PC/PCI (or) SB-LINK?

[eightbit]

I only just found out about this type of connection recently, and from what I have been reading it somehow it creates better ISA sound card support for PCI based sound cards. But I am new to this entirely and have never used the feature.

 

Recently I won a Crystal 4280 based PCI sound card (I am a big fan of Crystal cards BTW...I use them in almost all of my machines!) and I noticed it does have the six pin header for "PC/PCI" And, the motherboard I have coming advertises that it includes the feature as well.

 

So my first thought is to either obtain or build a cable to join these two together! Why? I dunno...that is why I am asking...hah!

 

What does this do exactly? I mean these cards already have drivers for SB Pro and SB16 emulation and it works in DOS. What is this for? Does anyone have experience using it?

 

 

Edited July 4, 2022 by eightbit

[wierd_w]

It's a 6-ish pin IDC connector on the SB-LIVE! (and other PCI cards that supported it), and on the motherboard. A pigtail connects them.

 

I have never used it. Not all motherboards from the era even supported it.

 

 

 

It was for getting around the differences between ISA DMA and PCI DMA, as well as ISA IRQ and PCI IRQ, so that PCI cards could more effectively emulate ISA ones.

 

 

From here:

 

Quote

The SB-link directs signals from the ISA bus to the PCI soundcard through a cable which comes with the PCI soundcard. This is because some DOS based games address the ISA bus directly.

But who plays DOS games?.

The official explanation of SB-Link, as posted on Creative's site is as follows (I don't think you really want to know, but..)

SB-LINK combines Intel's PC-PCI and "Serialized IRQ" protocols. These technologies can be found in Intel's TX, LX and newer core logic chip sets. This technology provides the DMA and IRQ signals present in ISA Bus today, but not available on the PCI Bus. The SB-LINK serves as a bridge between the motherboard and PCI sound card to deliver Sound Blaster 16 compatibility for real-mode DOS games, a widely accepted audio standard in Multimedia Personal Computers. SB-LINK, endorsed by leading motherboard suppliers, is becoming a standard audio connector on new motherboards. With SB-LINK, sound card users can look forward to the best gaming experience ever.

 

Edited July 4, 2022 by wierd_w

[eightbit]

That's interesting. I wonder if there is a real way to test it. Like a game which sound only works on the ISA bus. 

[leech]

On 7/4/2022 at 11:50 AM, eightbit said:

That's interesting. I wonder if there is a real way to test it. Like a game which sound only works on the ISA bus. 

I have (rebuilding it currently with a P2B-F instead of an Asus P2B (one more memory slot, one less ISA slot) and a Yamaha Soundcard that has an SB-LINK connection.  I remember when I had the first PC my parents bought (Packard Bell PoS (not a Point of Sale) that had a soundcard/modem combination card) had SO many issues with DOS games and sound.  It was either modem or sound, never both.  But I believe it was ISA, so didn't have the issue with PCI and DOS.  The card I have, the drivers have a switch for DOS support in Win98, so when you drop out to proper DOS, it acts like an ISA card.  I should test it more though to see if it is really required, but I believe it help with some compatibility with Gameports and such.

[eightbit]

Thats cool. I purchased one of these cables so I didn't have to manufacture anything (and it was cheap):

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/183756083111

 

It's connected but I haven't had the time to test much yet with work and all. 

[Mitch1819]

Hi, I have been looking for a socket 478 motherboard with a PC/PCI connector for a little while for a win98 build in the hope of getting good DOS sound compatibility with a YMF924 PCI sound card and I have found this one which has a promising yet unlabeled connector next to the PCI slots. Can anyone confirm that this is indeed a 5pin SB-link compatible header? The motherboard in question is a Matsonic MS9337C for which I have not been able to find any documentation...