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

dmamode0/chan0: 80000000 irq0: 12
dmamode1/chan1: 80000000 irq1: 80000000
dmamode2/chan2: 80000000 irq2: 80000000
dmamode3/chan3: 80000000 irq3: 80000000
=============================================================
=============================================================
handle:KBD
etyp: 2
slot: 0 dev: 1
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
dmamode0/chan0: 80000000 irq0: 1
dmamode1/chan1: 80000000 irq1: 80000000
dmamode2/chan2: 80000000 irq2: 80000000
dmamode3/chan3: 80000000 irq3: 80000000
=============================================================
.
.
.
and so forth. Note which IRQ levels (irq0-3), DMA channels (chan0-3), and I/O addresses
(iobase0-5), are in use.
3

II. Setting the Address Jumper
The sound card contains a jumper pin block for specifying I/O addresses. Armed with
your list from the planning step of option addresses in use, you can set the sound card's
address jumper appropriately.
The default address is 530. Figure 1 shows the four possible I/O address jumper settings.
Figure 1. I/O Address Jumpers
530 604 E80 F40
4

III. Updating the Console Database
________________________ CAUTION___________________________
This section applies to DEC OSF/1 and OpenVMS Systems only. If you have a
Windows NT system, go directly to Section IV.
____________________________________________________________
When you are preparing to add an ISA option such as the AlphaStation sound card to an
AlphaStation 400 Series system running the DEC OSF/1 AXP or OpenVMS AXP
operating system, you must update the SRM console’s configuration database before
installing the option.
The database needs information about the sound card's I/O address, IRQ level, DMA
channel, and driver "handle." (The handle is a name bound to the driver.)
Use the ISA configuration utility (ISACFG) to perform the update. ISACFG is run from
the SRM console prompt (>>>).
The following examples show two methods that you can use to update the database.
1. From the SRM console prompt, type:
>>>add_sound
The above example uses a script command. The actual contents of the "add_sound"
script are:
>>>isacfg -slot 2 -etyp 1 -mk -iobase0 530 -iobase1 388
-irq0 9 -dmachan0 0 -dmachan1 1 -handle PCXBJ -enadev 1
2. If your system’s current configuration requires an IRQ level or I/O address other than
the add_sound script command, enter the command manually as follows (enter the
command all on one line; it is wrapped here to fit on the page):
>>>isacfg -slot 2 -etyp 1 -mk -iobase0 604 -iobase1 388
-irq0 7 -dmachan0 0 -dmachan1 1 -handle PCXBJ -enadev 1
The above example uses an alternate address of 604 and IRQ0 of 7.
To modify the IRQ0 entry of the sound card after you have entered it in the database, type:
>>>isacfg -mod -slot 2 -irq0 7
5

After the sound card is added to the console database, type isacfg -all. An entry such as
the one below is displayed at the end of the database:
=============================================================
handle:PCXBJ
etyp: 1
slot: 2 dev: 0
enadev: 1
totdev: 6
iobase0: 530 membase0:8000000000000000
iobase1: 388 memlen0: 8000000000000000
iobase2: 8000000000000000 membase1: 8000000000000000
iobase3: 8000000000000000 memlen1: 8000000000000000
iobase4: 8000000000000000 membase2: 8000000000000000
iobase5: 8000000000000000 memlen2: 8000000000000000
rombase: 8000000000000000
romlen: 8000000000000000
dmamode0/chan0: 0 irq0: 9
dmamode1/chan1: 1 irq0: 80000000
dmamode2/chan2: 80000000 irq0: 80000000
dmamode3/chan3: 80000000 irq0: 80000000
=============================================================
F
For more details on using the ISACFG utility, refer to the ISACFG Utility section
of this document.
6

IV. Installing the Sound Card
This procedure tells you how to install the sound card into an expansion slot in your
system.
________________________WARNING __________________________
Turn off your system before removing the cover. Observe the safety
warnings in your system's user documentation.
____________________________________________________________
To install the sound card, follow these steps:
1. Use the appropriate command to shut down your operating system.
2. Turn off the system and all peripheral devices.
________________________ CAUTION___________________________
To avoid system damage from static electricity discharge, touch bare
(unpainted) metal on the system box before you touch anything inside the
system.
____________________________________________________________
3. Remove the system box cover.
F
Refer to your system's user documentation for information on removing the cover.
4. Locate an unused ISA expansion slot inside your system.
5. Unscrew and remove the solid bracket at the rear of an unused ISA expansion slot.
6. Gently insert the sound card into the expansion slot. Use sufficient pressure to
thoroughly seat the card into the slot. If necessary, carefully rock the card back and
forth.
7. Secure the sound card with the screw you removed from the slot bracket.
8. Replace the system box cover.
9. Proceed to Section V, Connecting Audio Equipment.
7

V. Connecting Audio Equipment
The connectors on the AlphaStation sound card let you connect a range of audio
equipment, from headphones and microphones to stereo system components.
_______________________ WARNINGS __________________________
Turn off your system and audio equipment whenever you need to connect or
disconnect it.
The sound card can output high volume. To avoid hearing loss or damage,
test the sound volume by holding the headphones away from your ears.
____________________________________________________________
Figure 2 shows the audio equipment connections for the following items:
1. Microphone
2. Audio input (Line in)
3. Audio amplifier or recorder (Line out)
4. Headphones or self-amplified speakers
Figure 2. Sound Card Connections
8

