Mancomb Seepgood, Internet Pirate
@16bitmanfred.bsky.social
Enjoying hardware and games from ISA to AGP graphics, with a special love for old sound cards.
DId you know?
Avance Logic made their own FM synthesizer, called ALSFM.
They claimed it was built into their ALS100+ chip, but it actually debuted in the ALS120 and later models.
The ALS100+ had no such thing, it instead used external pirated OPL3 copies disguised as other chips.
Avance Logic made their own FM synthesizer, called ALSFM.
They claimed it was built into their ALS100+ chip, but it actually debuted in the ALS120 and later models.
The ALS100+ had no such thing, it instead used external pirated OPL3 copies disguised as other chips.
December 14, 2025 at 5:25 AM
DId you know?
Avance Logic made their own FM synthesizer, called ALSFM.
They claimed it was built into their ALS100+ chip, but it actually debuted in the ALS120 and later models.
The ALS100+ had no such thing, it instead used external pirated OPL3 copies disguised as other chips.
Avance Logic made their own FM synthesizer, called ALSFM.
They claimed it was built into their ALS100+ chip, but it actually debuted in the ALS120 and later models.
The ALS100+ had no such thing, it instead used external pirated OPL3 copies disguised as other chips.
I love these Pinball games (well, half of them anyway) and all of them have native support for the Gravis Ultrasound range of cards!
I'll be able to treat my ears thanks to the #PicoGUS and also the modded STB SoundRage 32 that is now a hardware GUS PnP equivalent.
I'll be able to treat my ears thanks to the #PicoGUS and also the modded STB SoundRage 32 that is now a hardware GUS PnP equivalent.
December 13, 2025 at 9:54 PM
I love these Pinball games (well, half of them anyway) and all of them have native support for the Gravis Ultrasound range of cards!
I'll be able to treat my ears thanks to the #PicoGUS and also the modded STB SoundRage 32 that is now a hardware GUS PnP equivalent.
I'll be able to treat my ears thanks to the #PicoGUS and also the modded STB SoundRage 32 that is now a hardware GUS PnP equivalent.
Buyers beware!
It is impossible to flash a Radeon 9500 64 MB to a Radeon 9700.
There is a reason why all 9700 cards have 128 MB: the 64 MB cards physically only have have the memory bandwidth, the best you can do is unlock pipelines to make it into a 9500 Pro equivalent with half the memory.
It is impossible to flash a Radeon 9500 64 MB to a Radeon 9700.
There is a reason why all 9700 cards have 128 MB: the 64 MB cards physically only have have the memory bandwidth, the best you can do is unlock pipelines to make it into a 9500 Pro equivalent with half the memory.
December 13, 2025 at 9:42 PM
Buyers beware!
It is impossible to flash a Radeon 9500 64 MB to a Radeon 9700.
There is a reason why all 9700 cards have 128 MB: the 64 MB cards physically only have have the memory bandwidth, the best you can do is unlock pipelines to make it into a 9500 Pro equivalent with half the memory.
It is impossible to flash a Radeon 9500 64 MB to a Radeon 9700.
There is a reason why all 9700 cards have 128 MB: the 64 MB cards physically only have have the memory bandwidth, the best you can do is unlock pipelines to make it into a 9500 Pro equivalent with half the memory.
My offline friend Martin is printing a vertical benchtable to go under that right screen this very moment, so I might finally start recording in the not so distant future!
December 13, 2025 at 9:32 PM
My offline friend Martin is printing a vertical benchtable to go under that right screen this very moment, so I might finally start recording in the not so distant future!
1yo son's birthday.
We invited our brothers and sisters, our parents, and her grandparents, apartment is at its capacity.
20 minutes before people are supposed to arrive, we get a call.
Her aunt.
"I dumped my difficult son with the grandparents so I can have a date, they're bringing him along."
🖕
We invited our brothers and sisters, our parents, and her grandparents, apartment is at its capacity.
20 minutes before people are supposed to arrive, we get a call.
Her aunt.
"I dumped my difficult son with the grandparents so I can have a date, they're bringing him along."
🖕
December 13, 2025 at 12:43 PM
1yo son's birthday.
We invited our brothers and sisters, our parents, and her grandparents, apartment is at its capacity.
20 minutes before people are supposed to arrive, we get a call.
Her aunt.
"I dumped my difficult son with the grandparents so I can have a date, they're bringing him along."
🖕
We invited our brothers and sisters, our parents, and her grandparents, apartment is at its capacity.
20 minutes before people are supposed to arrive, we get a call.
Her aunt.
"I dumped my difficult son with the grandparents so I can have a date, they're bringing him along."
🖕
My 1 year old can only poop while standing in front of my display cabinet and looking at my PS2 with the clear acrylic controller that somehow fascinates him.
