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MiSTer FPGA: Interface pinout

Dale Whinham edited this page Apr 20, 2022 · 3 revisions

Use this pinout if you'd like to build your own custom MiSTer interface.

  • The leftmost five columns are for when constructing a USB cable to connect between the user port and a Raspberry Pi.
  • If you want to connect a DE-10 Nano directly to a Raspberry Pi without an I/O board or USB cable, use the rightmost two columns and refer to your DE-10 Nano's manual for the pin positions.
  • You can omit some of the connections if you don't want certain features. For example, if you don't want to use the MiSTer OSD integration, don't connect the IΒ²C SDA and SCL signals. If you don't want to send audio back to the MiSTer for mixing, don't connect any of the IΒ²S signals.
  • You can connect a real SSD1306 OLED display too, if you'd like to have both a real display and make use of the OSD integration. Just connect your display as usual to the IΒ²C SCL and SDA signals of both the Pi and the MiSTer.
USB pin (user port) USB signal name* MiSTer signal name* Wire color‑ Raspberry Pi pin DE-10 Nano Arduino pinΒ§
1 VBUS +5V Red 2† VCC5
2 D- TX (MIDI out) White 10 SDA
3 D+ IΒ²C SDA Green 3 SCL
4 GND GND Black 6 GND
5 RX- IΒ²S DAT Blue or Purple 40 D10/SS
6 RX+ IΒ²S BCLK Yellow or Orange 12 D11/MOSI
7 GND_DRAIN IΒ²C SCL Bare wire 5 D12/MISO
8 TX- IΒ²S WS Purple or Blue 35 D13/SCK
9 TX+ RX (MIDI in) Orange or Yellow 8ΒΆ D8

Notes

  • * Signal names are as seen from the MiSTer side (i.e. USB pin 2 is MIDI out FROM the MiSTer). The "USB signal name" is simply for cross-referencing the original purpose of the USB pin; the "MiSTer signal name" is what is actually being delivered on that pin.
  • † Do not connect +5V if you want to use an external power supply for the Raspberry Pi.
  • ‑ Wire colors for the RX and TX differential pairs could be swapped depending on which half of a cut USB cable you may be using.
  • ΒΆ Optional, not currently used by mt32-pi.
  • Β§ This column is for connecting a DE-10 Nano directly to a Raspberry Pi. Refer to page 30 of the DE-10 Nano User Manual to locate the pin positions.
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