Compatibility Model 70 Type1, Model 95 P90

[vossi1]

Hi, I just tested more and found out this:

• The harddrive issues in model 70 are caused by smartdrive's write cache. With only read cache enabled - no problems anymore. You can delete harddisk problems with model 70 and sb mca.
• In model 70/16MHz the sb mcv runs perfectly. test-sbc from the sb mcv-disk and test-sbc from the sb 2.0 disk works. Adlib sound is detected by games like Prince of Persia, Arkanoid 2, Shanghai II. SB is also detected in some tested games.
• In model 95 test-sbc of sb-mcv and sb 2.0 is not able to play fm-sound! Also some games don't detect the adlib card. You sbdiag and most games play fm-sound properly. Soundblaster is also detected by a lot of games.
• Windows 3.1 runs in both machines with the sb mca but you have to add MCADMA=off to [386enh] in system.ini. This is a common problem also with the real sb mcv. digital sound in WIn 3.1 works, but it hangs when trying to play a .mid file with the Windows media-player.
• I tested with all chips as ALS, but no better compatibility. So I think its ok to use ALS (or F, maybe ACT, ABT) only for the 244, 245 and the 374's (for me LS374 also works - but for safety take ALS). You should also use ALS for the 32 in U24 (joystick CS) - this is also a fix for the real sb mcv. All other chips are ok as LS. I haven't tested HCT - but HCT is much slower than LS - so I wouldn't use them.

QUESTION: SB MCA 1.0 or 2.0 ??? Many games like Doom, Doom2, Doom Ultimate, Pinball Dreams 1,... have problems with the Sound Blaster 1 (maybe because it does only 22kHz?) - these games have also probs with the snark barker mca. Is the snark barker mca with DSP 2.02 (from sb 2) a soundblaster 1 or 2 ??? - does it 22kHz or 44kHz? Or is for 44kHz a different hardware needed? The sb mcv install disks sets blaster to T3 = sound blaster 2.0 - is that correct?

BTW: The plaidbib cpld is always recognized as Adlib in the model 95 / P90. Is there a difference in the FM-part of the these cards?

Vossi

[elosha]

SB 1.0 vs 2.0: 2.0 mainly was a firmware upgrade that added a new 44KHz transfer/playback mode which operates at the boundaries of SB hardware. So DSP 2.0 makes any Snark Barker a SB2.

Other workarounds: Disabling write caching or DMA appears like quite an impact for me, or did I misunderstand? Edit: Here's more info about the MCADMA setting, but not enough to understand what it actually does: https://ardent-tool.com/sound/Sound_Blaster.html

[vossi1]

Disabling write cache has nothing to do with the snark barker. I thought this first but the error also occurs without the sb when copying many files from floppy to HD. Maybe the harddisk has a problem. It's only a problem in this model 70. Or it's the software combination of IBM DOS4 with smartdrive from Windows 3.1 DOS4 has no smartdrive included. I will try to use dos 6 on the 70.

About MCADMA=off I read at the same source like you ;) It works in both machines.

[vossi1]

WIndows 3.1 runs with DMA now on model 70 and 95! You have to take the VDMAD.386 from the SBProMCV drivers and copy it to the windows 3.1/system directory. In the system.ini [386enh] area you have to change DEVICE=*VDMAD to DEVICE=VDMAD.386 - that's it ;)

Seems like the MCADMA=off is really only a workaround neccessary for the old dma-controller in model 57.

BTW: I just read that the original sb mcv has sound blaster 1 hardware without cms and amp but already with DSP 2.0: https://ardent-tool.com/sound/Sound_Blaster.html

Windows soundrecorder play and record works. But midi play with the mediaplayer still hangs - I don't know why...?

[vossi1]

Hi, I just found this: Owners of previous revision Sound Blaster boards could upgrade their board by purchasing the V2.00 DSP chip from Creative Labs, and swapping the older DSP V1.0x with the newer replacement. The upgraded board gained the auto-init DMA and new MIDI capabilities of the Sound Blaster 2.0 but not the expanded sampling rates.

Question: What sampling rate is with the Snark Barker MCA possible: 22kHz or 44kHz ? If it has only 22kHz (also with DSP 2.02) this is maybe the problem with some games like doom?

[schlae]

the sample rate is controlled purely by the DSP, and with either the Chinese clone firmware or the genuine DSP 2.02, it should work fine at 44KHz.

[vossi1]

I got a bench of different real old ALS chips from TI and Motorola and tested a snark barker with it in my 9595. Sadly no difference: TEST-SBC of SB1 and SB2 driver disks does not play FM-sound. Some games doesn't detect an adlib soundcard for music. Doom doesn't run with SB digital sound.

So I think it's more a problem of the 9595... Also Flight sim 5, Prince of Persia and Pinball dreams1 doesn't run on the 9595. PS/2's are not standard 100% compatible dos-pc's!

So I finally recommend: 74ALS244, 74ALS245, U24 74ALS32 (or 74F, 74ACT) and if you have two 74ALS374 (but from the datasheet a LS374 is good for 50MHz - should be more than enough). All other work nice at LS types. Do not use slow HCT's!