Check the back of the card for any broken traces. AWE32s are very long and can easily be scratched/scraped.

bjt had a similar issue with his CT3780 and found two scratches in back that he managed to fix:

Crusty Desktop AT Pentium

The result was a fully working AWE32.

Also check the components in front carefully for any hidden damage (as well as the traces).

There is plenty of scratches on the back but I can not find any broken traces.

There isnt any static sounds when the EMU8000 or the OPL3 synth is playing, nothing can be heard at all. The volyme level of the digital audio is normal and the audio quality is perfect.

This looks suspicious. One of these four traces might be cut.

havli wrote:

This looks suspicious. One of these four traces might be cut.

It looks worse than it is in that image, here is one sharp image of the area and one image with the flash reflecting on the traces.

Skyscraper wrote:

If this was some cheap card I bought as untested I would not be very upset but this was a tested card sold at market value, here […]
Show full quote

If this was some cheap card I bought as untested I would not be very upset but this was a tested card sold at market value, here is the description.

"- gebraucht
- geprüft, technisch einwandfrei
- für weitere Details siehe Fotos
- optischer Zustand: Gebrauchsspuren sind möglich
- Lieferumfang: ohne weiteres Zubehör, Versand im Antistatik ESD Beutel
"
Can anyone think of anything more I could test? Has anyone else experienced anything similar?

The German text says: tested, fully working condition. So get in touch with the seller.
(I think I know where you bought the sound card on German Ebay)

Regarding the "scratches" it seems that these are not that deep.
It would best to use a voltmeter to test if the traces are broken.

moturimi1 wrote:

The German text says: tested, fully working condition. So get in touch with the seller. (I think I know where you bought the sou […]
Show full quote

Skyscraper wrote:

If this was some cheap card I bought as untested I would not be very upset but this was a tested card sold at market value, here […]
Show full quote

If this was some cheap card I bought as untested I would not be very upset but this was a tested card sold at market value, here is the description.

"- gebraucht
- geprüft, technisch einwandfrei
- für weitere Details siehe Fotos
- optischer Zustand: Gebrauchsspuren sind möglich
- Lieferumfang: ohne weiteres Zubehör, Versand im Antistatik ESD Beutel
"
Can anyone think of anything more I could test? Has anyone else experienced anything similar?

The German text says: tested, fully working condition. So get in touch with the seller.
(I think I know where you bought the sound card on German Ebay)

Regarding the "scratches" it seems that these are not that deep.
It would best to use a voltmeter to test if the traces are broken.

Im very confident that the scratch shown in the last images isnt the problem.

The issue with requesting a refund is that it is impossible for me to show with pictures that the output from the EMU8000 synth and OPL3 synth isnt working as diagnose.exe says they are working fine. The lack of sound output dosnt translate well into pictures. If I have to return the card to Germany with expensive Swedish shipping costs Im still losing money. If the "Ebay shop" that sold the card dosnt know how to test the card properly they will perhaps just install the card in some XP machine with an ISA slot, play some MP3s and then sell the card again as "geprüft, technisch einwandfrei" to some other poor bastard.

Spending time and perhaps money on returns isnt funny at all. In a perfect world people would test the things they are selling more thoroughly.

Im still hoping someone will come up with something I have missed even if I know it isnt very likely, perhaps I should test the card in a third system just to be sure.

Doesn't the OPL output go through the EMU8000 chip in AWE cards? If so, the EMU chip might be a good starting point for an investigation. Can you load soundfonts in Windows successfully? If so, the chip itself might be fine. You could also hunt for the chip's pinout and start diagnosing traces coming from its output.

If I'm not mistaken, then the FM synthesis chip also routes via the EMU8000 chipset.
Check that you have loaded Aweutil.com with the /S parameter in your Autoexec.bat file.
This will initialise the EMU8000 chipset for FM synthesis playback.

jesolo wrote:

If I'm not mistaken, then the FM synthesis chip also routes via the EMU8000 chipset.
Check that you have loaded Aweutil.com with the /S parameter in your Autoexec.bat file.
This will initialise the EMU8000 chipset for FM synthesis playback.

I have tested loading "aweutil /s" both manually and with autoexec.bat, this should not be needed for diagnosing the card with diagnose.exe though. The sample EMU8000 and OPL3 sounds should work if the EMU8000 and OPL3 parts are diagnosed to be OK. The card seems to play those samples as if everything is working but no sounds are produced while the 8 bit and 16 bit digital sample sounds are heard load and clear.

It indeed seems like the output from the EMU8000 is broken or disrupted somewhere between the EMU8000 and the line and speaker outputs but I can not find any physical damage causing the issue.

I recently bought a Sound Galaxy Waverider 32-3D and experienced exactly the same problem.
Digital and MIDI sound output worked fine but, no FM synthesis sound output.
Eventually, I gave up and requested for a refund.

Suggest you perhaps follow the same route.
The seller advertised it as fully working.
Clearly, it's not.

If you have a means of checking the S/PDIF output from the EMU8000, that would help narrow down the issue. Beyond that point, a three-line I²S signal group leaves the EMU8000, and gets converted at the TDA1387 DAC (U28), the analog output from which is then fed into the input mixer bus on the CT1745A.

