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Reveal Multimedia Upgrade Kit 1993

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First post, by Scythifuge

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Greetings,

When I was a teen back in the ancient year of 1993, we replaced our Commodore 64 with a 486SX-33 (I think the brand was CTC Computer or something like that) from Sun TV & Appliances (I miss that place, along with Media Play and the 1990s in general.)

It didn't come with a cd-rom drive and I convinced my mother of the importance of owning one, so the sales rep helped me harangue my mother into buying a Reveal Multimedia Upgrade Kit. This came with a 2x CD-Rom drive, a sound card of some sort, speakers, Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia, King's Quest VI and Stellar 7 on cd-rom discs, and some other software - I want to say Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing and the Software Toolworks cd with games like Life and Death on it, but my memory is a bit hazy on those last discs. I remember that it was torture waiting for the call from Sun so that we could pick up the PC since they installed the kit, due to my lack of knowledge at the time (I remember asking Mr. Miller, the sales rep, for a PC with 16 bit and 32 bit slots because I was a neophyte and didn't know what I was talking about outside of the fact that there were games like Wolfenstein 3d with animated blood - which was a big deal at the time, and games with digitized speech which was like witchcraft after coming from the C64 and the NES/SNES and other consoles.) It also game with various 3.5 floppies such as driver disks and the Voyetra Multimedia Esesentials floppies with Audiostation.

To make a long story short, I am seeking information on the sound card which came with that kit. I came across pics of the Voyetra floppies which included a TeleVideo Tele Sound / Wave driver floppy. Seeing "TeleVideo" made me remember the kit because it was a Televideo card which came with it. I am seeking information on this kit, specifically more information on this sound card so that I can attempt to hunt one down. I have no idea which chips were on that card. I remember setting up all of my games to support Sound Blaster Pro.

If anyone has information on "CTC Computers," that would be great as well. I am trying to figure out what sort of videocard I had with that first PC. All I remember is that I never had any issues running any software, video-wise, with that card. We ended up trading the 486SX into Sun TV for a CTC 486DX2-66 an I think most cards and the drive migrated over. We ended up shipping that to CTC for warranty purposes, and I convinced them to let us trade up for a Pentium-90 with Windows 95 (which had just been released) on CD, and I believe the cards also migrated over to that, so I used the same video card from 1993 to around 1998 or so.

Many thanks!

Scythifuge

Reply 5 of 29, by DerBaum

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Scythifuge wrote on 2023-12-14, 18:18:
DerBaum wrote on 2023-12-14, 16:57:

A lot of Reveal cards are relabeled Aztech cards.

Was the CD-Rom external or internal?

It was an internal drive. Were there any TeleVideo Aztech cards?

ok. i thought it could be the "Aztech Explorer" A very similar kit, but it has an external drive.

I dont know all aztech cards but i am pretty sure they made Soundcards, FM Cards and Modems in the early 90s.

Here is an example from my collection of a Reveal SC400 REV.4 made by Aztech:

MMSN830-2Front.jpg
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But i dont want to lead you in a totally wrong direction because i also have seen Reveal branded cards wich were not made by Aztech (but i dont remember where... because Aztech cards are my main focus) .

FCKGW-RHQQ2

Reply 6 of 29, by Scythifuge

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dionb wrote on 2023-12-14, 19:16:
Something similar to this? […]
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Something similar to this?

qXL5CjMl.jpg

Help with identifying Reveal Sound Card

DerBaum wrote on 2023-12-14, 19:16:
ok. i thought it could be the "Aztech Explorer" A very similar kit, but it has an external drive. […]
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Scythifuge wrote on 2023-12-14, 18:18:
DerBaum wrote on 2023-12-14, 16:57:

A lot of Reveal cards are relabeled Aztech cards.

Was the CD-Rom external or internal?

It was an internal drive. Were there any TeleVideo Aztech cards?

ok. i thought it could be the "Aztech Explorer" A very similar kit, but it has an external drive.

