The card should work okay for regular audio with no RAM installed - I've got an AWE64 that can't see RAM but can read its ROM and it's still pretty usable. The ROM still plays normally.
If the card has real problems then usually you'd get a white box error message in win95 / 98 when starting to indicate that the card's not happy.

You can use lots of types of RAM there as it just needs FPM or EDO with the right pin configuration and voltage - pretty much all of these SOJ-40 / SOJ-42 chips are 5v.
Have a look at my post on upgrading the CT4500 / CT4520's memory: Creative AWE64 CT4500 upgraded to 2MB of RAM
I just took some RAM off of a 72 pin SIMM and it worked once the resistors were changed around 😀

But maybe the whole card sustained a major PSU failure so one can expect more defective ICs even if they don't get hot when powered.

Amazing link thank you so much! It looks like a fun mod! My AWE64 of course has the same pinout setup!

I found the attached, HYB 5118165BSJ-60 would that work in your opinion? I am not sure how a simple 0-ohm resistor move can shift address 0 to 3 though?

What is the RAM used for on the AWE64?

And yes, I do understand there might be more faults. Otherwise there would be no fun! 😀

Update: I've removed the RAM module. The card works as before - AWE synthesiser is very much distorted and low. Could that be a configuration issue?

Can I also pick your brains to help diagnosing this distorted sound when playing AWE synthesized effects? 8 bit, 16bit and MIDI are ok.

Link to WAV here: www.cinematech.it/MyLinks/SB64.wav

Thank you!

Still trying to figure out things here.

My questions are:
1. in DOOM, the soundtrack is ok. The user manual suggests that under Windows the Midi is emulated via Software if I read that right but I am not sure I fully understand the difference between MIDI and AWE and I'm not sure what happens in MSDOS. I'm trying to understand what's the signal path so I can diagnose the issue
2. I was unable to find the EMU8000 pinout or any schematics of it or of the AWE.

Any help is appreciated! 😀

On the same subject, can someone please confirm whether having the EMU8000 chip around 50 degrees (uncomfortable to touch after a few seconds) is normal?

Thank you!

For ones with IC405A and just CTxxxx written on them it is, only IC405B doesn't run hot.

Here it is 😀

Does it qualify as the "hot" one? 😀

To be honest the card works fine, it's just the RAM missing and I can't figure out why.

Thank you!

Oh, it is the integrated chipset. I am not actually sure what is normal for them, my comment was only for the actual discrete EMU8000. I have few of these cards but I have not tried to see how hot do they get, but I recall them not getting hot.

interesting! It's not so hot, it's a hotspot in the middle to be honest. If you stick your finger on it, it does not feel hot until it does. Weird. Thanks anyways!

Good news. Not sure how but the card now sees the memory chip, 2MB. Not sure what I've done, I just inspected the card for a lot of time under the microscope and checked all the traces, I might have removed some tiny solder balls in between some legs and then I soldered another memory chip.

Well, it works. Ish.

I would need someone's input on something though.

1. The card still refuses to load MIDI banks. The error is the usual "the selected file contains unrecognized format" which I have a feeling it's a false error for "cannot load into memory".
2. I can load WaveFX into memory though. The memory bar gets red and all seems to be working normally. However when I play those samples on "Playback" in the AWE control panel, the sound is as distorted as I had in DIAGNOSE under MSDOS.
3. The ROM version of the card shows some gibberish text under DEVICE
4. If I run DIAGNOSE (under Windows 98 though, I need to re-do my CF for proper MSDOS 6.22) the program detects the 2MB RAM but then it throws an error when testing it. Not sure if this is supposed to be run under Windows though.

Now, I do not know how much of this is my card or Windows. I will test again under proper DOS, meanwhile if someone has any ideas...

Pics attached and video here: https://1drv.ms/v/s!AukePwK7XyEPhOVxVE8ReOscFHtpaQ?e=5cYLNk

@Tiido is the ROM mentioned by Windows the PnP ROM which we talked about in the other thread? There is another small memory module on the card, a "CMOS memory", is that RAM for the chip or some sort of ROM?

No, this ROM is the big SOP near the sample memory chip. It shares many signals with the DRAM and I expect you have some short or maybe a break somewhere since the ROM version is garbled and the error message you receive likely has to do with data not being verifyable.

ah-a, we're getting somewhere 😀

Is it the attached?

Is there a way to read it? I'd be curious to see what comes out of it (looking for stuck bits etc).

Assuming it's the chip I highlighted, I buzzed all the lines and they all go to a different part of the main chip compared to the DRAM - and all the pins are connected. I don't have anything shared with the DRAM, nothing I could find anyways.
So... either the ROM is defective or there is something else. Is there a dump of this ROM somewhere?

Thanks!

Highlighted bit is the effect memory, sample DRAM is the one sitting between the expansion connectors, left of the ROM, the chip you have been trying so hard to get working...

ahhh interesting! Then yes of course, that shares a lot of traces with the sample ram.

Ok, I'll focus my attention there. I assumere there isn't a pinout of that ROM? And is there a way to read it via programmer/software?

thanks!

The ROM uses standard JEDEC memory pinout. You can look up some 16bit EPROM datasheet that lists SOP pinout too.

Will do thanks.

One more question: how does the system work when there is no DRAM attached? The AWE synth is distorted with no RAM attached (and also distorted in the same way when using DRAM) which makes me think there is an issue somewhere else. Where does the system store the samples when there is no DRAM available?

I hope this question makes sense 😀

Thanks!

DRAM is only for newly uploaded sound banks, but all the default software etc. uses only the 1MB ROM samples from the big SOP. If ROM samples are messed up, and there is no physical fault it is quite likely the main chip is damaged. Since you mentioned it getting hot it seems like it is the most likely explanation...

Oh I see. So the EMU8011 chip is a 1MB ROM containing the default samples. Those sound corrupted.

However when I load additional samples in the DRAM, those sound equally distorted.

The chip getting hot is the ROM, not the main chip.

So, assuming the ROM does not have anything to do with what is stored in the RAM, it's either something wrong on the ROM/DRAM bus or the main chip is faulty.

I doubt I can fix this but considering it now sees the RAM which previously couldn't, I want to check a few more things!

Thanks for now.