Not fully understand your proposition. You start by explaining the lack of Sound Blaster compatibility on the Ultrasound and then.... a new kind of daughterboard, which does what? Add Sound Blaster functionality to a GUS classic?

If you're looking for Sound Blaster support when a GUS classic installed, just install a Sound Blaster compatible card next to your GUS.

Edit: reformulated my suggestion.

OK, so I edited the original post to clarify, even though the important part was already in the topic title.

Yes, I know it's possible to have two cards, I even had such a setup once, but I wasn't too happy with that:
- extra slot needed
- additional external cable
- additional noise possible
- necessary to properly set mixers on both cards, AFAIR I had to re-adjust it often, as some programs like to set the mixer on their own

So, how about a daughterboard like the 16-bit recording option, but instead of CS4231 providing some SB-compatible chip, like Vibra, ESS Audiodrive, or even one of the later CS423x chips?
- no extra slot
- no external cable
- hopefully no problem with noise, the connector designed for 16-bit codec should provide enough sound quality
- not sure about mixer software... maybe single ULTRAMIX would be sufficient in most cases?
- putting that daughterboard connector to some use at last!

If I'm not remembering wrong, the connector on the classic is basically an ISA header itself (needs verifying though, I haven't taken out the card in a long time)... but, if that's correct, the resulting card would almost be a separate card anyways and also be behaving as such (just without needing a motherboard slot) and one might still need to route its output via some extra headers to some Audio-In header on the Gravis and use the mixer to adjust volume or even activate the sound to pass through. At least with unisound the configuration then wouldn't need any special drivers.

So, if the above are not an issue (and I'm correct about the headers being 'just' an ISA), it would actually be rather easy to do such a daugtherboard. The basic question would then more be: does it make sense to even build such a card? Not calculating the time and not looking at the skill necessary for everyone interested to solder a CS423x-TQFP, just the material might end up being around 50 USD for the board. If someone were planning on offering such a very-niche thing readily done, prices would probably be more double or three times that price.

I have entertained that idea not so long ago actually after making sort of an enhanced reimplementation of the original GUS DB :

I have had the thought of replacing the Crystal chip with YMF71x which I am already familiar with but my hands are really full right now...

Grzyb wrote on 2021-12-25, 13:14:

Yes, I know it's possible to have two cards, I even had such a setup once, but I wasn't too happy with that:
- extra slot needed
- additional external cable

The daughterboard takes up so much space that the neighboring slot basically becomes useless. Not sure what you mean but I just line-out my GUS to the line-in of my SB.

@Tiido. Nice effort. How "high" is that card? It looks like there isn't an awful lot of clearance at top for the case or is the photo deceiving and your add-on is about the same height as a standard ISA card?

It has just enough clearance as the original addon card did, which was stretching things quite a bit. There is only like 1mm gap between it and neighboring ISA card so one will need care not to short anything out. There would be a bit more clearance if Gravis used 7mm and not 11mm tall capacitors.

OK, I've found the installation guide for the original daughterboard, and indeed:

Be careful not to insert your UltraSound too close to another card in your computer. If you have the slot space available, keep your UltraSound and 16-Bit Recording Option one slot away from other cards.

@Tiido: any other problems with your daughterboard?
No noise, I hope?
ULTRINIT properly disables Adlib ports on GUS, and they are serviced by the daughterboard, right?
And what exactly is the difference between "530" and "530W"?

On the pictured card there were mechanical problems with some GUS models which are all fixed. I cannot comment on noise etc. on every model because I only have 2.4 on which is works perfectly and is as quiet as the CS4231+YAC512 noise floor is. Testing on other models was done by someone else who I was not directly in contact with. I only received info about mechanical problems which got fixed then. Eventually when there's time and money I could make something more out of this but for the time being my hands just are too full...

There probably will be clashes between OPL2/3 ports and GUS on some models, which is why there is the "write only" option so there won't be any problems if GUS won't free up the ports or there is some other card in the system that definitely won't free them up.

While the DB and GUS MAX have WSS compatible chip on it, it isn't WSS compatible :
Real WSS : 530...533 - WSS status/conf, 534...537 - WSS codec
GUS DB/MAX : 530...533 - WSS codec

There are missing 4 status/conf ports at the base address compared to real WSS. 530W adds those ports and allows games to work directly with when WSS mode is chosen in them (and use WSS drivers in windows with some limits, as all IRQ and DMA confs are not supported), instead of actually needing base address + 4 to function (if game ignores states/conf ports, and allows to work in nonstandard IRQ/DMA confs). It just is a mode to get a bit more out the card.

Hey Tiido,

any new revisions of this board? I have 4 GUS Classics and will soon have an original daughterboard - but would not mind "upgrading" some of the others too.
Especially if any kind of SB compatibility would be possible (as suggested earlier in the thread) - but even OPL3 and (slightly more compatible) WSS would be awesome.

I have a couple of builds where I have no free slots (but free space for a thick card), and picking the "right" sound card is hard.. :)

/Eirik

I am now in the process of moving to Norway and my workspace is completely gone until move completes in a month or two. I got a whole lot more sorting and packing to do...

As far as SB compatibility goes, I once had a thought of adding YMF71x to the board but it will come with the problem of having zero compatibility with the existing DB and the design goal was to be compatible with stock while giving a few enhancements. But the idea is not buried. Hard part is getting the parts needed, ongoing silicon depletion affects even the old parts, making them very expensive plus few key components have been a problem to source before the depletion began (CPLDs for example).

Tiido wrote on 2022-08-24, 13:01:

I am now in the process of moving to Norway and my workspace is completely gone until move completes in a month or two. I got a whole lot more sorting and packing to do...

Ah, welcome! :)
Whereabouts will you be located? Happy to invite to a retro-beer once you're settled.

Tiido wrote on 2022-08-24, 13:01:

As far as SB compatibility goes, I once had a thought of adding YMF71x to the board but it will come with the problem of having zero compatibility with the existing DB and the design goal was to be compatible with stock while giving a few enhancements. But the idea is not buried. Hard part is getting the parts needed, ongoing silicon depletion affects even the old parts, making them very expensive plus few key components have been a problem to source before the depletion began (CPLDs for example).

Yeah, it would turn the whole thing into a many-in-one. I was hopeful because of the near-pass-through to the 8-bit ISA bus.
That component shortage feels .. engineered, to some extent, and pretty much entirely avoidable. The only reason for it I could have accepted would be "we need to stop having kids mine this stuff for us" or something along those lines..

/Eirik

I'll be living in Horten where my GF lives. If I get near Oslo then things could happen haha

Yeah, it is possible to put anything on the expansion connector (space restrictions permitting) and only thing needed is for GUS software to enable the audio signals on the exp connectors.

I'm sure some shit has been going on around it, there certainly are a number of people who are benefitting all of it and a whole lot more who don't 🤣
*wants to have my FPGAs again*