EAP(4) | Device Drivers Manual | EAP(4)

# NAME

`eap` — AudioPCI audio device driver

# SYNOPSIS

`eap* at pci? dev ? function ?`
`options EAP_USE_BOTH_DACS`

`audio* at audiobus?`
`joy* at eap?`
`midi* at eap?`

# DESCRIPTION

The `eap` driver provides support for the Ensoniq AudioPCI and Creative Labs SoundBlaster PCI series of audio cards. All models based on the ES1370, ES1371, and ES1373 chips are supported.

By specifying:

`options EAP_USE_BOTH_DACS`

a second audio device is attached. This can be used for audio output simultaneously with the primary DAC. You can use it simply by directing audio output to the additional /dev/audioX device associated with it.

# SEE ALSO

ac97(4), audio(4), joy(4), midi(4), pci(4)

# HISTORY

The `eap` device driver appeared in NetBSD 1.4.

# CAVEATS

The joystick port hardware works by emulating a legacy isa(4) joystick port, bypassing the pci(4) bus method for address allocation. This is unlikely to work on PCI busses other than the primary one. There is also a possibility for conflicts with real ISA devices because the PCI bus is probed before ISA. Use with caution.

The `EAP_USE_BOTH_DACS` option is rather redundant after the introduction of the in-kernel audio mixer, and may be removed in a future release. It is possible that it could be used to accelerate mixing streams by taking advantage of the hardware's features, but currently the additional (small) overhead of the kernel mixer is impossible to bypass, since NetBSD no longer allows userspace software to write directly to audio hardware. The `eap` hardware only features one clock, so generally the second audio device must be configured in the same way as the first.

May 16, 2024 | NetBSD 11.0