I dont know all aztech cards but i am pretty sure they made Soundcards, FM Cards and Modems in the early 90s.

Here is an example from my collection of a Reveal SC400 REV.4 made by Aztech:
MMSN830-2Front.jpg

But i dont want to lead you in a totally wrong direction because i also have seen Reveal branded cards wich were not made by Aztech (but i dont remember where... because Aztech cards are my main focus) .

It could have easily been either one of those cards. I scoured the net for pics of a "Reveal Multimedia Upgrade Kit" or information on the kit by including the CD-Rom titles in the search, but I can't find anything. Are there any screenshots to be found of the driver setup screen from either of those cards? I can picture it in my mind's eye. I do think that the manual and driver diskette read "Televideo." I don't think that it had Reveal stickers on the chips, though I didn't look at the components of my first couple of systems very often. I was too scared to mess around inside a PC until my first Pentium.

Reply 7 of 29, by DerBaum

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I found this auction : https://www.ebay.at/itm/175686455733 (televideo soundcard)

and then i found this thread : Reveal K2Y-PRO16 vs SB16 PnP (Vibra16) (same soundcard from reveal)

wich is a : https://fccid.io/K2Y-PRO16 (Media Chips Inc Sound Card PRO16)

and then i found this: https://www.amibay.com/threads/diamond-k2y-pr … d-opl3.2442355/ (wich confirms it as a OPTI card... and it was sold with a proper price... forget the ebay prices...)

FCKGW-RHQQ2

Reply 8 of 29, by JidaiGeki

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I have a Reveal Multimedia FX kit which could be similar to the one you've mentioned. This one is a Walmart version and didn't come with KQ7 or Stellar 7, and the front of the box has a sticker covering up what would have been a different set of titles.

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The sound card in this kit is the K2Y-PRO16, but that doesn't match up with the box pic of a rebadged Aztech card.

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Last edited by JidaiGeki on 2023-12-15, 06:18. Edited 1 time in total.

Reply 9 of 29, by JidaiGeki

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More pics - of the card & drive, the install sheet and a promo sheet.

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Reply 10 of 29, by JidaiGeki

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Other pics - close up of other Reveal multimedia kits, the sound card manuals and a contents list for this kit.

This kit doesn't have Audiostation or anything Voyetra related, and I think is missing a few install disks, though it has 3 install floppies so maybe that was all it ever had. There are two sound card manuals provided - a software and hardware user manual, though the Aztech card pic pops up again. There is a VHS included, and I wonder if it's similar to the one in the eBay listing shared by DerBaum...

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Reply 11 of 29, by DerBaum

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JidaiGeki wrote on 2023-12-15, 05:12:

...pic of a rebadged Aztech card....

The manual (or at least the card on it) is for a 1st Generation Aztech Sound Galaxy 16 Pro Extra (MMSN812) Rebadged as Reveal SC400 REV.2
It has Covox Speech Thing and Disney Sound Source support.

Here is a picture of it from my collection:

MMSN812Front.jpg
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CC-BY-4.0

The Card on the box is a 2nd Generation Aztech Sound Galaxy Nova 16 Extra (MMSN811), also rebadged for Packard Bell (wich was Reveals parent company)[this also explains the Packard Bell Pc on the ad]:
They seem to call it the "SoundFX Studio" [also called : Reveal SC400 REV.3] source for REV.3 name : https://wiki.preterhuman.net/Reveal_SC400_ISA_Sound_Card

Here is a picture from my collection:

MMSN811-3Front.jpg
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Sidenote:
The SC400 REV.3 from source the link above seems to be missing a ic wich looks like to connect to the mitsumi cd drive interface, wich my Packard Bell version has.
Makes sense if Reveal was shipping Panasonic drives with the cards to save a penny by not ordering the ic needed for a Mitsumi drive...

Interesting is that the MMSN811 is a 2nd gen card and MMSN812 is a 1st gen card.

This is super interesting.
Your set seems to be a Walmart special "multimedia FX Kit".

