RE2-YMF297 - Project RE:birth 2nd Sound Card
What is it?
The RE2-YMF297 is a real working sound card built around the YMF297 chip — a rare FM synthesis IC sourced directly from the PC-9801-118 sound board. The schematic is derived from the ps98 project. Currently, OPN3 mode has been verified to be fully functional.
Project RE-birth 2nd is the spiritual continuation of Project RE-birth — a legendary open hardware project dedicated to bringing classic FM sound chips back to life. In the absence of original hardware, I forked almost all RE-birth music modules to truly revive this project, making FM music chips available to people all over the world — no internal meetings, no mystery stores, no hunger marketing, long-term stock and fair play for everyone.
About the YMF297 Chip
The YMF297 is Yamaha's OPN3 (FM Operator Type-N 3) chip, an advanced successor in the OPN family. It was used in NEC's PC-9801-118 sound expansion board, one of the most sought-after PC-98 audio cards among collectors and enthusiasts. The chip delivers rich, multi-operator FM synthesis with the characteristic warmth of the OPN lineage.
Because the YMF297 is sourced from genuine PC-9801-118 hardware, availability is inherently limited — making this module a rare opportunity for serious collectors and FM music enthusiasts.
Key Features
- Authentic YMF297 (OPN3) chip sourced from PC-9801-118
- OPN3 mode verified and fully functional
- Schematic based on the open-source ps98 project
- Compatible with RE:birth bus standard
- Works with SPFM Light, SPFM Lite, RESPFM, IAP-RESPFM and more
- Classic NE5532 dual op-amp for excellent audio output quality
- Adjustable volume control on-board
- Excellent digital-to-analog isolation for clean sound
- Standardized RE:birth module form factor
Compatible Software
- MDPlayer
- MAME (kenichi fork)
- SPFM Player
- BambooTracker
- mml2vgm
- Hoot
- And many more SCCI-compatible players
Compatible Mainboards
- SPFM Light
- SPFM Lite (2 slots)
- RESPFM
- IAP-RESPFM (4 slots)
- STM32-RESPFM (4 slots)
Open Source
Hardware design available on GitHub: github.com/denjhang/PS98-YMF297