When it's time, he'll go there, cling to the glass panel and get a bright red head.
When it's time, he'll go there, cling to the glass panel and get a bright red head.
December 13, 2025 at 10:08 AM
My 1 year old can only poop while standing in front of my display cabinet and looking at my PS2 with the clear acrylic controller that somehow fascinates him.
When it's time, he'll go there, cling to the glass panel and get a bright red head.
When it's time, he'll go there, cling to the glass panel and get a bright red head.
That's probably the greatest .sf2 sound font that fits into 8 Megabytes.
Running on the 486 board with the 133 MHz AMD!
Running on the 486 board with the 133 MHz AMD!
December 13, 2025 at 7:44 AM
That's probably the greatest .sf2 sound font that fits into 8 Megabytes.
Running on the 486 board with the 133 MHz AMD!
Running on the 486 board with the 133 MHz AMD!
The AWE64 "8MB" memory upgrade: the GAL chip was defect and it was actually only 4 MB.
But the GAL equations were online, so a fresh chip could be programmed and installed, and it worked.
And then 4 more MB were added!
At first it didn't work but it was 2 of the rails leading to the RAM.
But the GAL equations were online, so a fresh chip could be programmed and installed, and it worked.
And then 4 more MB were added!
At first it didn't work but it was 2 of the rails leading to the RAM.
December 13, 2025 at 5:24 AM
The AWE64 "8MB" memory upgrade: the GAL chip was defect and it was actually only 4 MB.
But the GAL equations were online, so a fresh chip could be programmed and installed, and it worked.
And then 4 more MB were added!
At first it didn't work but it was 2 of the rails leading to the RAM.
But the GAL equations were online, so a fresh chip could be programmed and installed, and it worked.
And then 4 more MB were added!
At first it didn't work but it was 2 of the rails leading to the RAM.
"Monthly" desk cleanup.
Will add cable tunnels next week and the vertical mATX benchtable as soon as it arrives - then we're going to bench some sound cards!
I'll probably use an Aopen MX6B-EZ for testing, because I don't need more than one ISA slot, and it is a good mix of compact and reliable.
Will add cable tunnels next week and the vertical mATX benchtable as soon as it arrives - then we're going to bench some sound cards!
I'll probably use an Aopen MX6B-EZ for testing, because I don't need more than one ISA slot, and it is a good mix of compact and reliable.
December 12, 2025 at 2:45 PM
"Monthly" desk cleanup.
Will add cable tunnels next week and the vertical mATX benchtable as soon as it arrives - then we're going to bench some sound cards!
I'll probably use an Aopen MX6B-EZ for testing, because I don't need more than one ISA slot, and it is a good mix of compact and reliable.
Will add cable tunnels next week and the vertical mATX benchtable as soon as it arrives - then we're going to bench some sound cards!
I'll probably use an Aopen MX6B-EZ for testing, because I don't need more than one ISA slot, and it is a good mix of compact and reliable.
Someone explain this to my retarded friend, I totally get it of course but don't have time.
alley cat, hidden message, atari 8-bit (1983) 'the us disk release by synapse software contains this hidden message starting at sector 5 byte 61 and ending at sector 6 byte 4d.' tcrf.net/Alley_Cat_(A...
December 12, 2025 at 11:56 AM
Someone explain this to my retarded friend, I totally get it of course but don't have time.
Yeah it turns out I bought 10x 1024 kbit "10ns" SRAM cache chips on Aliexpress, 9 of which even were detected correctly, so I put 8 of them on this board.
It wasn't 100% stable and it turns out some were unstable and led to the flash being corrupted during the ESCD update on boot.
It wasn't 100% stable and it turns out some were unstable and led to the flash being corrupted during the ESCD update on boot.
December 12, 2025 at 7:50 AM
Yeah it turns out I bought 10x 1024 kbit "10ns" SRAM cache chips on Aliexpress, 9 of which even were detected correctly, so I put 8 of them on this board.
It wasn't 100% stable and it turns out some were unstable and led to the flash being corrupted during the ESCD update on boot.
It wasn't 100% stable and it turns out some were unstable and led to the flash being corrupted during the ESCD update on boot.
Throwback to the 2000s when you could chart with a song about sitting in Ventrilo and playing a Warcraft III mod that would spawn an entire genre of games.
youtu.be/aTJncWndUB8
youtu.be/aTJncWndUB8
Basshunter - Vi sitter i ventrilo och spelar DotA
YouTube video by Extensive Music Underground
youtu.be
December 12, 2025 at 7:07 AM
Throwback to the 2000s when you could chart with a song about sitting in Ventrilo and playing a Warcraft III mod that would spawn an entire genre of games.
youtu.be/aTJncWndUB8
youtu.be/aTJncWndUB8
New year's resolution: get a vertical mATX testbench and start making weekly sound card videos.