They advertise 3 different (not Walmart) sets : Multimedia FX "prestige", "elite" and "ultra" .
I cant make out wich cards are on the 3 boxes. If they are Aztech cards, they must be first generation cards because only 1st gen cards have volume wheels.
I would say the cards on the "elite" and "prestige" box are the same, just the stuff around the cards is different for each set...

EDIT: After digging through my picture archive and comparing features i could make out (volume wheel, cd interface on top, large connector at the end) I am quite sure the card in all of the 3 sets is a Sound Galaxy NX Pro 16 (MMSN803) [Reveal SC400 ... without Revision... so probably REV.1)
Here is a picture of one i found online. Its one of the few cards i dont own...

MMSN803Front.jpg
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And there is the standalone soundcard (where your 2nd manual probably comes from):

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---
The "K2y-PRO16" seems to be called SC400 REV.4G (on your Manual). Wich suggest it came after the Aztech stuff.

BUT... i dont know wich card came in the box when bought new... The one on the Box, or one of the 2 from either manual... I am confused 😁

Sidenote:
Some products in the ad are from the end phase of Reveal from around 1995. The Aztech stuff is more 1994 and before.
It totally makes sense that Reveal replaced the Aztech cards with cheaper Opti cards (K2Y) to save the last penny... before they went bancrupt in 1996...

FCKGW-RHQQ2

Reply 12 of 29, by Scythifuge

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JidaiGeki wrote on 2023-12-15, 05:12:
I have a Reveal Multimedia FX kit which could be similar to the one you've mentioned. This one is a Walmart version and didn't c […]
Show full quote

I have a Reveal Multimedia FX kit which could be similar to the one you've mentioned. This one is a Walmart version and didn't come with KQ7 or Stellar 7, and the front of the box has a sticker covering up what would have been a different set of titles.

1-box.jpg

2-CDs.jpg

The sound card in this kit is the K2Y-PRO16, but that doesn't match up with the box pic of a rebadged Aztech card.

3-Sound card.jpg

I like your username. I am a fan of the genre and Japanese cinema in general. That card could very well be it. Have you used it? If so, what does the sound address/port app look like, and is it SB Pro compatible?

Reply 13 of 29, by Scythifuge

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DerBaum wrote on 2023-12-16, 03:13:
The manual (or at least the card on it) is for a 1st Generation Aztech Sound Galaxy 16 Pro Extra (MMSN812) Rebadged as Reveal SC […]
Show full quote
JidaiGeki wrote on 2023-12-15, 05:12:

...pic of a rebadged Aztech card....

The manual (or at least the card on it) is for a 1st Generation Aztech Sound Galaxy 16 Pro Extra (MMSN812) Rebadged as Reveal SC400 REV.2
It has Covox Speech Thing and Disney Sound Source support.

Here is a picture of it from my collection:
MMSN812Front.jpg

The Card on the box is a 2nd Generation Aztech Sound Galaxy Nova 16 Extra (MMSN811), also rebadged for Packard Bell (wich was Reveals parent company)[this also explains the Packard Bell Pc on the ad]:
They seem to call it the "SoundFX Studio" [also called : Reveal SC400 REV.3] source for REV.3 name : https://wiki.preterhuman.net/Reveal_SC400_ISA_Sound_Card

Here is a picture from my collection:
MMSN811-3Front.jpg
Sidenote:
The SC400 REV.3 from source the link above seems to be missing a ic wich looks like to connect to the mitsumi cd drive interface, wich my Packard Bell version has.
Makes sense if Reveal was shipping Panasonic drives with the cards to save a penny by not ordering the ic needed for a Mitsumi drive...

Interesting is that the MMSN811 is a 2nd gen card and MMSN812 is a 1st gen card.

This is super interesting.
Your set seems to be a Walmart special "multimedia FX Kit".

They advertise 3 different (not Walmart) sets : Multimedia FX "prestige", "elite" and "ultra" .
I cant make out wich cards are on the 3 boxes. If they are Aztech cards, they must be first generation cards because only 1st gen cards have volume wheels.
I would say the cards on the "elite" and "prestige" box are the same, just the stuff around the cards is different for each set...

