F. A. Q. - Frequently Asked Questions

Product | SoundSystem 512i digital
Status | 06.05.2005
Version | 1.4
Questions and Answers | 15

Please ensure that you are using the latest driver version. You can obtain the latest drivers from our webpage.

Internet | TerraTec Electronic GmbH
http://www.terratec.com | Herrenpfad 38
ftp://ftp.terratec.de | D-41334 Nettetal Germany

The Questions in Overview ...

Question 1:
Do I have to move jumpers and change dip switch settings before I install the sound card?
Question 2:
I cannot change the IRQ of my 512i digital in Device Manager.
Question 3:
There is no sound coming from the sound card.
Question 4:
How do I record from my hi-fi system?
Question 5:
Can I send the encoded AC-3 stream to a DVD via the digital output of an external decoder (e.g. Dolby Digital Receiver)?
Question 6:
Background noise is continuously coming over the speakers. What can I do?
Question 7:
Ever since I connected my sound card to my stereo system, I hear a constant hum.
Question 8:
Is the MIDI port on the sound card compatible with the Roland MPU-401 standard?
Question 9:
The 512i digital Control Panel isnīt installed during the Driver Installation, What can I do to correct this?
Question 10:
A keyboard connected to the sound card does not react when I hit a key.
Question 11:
Where can I get new drivers and utilities for my sound card?
Question 12:
The force feedback of a ForceFeedback joystick connected to 512i digital does not function.

Question 13:
After installing the new WDM drivers, only the Window's Start sound can be heard.

Question 14:
The digital output is activated in the Control Panel, but my receiver still doesnt get any signal. What can I do?

Question 15:
After installing the drivers and Control Panel from the CD "B1", when I try to start the Control Panel I get an error message.

Question 1:

Do I have to move jumpers and change dip switch settings before I install the sound card?

Answer 1:

To operate and install the card as such it is not necessary to move jumpers. But for reasons of flexibility there is a jumpers - (JP17) which enables the headphone amplifier at the first line output to be switched on/off.The card complies completely with the Intel/Microsoft specification. There are no jumpers or switches to be set for IRQs, DMA channels and addresses.

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Question 2:

I cannot change the IRQ of my 512i digital in Device Manager.

Answer 2:

PCI cards are configured automatically via the BIOS, Plug & Play or ACPI of the operating system. These mechanisms do not allow for the manual alteration of the IRQ via the Device Manager. If it were necessary to assign another IRQ to the card, it is possible to install the card into another PCI slot, possibly swapping the slots with another card. In addition, some BIOS versions offer the option of permanently assigning IRQs to individual PCI slots. In any event, get advice from the manual for your motherboard.

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Question 3:

There is no sound coming from the sound card.

Answer 3:

- If you are only using one pair of speakers, ensure that you have used the first Line output (Line-Out 1)
- Check the connections between sound card and loudspeakers.
- Are the active speakers or Hifi system turned on?
- Check the control settings of the 512i digital mixer. Ensure in particular that none of the mute switches have been activated because this would turn off the sound output.

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Question 4:

How do I record from my hi-fi system?

Answer 4:

- Connect the line-out socket on your hi-fi system to the line-in socket on the sound card.
- Use the Record Out socket or the Tape Play socket on the tape section of your hi-fi amplifier.
- Then you will have to specify LINE IN as the recording source in the 512i digital mixer under “RECORD”.
- Then call up recording software, such as Wavelab Lite or the audio recorder in Windows.

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Question 5:

Can I send the encoded AC-3 stream to a DVD via the digital output of an external decoder (e.g. Dolby Digital Receiver)?

Answer 5:

Yes, Windows 98 SE / ME / 2000 SP 2 provided that you possess a corresponding Software-DVD decoder with which you can playback the DVD on your PC. The Ravisent Cinemaster 99 / 2000 and Cyberlink's PowerDVD Vers. 2.55 ( Windows 2000 requires Cyberlink's PowerDVD Vers 3.0 ) or higher support this 512i digital function. Note that if you do not explicitly have the full version of a program of this kind, certain functions may be deactivated – if it came with your graphics card, for example. Look in the manual for the relevant software for the settings that have to be made. Connect the optical digital output of 512i digital to the optical digital input of the decoder and activate the “S/PDIF” in the 512i digital mixer under “Settings” for the digital output.

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Question 6:

Background noise is continuously coming over the speakers, what can I do?

Answer 6:

When the sound card was being designed, value was placed on incorporating the best audio properties. Nevertheless, it is still possible that in certain computer configurations inserting graphics and video cards, hard drive controllers or even power supply units can have an effect on the audio signal. Generally, the built-in amplifier is very sensitive to this. Use active speakers or your hi-fi system on the line output. When installing the sound card in your computer, try to place it as far away as possible from the sources of interference mentioned above. Switch the microphone input to mute when not in use.

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Question 7:

Ever since I connected my sound card to my stereo system, I can hear a constant hum.

