This is the PCMIDI help section. Normally there is not much to
get a PCMIDI working, you just need to give it a free Address
and IRQ to use - preferrably port 330 and IRQ 2 as these are
the "Roland" settings most of the games that don't
allow configuration expect.
You can easily verufy operation by running a game or the MQDIAG
program from the "Original PCMIDI utilities" archive.
The most common issues for a PCMIDI not working are:
- main soundcard still trying to use port 330 for it's onboard
mpu
- IRQ2 is not truly free
- connectivity errors
For address issues you just have to make sure that
the main soundcard MPU is either disabled or moved to another
port like 300.
IRQ2 issues are a little more complex. For example ACPI
that is present in Pentium1and above systems is hardwired to
use IRQ2 so please check your BIOS settings to see if there is
an option to disable ACPI or revert back to using APM.
Some systems just won't let you use IRQ2 at all - it's a chipset
thing and also depends on the way the motherboard is wired. This
is mostly happening on later 486 boards that have PCI slots.
If there is no way to free up IRQ2 then using another one like
3 is the only option.
XT systems and 98% of 286/386/older 486 boards are not affected
and will easily accept port330 and IRQ2 as PCMIDI resources.
Connectivity issues are the easiest to solve: just remember
that the PCMIDI OUT port should connect to the midi module's
IN port.
That's it!
If you have another issue or need more help don't hesitate
to contact us!
You can use the email info in the "Contact Us" page
or join our Facebook group MPU-401
PC-MIDI Card Group and ask us there for a more direct communication.
If your PCMIDI card somehow became faulty (eg from a PSU malfunction
or whatever other reason) you can always contact us to arrange
sending it back for a repair - no matter how old of a revision
the PCMIDI is, we will fix it!
We are always glad to offer help to our supporters - don't think
twice about it!
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