EDIT: After digging through my picture archive and comparing features i could make out (volume wheel, cd interface on top, large connector at the end) I am quite sure the card in all of the 3 sets is a Sound Galaxy NX Pro 16 (MMSN803) [Reveal SC400 ... without Revision... so probably REV.1)
Here is a picture of one i found online. Its one of the few cards i dont own...
MMSN803Front.jpg

And there is the standalone soundcard (where your 2nd manual probably comes from):
Screenshot 2023-12-16 044713.png

---
The "K2y-PRO16" seems to be called SC400 REV.4G (on your Manual). Wich suggest it came after the Aztech stuff.

BUT... i dont know wich card came in the box when bought new... The one on the Box, or one of the 2 from either manual... I am confused 😁

Sidenote:
Some products in the ad are from the end phase of Reveal from around 1995. The Aztech stuff is more 1994 and before.
It totally makes sense that Reveal replaced the Aztech cards with cheaper Opti cards (K2Y) to save the last penny... before they went bancrupt in 1996...

I need to see if I can find the driver set up app for these cards and run them (or find vids/screenshots), because I will remember if it is the right app. I found this website:

https://www.dosdays.co.uk/topics/Manufacturers/aztech.php

This site mentions how they released a bunch of multimedia upgrade kits and how during the 2nd half of 1993 they added SB Pro support. I do remember that SB Pro was the best compatible choice when set up my dos games, back in the day. I remember being bummed that we didn't have a Creative Labs card, but that whatever card we had sounded good enough.

Reply 15 of 29, by Scythifuge

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I just found this video from Phil's Computer Lab.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okxN4GVLJRI

The app he uses is *THE* app I used for whatever card that was. I don't recall the "Opti" logo, however.

https://youtu.be/okxN4GVLJRI?t=640

Reply 16 of 29, by DerBaum

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Scythifuge wrote on 2023-12-19, 21:58:

I remember that the setup app was ran under MS-DOS but had hi-res screens as compared to Sound Blaster and other card set up apps. I want to say that there are shades of grey and blue.

Here is an example of an aztech installer : https://youtu.be/2LDqRD97cXE?si=7WRqdtzHQ4Ib3fLN&t=81

FCKGW-RHQQ2

Reply 17 of 29, by DerBaum

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Scythifuge wrote on 2023-12-19, 22:23:
I just found this video from Phil's Computer Lab. […]
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I just found this video from Phil's Computer Lab.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okxN4GVLJRI

The app he uses is *THE* app I used for whatever card that was. I don't recall the "Opti" logo, however.

https://youtu.be/okxN4GVLJRI?t=640

The K2Y card is based on an OPTI chipset. It would make sense Reveal took the drivers and removed the OPTI Logo and maybe placed a Reveal logo there...

FCKGW-RHQQ2

Reply 18 of 29, by Scythifuge

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DerBaum wrote on 2023-12-19, 22:28:
Scythifuge wrote on 2023-12-19, 22:23:
I just found this video from Phil's Computer Lab. […]
Show full quote

I just found this video from Phil's Computer Lab.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okxN4GVLJRI

The app he uses is *THE* app I used for whatever card that was. I don't recall the "Opti" logo, however.

https://youtu.be/okxN4GVLJRI?t=640

The K2Y card is based on an OPTI chipset. It would make sense Reveal took the drivers and removed the OPTI Logo and maybe placed a Reveal logo there...

I appreciate your help! It seems I have to try to narrow down the Reveal cards which used the OPTi chipset, circa 1993. I have an AWE32 2160 in my 486DX2. However, I would replace it with the Reveal/Opti card and build a Pentium 166 MMX with the AWE32.

I remember one night (I think summer, so maybe we got the PC/Reveal kit in Q2 or Q3 of 93') I loaded up Solar Winds and listened to the music as the game ran, feeling thankful that I finally had a PC.