Sound card: Does the SB Audigy2 ZS (SB0350) have a MIDI input port?

[Jim Cochrane]

(I initially posted this on comp.music.midi, but I don't think it's
a very good group for this question. I'm having a hard time finding
an appropriate hardware group that has a reasonable level of traffic -
a.c.h looks like a candidate; suggestions for a more appropriate group
are welcome.)

Summary of the question: Does the Audigy 2 ZS SB0350 sound card have
a "... MIDI / Joystick port ..." and can it be used, with the right
cable/adapter, for standard MIDI I/O? If so, what cable/adapter is
needed?

I recently bought a computer on ebay that has what appears to be a
SoundBlaster Audigy2 ZS (SB0350) card. The card looks exactly the same,
as far as I can tell, as the one pictured at this web site:

http://www.digit-life.com/articles2/creative-audigy2-zs/index.html

(Scroll down a page or so for the pictures.)

Specifications I've found online for the card mention a
"MIDI/joystick port extension header":

15-pin MIDI / Joystick port extension header

(e.g., at:
http://www.xiertekusa.com/product.php?pid=737&PHPSID=35c87674e7f3eca03657cac73293bd5f
)

I think this means that it has a joystick/game port that can,
with the right converter/adapter, be used for MIDI input/output.
The only candidate for that kind of port I see on the card is
the larger, mostly-rectangular opening at the far right in the
picture of the front panel. (See the first picture in the set at:
http://www.digit-life.com/articles2/creative-audigy2-zs/index.html
..)

But this sure doesn't look like a 15-pin port to me (neither male nor
female).

Can anyone tell me if this port is a joystick port, if it can be used
for MIDI i/o, and, if so, how to adapt it for standard MIDI cables?

As you can tell, I don't know a lot about hardware or sound cards. I'm
thinking the answer might be obvious to someone who does.


Thanks!

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--

 

[ChiRul]

(I initially posted this on comp.music.midi, but I don't think it's
a very good group for this question. I'm having a hard time finding
an appropriate hardware group that has a reasonable level of traffic -
a.c.h looks like a candidate; suggestions for a more appropriate group
are welcome.)

Summary of the question: Does the Audigy 2 ZS SB0350 sound card have
a "... MIDI / Joystick port ..." and can it be used, with the right
cable/adapter, for standard MIDI I/O? If so, what cable/adapter is
needed?

I recently bought a computer on ebay that has what appears to be a
SoundBlaster Audigy2 ZS (SB0350) card. The card looks exactly the same,
as far as I can tell, as the one pictured at this web site:

http://www.digit-life.com/articles2/creative-audigy2-zs/index.html

(Scroll down a page or so for the pictures.)

Specifications I've found online for the card mention a
"MIDI/joystick port extension header":

15-pin MIDI / Joystick port extension header

(e.g., at:
http://www.xiertekusa.com/product.php?pid=737&PHPSID=35c87674e7f3eca03657cac73293bd5f
)

I think this means that it has a joystick/game port that can,
with the right converter/adapter, be used for MIDI input/output.
The only candidate for that kind of port I see on the card is
the larger, mostly-rectangular opening at the far right in the
picture of the front panel. (See the first picture in the set at:
http://www.digit-life.com/articles2/creative-audigy2-zs/index.html
.)

But this sure doesn't look like a 15-pin port to me (neither male nor
female).

Can anyone tell me if this port is a joystick port, if it can be used
for MIDI i/o, and, if so, how to adapt it for standard MIDI cables?

As you can tell, I don't know a lot about hardware or sound cards. I'm
thinking the answer might be obvious to someone who does.


Thanks!

Hello, Jim.

Check the "Audigy 2 ZS and Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Users Guide"
found here: http://tinyurl.com/yppeo9

What you are referring to as the "mostly-rectangular opening
...." is the Firewire port. The 15-pin MIDI / Joystick port
*extension header* is on the PCB and is connected to the
joystick port (mounted on a second card bracket) via a ribbon
cable. See the 'About Your Hardware' section in the Users
Guide.

HTH.

ChiRul

 

[John McGaw]

(I initially posted this on comp.music.midi, but I don't think it's
a very good group for this question. I'm having a hard time finding
an appropriate hardware group that has a reasonable level of traffic -
a.c.h looks like a candidate; suggestions for a more appropriate group
are welcome.)

Summary of the question: Does the Audigy 2 ZS SB0350 sound card have
a "... MIDI / Joystick port ..." and can it be used, with the right
cable/adapter, for standard MIDI I/O? If so, what cable/adapter is
needed? snip...

As you can tell, I don't know a lot about hardware or sound cards. I'm
thinking the answer might be obvious to someone who does.


Thanks!

