What is it?

Simple adapter board that allows you to use a General Instruments AY-3-8912 programmable sound generator in a device designed to use an AY-3-8910 or Yamaha YM2149 chip

Why did you make it?

This was designed specifically for the RC2014 Sound Card, as an easy way to increase the range of sound chips which can be used with it.

The AY-3-8912 is a 28 pin IC which is compatible with the AY-3-8910 with the exception that it only has one 8 bit I/O port, compared to two 8 bit I/O ports on the '8910. The '8912 was a common chip back in the day, and used in computers such as the Sinclair Spectrum 128k, Amstrad CPC and Vectrex. Therefor it is often cheaper and easier to get hold of than the '8910 variant.

What is included?

This board is offered as PCB only, PCB and square pins & socket, or PCB and turned pins & socket. No chips are included. The photos with the RC2014 Sound Card are for illustration purposes only.

If you are fitting this directly to a PCB, then the square pins will be the best option as this gives a nice low profile. However, if you are mounting this on to an existing socket, the square pins will deform it, so the turned pins are recommended. Note that the profile is quite high if mounting it in a socket, so make sure you have enough clearance.

As mentioned earlier, this was designed with the RC2014 Sound Card in mind, and has only been tested with this. As long as it physically fits, and does not use I/O Port B, then it should work fine as a replacement in any device that uses an AY-3-8910 or YM2149 - however, no tests have been carried out to confirm this.

Can it be used the opposite way around?

Yes! As the only difference between the 8910 and 8912 is the second port, if you have a machine which needs an AY-3-8912 but you can only get hold of 8910, then using a 40 pin socket and 28 long pins will work and give you clearance over other components. This has been tested and works great with the Vectrex. Note that the long turned pins are not available, so whilst the long straight pins will work, they may leave your socket less springy if you want to go back to an 8912 one day.

RC2014 is a trademark of RFC2795 Ltd.