NSF Hardware Players
HardNES is the first NSF hardware player invented by Kevin Horton that is run by a NES CPU and a FPGA. It features a LED, stereo sound and 128 KB RAM chip which contains all the RAM used by the control system and the emulated ROM space that is bank-switched. The maximum NSF size would be under 128 KB.
CopyNES NSF Cart is another invention by Kevin Horton. The NSF Cart is used in combination with a CopyNES. The NSF file is transferred to the CopyNES and then to the NSF Cart for NSF playback. The maximum sized NSF for the original cart is 128 KB. It may be possible to install a larger RAM chip to play back larger NSFs.
NES PowerPak is a NES cartridge that has a CompactFlash card port that enables the transfer of ROM images to this cart. The 512 KB RAM chip and the FPGA circuits allow this cartridge to be flexible enough to support many iNES mappers including the NSF specification. As of 3/25/2012 the PowerPak's NSF mapper emulates the expansion audio of FDS, VRC6, and N163. Also, since the NES PowerPak's smallest bank size select is 8 KB and the NSF bank size select is 4 KB, there is a trick involved that effectively doubles the 4 KB banks but also limits the maximum NSF size to 252 KB.
The TNS-HFC series is a hardware NSF player for the Famicom manufactured by Terra Network Systems, a company based in Japan. The latest model is the TNS-HFC3. It allows NSFs stored on the root directory of an SD card (SDHC not supported) to be played on a Famicom. When the Famicom is powered on, the TNS-HFC will load the first NSF in the SD card's root directory; pressing the "next" and "previous" buttons on the cart itself will load the next or previous NSF in the root, while pressing the B or A button will load the previous or next track within the NSF file itself. The device's design makes it possible to operate it without the need for any video output whatsoever. The TNS-HFC has its own 3.5mm audio jack to capture audio directly from the cart. This is Terra Network System's solution to the problem where the Famicom does not offer audio/video output natively, which would make audio capture difficult otherwise. The unit offers a crude form of stereo via two volume knobs on the side that control the left and right channels independently. NSFs up to 512 KB will usually load without any issue, though large files that use 7-bit PCM can be problematic.
The unit has a 60-pin female cartridge connector on its reverse side, which is designed to host a Famicom cartridge with one of the expansion sound mappers inside of it (such as Lagrange Point for VRC7, for example), and loading an NSF with the corresponding expansion will allow the TNS-HFC to use that cartridge's sound hardware. Currently, with the exception of the Famicom Disk System sound (which requires a special adapter sold separately), all sound expansions are supported.
Although only one expansion audio cartridge at once can be used with the TNS-HFC, Terra Network Systems also manufactured the TNS-HFE-4, which one would plug into the 60-pin female connector of a TNS-HFC unit, and in turn connect multiple expansion audio cartridges. This unit has since been discontinued; it is unknown whether Terra Network Systems plan to manufacture a similar device in the future.
Read more about this topic: NES Sound Format
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