and it (and computing in
general) pretty much became the focus
of my life.  It was the only computer
I had until age 12, and I did
everything I could with it.  That
little machine will always have a
place in my heart, as corny as it
sounds - even though parts are failing
now, I'll always keep it.

Q - The Shredz64 Project what is
Shredz64,

The Shredz64 project is a (successful
now) attempt to connect the
Playstation Guitar Hero controller to
a Commodore 64, as well as write a
Guitar Hero like game using the
controller.  The adapter I built to
connect playstation controllers to
Commodore machines I've named the
PSX64, and the Guitar Hero like game
I've named Shredz64.  The adapter is
great, as in addition to having extra
functionality specific to the Guitar
Hero controller, it also allows you to
use normal dual shock controllers with
any C64 (Or Amiga, Atari, or Sega
Master System) game, and allows
programmable macros and some other
neat stuff.  It's great  to play old
games with the new precision of a
game pad.

Q - What would our reader need to try
out your project

Currently I haven't released the
source code or schematics for the
PSX64 adapter yet - I'm waiting for
the whole project to be done and all
thelittle bugs to be worked out.  I'm
not an electrical engineer by any
means, I have moderate knowledge of
microcontroller programming and
digital electronics, so even though
everything works, I'd like to clean
some things up prior to public
consumption, maybe get a few opinions
of some EE people more knowledgeable
than myself.  Right now I'm focusing
on the game since the adapter is 99%
done; I have a target date of  being
done with eveything by
October/November.

Q - our reader may not have heard of
the playstation can you enligten him
about the machine

The Playstation (Or more specifically,
the PS2/PS3) is one of the most
popular consoles on the market, along
with Microsoft's X-Box line and
Nintendo's GameCube / Wii systems.
The PS line is great fun, as
imaginative accessories like the
Guitar Hero controller, or DDR pads,
Or other devices are abundant on the
system.

Q - The Shredz64 Project ok WHY ?

I went to a Commodore conference
(TPUG's World of Commmodore) in
Toronto last December and realized for
the first time that there were still a
lot of people interested in using
Commodore machines, even to this day.
There were just a lot of imaginative
things being done, network games and
midi adapters and just really cool new
uses and ways of pushing theC64 to its
limits.  Around the same time I had
read about Jeri Ellsworth's amazing
contributions to the field, and I just
got (and still am) really excited that
I wasn't the only person who still
loved his/her Commodore, and decided
that I wanted to actively work on
something like these other bright
people were.  I think Guitar Hero is
an awesomely fun game, so I figured
there was no reason I couldn't combine
the two. Then I realized how freaking
cool it would be to play SID tunes
with a Guitar Hero controller, and I
was off and running.  ;)

Q - the website says its about 98%
functionlal can you explain what this
means

Yeah, the 98% functional part
describes the PSX64 adapter.  It
currently detects if you plug in a
normal dual shock controller or a
guitar hero controller, and operates
differently accordingly.  If you plug
in a Dual shock, it allows you to
assign button macros to the
L1/L2/R1/R2 buttons using the start
button, and converts L/U/D/R and X
over to L/U/D/R and Fire,
respectively.  It also converts the
left analog stick over to L/U/D/R when
in analog mode.  If you plug a guitar
hero controller in, it maps all the
buttons over, and also encodes strum
up, strum down, lift up, and the
whammy bar into the two analog pot
lines of DB9 port, which Shredz64
reads.  Really, the only thing I want
to change about the adapter is
protecting the MCU - right now due to
a small design glitch, if you plug it
into the computer without powering it
from the wall, it tends to erase the
programming on the MCU. It just needs
a few diodes and all will be
"perfect".

Q - What other developments are there
to be made to the project

The game just needs to be finished.
Currently, it draws the fret board,
reads note data off floppy disk,
glides the buttons down the fret board
at the right times, reads in buttons
being pressed on the guitarcontroller,
increases your score and crowd meter
for correctly playing notes, decreases
your crowd meter for incorrectly
played notes, and reads music (SID)
data from disk.  It currently plays
the music too, but the timing is off
as its not done.  I need to complete
the SID converter/player, and then the
Shredocity meter (like star power),
menus, general cleanup - add better
graphics if there is any processing
power left.  Its coming along really
nicely in general though.  I've been
programming it in a mix of C and 6502
assembly using the CC65 compiler on my
Debian Linux box and a PC64 cable. Q-
If our reader is wanting to become
involved in the project what would he
need to do to help out

Just friendly words of support are
great!  I've had a couple people write
with some helpful suggestions, or
willing to do some graphics, that's
always nice too.  Honestly, until it's
in the end phases, there won't be too
much need of extra stuff, but until
then I like to get notes just to know
people are interested.

