How to set up CR-ROM drive with a Sound Blaster 16?

[Bill-kun]

Computer is a 386DX-29 running DOS 6.22 and Windows for Workgroups 3.1. I have successfully installed and set up my Sound Blaster 16 model CT1750. I can run Sierra games with the music coming from the SoundBlaster 16.

I've got a Samsung CD-RW/DVD-ROM drive, and an EPO brand model CR-858E from 2002. The EPO has a mechanical problem of the tray not opening with the button is pushed; I will try to fix that on my own.

I need to learn how to set up an optical drive with the SB16. The SB16 has IDE pin sets for Mitsumi CD drives (40-pin), Panasonic CD drives (40-pin), and Sony CD drives (34-pin).

1. Can I use the CD-RW/DVD-ROM drive, or is it not backwards compatible?

2. Do I need to specifically have a Mitsumi, Panasonic, or Sony brand CD-ROM drive, or can I use any brand that is compatible? How do I know if a brand is compatible?

3. Do I connect the IDE port on the back of the optical drive to the Sound Blaster card, and the Sound Blaster works as a controller card for the CD-ROM? I've run out of open IDE connectors from my actual controller card. If so, can there be 2 drives on that Sound Blaster IDE channel?

4. On the back of the optical drives there are ports for digital audio (2-pin) and analog audio (4-pin), and matching pins on the Sound Blaster 16. If I remember correctly, these are for playing audio directly from an ordinary music CD. Are they required or optional? Is there a significant difference between the digital and analog sound? Can I use either, or do I need both?

 

[Timo W.]

The CT1750 has *no* IDE connector. Mitsumi, Panasonic, and Sony are all proprietary connectors from back then for early single- and double-speed drives. Do not connect any IDE device there, it may cause damage.

For connecting an IDE CD-ROM drive, you would need a newer version of the SB16, like the CT2290 for example.

 

[Bill-kun]

So I plug the CD drive into my normal IDE controller card instead?

What about the digital audio connector and analog audio connector? Can I use those to play audio CDs even without the CD drive plugged in to IDE?

 

[Timo W.]

If you have a port free on your normal IDE controller card then yes, you can connect the CD-ROM drive there.

For CD audio, you connect the analog audio connector to the sound card. Never connect both. There's no digital audio-in on vintage sound cards to connect the digital audio-out anyway.

Can I use those to play audio CDs even without the CD drive plugged in to IDE?

If the drive has a physical play button, then yes.

 

[eswan]

Be carefull with the analog audio also, in the early days everybody was using different pinouts for those as well.

 

[retro-pc_user]

Agreed. The Panasonic used L G R G for their drives back then (changed the order for my CR-563-B drive and sound card and others used another layout.

Look up the pinout for Mitsumi, Panasonic, and Sony CD-ROM audio connections and change the wiring when necessary to match the correct pin layout.

 

[Bill-kun]

Using the boot disk files from bootdisk.com (DOS 6.22), I have gotten the CD-ROM drive to be readable as a drive letter, and I can discern how to change the CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files if I want to change the drive letter, port address, or IRQ. Success!

The next step is me finding a super-long IDE cable that will reach all the way that I need it to, so I can connect my physical hard drive and CD-ROM on the same IDE channel. To eBay! :arrow:

 

[WBST]

The CT1750 has *no* IDE connector. Mitsumi, Panasonic, and Sony are all proprietary connectors from back then for early single- and double-speed drives. Do not connect any IDE device there, it may cause damage.

For connecting an IDE CD-ROM drive, you would need a newer version of the SB16, like the CT2290 for example.

As far as I know, the Panasonic interface is ATAPI/IDE compatible, as the Panasonic CR-562B is such a drive.IBM PS/2 Models 76i/77i had IDE interfaces and used an OEM of that drive.

 

[Bill-kun]

I connected the CD-ROM drive to one of the hard drive IDE channels, put the correct commands in CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT and I can now read data CDs. I can play audio CDs, but only through the earphone port on the CD-ROM drive. I do have the analog audio cord going from the analog output of the CD-ROM drive to the analog input of the Sound Blaster 16; no CD sound from the sound card. Somehow, I think I remember this same failure mode from years ago. What am I doing wrong?

 

[Agent Orange]

I connected the CD-ROM drive to one of the hard drive IDE channels, put the correct commands in CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT and I can now read data CDs. I can play audio CDs, but only through the earphone port on the CD-ROM drive. I do have the analog audio cord going from the analog output of the CD-ROM drive to the analog input of the Sound Blaster 16; no CD sound from the sound card. Somehow, I think I remember this same failure mode from years ago. What am I doing wrong?

Right off the bat I'd double check the CD/SB line and it's connectors on both ends.

 

[Bill-kun]

Right off the bat I'd double check the CD/SB line and it's connectors on both ends.

Using continuity on my multimeter, I verified the analog CD cord has no breaks and that it maps the pins on the back of the CD-ROM drive to the correct pins on the SB16 card. What else should I look for?

 

[Bill-kun]

Hmm. Well, it works now. :? I don't know what could have made the difference. I didn't change anything about the audio cord except unplugging it and replugging it. I did put in a new 36-inch IDE cable that arrived in the mail, so I could put the CD-ROM drive as slave to the 425 MB. hard drive. But whatever. Party on, Wayne. :mrgreen: