Beavis Ultrasound Open Source Project Aims to Replicate Gravis GUS PnP Sound Card

A new open-source project named Beavis Ultrasound has been released on GitHub, aiming to recreate the iconic Gravis Ultrasound PnP ISA sound card from the era of DOS gaming. The project focuses on hardware-level replication, avoiding microcontrollers or software emulation while preserving the original functionality.

The Gravis Ultrasound PnP (GUS PnP), launched in the mid-to-late 1990s by Canadian company Advanced Gravis, was a legendary ISA bus sound card. It gained renown among DOS gamers for its superior hardware wavetable synthesis and excellent MIDI audio quality.

Developed by schlae, the project provides complete circuit schematics and GAL source code. This GAL logic is crucial for enabling the IDE CD-ROM interface, ensuring connectivity similar to the original Gravis Ultrasound PnP card. The design emphasizes hardware reconstitution without relying on replacement microcontrollers or software simulations.

However, the developer has cautioned that the project is not yet fully tested. No circuit boards have been manufactured or functionally verified to date. While design files are publicly available, there is no ready, validated assembly path or publicly released production-level test results. The Beavis Ultrasound project thus offers a blueprint for enthusiasts to potentially rebuild the classic sound card, pending further development and testing.