Q - Will this project be "mass
produced" or is it just Designed to
be a DIY effort

I haven't really decided about this
yet.  I will probably release
everything as public domain, and then
offer to build the PSX64 adapter for a
fee.  It's rough with the PSX64
adapter, as if you wanted to build
one, you'd need an Atmel Atmega MCU
programmer, which some people have,
but I imagine many people don't.  So
those that do could build the
interface and download the hex/source
for the MCU and burn it on, and those
who didn't could purchase it from me.
Honestly, I'm not sure yet, but I will
get everything out there one way or
another! :)

Q - Our reader may be thinking "i have
all the parts needed but cant solder"
can you provide him with an interface

Thats the other thing, some people
aren't big fans of soldering V so
yeah, for these people assembling the
PSX64 for a fee would work out.

Q - Was this an easy project or did
you encounter some unforeseen problems

Parts were easier than I thought they
were going to be, and other parts were
very difficult.  I had a hard time
finding documentation about the
protocol the PSX controller's use.
There are lots of sites with general
information about the pins and basic
control codes for reading in
directions, but when it came to
sending commands to the controller,
(eg forcing it into analogue mode or
reading current mode, vibration, etc),
I searched long and hard until I found
it.  Converting SID files to something
usable in a very controlled
application such as this one has been
very difficult to say the least too. Q
- Please tell us a little about the
design project - How does someone
start to create such a piece of
Hardware

Whenever I work on projects like
these, I just take little steps. With
this one, first I created a little
circuit and MCU firmware to see if I
could read the buttons being pressed
on a PSX controller.  Then I added to
read the Guitar Hero controller.  Then
I made it play notes on a small
speaker.  Then it basically just grew
and grew until the adapter was fully
functional, then I started on the
game.  Its easy to get overwhelmed,
but its fun when you split it into
smaller projects, and easier to deal
with the frustration when things don't
work sometimes (often times).

Q - Are you working in any other
projects Commodore or none Commodore

I'm working on a number of
non-Commodore projects, but they
aren't as fun - mostly database
related.  I have an ongoing project of
building An accurate biological neural
network emulator which is one of those
lifelong things, I've been doing it
for about 10-12 years.  AI is another
one of those areas that's always
interested me.

Q - Do you own any other Commodore
Computers apart from the Commodore 64
used in the project

Oh goodness yeah - I collect classic
computers.  For Commodores, I have my
first C64, as well as another C64 and
a newer C64C. I have a Vic-20, a
C-128, and a SX-64 (great machine). In
the Amiga line, I have a A1000, A500,
A2000, A2500, and an A1200.  I also
have a Commodore 286 Special Edition.
I have a range of Apples, Ataris and
TRS-80s, but the Commodores are my
favourites by far.

Q - Do you actively use Commodore
machines

In my work area, I have my C64C and my
Amiga 1200 right next to my Debian and
Win2003 Server I use for my business.
I don't necessarily use them in my day
to day activities, but I can't go too
long without turning them on and
playing some games or just messing
around.

Q - Ok I always like to ask "why did
you think Commodore went wrong"

I think this is a very complicated
question, and I only know what I've
read, but a lot of it had to do with
people in power like Irving Gould and
even Jack Tramiel in the early days to
a certain extent.  It just seems like
Commodore had all these brilliant
minds, amazing potential, the power to
absolutely rule the entire market, and
the people who controlled the money
just kept making absolutely bizarre
and  Destructive decisions.  Here was
a business that had its own chip
making facility, had the #1 selling
computer (of all time, to this day),
and could have kept going with the
Amiga - a machine that was years ahead
of its time. It's really sad, and
what's even more sad is the
revisionist history of Apple being
these visionaries and all the rest of
the garbage you hear. Most people
today think of Commodore as a gaming
machine, if they think of it at all.
I would love to see a world where
Commodore made it.

Q - And " what would you do i you won
1 millionpounds"

First thing I'd convert it to American
currency, run my business full time,
and hopefully make as big of an impact
on the world as Commodore did. :)


...end..
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