no sound: snd_powermac fails to load

[Joseph Sacco]

Platform: digital audio G4 powermac

# modinfo snd_powermac
filename: /lib/modules/2.6.31-14-powerpc/kernel/sound/ppc/snd-powermac.ko
license: GPL
description: PowerMac
srcversion: DC59E3D3DECC5C560DDAEE4
depends: snd-pcm,snd
vermagic: 2.6.31-14-powerpc mod_unload modversions
parm: index:Index value for PMac soundchip. (int)
parm: id:ID string for PMac soundchip. (charp)
parm: enable_beep:Enable beep using PCM. (bool)

I am assuming that snd_powermac did not load properly. An examination of 'lsmod | grep snd' shows the module is present but unused. In the past this problem has been caused by slot contention.

Also:

tail /var/log/messages
Nov 4 08:17:33 plantain pulseaudio[1856]: alsa-mixer.c: Your kernel driver is broken: it reports a volume range from 18.00 dB to 18.00 dB which makes no sense.
Nov 4 08:17:33 plantain pulseaudio[1856]: alsa-mixer.c: Your kernel driver is broken: it reports a volume range from 18.00 dB to 18.00 dB which makes no sense.
Nov 4 08:17:33 plantain pulseaudio[1856]: alsa-mixer.c: Your kernel driver is broken: it reports a volume range from 18.00 dB to 18.00 dB which makes no sense.

-Joseph

ProblemType: Bug
AplayDevices:
 **** List of PLAYBACK Hardware Devices ****
 card 0: SoundByLayout [SoundByLayout], device 0: Master []
   Subdevices: 1/1
   Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
Architecture: powerpc
AudioDevicesInUse:
 USER PID ACCESS COMMAND
 /dev/snd/controlC0: jsacco 1856 F.... pulseaudio
 /dev/snd/controlC1: jsacco 1856 F.... pulseaudio
Card0.Amixer.info:
 Card hw:0 'SoundByLayout'/'SoundByLayout'
   Mixer name : 'SoundByLayout'
   Components : ''
   Controls : 11
   Simple ctrls : 10
Card1.Amixer.info:
 Card hw:1 'Q9000'/'Logitech, Inc. QuickCam Pro 9000 at usb-0001:10:13.2-4, high speed'
   Mixer name : 'USB Mixer'
   Components : 'USB046d:0990'
   Controls : 2
   Simple ctrls : 1
Card1.Amixer.values:
 Simple mixer control 'Mic',0
   Capabilities: cvolume cvolume-joined cswitch cswitch-joined
   Capture channels: Mono
   Limits: Capture 0 - 3072
   Mono: Capture 2473 [81%] [18.00dB] [off]
CheckboxSubmission: d17549575bfffa0e5f89c5b0825a8ded
CheckboxSystem: daed2f3d6643b4a84b4520a2427f8c2b
Date: Wed Nov 4 11:16:08 2009
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 9.10
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 9.10 "Karmic Koala" - Release powerpc (20091027.2)
Package: alsa-base 1.0.20+dfsg-1ubuntu5
PackageArchitecture: all
PciMultimedia:

ProcEnviron:
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.31-14.48-powerpc
SourcePackage: alsa-driver
Uname: Linux 2.6.31-14-powerpc ppc

[Daniel T Chen (crimsun)]

Both Speaker and Headphone mixer controls are muted.

[Joseph Sacco (jsacco)]

True... I was unable to change the state of those mixer controls.

I am wondering if the problem involves a race condition during boot up. After rebooting several times [I am running 3 different operating systems] sound has magically returned. The headphone mixer control in this current session can be muted and un-muted at will.

-Joseph

# lsmod | grep snd
snd_aoa_i2sbus 20552 0
snd_powermac 63484 1 <========= snd_powermac now being used
snd_usb_audio 89528 1
snd_pcm_oss 45156 0
snd_mixer_oss 18880 1 snd_pcm_oss
snd_pcm 83224 4 snd_aoa_i2sbus,snd_powermac,snd_usb_audio,snd_pcm_oss
snd_seq_dummy 2848 0
snd_usb_lib 18248 1 snd_usb_audio
snd_seq_oss 34084 0
snd_seq_midi 7460 0
snd_rawmidi 24976 2 snd_usb_lib,snd_seq_midi
snd_seq_midi_event 7184 2 snd_seq_oss,snd_seq_midi
snd_hwdep 8444 1 snd_usb_audio
snd_seq 57596 6 snd_seq_dummy,snd_seq_oss,snd_seq_midi,snd_seq_midi_event
snd_timer 24532 2 snd_pcm,snd_seq
snd_seq_device 7788 5 snd_seq_dummy,snd_seq_oss,snd_seq_midi,snd_rawmidi,snd_seq
snd 67724 16 snd_aoa_i2sbus,snd_powermac,snd_usb_audio,snd_pcm_oss,snd_mixer_oss,snd_pcm,snd_seq_oss,snd_rawmidi,snd_hwdep,snd_seq,snd_timer,snd_seq_device
snd_aoa_soundbus 5532 1 snd_aoa_i2sbus
snd_page_alloc 9748 1 snd_pcm
soundcore 7188 1 snd

[Joseph Sacco (jsacco)]

I was initially unable to un-mute anything. I searched the web and read where a similar problem had occurred in the past and was resolved by using gnome-alsamixer to configure alsa. I installed gnome-alsamixer, set the appropriate switches and now sound works reasonably well.

Does the problem reduce to the ability to write to a configuration file that alsa understands?

-Joseph

[Daniel T Chen (crimsun)]

There isn't any difference behavior-wise between alsamixer, amixer, and
gnome-alsamixer.

On Nov 6, 2009 3:40 PM, "Joseph Sacco" <email address hidden> wrote:

I was initially unable to un-mute anything. I searched the web and read
where a similar problem had occurred in the past and was resolved by
using gnome-alsamixer to configure alsa. I installed gnome-alsamixer,
set the appropriate switches and now sound works reasonably well.

Does the problem reduce to the ability to write to a configuration file
that alsa understands?

-Joseph

-- no sound: snd_powermac fails to load
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/474364 You received this b...

[Joseph Sacco (jsacco)]

OK... I have changed the status to "invalid" since I can no longer reproduce the error.

-Joseph