kikendo wrote on 2024-05-29, 20:33:

I have a 440BX machine, and I got the card from you, just purchased one from your latest batch that came up on Tindie. Let me know how I can help, I still think it's probably due to my misconfiguration rather than a problem with the card.
Would love to know how to report this better and publicly, filling up this thread with my problems also seems counter-productive but if this is what you would prefer, i'll go ahead and reply with more details.

Please do go ahead and detail your setup and your issues here, even though it may take more time and iterations than a live chat. I don't believe this forum thread has ever left anybody unhelped. 😀

If you still need help, could you please share quick summaries of the following? Then the hive mind can start forming a picture of what you're facing -

• your system's hardware (include the motherboard's brand and model, and/or - if you know - it's main chipset)
• operating system
• what Picogus software you have installed (and/or, show us your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT)
• which aspects of your PicoGUS, if any, *do* work as expected

Your situation, as explained so far :

Doom or Doom II - no sound
Blood - no sound
Duke Nukem 3D - no sound
Fast Tracker II - strange output
Cubic Player - strange output

That worked perfectly, thank you @MadMac_5

I also got the PicoGUS working perfectly in Windows 98SE.

* I set ULTRASND and ULTRADIR in my autoexec.bat
* I launch pgusinit in my autoexec.bat
* I used 'Windows 95 drivers v. 1.2b' from http://www.gravisultrasound.com/utilities.htm
* I adjusted the IRQ + DMA in manually in Windows
* Rebooted and it worked!

Shreddoc wrote on 2024-05-29, 21:24:

Please do go ahead and detail your setup and your issues here, even though it may take more time and iterations than a live chat. I don't believe this forum thread has ever left anybody unhelped. 😀

Allright, I just didn't want to "pollute" this thread with my problems, but it seems like this is the way to go so let's do it.

After messing around with a lot of system configs and init setups, I got it to do better.
I think the issue here stems from having a LOT installed in this machine, including another sound card. I noticed I had the parallel port on the same IRQ and fixed that (which was easier said than done as my motherboard/BIOS only lets me put it on IRQs 5 or 7, thanks, all the ones I need for sound cards!). I also changed the DMA from 1 to 3, not sure if that has helped or if it is all placebo, if I have two sound cards, should they use different DMAs or can they all be 1? There's like no info on the docs about this sort of thing and I feel because of the (current) state PicoGUS is in, it is kind of necessary (at least for me) to run it alongside another card (no header for CD audio, no legacy gameport connector, no Windows support).

Let me sum up:

System: Gateway G6-450
Motherboard: Intel 82440BX/ZX AGPset (MP440BX), 100Mhz bus speed
CPU: Slot 1 Pentium II 400, 192MB RAM
Nvidia Geforce 2MX-200 on AGP slot
I have a Sound Blaster 16 on the bottom ISA slot with Address 220, IRQ 10, DMA 1
I put the PicoGUS on the other ISA slot with Address 240, IRQ 5, DMA 1
SD2IDE in the primary channel with a 64GB card in it
Windows 98SE installation

Jazz Jackrabbit, Epic Pinball, Black Thorne and a few others seem to work just fine.
Doom and Doom II now work and make sound but they tend to crash the machine (needs a long press on power to power off)
Descent is crashing after loading.
Blood still has no audio but I will try again to set it up
Transport Tycoon DX is now working just fine!

Fast Tracker II and Open Cubic Player are again working too

I'll be making more tests as I go but this setup has proved challenging. I'm pretty happy with what I am getting though, it's amazing how different the audio quality is compared to my SB16. I didn't think there'd be a difference on sample audio but it's mind blowing. I get the hype now!

duboisea wrote on 2024-05-30, 00:24:

I also got the PicoGUS working perfectly in Windows 98SE.

Oooh I'm going to have to try this too!

Thanks to polpo for creating this amazing device.

@kikendo
The situation does seem to be a product of, as you said, "having a LOT installed in this machine, including another sound card".

