One ISA slot, four jobs: SonicVision PRO targets classic 386 and 486 PCs

Old PCs run out of slots fast. Build a well equipped 386 or 486 and the problem becomes obvious. VGA takes one slot. Sound takes another. Networking wants a third. Add dedicated MIDI hardware and suddenly the inside of the case starts looking rather busy. SonicVision PRO takes a different route. It puts VGA graphics, Sound Blaster-compatible audio, hardware MIDI and 10 Mbps Ethernet onto a single 16-bit ISA card. That’s the whole idea. Four jobs, one slot.

SonicVision PRO targets 386 and 486 PCs

At the heart of the graphics section sits a Cirrus Logic CL-GD5434 VGA controller with 2 MB of video memory. That’s a sensible choice for the sort of systems this card is aimed at. The CL-GD5434 appeared in plenty of 486-era PCs and offers far more than basic VGA while still fitting comfortably into the period.

Sound comes from an OPTi 82C930A controller paired with a genuine Yamaha OPL3 chip. For DOS users, that means support for Sound Blaster Pro and Windows Sound System audio, along with proper Yamaha FM synthesis.

There’s also dedicated MIDI hardware. SonicVision PRO includes a PCMIDI MPU-401 interface with intelligent-mode support. That matters because some DOS software expects more than the simple UART MIDI implementation found on many later sound cards. Then there’s networking. A Realtek RTL8019 controller handles 10 Mbps Ethernet, giving the card everything it needs to put an older PC onto a network without using another ISA slot.

One card solves a very practical problem

The appeal here isn’t difficult to understand. A typical 386 or 486 motherboard may have several ISA slots, but those disappear quickly once the machine is fully configured. Storage controllers, serial ports, sound cards, network cards and graphics adapters all compete for space. Compact systems make things even tighter.

SonicVision PRO reduces that pressure by combining four common expansion cards into one. It doesn’t try to become a complete system controller, though. There’s no IDE interface, floppy controller, serial port or parallel port built in.

That keeps the design focused. If your machine already has storage and basic I/O covered, the card can handle most of the other hardware you’d normally add to a DOS or early Windows PC.

The VGA hardware can be switched off

The graphics section isn’t mandatory. If you already have a VGA card you prefer, the Cirrus Logic controller can be disabled using a jumper. That makes SonicVision PRO useful even in systems where its graphics hardware isn’t needed.

There are several other configuration options too. The board supports zero wait states, IRQ2 and two switchable video BIOS banks. It also includes a feature connector for compatible video hardware.

Space is understandably tight. With so much packed onto one ISA card, not every connector can sit neatly on the rear bracket. The gameport, for example, uses an internal header instead. It’s a reasonable compromise for a board doing this many jobs at once.

The MIDI section gets proper hardware support

MIDI is one of the more interesting parts of the card. A lot of later Sound Blaster-compatible cards technically support MPU-401, but only in UART mode. That works for plenty of software, but not everything.

SonicVision PRO goes further by including intelligent-mode support through dedicated hardware. For machines used with DOS games, sequencers or external MIDI modules, that gives the card a broader range of compatibility without requiring a separate interface. The MIDI section also includes configurable jumpers, so users can adjust how it connects with the rest of the system.

The Ethernet boot ROM socket has another trick

The Realtek RTL8019 provides the expected 10 Mbps Ethernet connection, but its boot ROM socket can also be useful for something else. It can host firmware such as an XT-IDE BIOS.

That opens up another option for systems where storage compatibility is awkward or where the motherboard BIOS doesn’t handle newer drives particularly well. It’s not the headline feature, but it makes the networking section more flexible than it first appears.

A standalone VisionPRO VGA card is coming too

The SonicVision PRO project has also led to a simpler graphics-only version called VisionPRO. That card keeps the Cirrus Logic CL-GD5434 and drops the sound, MIDI and Ethernet hardware.

So if all you need is a newly produced ISA VGA card, you won’t necessarily have to buy the full four-in-one board. The standalone card also pays attention to analogue video output quality, which matters more than you might expect when old VGA hardware is connected to a modern LCD display. Poor analogue output can look ugly very quickly.

Price and release date are still to come

SonicVision PRO is already at an advanced prototype stage, and the current PCB is close to the intended production design. There isn’t much spare room left. That’s hardly surprising.

For now, there’s no confirmed retail price or firm release date. The purpose of the card is already clear, though. SonicVision PRO takes four familiar pieces of ISA hardware and squeezes them into one slot, giving 386 and 486 systems graphics, sound, MIDI and networking without filling half the motherboard in the process. Sometimes the best feature really is having one less card to install.