You've got a scratch right over the I²S lines going to the aforementioned DAC. Are any of these particularly deep?

Cloudschatze wrote:

If you have a means of checking the S/PDIF output from the EMU8000, that would help narrow down the issue. Beyond that point, a three-line I²S signal group leaves the EMU8000, and gets converted at the TDA1387 DAC (U28), the analog output from which is then fed into the input mixer bus on the CT1745A.

You've got a scratch right over the I²S lines going to the aforementioned DAC. Are any of these particularly deep?

Capture.JPG

I do not think that scratch is all the way through the paint and definitely not through any traces but I will check again just to be sure. Thanks for the information about the DAC.

I can add better pictures tomorrow as I need to sleep now, its less than 7 hours to when I need to get up if Im going to get to work in time.

I've done YT videos for evidence with eBay.

Definitely put in a refund request, the card isn't working. Shipping it back is silly, what is the seller going to do?

eBay sides with the buyer. A German seller sent me the wrong card. He offered to send me the right card for free, could keep the other one. So yes, definitely let the seller know through the "return this item" process. An AWE that doesn't play music is useless. I had a similar case with a PAS16. Digital sound effects only and distorted FM. Got a full refund, no need to return the card.

Skyscraper wrote:

Cloudschatze wrote:

You've got a scratch right over the I²S lines going to the aforementioned DAC. Are any of these particularly deep?

I do not think that scratch is all the way through the paint and definitely not through any traces but I will check again just to be sure.

Keep an eye out for anything amiss around U27 (MC3403) and U31 (TL074C) as well. The analog output signals leaving the DAC run through those two op-amps and their associated componentry before passing through a final pair of capacitors at C48 and C49, and into the mixer IC inputs pins.

I tried the card in a third system today with the same results.

My old CT2760 works perfectly while the CT3900 dosnt output any sound from its OPL3 or EMU8000, not in the diagnose utility and not elsewhere. Diagnose.exe confirms that it successfully sets all resources, the digital 8bit and 16bit audio tests plays loud and clear but the EMU8000 and OPL3 tests dosnt produce any sound at all, at least not any sound that reaches the line out and speaker out outputs.

The motherboards I tried, all of them confirmed to work with my old "non PNP" AWE32 CT2760 which uses the exact same adresses and other resources as the broken "non PNP" AWE32 CT3900.

Asus PVI-486SP3. Socket 3.
Lucky Star LS486E. Socket 3.
Zida 5DHX. Socket 7.

Im going to request a refund as Im now 100% sure the EMU8000 output on this Sound Blaster AWE32 CT3900 is somehow broken which also affects the OPL3 output routed through it.

I have now been in contact with the seller (A German Ebay shop)

I explained the problem, requested a refund and directed them to this thread.

I got this response

"
the card is from a running system and worked 100%. For a refund please send back the item. After receiving it will have a quick checkup (function, serial no.) and refund your money.

"

I just checked the shipping cost for returning the card.

Returning the card with tracking using the same box I got the card in (very well packaged) would cost me 208 SEK which is 22.17 Euro. There is also the feeling I have that they do not even understand the issue, do they even know what the EMU8000 synth is? Perhaps they will just test the digital audio part of the card in Windows and sell the card on Ebay again.

The 2x16MB working 30pin memory I got with the card is worth at least 15 euro, I paid 44 euro for the card with memory. Im starting to think that not much is gained by returning the card. If I substract the shipping cost and the value of the memory which I need anyhow the potential gain is slim to say the least. If they think the card is working after their "quick checkup" they will probably not return the money I paid for shipping the card to Sweden so I end up with ~7 euro for the hassle of shipping the card and finding another set of 2x16MB 30pin memory costing 15 euro or less with shipping.

It really sucks when something you bought on Ebay is faulty but the issue isnt possible to show with pictures or even obvious when doing a "quick checkup".

I still hope they will read this thread but otherwise I do not think I will be a returning customer.

Let eBay sort it out. Returning a faulty card makes no sense, it's like sensing an empty box for the sake of sending something. Also mention the time you spent investigating the issue. Time is money.

Don't go too technical. Just say it plays sound effects, but the music isn't working.

philscomputerlab wrote:

Let eBay sort it out. Returning a faulty card makes no sense, it's like sensing an empty box for the sake of sending something. Also mention the time you spent investigating the issue. Time is money.

Don't go too technical. Just say it plays sound effects, but the music isn't working.

I got this reply to my last message.

"

hi,

we receive our goods already tested from one of our suppliers. we already sold a lot of old isa sound cards with no complaints so far.

I`m sorry but i can`t help you with further technical support.

"

This Ebay shop dosnt even test the stuff they sell themselves but sells the items as "geprüft, technisch einwandfrei".

I told them Im not going to spend the 22 euro it would cost me to return the card. If they wont repay my money Im not going to try to force them as I feel its too little money to be worth arguing over more then I already have. If I do not get my money back Im not going to buy anything else from them.

How did you "get in contact" with the seller?

In your "My eBay" go to your purchase history. Next to the article is a button "return this item". Follow the process, if there is no resolve, eBay will side with you. Had this many times. Sick of sellers putting untested boards on eBay and letting you test it all for them. Don't muck around or take it personal, it's business, follow the process and you should be ok.