It comes with a slot adapter which called a "joystick/MIDI bracket" which
would strongly suggest that it has what you want/need. Full documentation
is available at the maker's website but a good simple description can be
found at the NewEgg site:

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102178

 

[Jim Cochrane]

Hello, Jim.

Check the "Audigy 2 ZS and Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Users Guide"
found here: http://tinyurl.com/yppeo9

What you are referring to as the "mostly-rectangular opening
..." is the Firewire port.

Yes, after a little more searching last night, I realized it wasn't the
joystick port, but hadn't figured out it was a firewire port.

The 15-pin MIDI / Joystick port
*extension header* is on the PCB and is connected to the
joystick port (mounted on a second card bracket) via a ribbon
cable. See the 'About Your Hardware' section in the Users
Guide.

Yes, I see from the diagram in the users guide that the port is on the
PCB; and looking at the card now, I see 15 pins and next to them, the
label "joystick".

Now my next dilemna is, not being a hardware guy, how do I adapt this to
hook up 5-pin MIDI in/out cables? (So that I can, e.g., plug my MIDI
keyboard into it.) It's now obvious to me that a connector like this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/PC-JOYSTICK-GAM...sPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting

won't work, since even though the pin count is the same, the layout is
slightly different.


Thanks!

--

 

[Jim Cochrane]

It comes with a slot adapter which called a "joystick/MIDI bracket" which
would strongly suggest that it has what you want/need. Full documentation
is available at the maker's website but a good simple description can be
found at the NewEgg site:

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102178

Thanks, John.

And I've discovered that the 15-pin joystick port is on the PCB, not on
the front panel. So now I need to figure out how to adapt it such that
I can hook up my MIDI keyboard with 5-pin MIDI I/O cables. (I posted a
bit more about this in my reply to ChiRul.)

--

 

[John McGaw]

Thanks, John.

And I've discovered that the 15-pin joystick port is on the PCB, not on
the front panel. So now I need to figure out how to adapt it such that
I can hook up my MIDI keyboard with 5-pin MIDI I/O cables. (I posted a
bit more about this in my reply to ChiRul.)

As my reply stated, they provide the adapter/connector with the audio card.
It mounts in a slot adjacent to the audio card and a ribbon cable plugs
into the 15-pin connector on the card. This connection is brought out to a
standard game/midi connector on the slot adapter. Getting from this
connector to your keyboard is up to you but I suspect that a cable to do
this is quite standard and widely available. Using the provided adapter,
the cable will not be on the "front panel" but it will be quite
conveniently located on the rear of the computer along with the rest of the
connections.

Take a look at this picture:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ShowI...ve+Sound+Blaster+Audigy2+ZS+SB0350+Sound+Card

You will probably need to fiddle with this link since is so long but it
shows a picture of the adapter I'm referring to. Or you can go to the
NewEgg link I provided earlier and select the last image in their image viewer.

 

[Jim Cochrane]

As my reply stated, they provide the adapter/connector with the audio card.

Right - the joystick/MIDI bracket. Sorry I missed that earlier.

It mounts in a slot adjacent to the audio card and a ribbon cable plugs
into the 15-pin connector on the card. This connection is brought out to a
standard game/midi connector on the slot adapter.

I understand now. Looks like the hard part is going to be finding a
lone joystick/midi bracket. I suspect I could have an electrician rig
up something equivalent, but that would probably cost more than the
entire card.

Someone mentioned, replying to my post in comp.music.midi, that I could
get a firewire/midi adapter and, with that, connect a MIDI keyboard to
the firewire port. But I suspect that this would not work because I
don't think the sound card is set up for MIDI I/O via the firewire port.

The only other option I can think of is to find the same card on ebay,
but with the bracket and try to get it for a reasonable price. (e.g.:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200222512054
)

Getting from this
connector to your keyboard is up to you but I suspect that a cable to do
this is quite standard and widely available. Using the provided adapter,

Looks like either of these should work:

http://cgi.ebay.com/10-Joystick-Mid...ameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting
http://cgi.ebay.com/JOYSTICK-PORT-M...ryZ41784QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

the cable will not be on the "front panel" but it will be quite
conveniently located on the rear of the computer along with the rest of the
connections.

Take a look at this picture:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ShowI...ve+Sound+Blaster+Audigy2+ZS+SB0350+Sound+Card

You will probably need to fiddle with this link since is so long but it
shows a picture of the adapter I'm referring to. Or you can go to the
NewEgg link I provided earlier and select the last image in their image viewer.

Yep.

Thanks again for your help.


--

 

[John McGaw]

snip...