Answer 7:

The hum (50 Hz) comes from the 230 Volt power supply. It is caused by a ground loop. This loop is created when two devices are grounded by a ground wire or other wire (e.g. antenna cable), and are also connected to an audio cable. The humming will disappear if the direct conducting connection is removed – either with a sheath current filter that is connected into the antenna line (in specialty stores, approx. US$ 10), or with an audio transmitter that eliminates the direct coupling of the audio output (PC) and the input (HiFi amplifier) (e.g. Conrad, Order No. 31 14 05 and in car HiFi stores). If you remove the antenna cable from the receiver/tuner and the hum disappears, then the sheath current filter will help. If the hum is audible even without the antenna cable, the cause of the problem is a doubled ground on the mains plugs and can be resolved using an isolating transformer.

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Question 8:

Is the MIDI port on the sound card compatible with the Roland MPU-401 standard?

Answer 8:

The sound card supports both the Sound Blaster MIDI mode as well as the MPU-401 UART mode (not the SMART mode, this does not affect performance since most programs support MPU-401 UART mode). Programs which are set up for MPU-401 mode directly support your sound card when a wavetable is being used.

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Question 9:

The 512i digital Control Panel isnīt installed during the Driver Installation, What can I do to correct this?

Answer 9:

If the Windows Control Panel is active, the D512i digital Control Panel may not be installed correctly, or at all. In General, we recomend that all applications are closed during the installation. You can, however, install the 512i digital Control Panel afterwards by starting the '512i digital ControlPanel.exe'. This file can be found on the driver CD.

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Question 10:

A keyboard connected to the sound card does not react when I hit a key.

Answer 10:

- First, make sure that the driver for communicating with the keyboard has been installed. The driver for this card is called 'MIDI for FM810 External MIDI Port' and should be found in the Multimedia Control Panel under 'Device'. If it is not there, reinstall the current Windows drivers.
- If the driver is installed, it must be selected as the MIDI input device in the respective sequencer software. Please see your sequencer manual for details on this. Most sequencer programs have a menu item labeled “Setup/MIDI Devices”, where you can select MIDI input and MIDI output devices.
- If both these conditions are satisfied and the problem persists, in other words the software does not react when you hit a key or no sound is audible, the MIDI connecting cable is almost certainly the cause of the trouble. Experience has shown that there's an enormous number of different MIDI connector cables which unfortunately are all identical in appearance. These cables should contain a so-called optocoupler suitable for the sound card's levels. As it's not possible to check this from the outside, always use the sound card manufacturer's MIDI cable. As a result of this problem, our product range includes such a cable which you can obtain from your equipment retailer.

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Question 11:

Where can I get new drivers and utilities for my sound card?

Answer 11:

You can always obtain current drivers and software versions from the ReActor BBS at +49 2157-817924 (analog) and +49 2157-817942 (ISDN). You also have access to them through our Internet sites (http://www.terratec.net). Here, you can obtain current information about our products and hot new tools for your sound card.

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Question 12:

The force feedback of a ForceFeedback joystick connected the 512i digital does not function.

Answer 12:

The MIDI lines for ForceFeedback transmission are usually used for another purpose. Ensure that you do have an up-to-date software for your ForceFeedback joystick.

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Question 13:
After installing the new WDM drivers, only the Window's Start sound can be heard.

Answer 13:
This problem can happen if an older WDM driver version was installed on your system. Before installing the newest driver version, you will need to erase the *.inf and *.pnf files in your system.
Under Windows 98SE/ME, go to My computer > View > Folder Options > View > tick Show all files >OK
Go to My Computer > C:\ > open the Windows folder > show files (if prompted) >open the Inf folder > open the Other folder > here you must delete the files relating to the 512i digital
Under Windwos 2000/XP, make a search for *.inf files including the text "terratec" and delete them. These files are named "oem" and are located in the c:\windows\inf folder. Be sure all files and folder are visible (tools > folder options > view > show hidden files and folders). By double clicking the file (for example c:\windows\inf\oem0.inf) a text editor will open and you will see to which hardware it belongs. If it relates to the TerraTec device you will want to delete it.
After you have done this, You can install the newest driver version without problems.

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Question 14:
The digital output is activated in the Control Panel, but my receiver still doesnt get any signal. What can I do?

Answer 14:
This only happens after the first installation: After you have installed the Control Panel, start this one and deactivate/activate the function S/PDIF. The problem should be permanently solved.

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Question 15:
After installing the drivers and Control Panel from the CD "B1", when I try to start the Control Panel I get an error message.

Answer 15:
This problem can happen when you are using the operating systems Windows 9x/ME. Please download and install the actual Control Panel available for download on our website to solve the issue.

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TerraTec Electronic GmbH
Herrenpfad 38
D-41334 Nettetal
Tel: | +49-2157-8179-0
Fax: | +49-2157-8179-22
Hotline: | +49-2157-8179-14
FTP | ftp://ftp.terratec.de
WWW | http://www.terratec.com