Which does not invalidate the issues at all! - and there is also still a chance of improving them - but it does probably categorise them under 'the general difficulties of achieving full compatibility under DOS or Win9x when using complex hardware combinations', as opposed to faults or unexpected behaviour from your PicoGUS itself.

Hopefully the thread will have further thoughts or suggestions - I may have some myself later once I've had a chance to think about them.

(not to steamroll the above!, but separately, here is another thing I wanted to post in case it helps any other DIYers)

FOR DIY BUILDERS OF PICOGUS V1.2 CARDS
Mouser Project for PicoGUS v1.2 card, using external DAC module
https://www.mouser.com/ProjectManager/Project … ssID=ba0a421861

You may use this Mouser Project to populate your cart with all the components needed to build a v1.2 PicoGUS for external DAC module. It is based upon the Github BOM.

Please read the notes below regarding optional items, and items not included.

------

Optional items in the Mouser Project (i.e. if you don't need them, then you can remove them)

1. Rear bracket.
The Mouser Project includes items of Customer No "Bracket_Blank" and "Bracket_Screws". If you intend to instead 3d print your own rear bracket (designs exist), then you may remove those two items and save a few dollars. Note that "Bracket_Blank" is indeed a blank, and has no holes - it would need holes drilled in it (by you!) for use with the PicoGUS.

2. Raspberry Pi Pico.
The Mouser Project includes Customer No "Pi_Pico" - a Raspberry Pi Pico (SC0915). You may alternatively use a Pi Pico W (SC0918), which costs a couple dollars more, but means your card will be ready in case a wireless networking firmware under development is released in future.

3. Raspberry Pi Pico, mounting.
The Mouser Project includes Customer No "U1,U1-R" and "Pi_U1,U1-R". These are :
- 2 x 20 pin low profile sockets (to solder to the PicoGUS card)
- 2 x 20 pin sets (to solder to the Pi Pico)
These two items enable you to socket the Pi Pico on your PicoGUS. If you do not wish to socket your Pico - which is entirely optional - then you may remove one or both of those items from your cart, save a couple of dollars, and instead mount the Pico how you wish (e.g. direct to board, or via pins).

------

Items NOT included in the Mouser Project

1. PicoGUS v1.2 PCB.
Typically ordered from a PCB maker such as JLCPCB, using the PicoGUS v1.2 gerbers from Github.

2. DAC module.
This Mouser Project is to build a v1.2 card that DOES REQUIRE the purple-coloured external PCM5102 DAC module, which is typically sourced from (e.g.) AliExpress for a few dollars. That DAC module is NOT included in the Mouser Project cart, you will need to source it separately. It is also possible to build a v1.2 card with the individual DAC components soldered directly to the PicoGUS PCB, but that is not covered in this post.

3. USB OTG cable.
You will need to source your own MicroUSB-to-USB-A OTG cable separately, if you wish to use the USB Joystick function of your PicoGUS. Some are available at Mouser, or Aliexpress.

4. MIDI adapter cable.
You will need to source your own MIDI cable (3.5mm TRS to 5-pin MIDI DIN, Type A) separately, if you wish to use the PicoGUS's physical MIDI out port. Some are available at Amazon, or music retailers, or you can make your own.

i just got my card in the mail wil it work with a 386 ?

Thanks a lot @Shreddoc, it looks like building a 1.2 card will be a lot of new expense and I'm not sure how much I really need the USB device capabilities, so I'll just build a second 1.1 with the PCB and components I already have..

I have a bit of an odd question: Is the PicoGUS compatible with Linux? Especially some older versions from, like from 25 years ago. I know that there was quite extensive support for the GUS back then, including MIDI and patch loading, etc.

pyrogx wrote on 2024-05-30, 12:09:

I have a bit of an odd question: Is the PicoGUS compatible with Linux? Especially some older versions from, like from 25 years ago. I know that there was quite extensive support for the GUS back then, including MIDI and patch loading, etc.

I don't think there is a compiled binary of pgusinit for linux, and I don't know if that is possible, but now I'm also curious.. Presumably if the PicoGUS could be initialized under linux then the GUS kernel modules would work..

Shreddoc wrote on 2024-05-30, 03:29:

Which does not invalidate the issues at all! - and there is also still a chance of improving them - but it does probably categorise them under 'the general difficulties of achieving full compatibility under DOS or Win9x when using complex hardware combinations', as opposed to faults or unexpected behaviour from your PicoGUS itself.

Yeah that's why I was adamant to post too much about it. I think I have an unfortunate BIOS that doesn't let me change things as I please, I would love to shove the serial and parallel ports above IRQ10 but I can't. I never quite understood if I can flash it with another version, these Gateway motherboards have a very specific Phoenix BIOS build in them.

I tried setting the PicoGUS in other IRQs but it didn't quite seem to work with anything, 5 or 7 seem to be the only possible options but I'd love to be corrected.
I have more thoughts and can do many more tests, has anyone gone through this list testing everything?
http://www.gravisultrasound.com/files/documen … ation/GLIST.TXT

But yeah some more documentation about running it concurrently with another card seems like a good idea, I also realized I don't have audio input or MIDI input on the PicoGUS so I don't see myself ever using it standalone.

Very excited about my purchase yesterday of the @polpo-made Femto to use as wifi in the Pocket 386. I also went ahead and bough the Pico W (with headers) ( https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BV1H4D7M/ref=pe_3 … simp_item_image ).

I think I can work my way through the Pico wifi setup with Micropython and Thonny. My questions are about the NE2000 add-on. Is that already installed? Downloadable firmware? Does DOS 7.1 need extra software to recognize/use an ISA/Pico arrangement?

Thanks for any insight.

any one has a guide how to install this card not shure how to do this

kikendo wrote on 2024-05-30, 00:27:

System: Gateway G6-450 Motherboard: Intel 82440BX/ZX AGPset (MP440BX), 100Mhz bus speed CPU: Slot 1 Pentium II 400, 192MB RAM Nv […]
Show full quote

System: Gateway G6-450
Motherboard: Intel 82440BX/ZX AGPset (MP440BX), 100Mhz bus speed
CPU: Slot 1 Pentium II 400, 192MB RAM
Nvidia Geforce 2MX-200 on AGP slot
I have a Sound Blaster 16 on the bottom ISA slot with Address 220, IRQ 10, DMA 1
I put the PicoGUS on the other ISA slot with Address 240, IRQ 5, DMA 1
SD2IDE in the primary channel with a 64GB card in it
Windows 98SE installation

I have a Gateway G6-350 with 440BX chipset (this is the motherboard: https://theretroweb.com/motherboards/s/intel- … -mount-prospect) so actually have a test system that is pretty close to yours. I haven't run things a lot on that system due to the crippled BIOS but the quick testing I did a while ago showed things working OK. I'll dig the machine out and put the titles you mention through the paces.

The one thing that sticks out is that you have the SB16 and PicoGUS both using DMA 1. The PicoGUS does not tolerate sharing IRQs or DMAs with other cards well. Could you set the PicoGUS to use DMA 3 instead?

scroeffie wrote on 2024-05-30, 06:46:

i just got my card in the mail wil it work with a 386 ?

scroeffie wrote on 2024-05-30, 16:09:

any one has a guide how to install this card not shure how to do this

Yes, it should work OK in a 386. Did you find the getting started Wiki page? It should have everything you need to get started under DOS. https://github.com/polpo/picogus/wiki/Getting … ith-PicoGUS-2.0

jakfish wrote on 2024-05-30, 15:34:

Very excited about my purchase yesterday of the @polpo-made Femto to use as wifi in the Pocket 386. I also went ahead and bough the Pico W (with headers) ( https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BV1H4D7M/ref=pe_3 … simp_item_image ).

I think I can work my way through the Pico wifi setup with Micropython and Thonny. My questions are about the NE2000 add-on. Is that already installed? Downloadable firmware? Does DOS 7.1 need extra software to recognize/use an ISA/Pico arrangement?

