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Music Media Hardware

Finding an Innovation SSI 2001 Soundcard? 105

Posted by Cliff from the a-piece-of-computer-audio-history dept.
Yvan256 asks: "I've been looking for over 15 years for the Innovation SSI 2001 soundcard. It's a very old and extremely rare ISA card, based on the SID 6581 chip of the Commodore 64. Yes, I am aware of the HardSID (I've got one), but it's not hardware compatible with the SSI 2001 (different method of accessing the SID registers). The SSI 2001 is about the only card missing from my soundcards collection. I am aware of the IBM Music Feature, I have one. It's just not on the webpage yet. Please note, this collection is about the different technologies that came out at the beginning of the soundcards era, not the thousands of SoundBlaster clones that were available (including the Pro Audio Spectrum series). So, if anyone has an Innovation SSI 2001, or know where I could get one, please tell me."
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Finding an Innovation SSI 2001 Soundcard? More

Finding an Innovation SSI 2001 Soundcard?

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  • What? (Score:1, Redundant)

    by DJCacophony ( 832334 )
    Have you considered the possibility that you cannot find one because there are none on the market and those who own one don't want to sell theirs?

  • You've heard of maybe... (Score:5, Informative)

    by Bin_jammin ( 684517 ) <Binjammin@gmail.com> on Friday March 02, 2007 @11:29AM (#18206946)
    the MIT flea market? I don't know if you're in the northeast, but it's a geek flea market held the third sunday of every month between april and october. I've seen some really strange and archaic hardware there. Google Flea at MIT and it'll give you all the info you need. If you're not in the area, perhaps you can find someone who is, to shop for you, or find a similar thing in your own area. Keep in mind this is a flea market, NOT a computer show. I believe the strangest thing I saw was a 4k 3 foot long memory board from a 1977 Cray, new in box.
    • +1 on the MIT flea market. Here's a link [mit.edu] to some information on the flea market. I haven't been since I lived in Boston years ago, but I was able to find all sorts of old, cool stuff for cheap (most of it was stuff that I wasn't looking for -- like 40w lasers, etc).

  • how slashdot has fallen (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 02, 2007 @11:34AM (#18206996)
    hey everyone, i'm looking for a copy of haunted house for the atari 2600 for my collection. can anyone help me?

    WTF has gone so wrong around here? political articles with no technological connection are accepted, want ads are accepted. How soon until slashdot accepts articles about "i'm having a problem in my freshman java class, here's the code, can anyone help?" are the norm?

    • Re:how slashdot has fallen (Score:4, Funny)

      by Dogtanian ( 588974 ) on Friday March 02, 2007 @11:50AM (#18207224) Homepage

      How soon until slashdot accepts articles about "i'm having a problem in my freshman java class, here's the code, can anyone help?" are the norm?
      If you think this is bad, you haven't seen some of the garbage that makes the front page of Digg on a regular basis.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by BobPaul ( 710574 ) *
      Slashdot's trying to compete with digg. All the 12yr olds are flocking over there.

      • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

        by Dogtanian ( 588974 )

        Slashdot's trying to compete with digg. All the 12yr olds are flocking over there.

        That's precisely *why* I stopped using Digg. It was hyped up to be user-voted, democratic, better-than-Slashdot. Well, maybe it was when it started out (though I suspect it was partly getting hyped due to being a Web 2.0 poster child). However, it was already mediocre when I first started using it in early '06, and it seemed to go downhill from there.

        See this article [kuro5hin.org], which does a good job of examining what's wrong with Digg. I have to say it articulated the reasons I stopped using Digg and a lot more be

        • Yes, all the articles about how easy it is to game Digg has really hurt their reputation. I never liked it because of the way it hurts my eyes and the overall poor quality of the comments there.

          In fact, I think this entire phenomenon of news aggregators becoming social sites by way of press releases and the Russian Mafia is getting a little tired. All in all, I'd rather use nntp newsgroups than Digg or Del.icio.us. Whenever I look at either of those sites, I get the gnawing feeling that they were coopt

          • Yes, all the articles about how easy it is to game Digg has really hurt their reputation.

