1 Topic by improbabilitist (edited by improbabilitist 2010-07-15 15:28:38)

  • Registered: 2010-07-13
  • Posts: 7

Topic: Jmicron + RME (Fireface 400) - a work in progress

Dear RME users,

I have a Clevo M860TU laptop, and unfortunately when I tested the FF400 the results were horrible to say the least (BSOD's, strange errors etc.).

Instead of spending a huge amount of money on a computer (*cough* Macbook Pro *cough*) that in many areas would be weaker than my laptop I have currently, I began to search for other solutions.

So, not a long time ago I began working together with Jmicron to fix the issues they have with their firewire chips in combination with RME hardware (FireFace 400).
Monday they are going to send me a JMB388 ExpressCard with new firmware for me to test on.

I'll update this thread with more information as I progress in finding the solution for people who have or are going to have a Jmicron chipset.
Please do note that as of now I don't own a FF400 because I have very limited funds, want to fix the problem before I buy it and thus am dependent on local music shops who are kind enough to let me test the FF400.


This is the setup I have currently:

XXODD Xni860TU (Clevo M860TU)
Core2Quad Q9000 2.0Ghz
nVidia GForce GTX260m 1GB DDR3
4GB DDR3 RAM
Team Combo 128GB MLC SSD
Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit
Main audio editing program: Ableton Live 8.1.0 (will be updated to the latest version soon)

Wish me luck.

  • From: New Milford , CT USA
  • Registered: 2007-05-01
  • Posts: 347

Re: Jmicron + RME (Fireface 400) - a work in progress

Hi,
JMicron firewire controllers do not work well or at all with any audio device. They also do not work well for video capture.
It's compatibility is slightly improved with the latest JMicron driver but not by much.

Using a Fire wire express card that uses a Texas instrument chip set will make things work better.

Chris

Chris Ludwig | ADK Pro Audio
www.adkproaudio.com
https://www.facebook.com/adkmg

ChrisADK's Website

  • Registered: 2010-07-13
  • Posts: 7

Re: Jmicron + RME (Fireface 400) - a work in progress

Thanks for the heads-up, though do you think it's more of a hardware issue (how the circuits are designed) or a software one (firmware/drivers etc.)?

I probably also have a Jmicron chipset that controls the ExpressCard slot as well, will this have any effect on streaming audio when using a TI chipset ExpressCard?

  • From: New Milford , CT USA
  • Registered: 2007-05-01
  • Posts: 347

Re: Jmicron + RME (Fireface 400) - a work in progress

Hi,
The card reader and fire wire are JMicron. On some newer models there is also a JMicron network controller that is a separate chip.
The card reader and firewire and a single integrated chip.
The pci-xpress slot is not JMicron but he CR/FW combo chip can interrupt activity on the express slot on some laptops.
I don't know if that's the case with the M860-TU. We have not tested and it can be difficult to get accurate info out of Clevo or their distributors on that info.

Thanks Chris

Chris Ludwig | ADK Pro Audio
www.adkproaudio.com
https://www.facebook.com/adkmg

ChrisADK's Website

  • Registered: 2008-12-03
  • Posts: 182

Re: Jmicron + RME (Fireface 400) - a work in progress

improbabilitist wrote:

Dear RME users,

I have a Clevo M860TU laptop, and unfortunately when I tested the FF400 the results were horrible to say the least (BSOD's, strange errors etc.).

Instead of spending a huge amount of money on a computer (*cough* Macbook Pro *cough*) that in many areas would be weaker than my laptop I have currently, I began to search for other solutions.

So, not a long time ago I began working together with Jmicron to fix the issues they have with their firewire chips in combination with RME hardware (FireFace 400).
Monday they are going to send me a JMB388 ExpressCard with new firmware for me to test on.

I'll update this thread with more information as I progress in finding the solution for people who have or are going to have a Jmicron chipset.
Please do note that as of now I don't own a FF400 because I have very limited funds, want to fix the problem before I buy it and thus am dependent on local music shops who are kind enough to let me test the FF400.


This is the setup I have currently:

XXODD Xni860TU (Clevo M860TU)
Core2Quad Q9000 2.0Ghz
nVidia GForce GTX260m 1GB DDR3
4GB DDR3 RAM
Team Combo 128GB MLC SSD
Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit
Main audio editing program: Ableton Live 8.1.0 (will be updated to the latest version soon)

Wish me luck.

I tried the 860 TU about a year ago with the FF 800, could not get to work :-(

Good luck!

-----------------------

Various ADK computers :-)

6 Reply by Byt3 (edited by Byt3 2010-07-17 09:53:21)

  • Byt3
  • AES/EBU artist
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2008-01-10
  • Posts: 147

Re: Jmicron + RME (Fireface 400) - a work in progress

improbabilitist wrote:

Dear RME users,

I have a Clevo M860TU laptop, and unfortunately when I tested the FF400 the results were horrible to say the least (BSOD's, strange errors etc.).

Instead of spending a huge amount of money on a computer (*cough* Macbook Pro *cough*) that in many areas would be weaker than my laptop I have currently, I began to search for other solutions.

So, not a long time ago I began working together with Jmicron to fix the issues they have with their firewire chips in combination with RME hardware (FireFace 400).
Monday they are going to send me a JMB388 ExpressCard with new firmware for me to test on.

I'll update this thread with more information as I progress in finding the solution for people who have or are going to have a Jmicron chipset.
Please do note that as of now I don't own a FF400 because I have very limited funds, want to fix the problem before I buy it and thus am dependent on local music shops who are kind enough to let me test the FF400.

please Excsue me, Is this some kind of joke ?
How can you fix something you do not even know & own ?
Moderator !

  • Registered: 2010-07-13
  • Posts: 7

Re: Jmicron + RME (Fireface 400) - a work in progress

Byt3 wrote:

please Excsue me, Is this some kind of joke ?
How can you fix something you do not even know & own ?
Moderator !

Why would this be a joke?
Is it so hard to imagine someone with limited financial funds (especially considering purchasing something of so much value which doesn't function yet) trying to find a solution so his investment would be actually worth something?
There's also this thing called the manual, and it's one of the best ways to learn your gear. As I said for everything else I'm relying on friendly people who have the interface and shops who offer their hardware and who know that I am pretty passionate about finding solutions.

ChrisADK wrote:

The pci-xpress slot is not JMicron but he CR/FW combo chip can interrupt activity on the express slot on some laptops.

This sounds interesting. So in theory I should try finding an expresscard with TI FW chipset on it, and when testing disabling the stock CardReader and FireWire devices. Is it absolutely of necessity to buy the SIIG cards or could I also go for any ExpressCard/34 6pin FW adapter that has a TI chipset on it?

  • Registered: 2010-07-13
  • Posts: 7

Re: Jmicron + RME (Fireface 400) - a work in progress

alexoosthoek, did you by any chance try out the Expresscard <-> Firewire adapter (with a TI chipset) on your 860tu?

  • Registered: 2008-12-03
  • Posts: 182

Re: Jmicron + RME (Fireface 400) - a work in progress

Yes I did, two of them actually, didn't make any difference.

Mind you this was over a year ago and if I remember correctly it had a JMB 381 chipset. So maybe you have more luck :-)

If you buy a Xpress card make sure it's not a combo.



To make a long story short, after that I bought the laptop in my sig and never had any troubles:-)

-----------------------

Various ADK computers :-)