#Texel DM-3024
26 messages in this thread
Steven,
With the FD FT850 card you can run other SCSI peripherals (not sure you can
off the PAS card, IOW you can connect the SCSI Texel drive, but could you
then daisy chain a SCSI hard drive or tape drive off it?). Also, you can
run the Windows NT beta with the FD card, you can't (last I heard) with the
SCSI port of the Texel (no NT driver for that yet). Maybe there's a
throughput issue there (faster with the stand alone SCSI card?), you could
ask HDI, they should know. Why would they sell the card if seemingly you
don't need it? Good question.
Bill Hines
Bill,
From what I understand over in the Media Vision section of MULTIVEN, the
SCSI controller built into the PAS16 can accomodate tape drives and hard
drives with the right drivers that are available (I forget from where).
BTW, what's the status of your PAS16 volume problem? Mine seems fine. If
I can help with any setting or configuration file information… let me
know.
Bill
Trantor Systems makes drivers for PAS16.
That's it. I just didn't remember the name.
The Media Vision Pro Audio Spectrum card can interface to hard drives, but
I don't recommend doing it. The maximum transfer rate of the card is less
than the max transfer rate of a hard drive, so will run slower than with a
good 16 bit SCSI card.
That's what I've heard. It's also another reason that I'm not relying on
the PAS16 SCSI interface for anything. Right now I've got an IDE hard
drive and the Future Domain 8-bit SCSI-2 controller for the CD-ROM. If I
decide to add another hard drive in the near future it will be an IDE.
I'd probably get a faster 16-bit SCSI controller for hard disk connections
also.
Bill,
I still can't seem to get any tech support from Media Vision on my PAS16
problem. I can't record through the microphone using the Windows tools that
they provided with the version 1.44 drivers, I get a hum and radio station
through the speakers or headphones when I max the input level on the
microphone. When my kids try to use KidPix, it locks up right away unless I
turn the sound off (a known problem with these 1.44 drivers, playing short
wav files). I wish MV would get it's act together, at least the KidPix
thing has been a known problem and they haven't done anything, and you
can't get tech support (they say they'll call you back in a week!). I'll
try again tonight, now that I've got my machine put back together. I'm
starting to wonder if I should have just gotten a SoundBlaster and avoided
all this MV hassle with bad support and two sets of interrupts, DMA's, and
addresses.
Thanks, Bill
Bill, a patch is up in the Mediavision forum for the short WAV file
problem. On the record problem are you sure you used the Pro Audio Mixer to
put the channel in record mode? The button above the slider does this. GO
MEDIAVISION for on-line tech support. I don't work for Media Vision, but I
am signed up as a developer.
Bruce,
Yeah, with the PAS16, if I go into the pocket mixer and put the slider for
the microphone up anywhere past about 50%, I can hear humming and a radio
station broadcast. This is true if the slider is green (playback) or red
(record). Very frustrating! Do you have any idea what could cause this?
I've been over my interrupts and DMA several times, tried different
IRQ/DMA, etc.
I have the new driver, it fixes KidPix, but not this problem..
Bill Hines
This is called life in the cheap audio lane. All of the inexpensive audio
boards (that tranlates to under $300) can have this problem. In some
computers, there's nothing you can do; no matter what slot you use, no
matter what boards you leave in or take out, the problem persists. In
other computers, you can reduce or eliminate the problem by rearranging the
hardware inside of it.
The problems comes from inadequate shielding of key componenets — they are
picking up noise, or interacting with other components, or acting as an
antenna, etc., etc. The ultimate answer is simply to spend more money for
a higher quality board, such as the Multisound from Turtle Beach, which is
very well shielded from this sort of thing.
Ron
Ron,
I would have loved to have the Turtle Beach board <sigh>, except the
primary use of the sound board is for games. I'll try re-arranging things
somewhat inside the machine. Funny thing is that it only happens under
Windows.
Bill
Ron, I'm getting static on my BSR MediaMaster (OEM'd from AudioMaster). I
was thinking of getting gold tipped, shielded cabling to minimize the
problem. Do you think it would help? Which component(s) is(are) the
offending one(s)? Is there anyway to shield them myself? Thanks, Jim.
When circuit boards are involved, there is really no way you, the end user,
can provide shielding where it is missing. The tolerances on the boards
are incredibly tight, and the shielding just has to be designed in. You
might think you could at least wrap the whole thing in foil, but the
components themselves interact.
Most cables already have adequate shielding; leaks are a bigger danger than
thin shielding, most of the time. Kinks in the cable, especially near the
connectors, or poorly designed/poorly shielded connectors, are a common
source of cable leaks.
It takes time and money for a manufacturer to deal with shielding issues.
There are general rules they can follow, but they also need to test
carefully to see if they made any mistakes in shielding. So it is often
the case that the cheaper units make noise, while the more costly ones make
music.