VI. Installing Software Drivers
After you install your sound card and connect your audio equipment, you must set up the
operating system. Each operating system handles the setup differently.
________________________WARNING __________________________
The sound card can output high volume. To avoid hearing loss or damage,
test the sound volume by holding the headphones away from your ears.
____________________________________________________________
Microsoft Windows NT Workstation
For the sound card to function, you must install the Windows Sound System driver in the
Microsoft Windows NT Workstation operating system. Perform the following steps:
1. Access the Control Panel.
2. Double-click on the Drivers icon.
3. Click on the Add button.
4. Select Windows Sound System driver.
5. Click on OK. If there is no driver on the system, you are asked to mount the Windows
NT distribution media. Once the driver is loaded, the Windows Sound System Driver
setup menu displays.
6. Use the Windows Sound System Driver setup menu to set the DMA channel, IRQ
level, and I/O address. (Set the I/O address to match the setting specified by the sound
card jumper.)
F
Refer to the Microsoft Windows NT Workstation System Guide (available online
or in hardcopy) for information on installing a driver.
DEC OSF/1 AXP
The DEC OSF/1 AXP operating system supports the sound card through Multimedia
Services for DEC OSF/1 AXP, which is normally preloaded at the manufacturing site. Use
the following command when you are logged in as "root" to verify that the multimedia
services are installed:
# setld -i |grep MME
Look for the following response and verify that the word installed is present:
MMExxxxxx installed xxx xxx Audio Card Driver
9

F
Refer to the Multimedia Services for DEC OSF/1 AXP Installation Guide for
more information.
Digital’s multimedia application programming interface (API), which is included with the
Multimedia Services for DEC OSF/1 AXP, is based on Microsoft’s Video for Windows
interface. This provides developers with a common API and support for the same audio
and video file formats as Video for Windows does.
OpenVMS AXP
OpenVMS AXP Versions 6.1-1H1 and later contain a sound driver that supports the
AlphaStation sound card. If the SRM console configuration database and the
ISA_CONFIG.DAT file are properly set up, you see the following display when you type a
show device command:
$ show device
Device Device Error
Name Status Count
AUA0: online 0
F
Refer to the OpenVMS AXP Version 6.1-1H1 Release Notes and Installation
Procedures for more information.
10

Troubleshooting
Overview
This section helps you to identify and solve problems that might occur with your sound
card. Table 1 lists problems, possible causes, and actions for you to take.
Table 1. Sound Card Troubleshooting
Problem Possible Cause Action
After you have installed
the sound card, the
operating system does not
come up, comes up with
errors such as machine
checks, or does not allow
you to install the driver.
I/O address conflict
IRQ level conflict
DMA channel conflict
Defective ISA bus slot
(A conflict in any of these
areas can manifest itself
in numerous ways,
depending on which
operating system is being
used.)
Windows NT: Check the Windows
Sound System driver to see that the
hardware configuration matches the
settings you planned for in section
I. If the settings are different,
modify the driver. If the settings
are the same, run the Windows NT
Diagnostics and look at the
IRQ/Port Status section. Check to
see if a device is installed on your
system but is not displayed by the
diagnostic. If so, change your plan
from section I accordingly and
reenter the sound card settings.
DEC OSF/1: Use the console
>>>ISACFG -all command to
check the configuration database for
conflicts or missing information.
OpenVMS: Use the console
>>>ISACFG -all command to
check the configuration database for
conflicts or missing information.
Also check the VMS file,
ISA_CONFIG.DAT to see that the
sound card data is properly entered
and is not commented out.
All operating systems: Try the
sound card in a different ISA bus
slot.
11

Table 1. Sound Card Troubleshooting (continued)
No sound. Cables not plugged in.
Driver not installed.
Volume control set low.
Plug in the cables.
Windows NT: Install the driver.
DEC OSF/1: Install Multimedia
Services for DEC OSF/1 AXP
Use the on-screen volume control to
increase the volume.
Cannot record. Cables not plugged in.
Record level set low.
Plug in the cables.
Use the appropriate control to
increase the record level.
Distorted sound. Volume level set high. Reduce the volume level. (Use
amplified speakers.)
Repeating beginning of
sound or entire sounds. An IRQ or DMA channel conflict. Refer to the section on Resolving Hardware Conflicts.
Resolving Hardware Conflicts
Resolving conflicts between the AlphaStation sound card and other devices on the system
can require a bit of detective work. The three areas likeliest to have conflicts are the:
•IRQ level
•DMA channel
•I/O address
Generally, you should not assign two devices to the same IRQ level, DMA channel, or I/O
address. If this occurs, change one of the device's settings. Go back to section I, Planning
IRQ, DMA, and Address Assignments. Use the procedures there to determine which
devices might be in conflict. When you assign a device to different IRQ level, DMA
channel, or I/O address, verify that you have not created a new conflict.
12