            For me, being full of crap news stories was what hurt their reputation. The articles about how easy it is to game the system just made it clearer *why* this was the case.

            I never liked it because of the way it hurts my eyes and the overall poor quality of the comments there.

            Much, if not most, of my reason for visiting Slashdot is to check the comments. Whilst it's very far from perfect, Digg is miles worse than /. in the one-line redundant "me too!", stupid, un-insightful, downright pointless comments, and the moderation is so broken as to be useless (it all smacks of agenda and groupthink, rather than what

    • Re:how slashdot has fallen (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Yvan256 ( 722131 ) on Friday March 02, 2007 @12:02PM (#18207398) Homepage Journal

      hey everyone, i'm looking for a copy of haunted house for the atari 2600 for my collection. can anyone help me?


      Here you go smart ass:
      http://search.ebay.ca/search/search.dll?sofocus=bs &sbrftog=1&fcl=3&catref=C2&fnu=1&from=R10&fcd=2&sa scs=0&satitle=haunted+house+atari&sacat=1249%26cat ref%3DC6&bs=Search&sargn=-1%26saslc%3D3&sadis=200& fpos=ZIP%2FPostal&ftrt=1&ftrv=1&saprclo=&saprchi=& fsop=1%26fsoo%3D1&coaction=compare&copagenum=1&coe ntrypage=search [search.ebay.ca]

      This isn't a normal "I want that item" question that can be answered in 10 seconds. It's a "I've been searching for over 15 years with no success, can someone please help me if you have any information" question. It's also technology-related, and computers-related. It's also about the history of sound technology in PCs. You can't get more nerd than that.

      If the previous "ask slashdot" about that videocard was lame, it's not my fault. It's because the guy in question can't even use eBay.

    • Re: (Score:2, Funny)

      by rev_sanchez ( 691443 )
      Speak for yourself there buddy. I have a bad Slashdot thread museum and this is going in my collection.
    • This story is interesting, as are many of the political discussions. Nerds aren't only interested in technology.

  • Contact the maker? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by peterprior ( 319967 ) on Friday March 02, 2007 @11:36AM (#18207014)
    Contact the people that made it ?

    I'm sure they'll have some old stock sitting in a warehouse somewhere or know where you can get one, especially if you point out thats the only card missing from your collection.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Yvan256 ( 722131 )
      The problem is that the company doesn't seem to exist anymore. I did try to find them, that was in fact one of the first thing I tried.

    • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

      by Dogtanian ( 588974 )

      Contact the people that made it ?

      The card dates from the late 1980s, almost 20 years ago. Possibilities:-

      * The company went bankrupt in the early 1990s.

      * They merged with another company, which was later taken over by another company that had some success, but went bankrupt in the mid-1990s, and whose name and key assets were taken over by another business who just wanted the brand awareness (and everyone had probably forgotten about the SSI 2001 by this time, so they probably didn't give a toss about the design or rights to that). Th

      • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

        by Yvan256 ( 722131 )
        Finally, someone who understands my problem instead of comparing me to that other guy who can't use eBay to find 100's of videocards that fit his needs. And that's exactly why I'm asking Slashdot users, because they're the type of people who are the most likely to find such an item as the SSI 2001.

        Searching "Innovation Computer Corporation" in Google only gives 5 websites, one of them being my own, and the other two that mention the SSI 2001 got their informations from my website.

  • Thank god someone has a soundcard museum... (Score:1, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    ...so there is no reason why I should keep all that trash.

  • Sound card (Score:3, Funny)

    by Henry V .009 ( 518000 ) on Friday March 02, 2007 @11:44AM (#18207156) Journal
    Dear Sir,

    I am Chief Accountant with the National Oil Nigeria
    PLC (N/Oil) and member of 5 MAN Contract Executive
    Review Panel (comprising 2 Snr.Staff of CBN and 3
    Snr,Staff Of (N/Oil) set up by present Civilian Regime
    of President Obasanjo. So far we have come across a
    surplus of the sum of US$27M.(Twenty-seven Million
    Dollars)which was as a result of deliberate
    over-invoicing of certain contracts awarded by
    Contract Award Committee of the cooperation. Also we
    have one SSI 2001 soundcard.

