NES & Famicom Sound Enhancement Chips - Explained

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Technical specifications

The console's main central processing unit (CPU) was produced by Ricoh, which manufactured different versions between NTSC and PAL regions; NTSC consoles use a 2A03 clocked at 1.79 MHz, while PAL consoles use a 2A07 clocked at 1.66 MHz. Both CPUs are second source variants of the MOS Technology 6502, an 8-bit microprocessor prevalent in contemporary home computers and consoles; Nintendo ostensibly disabled the 6502's binary-coded decimal mode on them to avoid patent infringement against or licensing fees towards MOS Technology, which was owned by then-rival Commodore International. The CPU has access to 2 KB of onboard work RAM.

The console's graphics are handled by a Ricoh 2C02, a processor known as the Picture Processing Unit (PPU) that is clocked at 5.37 MHz. A derivative of the Texas Instruments TMS9918—a video display controller used in the ColecoVision—the PPU features 2 KB of video RAM, 256 bytes of on-die "object attribute memory" (OAM) to store sprite display information on up to 64 sprites, and 28 bytes of RAM to store information on the YIQ-based color palette; the console can display up to 25 colors simultaneously out of 54 usable colors.

The console's standard display resolution is 256 × 240 pixels, though video output options vary between models. The original Famicom features only radio frequency (RF) modulator output, while the NES additionally includes support for composite video via RCA connectors. The redesigned Famicom omits the RF modulator entirely, only outputting composite video via a proprietary "multi-out" connector first introduced on the Super Famicom/NES; conversely, the redesigned NES features RF modulator output only, though a version of the model including the "multi-out" connector was produced in rare quantities.

The console produces sound via an audio processing unit (APU) integrated into the processor. It supports a total of five sound channels: two pulse wave channels, one triangle wave channel, one white noise channel, and one DPCM channel for sample playback. Audio playback speed is dependent on the CPU clock rate, which is set by a crystal oscillator.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintend...

00:00 - The NES Ricoh 2A03/2A07
01:53 - Japanese Famicom Disk System Ricoh RP2C33
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03:14 - Namco 163 for the NES
03:38 - Erika to Satoru no Yume Bouken (Namco 163)
04:13 - King of Kings (Namco 163)
05:04 - Konami Virtual ROM Controller 6 (VRC6)
05:48 - Akumajō Densetsu vs Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse (VRC6 demo)
07:13 - Sunsoft 5B
07:33 - Gimmick (Sunsoft 5B demo)
09:29 - Konami Virtual ROM Controller 7 (VRC7)
10:14 - Lagrange Point (VRC7 demo)