Digital Equipment AlphaStation Owner's manual

AlphaStationSoundCard
HardwareInformation
Part Number: EK-PBXJA-HI. A01
Revision/Update Information: This is a new manual.
Digital Equipment Corporation
Maynard, Massachusetts

January 1995
Digital Equipment Corporation makes no representations that the use of its products in the manner described in this
publication will not infringe on existing or future patent rights, nor do the descriptions contained in this publication
imply the granting of licenses to make, use, or sell equipment or software in accordance with the description.
Possession, use, or copying of the software described in this publication is authorized only pursuant to a valid
written license from Digital or an authorized sublicensor.
© Digital Equipment Corporation 1995. All rights reserved.
The postpaid Reader's Comments form at the end of this document requests your critical evaluation to assist in
preparing future documentation.
The following are trademarks of Digital Equipment Corporation: AlphaStation and the DIGITAL logo.
The following are third-party trademarks:
Microsoft is a registered trademark, and Windows is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective holders.

FCC Information - Class B
The sound card has been tested, and it complies with the limits for a Class B computing device in accordance with
the specifications in Part 15 of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules. These limits are designed to
provide reasonable protection against harmful RF interference in a residential installation. There is, however, no
guarantee that RF interference will not occur in a particular installation.
To determine if your hardware device is causing interference, disconnect the device from your computer. If the
interference stops, it probably was caused by the device. If the interference continues, disconnect the hardware
device, then turn the computer off and then on again. If the interference stopped when the computer was off, check
to see if one of the input/output (I/O) devices of one of the computer's internal accessory boards is causing the
problem. Disconnect the I/O devices one at a time and see if the interference stops.
If your computer does cause interference, try the following measures to correct it:
Relocate the radio or TV antenna until the interference stops.
Move the computer farther away from the radio or TV, or move it to one side or the other of the radio or TV.
Plug the computer into a different power outlet so that the computer and radio or TV are on different circuits
controlled by different circuit breakers or fuses.
If necessary, ask your computer dealer or an experienced radio-TV technician for more suggestions. You may find
helpful information in the booklet How to Identify and Resolve Radio-TV Interference Problems (stock number
004-000-00345-4), published by the FCC, which is available from the U.S. Government Printing Office,
Washington, D.C. 20402.
iii

Table of Contents
Welcome ...................................................................................................... vii
Audience................................................................................................................................vii
What Is the AlphaStation Sound Card?...................................................................................vii
Sound Card Package...............................................................................................................vii
For More Information............................................................................................................viii
Installing the AlphaStation Sound Card..................................................... 1
Overview ................................................................................................................................. 1
I. Planning IRQ, DMA, and Address Assignments................................................................ 1
Microsoft Windows NT Workstation................................................................................. 2
DEC OSF/1 AXP and OpenVMS AXP.............................................................................. 2
II. Setting the Address Jumper ............................................................................................... 4
III. Updating the Console Database......................................................................................... 5
IV. Installing the Sound Card .................................................................................................. 7
V. Connecting Audio Equipment............................................................................................ 8
VI. Installing Software Drivers................................................................................................ 9
Microsoft Windows NT Workstation................................................................................. 9
DEC OSF/1 AXP............................................................................................................... 9
OpenVMS AXP............................................................................................................... 10
Troubleshooting..................................................................................................................... 11
Overview......................................................................................................................... 11
Resolving Hardware Conflicts......................................................................................... 12
ISACFG Utility...................................................................................................................... 13
Overview......................................................................................................................... 13
Command Format............................................................................................................ 13
v

Figures
1 I/O Address Jumpers ..........................................................................................................4
2 Sound Card Connections....................................................................................................8
Table
1 Sound Card Troubleshooting............................................................................................11
2 ISACFG Command Options.............................................................................................13
vi