    The last installments due has been paid to the various
    Contractors, while the said surplus still floats in
    our Apex Bank waiting Off-shore remittance which we
    want to carry out right now. As civil servants we not
    allowed operate foreign account, therefore seek your
    assistance in providing enabling Bank Account where
    the Fund would be lodged.

    25% of the total Sum is for you 5% for expenses during
    transaction, and 70% for my colleagues and me. The SSI
    2001 soundcard will be included with the 25%.

    A friend who is a Staff of World Trading Center (WTC)
    here in Lagos made your contact available. Please
    notify me of your acceptance to carry out this
    transaction through the above E-mail address or fax
    number.

    I decided to contact you base on the fact that I have
    no foreign partner to assist me in executing the
    transaction. If you accept to carry out this business
    with me, please note that my colleague and me will be
    in your Country to receive the fund together with you,
    the moment we secure all the necessary approvals.

    You should also note that the transaction would only
    take (14) fourteen working days.

    you can also reply me to my private email
    address:princemikeokoye57@safe-mail.net

    Best Regards,

    Prince mike okoye.

  • Slashdot... (Score:2, Funny)

    by JimXugle ( 921609 )
    Slashdot: Classifieds for nerds, shit that other people don't want.

  • Hmm, I had the CM32L module that's mentioned under the LAPC-1 section. It was a repackaged version of Rolands MT32 sound module, a digital synth that also included drum sounds. All the CM32L had on the front panel was a power switch and volume control, and needed to be accessed from a computer to do anything useful. It sounded terrible when it was new (very thin sounds with little character), and after a few days trying to decide what it was useful for I sold it. I can't imagine a soundcard version would be

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Yvan256 ( 722131 )
      I also have a CM-64 module, which is a CM-32L and CM-32P integrated in one unit.

      And if you think a CM-32L sounded "thin", you've never heard the other soundcards (especially the Creative Labs Game Blaster).

      Before the Gravis Ultrasound, the MT-32/LAPC-1/CM-32L was the best non-professional soundcard on the market.
      • Probably not the point you were trying to make, but the MT-32 was used professionally quite a bit as well. There were better sounding modules at the time and it got pushed out when General MIDI came in, but it was a pretty common piece to use as a musician. In fact I bought mine from a music store not a computer store. I'm still using it hooked up to an old Akai keyboard, but I'm missing the ISA card that plugs into the MPU-401. It'll choke on most any other MIDI interface box.

  • Ebay Want it Now (Score:2, Informative)

    by PerfectSmurf ( 882935 )
    Have you posted on the Ebay Want it Now boards? They don't get a lot of action, but you never know when the right person might look, see you post, and say "I have one of those."

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Yvan256 ( 722131 )
      Yes I did use eBay's "Want it Now" section a few times, but they reset so quickly (from my point of view anyway) that I sometimes forget to re-list my item.

  • I've got one! (Score:5, Funny)

    by Ashbory ( 781835 ) on Friday March 02, 2007 @12:10PM (#18207510)
    ...but I'm keeping it for my own sound card museum. That I just started.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Yvan256 ( 722131 )
      Okaaay.... what's the URL? :p

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by Ashbory ( 781835 )
        My server is down right now. If anyone has a PDIUC508 Microchannel Arcnet card or know where I could get one, please tell me.
        • This may be somewhat scary, but I recently (last year or so) gave up figuring "no-one would ever want these" and off went almost 100 of them to the gold reclaimers! That said if you really wanted one I may have one lying around somewhere. I'm going to be clearing out a 15x20x10 foot locker soon that is almost floor to ceiling with old crap. If I find any old soundcards I'll look for what the topic poster wants too....

          How much you payin? :-)
          -nB

          • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

            by Yvan256 ( 722131 )
            If this is true, keep any SSI 2001 you may find (however unlikely), and any Mindscape Sound Board too (I've never even seen a picture of that one). The Game Blaster and Covox Sound Master are also rare pieces, and strangely enough even the 1st AdLib card can be "easily" sold on eBay.

