Getting Started

Voicetronix has developed three computer telephony products, the 4 port voice processing cards (VPB4 & V4PCI) and the 8 port voice logging card (VPB8L). The VPB4 and VPB8L cards resides in a single AT bus slot and runs under the Windows NT 4.0, Linux and FreeBSD operating systems. The V4PCI resides in a single PCI slot and runs under the Linux operating system.  This document provides instructions on installing and programming the cards, including information and examples on the use of the VPB Aplication Programmers Interface (VPBAPI).

Scope of this Document

Unless otherwise stated, the term VPB (Voice Processing Board) will refer to the VPB4, VPB8L, and V4PCI cards.

The VPBs are programmed via the VPB Application Programmer Interface, a set of C callable functions provided as a Windows 32 bit DLL (Windows NT), or a library (Linux & FreeBSD) . This will be referred to as the VPBAPI, or just API.

This document was originally written as a Windows Help file, and is in the process of being converted to HTML.  Tasks remaining include:

Please refer to the README files, driver source code, and examples for the latest information on using the VPBs.

Features of the VPB4

Features of the V4PCI

Similar to the VPB4, except:

Features of the VPB8L

Installation

The installation of the VPB requires two stages, software installation and hardware installation. It is recommended that software installation commence first. The software installation is slightly different for Windows 95 and Windows NT.

Each VPB4 or VPB8L card requires 4 consecutive I/O port address, defined by the base address.  Each V4PCI card requires a block of 128k bytes of memory.  None of the VPB models  require any interrupts or DMA channels.

To Install Software under Linux or FreeBSD

1. Download the latest driver tar-ball from www.voxilla.org (follow links to the VPB project), or www.voicetronix.com.au.

2. Follow instructions in README to compile and install.

To Install Software under Windows NT

1. Place the Windows NT installation disk in drive a:.

2. Go to the Start Toolbar and click on Run.

3. To run the install program with its default settings type a:\install and click OK. This copies the installation files from drive a:\ to c:\vpb. Otherwise type a:\install [destination path source path] and click OK. For example, typing a:\install k:\vpb\ a:\ copies the installation files from a floppy disk in drive a:\ to the subdirectory k:\vpb.

4. Proceed to Setting the Base Address under Windows NT to set the VPB base address.

Setting the Base Address under Windows NT

1. After installation the base address may require adjusting to avoid conflicts with other hardware. This can be achieved by modifying the Registry using the Regedit application.

2. Start Regedit, which is in the Windows NT directory.

3. Navigate the registry to the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, System, CurrentControlSet, Services, vpb.

4. Under the vpb key will be one or more subkey. Each subkey represents a VPB. If this is the initial installation there will be a single subkey ‘0000’. Click on this subkey.

5. Double clicking on the base entry will allow the base address of the VPB to be changed. The legal base addresses are listed in the hardware installation section.

6. Note the base address, as this is required for the hardware installation.

To Install the Hardware

1. Shut down the PC, and remove the case.

2. It is possible to damage the VPB by exposure to static electricity. To prevent any buildup of static electricity, touch the chassis of the PC before handling the VPB. Minimise contact with the VPB, and try to touch only the edges of the board.

3. Remove the VPB from its anti-static bag and lay it on the anti-static bag.

4. The VPB base address is set via a small DIPswitch mounted in the middle of the top edge of the card. Note the number under each switch and the direction marked ON.

5. VPB4 & VPB8L Only: Set the DIP switch using the base address from the software installation as follows:
 

Base Address
DIP Switch Settings
  DIP 1 DIP 2 DIP 3 DIP 4
0x300
OFF OFF OFF OFF
0x310
OFF OFF OFF ON
0x320
OFF OFF ON OFF
0x330
OFF OFF ON ON
0x340
OFF ON OFF OFF
0x350
OFF ON OFF ON
0x360
OFF ON ON OFF
0x370
OFF ON ON ON
0x380
ON OFF OFF OFF
0x390
ON OFF OFF ON
0x3a0
ON OFF ON OFF
0x3b0
ON OFF ON ON
0x3c0
ON ON OFF OFF
0x3d0
ON ON OFF ON
0x3e0
ON ON ON OFF
0x3f0
ON ON ON ON

6. VPB4 & VPB8L Only: Install the VPB in a suitable ISA slot (AT bus slot), replace the PC’s case, and reboot.

7. V4PCI Only:  Install the VPB in a suitable PCI slot, replace the PC’s case, and reboot.

8. The VPB is now ready for use.

Adding and Removing VPBs

In many applications multiple VPBs will be installed in a single PC. This section describes how to install and remove VPBs after the initial installation has been performed.

To Add a New VPB under Windows NT

1. Start Regedit, which is in the Windows NT directory.

2. Navigate the registry to the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, System, CurrentControlSet, Services, vpb.

3. Under the vpb key will be one or more subkey. Each subkey represents a VPB card. If this is the initial installation there will be a single subkey ‘0000’. Additional subkeys indicate additional VPBs installed, one subkey for each VPB.

4. Click on the vpb key to highlight it.

5. From the Edit menu select New-key. A new key will appear. Rename this key. It is recommended that sequential numbers (e.g. 0001, 0002, …., ) be used for successive cards.

6. Click on the new key to highlight it.

7. From the Edit menu select New-DWORD value.

8. Type the word "base" into the highlighted area.

9. Modify the base value to the desired base address using Modify from the Edit menu.

10. Shut down the PC and install the new VPB hardware.

To Remove a VPB under Windows NT

1. Start Regedit, which is in the Windows NT directory.

2. Navigate the registry to the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, System, CurrentControlSet, Services, vpb.

3. Under the vpb key will be one or more subkey. Each subkey represents a VPB card. If this is the initial installation there will be a single subkey ‘0000’. Additional subkeys indicate additional VPBs installed, one subkey for each VPB.

4. Click on the subkey you would like to remove.

5. Select Delete from the Edit menu.

6. Shut down the PC and remove the VPB.

Note
The VPB may be left in the PC even though it is not recognised by the VPB software. This will not hinder operation of the PC or the remaining VPBs.