December 11, 2025 at 10:55 PM
New year's resolution: get a vertical mATX testbench and start making weekly sound card videos.
Oh by the way, you can make your own CMS upgrade kit: all you need are 2 saa1099p chips (5 pieces for less than 5€/USD shipped from aliexpress) a& a GALV18V(D programmed with the lines from this Vogons thread:
www.vogons.org/viewtopic.ph...
Sets you back less than 10 bucks if you have a programmer
www.vogons.org/viewtopic.ph...
Sets you back less than 10 bucks if you have a programmer
SB 2.0 CT1350 CMS chips dumped \
VOGONS
www.vogons.org
December 11, 2025 at 6:26 PM
Oh by the way, you can make your own CMS upgrade kit: all you need are 2 saa1099p chips (5 pieces for less than 5€/USD shipped from aliexpress) a& a GALV18V(D programmed with the lines from this Vogons thread:
www.vogons.org/viewtopic.ph...
Sets you back less than 10 bucks if you have a programmer
www.vogons.org/viewtopic.ph...
Sets you back less than 10 bucks if you have a programmer
Someone made a short video showing the PCB of the same Sound Blaster 2 (CT1350B) clone I have!
As far as I can see, the only difference between the cards is that this missing the sockets for the CMS upgrade, altough the solder footprints are still there, so it could be done.
youtu.be/D340Fax00ew
As far as I can see, the only difference between the cards is that this missing the sockets for the CMS upgrade, altough the solder footprints are still there, so it could be done.
youtu.be/D340Fax00ew
Sound Blaster 2.0 Clone Sound Machine - CT1350B
YouTube video by Redled
youtu.be
December 11, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Someone made a short video showing the PCB of the same Sound Blaster 2 (CT1350B) clone I have!
As far as I can see, the only difference between the cards is that this missing the sockets for the CMS upgrade, altough the solder footprints are still there, so it could be done.
youtu.be/D340Fax00ew
As far as I can see, the only difference between the cards is that this missing the sockets for the CMS upgrade, altough the solder footprints are still there, so it could be done.
youtu.be/D340Fax00ew
I think that for the first time, it is time to part with two of my sound cards.
The SoundBlaster AWE32 CT3620 and CT3990 are great full length cards but since I already have a CT3670, CT3980 and the CT1920, I don't need to hang onto two cards that sound exactly the same and just collect dust.
The SoundBlaster AWE32 CT3620 and CT3990 are great full length cards but since I already have a CT3670, CT3980 and the CT1920, I don't need to hang onto two cards that sound exactly the same and just collect dust.
December 11, 2025 at 1:00 PM
I think that for the first time, it is time to part with two of my sound cards.
The SoundBlaster AWE32 CT3620 and CT3990 are great full length cards but since I already have a CT3670, CT3980 and the CT1920, I don't need to hang onto two cards that sound exactly the same and just collect dust.
The SoundBlaster AWE32 CT3620 and CT3990 are great full length cards but since I already have a CT3670, CT3980 and the CT1920, I don't need to hang onto two cards that sound exactly the same and just collect dust.
Since a kind @vswitchzero.com is helping me out on the VLB board front - what would you think was the most typical (not: best) sound card configuration I could add to a DX-2 66, Cirrus Logic VLB graphics card and 16 MB RAM?
I tend to think a Sound Blaster 2 clone, but would love to hear opinions!
I tend to think a Sound Blaster 2 clone, but would love to hear opinions!
December 11, 2025 at 8:30 AM
Since a kind @vswitchzero.com is helping me out on the VLB board front - what would you think was the most typical (not: best) sound card configuration I could add to a DX-2 66, Cirrus Logic VLB graphics card and 16 MB RAM?
I tend to think a Sound Blaster 2 clone, but would love to hear opinions!
I tend to think a Sound Blaster 2 clone, but would love to hear opinions!
youtu.be/DpzR2qTnQwQ?...
Now *that* is cool: I never thought I'd have a card that supports MPU-401 intelligent mode!
But my modded STB SoundRage 32 should now have all the capabilities of a real GUS PnP (except having more than 1 MB RAM), and therefore also run MPU-401 intelligent mode!
Now *that* is cool: I never thought I'd have a card that supports MPU-401 intelligent mode!
But my modded STB SoundRage 32 should now have all the capabilities of a real GUS PnP (except having more than 1 MB RAM), and therefore also run MPU-401 intelligent mode!
Gravis UltraSound Plug & Play - Quest For The Ultimate DOS Sound Card Part 18 - Legend? - Part 1/3
YouTube video by Karl's Retro Channel (KITR)
youtu.be
December 10, 2025 at 5:55 PM
youtu.be/DpzR2qTnQwQ?...
