• Please review our updated Terms and Rules here

16-bit generic sound card in XT?

twistedpneumatic

Experienced Member
Joined
Apr 9, 2017
Messages
380
Location
N Bellmore, LI
Hi guys,

I want to run 8088 domination on my IBM 5155. Can I use this generic looking sound card in it. Seems that it only needs 16 for the CD-ROM drive, and there aren't a lot of connections to the 16-bit port. Also, seems to have an OPL3 chip on it, so that should work, right? Also is there anything I need to configure for IRQs?

IMG_20200415_152836.jpg
 
Well, it's anyone's guess whether or not it'll work in an 8-bit slot, or with an 8088.
You'd have to set the IRQ to 5 or 9; 9 is the highest an XT-class machine can support. And you'll have to make sure that whichever it is doesn't conflict with the IRQs currently used by your machine. Look carefully at that silkscreen.
I don't see an interface for a CD-ROM, but it does have a modem -- that's interesting. Possibly useful.
 
Ewwwwww. It's a sound card that's also faking a modem.
Well I see an OPL chip but as for which chipset it is (and it's likely emulating a SoundBlaster) you will have to peel the sticker off the chip to the right of the OPL.
 
Lol I have no interest the modem functionality, there's a jumper to flip it off. CD-ROM is a much smaller(proprietary?) port in the upper right of the card. I can take a look at the chip under the sticker, I was thinking I'd need that. Can I just set it to IRQ7, I thought it can't get past IRQ7, not 9? I'm not going to be using my parallel port anyway.

EDIT: Its an ESS AudioDrive ES688F
 
Last edited:
Don't use IRQ5 on an XT class system. It's normally used by the hard drive controller.
Use 7.

Most cards work fine as long as they don't have a driver (which usually expects an 80286 or better). So I go for cards like the SB Pro 2.0 which often have jumpers to set the address/IRQ etc
That card you posted looks awful but does have jumpers to set the sound card settings, so might work as long as it doesn't need special drivers for SB compatibility.

It wont hurt to try.

Just my two cents.
 
This card only uses IRQ lines on the 16-bit extension, and since it is jumper configurable it doesn't need the ESS configuration utility. So it should work in XT, as long as you are not using interrupts above IRQ7 (IRQ9 aka IRQ2 is fine).
 
Back
Top