Thanks for any insight.

WiFi support/NE2000 emulation is not finished yet but since that part uses a common codebase with PicoMEM, carrying over its fixes should be straightforward. Configuring Wifi will be done via pgusinit, and MicroPython is not involved. Since it emulates an NE2000, DOS 7.1 can use the NE2000 packet driver and MBrutman's MTCP.

appiah4 wrote on 2024-05-30, 12:23:

pyrogx wrote on 2024-05-30, 12:09:

I have a bit of an odd question: Is the PicoGUS compatible with Linux? Especially some older versions from, like from 25 years ago. I know that there was quite extensive support for the GUS back then, including MIDI and patch loading, etc.

I don't think there is a compiled binary of pgusinit for linux, and I don't know if that is possible, but now I'm also curious.. Presumably if the PicoGUS could be initialized under linux then the GUS kernel modules would work..

The card doesn't need to be initialized with pgusinit if it's using the default port of 240h. Linux would be interesting to try out, especially since the Linux Ultra Sound Project drivers are what evolved into ALSA. I remember those drivers being really good back in the 90s on my GUS.

polpo wrote on 2024-05-30, 20:30:

scroeffie wrote on 2024-05-30, 06:46:

i just got my card in the mail wil it work with a 386 ?

scroeffie wrote on 2024-05-30, 16:09:

any one has a guide how to install this card not shure how to do this

Yes, it should work OK in a 386. Did you find the getting started Wiki page? It should have everything you need to get started under DOS. https://github.com/polpo/picogus/wiki/Getting … ith-PicoGUS-2.0

i gave up after 4 hours of trying to figure it out i even tried on my 486 100mhz ,wil look in to it tomorrow

polpo wrote on 2024-05-30, 20:44:

appiah4 wrote on 2024-05-30, 12:23:

pyrogx wrote on 2024-05-30, 12:09:

I have a bit of an odd question: Is the PicoGUS compatible with Linux? Especially some older versions from, like from 25 years ago. I know that there was quite extensive support for the GUS back then, including MIDI and patch loading, etc.

I don't think there is a compiled binary of pgusinit for linux, and I don't know if that is possible, but now I'm also curious.. Presumably if the PicoGUS could be initialized under linux then the GUS kernel modules would work..

The card doesn't need to be initialized with pgusinit if it's using the default port of 240h. Linux would be interesting to try out, especially since the Linux Ultra Sound Project drivers are what evolved into ALSA. I remember those drivers being really good back in the 90s on my GUS.

Someone should also try it under OS/2.

polpo wrote on 2024-05-30, 20:44:

The card doesn't need to be initialized with pgusinit if it's using the default port of 240h. Linux would be interesting to try out, especially since the Linux Ultra Sound Project drivers are what evolved into ALSA. I remember those drivers being really good back in the 90s on my GUS.

I'll give it a try, provided I can get these ancient drivers to compile and run properly...

polpo wrote on 2024-05-30, 20:28:

I have a Gateway G6-350 with 440BX chipset (this is the motherboard: https://theretroweb.com/motherboards/s/intel- … -mount-prospect) so actually have a test system that is pretty close to yours. I haven't run things a lot on that system due to the crippled BIOS but the quick testing I did a while ago showed things working OK. I'll dig the machine out and put the titles you mention through the paces.

The one thing that sticks out is that you have the SB16 and PicoGUS both using DMA 1. The PicoGUS does not tolerate sharing IRQs or DMAs with other cards well. Could you set the PicoGUS to use DMA 3 instead?

Yeah if you read my message completely you will realize that I have managed to get better results by changing the DMA channel. My testings now are with each card on its own DMA. I didn't know they couldn't share it, but once I started seeing problems it's one of the first things I changed.
I'm still unable to get Blood running for example.

Love my Gateway but that BIOS is a piece of shit. I really wish, as I said before, I could chuck my serial and parallel ports above IRQ10