Maybe i would be happy with the simplest version, i don't need extra color or anything fancy, just a working card 😀

Nice to see you make some Progress here, i also use your other device very often.
The Soundsource is working fine 😀
The Quality of you PCB looks also very good.

shock__ wrote:

Two more mockups since I won't be able to solder anything til tomorrow:
http://i.imgur.com/ETCN7VB.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/OzDhXBX.jpg

Ohh yeah! 😎

hey, shock__ i've spotted you on #mhm IRC channel 😀

While talking about the final product design, I would once again revert back to my post earlier in this thread.
Just as a kind reminder... 😀 Look at how the ARGUS logo on the front side is hidden under the SIMM!..

Btw, why did you decide to use the Am78C201KC for the prototype? Is this the one that comes from a GUS PnP card you tried the Am78C201AKC on?

And I've just got another idea that still can be implemented into the final revision.
Thanks to a series of hardware provisions (ISA pin header, pin header for Line-In) we'll be able to further improve on the functionality of ARGUS with some custom daughterboards.
However, there is still an uncovered area in that field - MIDI. We've already had quite an extensive discussion about wavetable headers, integrated MIDI support, etc., and the only possible way to add true flawless MIDI support to ARGUS shall be a daughterboard.
But, what if we decide to, for instance, adapt the already great project by keropi to the ARGUS daughterboard format?
Then we'll have a trouble of routing MIDI-I/O cables out of the daughterboard, and thus we'll inevitably need an additional chassis bracket with the corresponding ports.
However, there is an effortless and rather smart option: we could break the MIDITXD and MIDIRXD going from the InterWave chip to the Joystick DB15 port, and route them to a possible daughterboard - with a simple header once again.
So, what I'm suggesting is to put 2 additional 2-pin jumpers somewhere close to the DB15 port that would correspond to pins 12 (MIDITXD) and 15 (MIDIRXD) and would normally be closed, but if one day someone creates some MIDI-related daughterboard that needs access to the DB15 port, then the jumpers will be open and the daughterboard will handle MIDI-I/O instead of the InterWave chip.

About the logo ... that's too bad for the logo, but I'll spend more time listening to the card than looking at it, therefore I see no need to change it. Especially since I can't move the silkscreen to the bottom layer and don't want to juggle the current silkscreen, especially with the current explainations fitting perfectly in the area I selected.

I didn't use anything yet ... the one was just placed there for the photo because I had the unsoldered (and broken ) 201KC ready. My solderpaste went bad (as it has a shelf life) and I wanted to give a slightly better impression of how the card will look like for now (if it was soldered I'd have done a hell of a job aligning the IC btw). If you look closely at the photo with the card in the ISA slot and the gameport and bracket attached you can see that I already had to rework the QFP footprint.

About the midi headers ... generally a good idea, BUT also quite a stepping stone for future generations, who might get their hands on such a card but not have access to the documentation/this thread (already hard enough for some to keep up with the posts here ^^). To be perfectly honest ... since I announced the project I had 1(!) proposed project for the DB-headers that I can see come to reality some time soon. The main purpose of the header is to adress real shortcomings of the Gravis Ultrasound - not take make niche projects (like the intelligent MPU-401 by keropi) dependant on another niche project with a limited run (ARGUS with 190 cards being made at most).

btw: anyone want a (confirmed broken) InterWave AM78C201KC (for use as a keychain/keyring/whatever)? You'd just pay shipping

Ok 😀
Maybe at least two solder points with drilled holes could be put on the way of those traces? With no explanation whatsoever - if at some moment anyone needs to brake into those traces, he will simply cut them with a knife and solder two pins... And if you put 4 points with 4 holes (shorted by a trace), then such a mod can be reversed by putting two jumpers.
Well, if you don't think it's useful, leave as it is, but why not to add some reserved additional functionality if it's only about 4 solder points 😀

Adding Vias along the way is no problem.
In fact if anyone wants to do this as well: don't place C84/R84 & C85/R85, pins of the gameport jack are on R84 & R85 (right pad) - no need to cut traces then.

Great, thanks!:)

Awesome stuff!

... Still, pity it's not a red PCB 😉

Well, vias would be much better as one will be able to put a header instead of soldering a wire onto a pad... 😀

Or another option - we could replace both SMD R84 & R85 with similar through-hole parts.

hard1k wrote:

However, there is an effortless and rather smart option: we could break the MIDITXD and MIDIRXD going from the InterWave chip to the Joystick DB15 port, and route them to a possible daughterboard - with a simple header once again.

I soldered pins onto several soundcards before, to do just that; Obtain their MPU-401 signal and use it elsewhere inside the computer case. Soldering a pin header to a small SMD resistor makes it a bit fragile though...

On a side note; I am continuing my work on the Digital driver for Doom MBF 2.04 for both WSS and GUS PnP (Interwave). It was working already, but I noticed on my 486 that the framerate was lower compared to using the SB Pro driver. There is an extensive interwave programming guide, so eventually all things should be clear.

The main thing though: Great work shock!, I envy your ability to assemble your own soundcard.

Moar hardware-pr0n!
http://i.imgur.com/QejwhkA.jpg (that's how a soldered QFP should look like ... even tho it's not perfect)

On a more serious note: I checked the remaining donations and the parts list ... turns out one of the crystals (the DAC/ADC one) has an uncommon frequency and is not that easy to obtain (most common electronics stores don't have them) unless you go with digikey/farnell/etc. Would you be cool if I used the remaining donations for obtaining those for everyone and include them with the PCB? Price per crystal is roughly 50-70 cents.

200% OK for me 😀

very nice solder job!
the more non-common parts included the best it is IMHO

Your work is really invaluable, its amazing to see so much energy invested in legacy hardware 😀

very nice job with soldering!

shock__ wrote:

turns out one of the crystals (the DAC/ADC one) has an uncommon frequency and is not that easy to obtain

the 24.576 MHz one? I'd also say that another crystal (16.9344 Mhz) is also uncommon (i.e. our local electronics store does have the former one for "unbelieveable" 10 cents bcoz of currency rates 🤣 but not the latter)

Yeah, the 16.9344MHz one is the uncommon one.

I might have some bags of random audio/video crystals stacked away somewhere, so there might be 24.576MHz, but unfortunately I can't check until after next week. Most likely SMD HC-49 though, not through hole.

I'm for whatever parts that will meet or exceed original GUS performance specs.

Yeah, more MHz must surely be better! 🤣