Cutting to the chase -- if you have the card and for some reason do not
have the required bracket/adapter then I can see two ways to go: 1) ask
Creative to sell you the adapter or 2) forget the whole thing and buy
yourself a separate MIDI in/out adapter. The latter are cheap and common.
The USB sort is probably the easiest to deal with and are very commonly
used to connect keyboards and synthesizers to laptop computers. For example:

http://www.zzounds.com/cat--2434?em=2832f74358d5c4f40de69ea6c6490f64

 

[Paul]

Yes, after a little more searching last night, I realized it wasn't the
joystick port, but hadn't figured out it was a firewire port.


Yes, I see from the diagram in the users guide that the port is on the
PCB; and looking at the card now, I see 15 pins and next to them, the
label "joystick".

Now my next dilemna is, not being a hardware guy, how do I adapt this to
hook up 5-pin MIDI in/out cables? (So that I can, e.g., plug my MIDI
keyboard into it.) It's now obvious to me that a connector like this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/PC-JOYSTICK-GAM...sPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting

won't work, since even though the pin count is the same, the layout is
slightly different.


Thanks!

The picture of the deactivated item on Newegg, shows an example of the
included ribbon cable and PCI slot bracket with connector for SB0350.
It probably uses the standard pinout (something you can partially
confirm with a multimeter). Click on the pictures for a closeup
(click the picture with the CD disc in it).

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102178

I would guess, if the capability existed, you'd see some sign of
it in Device Manager or in some multimedia control panel. (I.e.
the driver would cause it to show up and be named). Even without the
ribbon cable adapter, it should show up as being present in the
computer software.

For another example of the usage of such a 2x8 ribbon cable header (with one
pin missing for keying), see PDF page 51 of this document. This particular
motherboard has a combo bracket, but you can see the part that converts
the ribbon cable header to the 15 pin connector on the PCI slot cover.

http://dlsvr03.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/socka/kt333/a7v333/e1010_a7v333.pdf

The Estore only sells in the USA, but you should be able to find that
ribbon cable thing, with 15 pin connector, around somewhere. This one
happens to include a couple USB ports on the same PCI slot cover.

http://estore.asus.com/shop/item.asp?itemid=165&catid=119

Midi.org has examples of what interfaces to the Midi-in and
Midi-out signals. So actually, if you were handy with a soldering
iron, all you really need to do, is connect to four particular pins
of that 2x8 thing on the sound card. +5V, GND, MIDI-IN and
MIDI-OUT and the adapter circuit to the two DIN connectors.
It could be that your Ebay find, has the adapter stuff hidden
inside.

http://www.midi.org/images/midiadap.gif
http://www.midi.org/about-midi/electrical.shtml (discusses avoiding ground loops)

HTH,
Paul

 

[Jim Cochrane]

The picture of the deactivated item on Newegg, shows an example of the
included ribbon cable and PCI slot bracket with connector for SB0350.
It probably uses the standard pinout (something you can partially
confirm with a multimeter). Click on the pictures for a closeup
(click the picture with the CD disc in it).

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102178

I would guess, if the capability existed, you'd see some sign of
it in Device Manager or in some multimedia control panel. (I.e.
the driver would cause it to show up and be named). Even without the
ribbon cable adapter, it should show up as being present in the
computer software.

For another example of the usage of such a 2x8 ribbon cable header (with one
pin missing for keying), see PDF page 51 of this document. This particular
motherboard has a combo bracket, but you can see the part that converts
the ribbon cable header to the 15 pin connector on the PCI slot cover.

http://dlsvr03.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/socka/kt333/a7v333/e1010_a7v333.pdf

The Estore only sells in the USA, but you should be able to find that
ribbon cable thing, with 15 pin connector, around somewhere. This one
happens to include a couple USB ports on the same PCI slot cover.

http://estore.asus.com/shop/item.asp?itemid=165&catid=119

Well, since I am in the US, I ordered one from estore - connected it to
my Audigy ZS (The usb connectors are unused, of course), and it works!

Thanks much for the tip.

Midi.org has examples of what interfaces to the Midi-in and
Midi-out signals. So actually, if you were handy with a soldering
iron, all you really need to do, is connect to four particular pins
of that 2x8 thing on the sound card. +5V, GND, MIDI-IN and
MIDI-OUT and the adapter circuit to the two DIN connectors.

I've never been into that (soldering) much. (I'm more of a software guy
than a hardware guy.) Perhaps when I retire, I'll
have more time to experiment with stuff like that

It could be that your Ebay find, has the adapter stuff hidden
inside.

http://www.midi.org/images/midiadap.gif
http://www.midi.org/about-midi/electrical.shtml (discusses avoiding ground loops)

HTH,
Paul

It's great to have it working. Thanks again (to you, and ChiRul and
John McGaw) for the help.

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