Ron
Thanks for the info. I think I'll still move my sound board away from the
other boards since I have room. I'll also try audio stereo quality cables
as the ones I'm using are miniplug cables that are certainly thinner than
my audiophile quality cables on my stereo system. One's a microphone
extension cable and the other's my head phone cable which definitely isn't
shield at all. Unfortunately, I'll have to make them since I haven't been
able to find any shielded miniplug cables. Jim
You could always try radio shack. <g> Or save all those gum wrappers and
tape them to the outside of the cable. <Grinning and ducking and running>
Ron
Unfortunately, there is no Radio Shack in town. I called the two 6 miles
east & west of me last week and both claimed to have what I needed. When I
got there neither one did. I may drive over again today as the one claimed
he was getting a lot of stuff in after they do their physical inventory.
Due to property taxes they like to run their inventory down this time of
year. I wish I knew a good mail order source for stereo cables and
accessories. Jim
Bill, are you getting any sound from your microphone? You may be using the
wrong type of microphone, forgot to turn the switch on on the microphone or
have a bad connecting cord. Do WAV files play OK? It is possible you have
a bad PAS card. Is the transmitter for that radio station nearby?
Bruce,
No, I don't get any sound from the microphone. When I switch the mic to
'ON' and set the mixer/recorder properly, then press the record button on
the recorder app, it just records the hum/radio station instead of my
voice. I'm on my second PAS card, and the same thing happens. I'm going to
try moving the card tonight, I think. Yes, .WAV file play fine. You know,
at one point I *did* have this working because I recorded a .WAV file that
I had set up to play when Windows boots. I don't know what has changed, my
PAS is set to all default settings. Perhaps it's the network card (Intel
Etherexpress 16), that might not have been in there the first time I got it
to work. Is there any known problem with the PAS and network cards??
Thanks, Bill
Bill,
This sure sounds like it's just a Microphone or Microphone cable
problem. Do
you have another mike you can try? You can even plug a set of walkman
headphones into the mike jack and use them as a "test mike" (although
only
one of the earphones will be connected). Do you get this same
humm/radio
noise if NOTHING is plugged into the mike jack? Are you using any
sort of
cable as a microphone "extension cable"?
Bill,
This sure sounds like it's just a Microphone or Microphone cable problem to
me. Do you have another mike you can try? You can even plug a pair of
walkman headphones into the mike jack to use as a "test Mike" (although
only one of the earphones will be connected). Do you get the same
Hummmm/Radio noise with NOTHING plugged in the mike jack? Are you using
any sort of cable as a mike cord "extension"? If so, have you tried
plugging the mike directly into the card? I'd be surprised if it turns out
to be something really complicated.
Mark Haase
Mark,
I don't have another microphone that I can try right now. I'll try to find
one. Headphones into the mic jack?? I'll try that too. If I remove the mic
then the hum/radio go away immediately. This is with the mic plugged into
the PAS16, directly into the card, no extensions or anything…
Thanks, Bill Hines
Bill,
Yeah, if you've already replaced the card once (did I 'hear' you say
that?), and there's been no change, I'm betting on the mike or it's cable.
Regarding headphones into the mike jack, actually headphones, speakers, and
microphones are very similar electrically and in the way they operate.
Mikes change physical movement (of their diaghram) into electrical
impulses, and speakers/headphones change electrical impulses to physical
movement.
Actually, if you connect a microphone to a speaker output (like a headphone
jack), and are VERRRRY careful (using VERRY low levels), you'll be able to
hear the audio coming from the mike. Mikes are very delicate though, and
very easy to "blow" with too much volume. Of course, impedences and such
are wrong, but it works well enough for a test!
Here's another idea…try the suspect mike with a known good tape recorder.
Check for bad connections also, by wiggle-ing the cable, especially where
it goes into the plug at the end of the cord, and also where it goes into
the mike itself.
Let me know!
Mark Haase
Bill, It should be easy enough for you to pull the network card to check
this theory. There was a problem with the old drivers and you could have
an IRQ or I/O address conflict, so pulling it would be worthwhile. This
problem does not seem to be a software problem though it is possible the
card is not getting the record command. Your WAV file playing could have
been using the Sound Blaster I/O ports. You should be able to hear your
microphone while recording through your speakers. I suspect a bad
microphone, microphone cable or connector. Have you tried this in DOS?
Bruce,
No, but good idea. I'll try it in DOS, and also try it without the network
card (but I'm using Windows for Workgroups, not sure how happy it'll be
when it boots and finds no network card <g>).
Thanks, Bill
If you try MS diagnostics (included with MS WIN 3.1) it will tell you all
of your IRQ settings. Just type MSD at the DOS prompt and it should come
right up. This is very useful in adding cards to a PC.
Sounds like you either have a microphone of the wrong impedance, or the
microphone has a short or other problem. Have you tried different
microphones? I have four microphones around the house. Two only work with
a certain group of cards, and the other two with a different group of
cards.
Ron