Unfortunatly I have neither the correct compiler installed nor the required DDK but it does seem to support LPT as you can specify to use LPT using the build:

1 NMAKE OPL_ON_LPT=YES

https://github.com/andreiw/adlib21/blob/master/MAKEFILE#L15

And to specify a different port:

1NMAKE DEF_PORT=0x3BC

https://github.com/andreiw/adlib21/blob/master/MAKEFILE#L19

Sorry to be totally useless... Hope someone can help you...

It would be a very useful improvement if the driver would be improved so that it would properly obtain the I/O base port address from the BIOS Data Area (BDA), instead of assuming a hard-coded address.

That's the "proper" way to write applications accessing the printer ports. LPT1, LPT2 and LPT3 can be looked up in the BDA, and this would then work even for most modern PCIe cards, provided that you load something like the PRTADD utility in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file, before starting Windows 3.x.

I'll create a GitHub issue for it.

Deleted

UPDATED Windows 3.1 Driver! Now doesn't depend on other 386 library.
Here we go. Patched, works!!!
https://github.com/andreiw/adlib21/tree/master/PUB
Can't wait to test over MIDI real-time playing!

Hey there! I am particulary interested in supporting the OPLxLPT devices in my OPL applications, as they seem to be a decent choice for laptops. Is there any possibility to detect in software if the OPLxLPT device is present on particular LPT port? For example, Stereo-on-1 devices (dual stereo Covox at single printer port) bridge pins 9 and 11 on the LPT connector together, so bit 7 of Data Register (base + 0) could be read as inverted bit 7 of Status Register (base + 1).

I'm still interested in one of these if you are going to do another run. Seems like you were working on one last year, but then there wasn't any announcement after that. Is it dead?

Thanks

The Serdashop mailing list message from April 2 stated that, yes indeed they are back in stock!

MadMac_5 wrote on 2024-04-10, 21:29:

The Serdashop mailing list message from April 2 stated that, yes indeed they are back in stock!

Aha. I wonder if this is only from Europe or if there is anyone in the US that is selling these

I just got one of these, and I can't get it to output anything but garbage sound. I'm using a Dell Latitude XP 450C laptop. I've tried with USB power, without USB power, changing the LPT port mode, tried different software, and when I can get it to output anything at all it ranges from ear-splitting tones, to garbage audio, to something that sounds like an attempt to play the music but is still just boops and bleeps. I can't even get the included test programs to work. What am I doing wrong?

What software are you using? Depending on what it is, it's likely that you'll need to load the ADLIPT TSR found in the oplutil.zip here: https://github.com/pdewacht/adlipt/releases
You'll need to have USB power connected. Sometimes it might be that the USB power source isn't adequate.
Please try running the opl3test.exe program first to confirm that it's actually producing correct sound or not. If that works, then running ADLIPT should allow playback through the device.

Yes, I'm using the TSR driver. Like I said, the official test programs don't produce proper sound either. The other software I tried is Pinball Fantasies, and Inertia Player for MOD files.

I also bought a CVX4, and while it does produce recognisable sound it's pretty poor quality no matter the sample rate, nothing like the demonstration videos/recordings I've heard. I'm wondering if it's an issue with this laptop in particular.

I'm not familiar with the sound support that Pinball Fantasies has, but unless it and Inertia Player support playing back digital audio on the OPL3 FM chip, I don't think those programs will work and you'll definitely get the audio issues you are having.

If the test program doesn't work it might be your laptop (if the CVX4 isn't working as well), but it's hard to tell. Perhaps @dreamblaster might have better insights as to what's going on.

I tested on another laptop of a similar vintage (major differences being a Pentium CPU and an LPT port with ECP support instead of just EP), and the CVX4 sounds perfect. The OPL3LPT also works perfectly. Why would it not work on the Dell?

You said you tried different options for parallel port? I don't remember which mode they recommend for better experience

Red_Machine wrote on Today, 13:45:

I tested on another laptop of a similar vintage (major differences being a Pentium CPU and an LPT port with ECP support instead of just EP), and the CVX4 sounds perfect. The OPL3LPT also works perfectly. Why would it not work on the Dell?

I'm not familiar with the laptop in question, but it could possibly be a faulty electric connection on the LPT port of the laptop or possibly a setting in BIOS for the LPT port as kirikl mentioned.

I've tried every LPT port mode available (standard, bi-directional, EPP), and it still just makes garbage sound. I'm stumped.

Sorry It would not help much, but I got distorted sound from covox, when it was not fully inserted (pocket 386 parallel port header for example got loose if you don't push hard enough all the way).
Maybe it's connector?
How is the other devices feel there? Work good?

I'm following this because I also have a similar era Dell Latitude 486, and it worries me that there might be some incompatibility. I have an LX4100D, so it's not exactly the same, but I'm worried enough that I'm not totally sure I want to take the chance on it anymore.