            You can, however, ditch most of the SB clones. Unless you find Pro Audio Spectrum cards, which are semi-rare. Oh, and keep any boxes/manuals/etc, they may be more valuable than the cards (sometimes).

            • Well I'll tell ya what.
              If you promise to pay for shipping on _all_ the audio cards I dig up I'll sell them and the manuals to you at $1.00/Lb as that's the going rate for high gold content boards. :-)
              I just need the space and have had that techie epiphany that I'm not likely to use the lions share of what I have and even if I could use it I likely don't know I have it so would buy a replacement anyway. The chances that I *need* that one obscure bit are rather low, and the few super rare things I have are a
  • Dude, I think you just out-nerded everyone here.
  • I understand the posters problem, as the basic question is: "Where to find rare out-of-date hardware"

    I think a lot of slashdot readers have been looking for rare hardware in the past. I have looked for a riser card for an Apricot system mainboard once, after the company went under, never found it.

    I'm not sure this specific question merits being a Slashdot topic, but I do think the audience is the right one. I wish him good luck finding this item.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by hurfy ( 735314 )
      hehe, i can relate to the question too as i seem to be one of a very few people with a working Wang 2200 LVP system. Thank God the parts are all but indestructable :)

      Part of my own mini-museum along with an mint condition Compaq, a Blackmarket Compaq clone(no id markings of any sort above chip level), an AT clone, my original 386, 486 laptop, etc.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by unitron ( 5733 )

      I'm not sure this specific question merits being a Slashdot topic, but I do think the audience is the right one.

      Which is why I think it does merit being a Slashdot topic. Where and how else is he going to get his question in front of said audience? An audience which is nonetheless free to ignore this particular topic and read something else off the main page.

      If you google for "Innovation SSI 2001" (as opposed to googling for Innovation SSI 2001) you only get two pages of results and if you subtract the links to the OP's web page and to this article it's only one page and all in Czech or Romanian or something like

      • I was just thinking it might have been asked in a more generic form that would have ignited a more general discussion how to find old hardware, on Slashdot something useful might have come from that. I was not suggesting he should not have asked about the specific card he's looking for, but maybe not as the topic.

        Ah well, it's not a bad topic as Slashdot goes, and they of course rely on how someone submits the question.

        I hope the guy finds his soundcard.
    • Such as a SCSI-II enclosure with a 1.6" opening for a DAT drive.
      That's proving harder than tracking down a 5 1/4" floppy drive. That took me three months, and not for want of trying.
      • Sounds hard.

        The 5 1/4 floppies aren't a problem for me yet, have still a couple drives in working order, in at least 4 flavours, single density, double density, quad density and high density. I don't have any 8 inchers though.
  • Maybe you could contact Lord British. I believe that Ultima IV or VI supported the card. He may know who had the card.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Yvan256 ( 722131 )
      Indeed, Ultima VI supported it. In fact it's one of the rare game that did support it. It might be a long shot, but at least Lord British should be easier to find than a company that's probably been closed almost 20 years ago.
  • But try the local pawn shops and thrift stores. Most of the ones around here have at least one or two computers from that era sitting in there, that the owner would probably be willing to sell for $10 bucks or so. Maybe you'll get lucky, and find one with the sound card that you're wanting.

    I know it's a long shot, but if you've been searching for 15 years, it might be worth it.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Yvan256 ( 722131 )
      I visit the local pawn shops and thrift stores every week or so. If I see computers, I turn them around and look at the ISA cards. The Innovation has such a specific backplate (single RCA connector with a DB15 gameport), it's quite easy to recognize. But so far, no luck.

  • Subject: Object (Score:2, Informative)

    by _Hiro_ ( 151911 )
    I doubt they have one in-house, but I can give you a slight lead....

    There is a scrap yard / used appliances / refurbished computer company in Southern Ohio called ReUse [reuseindustries.org]. They occasionally will get in odd bits and pieces from the surrounding universities and public schools. If you ask really, really nicely, I bet they would keep an eye out for you. (One of the last loads they got in that I got to help unload had a stack of HP LaserJet printers. Just "LaserJet". No bloody II, III, 4, or 5. Plus a few du

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Yvan256 ( 722131 )
      I'm guessing my best bet would be such places, but they usually don't take requests. And most won't ship items by mail. But it's worth a try.