Now *that* is cool: I never thought I'd have a card that supports MPU-401 intelligent mode!
But my modded STB SoundRage 32 should now have all the capabilities of a real GUS PnP (except having more than 1 MB RAM), and therefore also run MPU-401 intelligent mode!
Now *that* is cool: I never thought I'd have a card that supports MPU-401 intelligent mode!
But my modded STB SoundRage 32 should now have all the capabilities of a real GUS PnP (except having more than 1 MB RAM), and therefore also run MPU-401 intelligent mode!
Reposted by Mancomb Seepgood, Internet Pirate
I'm building an alternative to my current default retro PC, for DOS and Win98 and have 3 boards to choose from, all made by Gigabyte.
The GA-586 HX Rev 2.01 fits into beautiful old AT cases and has a fourth ISA slot, but lacks AGP, restricting me to an NVidia TNT2 M64 and an AMD K6-2 400.
1/3
The GA-586 HX Rev 2.01 fits into beautiful old AT cases and has a fourth ISA slot, but lacks AGP, restricting me to an NVidia TNT2 M64 and an AMD K6-2 400.
1/3
December 10, 2025 at 3:51 PM
I'm building an alternative to my current default retro PC, for DOS and Win98 and have 3 boards to choose from, all made by Gigabyte.
The GA-586 HX Rev 2.01 fits into beautiful old AT cases and has a fourth ISA slot, but lacks AGP, restricting me to an NVidia TNT2 M64 and an AMD K6-2 400.
1/3
The GA-586 HX Rev 2.01 fits into beautiful old AT cases and has a fourth ISA slot, but lacks AGP, restricting me to an NVidia TNT2 M64 and an AMD K6-2 400.
1/3
Aaaand the Creative Labs CT1920 "Goldfinch" now has a line out connector!
It's practically the wavetable synthesizer of a Sound Blaster AWE 32/64 (EMU8000) without anything else.
It has NO SoundBlaster or AdLib capabilities but in return also needs no IRQ or DMA resources, only a single hex address!
It's practically the wavetable synthesizer of a Sound Blaster AWE 32/64 (EMU8000) without anything else.
It has NO SoundBlaster or AdLib capabilities but in return also needs no IRQ or DMA resources, only a single hex address!
December 10, 2025 at 2:26 PM
Aaaand the Creative Labs CT1920 "Goldfinch" now has a line out connector!
It's practically the wavetable synthesizer of a Sound Blaster AWE 32/64 (EMU8000) without anything else.
It has NO SoundBlaster or AdLib capabilities but in return also needs no IRQ or DMA resources, only a single hex address!
It's practically the wavetable synthesizer of a Sound Blaster AWE 32/64 (EMU8000) without anything else.
It has NO SoundBlaster or AdLib capabilities but in return also needs no IRQ or DMA resources, only a single hex address!
It's being detected as a Gravis Ultrasound PnP and happily playing tracker music!
December 10, 2025 at 8:25 AM
It's being detected as a Gravis Ultrasound PnP and happily playing tracker music!
The good news: my Cirrus Logic CL-GD54529 and two CL-GD5428 1 MB VLB cards all work now, thanks to oerg.
The bad news: the two 5428 were working to begin with, meaning my only VLB motherboard is not.
The bad news: the two 5428 were working to begin with, meaning my only VLB motherboard is not.
December 10, 2025 at 7:23 AM
The good news: my Cirrus Logic CL-GD54529 and two CL-GD5428 1 MB VLB cards all work now, thanks to oerg.
The bad news: the two 5428 were working to begin with, meaning my only VLB motherboard is not.
The bad news: the two 5428 were working to begin with, meaning my only VLB motherboard is not.
This person in a Vogons thread managed to upgrade a GUS PnP clone from ROM only to ROM + 1MB RAM and flash it with the original firmware, now it even accepts GUS PnP drivers:
www.vogons.org/viewtopic.ph...
Oerg managed to add the RAM to my own clone card, and it looks a lot less janky imho.
www.vogons.org/viewtopic.ph...
Oerg managed to add the RAM to my own clone card, and it looks a lot less janky imho.
December 9, 2025 at 12:07 PM
This person in a Vogons thread managed to upgrade a GUS PnP clone from ROM only to ROM + 1MB RAM and flash it with the original firmware, now it even accepts GUS PnP drivers:
www.vogons.org/viewtopic.ph...
Oerg managed to add the RAM to my own clone card, and it looks a lot less janky imho.
www.vogons.org/viewtopic.ph...
Oerg managed to add the RAM to my own clone card, and it looks a lot less janky imho.