Risc PC 486 Card - Software upgrades Q and A
Henry Howarth, Version 1.10, 10th July 1995.
Q.I have a Risc PC 486 Card. What plans are there for a software upgrade?
In September, Acorn will make available a software update to the !PC486 software (v1.72g) supplied with the Risc PC 486 Card. The !PC486 update will be available:
- free of charge, when downloaded from the Acorn ftp site
- by post, at a small charge to cover costs
- as part of the 16-bit Sound Software product available from ESP and Aleph One Limited in Q4
- as part of the PC Network Links software upgrade available from Aleph One.
The update will consist of:
- enhanced Windows 3.1 graphics with improved colour depth (16bpp and 24bpp) and palette device extensions
- CD ROM support for Photo CDs and Quad-speed CD-ROM drives
- a number of 'bug fixes', including support for Microsoft 1.8 MB disc formats and improved serial port handling.
Full details of the !PC486 update will be announced nearer the time of its availability.
An interim release of the !PC486 update, which includes the improved colour depth and palette device extensions as well as some bug fixes, will be available from the Acorn ftp site only from July 17th.
Q. What do I need to run Encarta on Risc PC and hear the sound?
You need the following items to hear the sound facilities of Encarta:
- Risc PC with the Risc PC 486 Card installed
- 16-bit Sound Risc PC
- 16-bit Sound Software application from ESP or Aleph One, available in Q4.
A 16-bit Sound Risc PC is a Risc PC with the Risc PC 16-bit Sound Upgrade (available from Acorn, Aleph One or ESP) or one of the new range of Risc PCs which come with 16-bit Sound hardware capability as standard.
Q. What do I need to run my Risc PC as a client on a PC network?
You need the following items to run a Risc PC as a client on a PC network:
- Risc PC with Risc PC 486 Card
- Ethernet interface for RiscPC and DCI4-compatible software driver
- PC Network Links software upgrade from Aleph One
- appropriate client software.
Q. How does PC sound work on the Risc PC 486 Card?
The Sound Blaster card has become established as the de facto standard for sound output for games and CD ROMs in the PC world. PC sound capability on Risc PC is effected by emulating the Sound Blaster hardware within the RISC OS domain.
Sound from a PC application can then be routed through to the 16-bit Sound hardware in the Risc PC. (The 16-bit Sound hardware comes built into the motherboard of the new range of Risc PCs and is available as the 16-bit Sound Upgrade for earlier Risc PCs.).
The Sound Blaster emulation consists essentially of MIDI and sound samples (primarily used by CD ROMs such as Encarta) and is supplied as part of the 16-bit Sound Software upgrade from ESP or Aleph One.
Sound Blaster drivers are needed in the PC domain to drive the Sound Blaster emulation: either 8-bit drivers which come with Windows or 16-bit drivers which have been developed by Acorn and supplied as part of the 16-bit Sound Software application available from ESP or Aleph One in Q4.
The 16-bit Sound Software application from ESP and Aleph One also includes a MIDI synthesis capability in software for the RISC OS domain and RISC OS sound drivers for the 16-bit Sound Card, which can be used by existing RISC OS MIDI sound applications like Maestro, Rhapsody and Sibelius, and multimedia applications such as ARPlayer.