      Thanks.

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by _Hiro_ ( 151911 )
        If they aren't willing to look or ship to you, I'll keep an eye out next time I'm there. (Which is only about 3-4 times a year....)
      • I hate to state the obvious, but if you make it worth their while, they will keep an eye out. "$50 if you find one" is enough to keep their eyes peeled. And if you want it bac enough, $50 is a steal. :)
  • A good place to find such items is Hamfests, or electronic flea markets. They have been rendered nearly useless with the advent of eBay and the like, but they still exist and nowadays, they are more computer junk than radio junk. There are typically lots of vendors there with tons of old computer boards. Most of the stuff is terribly outdated and people rarely buy anything, but you may find your jewel in the rough. Look to "Nuts & Volts Magazine" (they probably have a website) or do a Google search
    • If you want to try just one hamfest, the Dayton Hamvention [hamvention.org], in Dayton, Ohio, is (somewhat improbably, I always thought) by far the world's largest, and is coming up in a couple of months (it's May 18-20 this year). If you don't find what you need there, it's likely you'll meet people or organizations that can help you look.
  • I keep it to scare the youngsters. It is one ugly ass card!
    • If that's the card that came standard in some Packard Bells back in the day, it'll scare off the oldsters too!
      • Was that the one with the gimp borked IDE channel that would only work with the stock CD drive, and only then if it was still in the PB?

        But the drive would/will work on any standard IDE controller?

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Dareth ( 47614 )
          With this card in place, the secondary Master on the board would not work. It had an IDE pass-thru for the CD-Rom on the card.

  • Another idea (Score:3, Insightful)

    by j-turkey ( 187775 ) on Friday March 02, 2007 @07:33PM (#18213412) Homepage

    I know that you've said that you have looked at the back of old computers to see if you can find one of these, but I had another idea. What system vendors sold their new computers with those cards installed? If you can find a bunch of those systems kicking around, I'd bet that you'll eventually find one of the cards that you're looking for.

    ...just an idea

  • Why not build a new one? You could get the sid chip from an old C64. Then design a pcb with the sid and some ttl chips, and there you go!

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Yvan256 ( 722131 )
      Building one would indeed be relatively easy, however that would not be the "real thing". That's like having a copy of a painting. It looks the same, but it's still a fake.
  • Can't help you with the card but I hope you find one. And I especially hope you find one through /. And I'm appalled by most of the complaining commentary, if you don't appreciate this story, why are you here ?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Yvan256 ( 722131 )
      Thanks for wishing me luck. However, your sig made me laugh...

      There are 11 types of people in the world, those who know binaries and those who don't.
      I'm guessing you're not part of either groups. ;-)

      • Re: (Score:2, Informative)

        by DrSkwid ( 118965 )
        there's more than one sort of binary encoding, hence the "binaries" part. Another is binary coded decimal

        you are person number 1000 (5) to point this out

        the others were

        0001
        0011
        0100
        0101
        and you
        1000

        I was taught this encoding and school back in the 80s, I can't find it on the net anywhere to name it.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Yvan256 ( 722131 )
          Oups, indeed. You got me with the "binaries" part, I read that as "binary". Sort of a higher level of that joke, and I got caught.

          Touché! ;-)

          • Re: (Score:1)

            by DrSkwid ( 118965 )

            the full list is
            5311
            ----
            0000 0
            0001 1
            0011 2
            0100 3
            0111 4
            1000 5
            1001 6
            1011 7
            1100 8
            1101 9
            1111 reserved
  • I think it may be time to give up trying to find an Innovation and simply have an ISA card made that functions like an Innovation would. You would need a MOS 6582 SID (all reports state that it is the 9v 6582, not the 12v 6581 that is on the card), an 8-bit ISA prototype board, an RCA jack, some TTL logic for address decoding and signal translation and passive components. I wouldn't bother with the gameport jack. Fortunately, the Innovation was not innovative at all when it came to interfacing with the P

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