Welcome
The AlphaStation sound card1adds a whole new dimension to your AlphaStation system.
With the addition of sound, you will enjoy far greater productivity and effectiveness.
Audience
This booklet is for people who are preparing to install and set up the AlphaStation sound
card into an AlphaStation system.
What Is the AlphaStation Sound Card?
The AlphaStation sound card is an enjoyable business productivity tool. The sound card
accepts input from a microphone or a stereo device such as a CD player. The card can
output stereo audio to headphones or speakers as well as a cassette recorder or amplifier.
The sound card is supported on AlphaStation systems running the DEC OSF/1, OpenVMS,
or Microsoft Windows NT operating systems.
Sound Card Package
Your AlphaStation sound card package contains the following:
•Sound card
•Microphone with a base
•Headphones
•AlphaStation Sound Card Hardware Information booklet
You can obtain an additional microphone and headphone by ordering part number
AVH01-AA.
1The AlphaStation sound card is compatible with the Microsoft Windows Sound System.
vii

For More Information
For more information, refer to the following sources:
•Microsoft Windows NT Workstation System Guide (located on the Windows NT
CD-ROM)
•Multimedia Services for DEC OSF/1 AXP Installation Guide and the related release
notes
•OpenVMS AXP Version 6.1-1H1 Release Notes and Installation Procedures or later
version
viii

Installing the AlphaStation Sound Card
Overview
Before you can use the AlphaStation sound card, you must perform certain steps,
including: planning, configuring the card, configuring the operating system, and plugging
the card into an expansion slot. The following sections (I-VI) detail these steps.
__________________________NOTE ____________________________
Your current operating system affects how you perform the steps here. The
DEC OSF/1 AXP, OpenVMS AXP, or Microsoft Windows NT Workstation
operating systems each learn about the sound card in a different manner.
Operating system-specific differences in the steps are identified.
____________________________________________________________
I. Planning IRQ, DMA, and Address Assignments
The IRQ level and the DMA channel of the sound card are set under software control. The
I/O address is set with jumpers.
Ensure that your sound card is not assigned to IRQ levels, DMA channels, or I/O addresses
that are already in use by other devices. Plan to prevent this from happening. Keeping
records of your system's IRQ level, DMA channel, and I/O address assignments helps
ensure that you choose unused values. The equipment log section of your system's user
manual is designed for keeping this type of record.
You can gather the necessary information in other ways, depending on which operating
system your system is running.
1

Microsoft Windows NT Workstation
If your system is running Microsoft Windows NT Workstation, use the Windows NT
Diagnostics to identify the IRQ, DMA, and I/O address assignments. To access the
diagnostics, follow these steps:
1. From the Program Manager, open the Administrative Tools group.
2. Double-click on the Windows NT Diagnostics icon. The Windows NT Diagnostics
menu displays.
3. Click on the IRQ/Port Status button.
4. Make a note of the available IRQs.
DEC OSF/1 AXP and OpenVMS AXP
If your Digital AlphaStation system is running either the DEC OSF/1 AXP or OpenVMS
AXP operating system, use the SRM console's ISACFG command to display the contents
of the configuration database.
To display the full console database, first shut down the operating system. Then, from the
SRM console prompt, type:
>>>isacfg -all.
Use control S (^S) and control Q (^Q) to stop or continue the scrolling of the display. A
list of device information similar to the following is displayed on the monitor (relevant
information is highlighted in bold type below):
=============================================================
handle:MOUSE
etyp: 2
slot: 0 dev: 0
enadev: 1
totdev: 6
iobase0: 60 membase0:8000000000000000
iobase1: 8000000000000000 memlen0: 8000000000000000
iobase2: 8000000000000000 membase1: 8000000000000000
iobase3: 8000000000000000 memlen1: 8000000000000000
iobase4: 8000000000000000 membase2: 8000000000000000
iobase5: 8000000000000000 memlen2: 8000000000000000
rombase: 8000000000000000
romlen: 8000000000000000
2