{"video_id":"fp_O2tbq7nvpk","title":"The Original PC Speaker","channel":"Techquickie","show":"Techquickie","published_at":"2024-08-09T20:52:00.011Z","duration_s":254,"segments":[{"start_s":0.0,"end_s":4.5600000000000005,"text":"When you think PC speakers, you probably think of something that looks like this.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":4.5600000000000005,"end_s":9.18,"text":"But the original PC speaker actually looked more like this.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":9.18,"end_s":14.56,"text":"The original IBM PC from 1981 actually had a speaker built into the chassis.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":14.56,"end_s":19.84,"text":"And unlike modern computer speakers, it would typically only emit a series of beeps and boops.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":19.84,"end_s":23.12,"text":"Kind of like R2-D2, but without the fun personality.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":23.12,"end_s":28.44,"text":"And even though many of you probably aren't old enough to remember using the original IBM PC,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":28.52,"end_s":32.52,"text":"plenty of subsequent systems featured a similar PC speaker.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":32.52,"end_s":39.12,"text":"If you remember hearing a beep coming from your PC chassis when you booted it up, that was the PC speaker in action.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":39.12,"end_s":44.96,"text":"Indeed, from the mid 1990s onward, the primary use of the PC speaker was to relay information","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":44.96,"end_s":50.36,"text":"about system operations to the user. It was common for a beep at boot up to mean","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":50.36,"end_s":54.6,"text":"that the computer had passed the power on self test or post","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":54.6,"end_s":59.76,"text":"while multiple beeps or no beep at all indicated some kind of error or hardware problem.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":59.76,"end_s":65.36,"text":"But prior to the mid 90s, the PC speaker was actually used for general sound output,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":65.36,"end_s":68.76,"text":"music playback, feedback from productivity applications","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":68.76,"end_s":74.0,"text":"or sound effects NVIDIA games. So similar to the full fat speakers of today,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":74.0,"end_s":77.18,"text":"just with a much more limited range of sounds.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":77.18,"end_s":82.28,"text":"But why was it so limited? Well, most speakers work by having a diaphragm move","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":82.28,"end_s":88.0,"text":"from some starting position to some end position with the movement of the diaphragm pushing the air","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":88.0,"end_s":93.92,"text":"to make what our ears register as sound. Normally speakers receive analog input,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":93.92,"end_s":99.36,"text":"a voltage that tells them how far to move, a big wiggle or a little wiggle.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":99.36,"end_s":105.72,"text":"The old PC speaker though could be told to either be all the way in or all the way out.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":105.72,"end_s":110.88,"text":"Quickly switching between these two positions at a regular interval makes something close","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":110.88,"end_s":115.2,"text":"to a single frequency tone. And yet this system could produce","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":115.2,"end_s":122.48,"text":"a wider range of sounds somehow. A special technique called pulse width modulation","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":123.96,"end_s":127.6,"text":"or PWM was used to expand the capabilities","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":127.6,"end_s":130.76,"text":"of the PC speaker. You might be more familiar with PWM","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":130.76,"end_s":134.22,"text":"as a method to vary the speed of the fans in your computer,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":134.22,"end_s":139.56,"text":"but it also worked well for the PC speaker. It worked by essentially applying voltages","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":139.56,"end_s":143.24,"text":"for varying lengths of time, which resulted in the speaker being told","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":143.24,"end_s":148.64,"text":"to switch between in and out faster than it could physically respond.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":148.64,"end_s":152.88,"text":"You see, it takes time for the speaker to change states between in and out.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":152.88,"end_s":157.2,"text":"It's a very short amount of time. We're talking far lower than a millisecond,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":157.2,"end_s":162.64,"text":"but it still takes time nonetheless. So if a signal is sent to change back","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":162.64,"end_s":165.76,"text":"before the speaker is fully finished switching states,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":165.76,"end_s":170.24,"text":"different kinds of sounds can be produced. Although the sounds you'd get in many games","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":170.24,"end_s":175.16,"text":"and applications were still fairly simple, talented programmers could exploit this method","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":175.16,"end_s":180.92,"text":"in some games to allow for the playback of more complex music and even human speech.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":180.92,"end_s":185.64,"text":"The downside though is that this often put quite a load on CPUs of the day.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":185.64,"end_s":190.92,"text":"So not all systems were powerful enough to reproduce the best that the dinky little speaker","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":190.92,"end_s":194.08,"text":"had to offer. Of course, once dedicated sound cards","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":194.08,"end_s":198.4,"text":"started making their way into PCs, picking that load off of the CPU,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":198.4,"end_s":202.08,"text":"we all started connecting proper desktop speakers to our computers.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":202.08,"end_s":207.76,"text":"And the PC speaker was mostly relegated back to its original role of just beeping at us","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":207.76,"end_s":211.0,"text":"every now and then. And even that isn't as common these days","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":211.0,"end_s":216.68,"text":"since modern applications can give you auditory feedback through, you know, actual speakers.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":216.68,"end_s":222.24,"text":"And there are more robust tools for diagnostics between Windows features, the UEFI,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":222.24,"end_s":226.08,"text":"and even indicator lights and LED codes on the motherboard itself.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":226.08,"end_s":229.96,"text":"Some motherboards don't even have headers for an internal speaker anymore.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":229.96,"end_s":233.64,"text":"But if you really miss that sweet startup beep,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":233.64,"end_s":238.12,"text":"you can actually buy an M.2 gadget that makes a similar sound which originated","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":238.12,"end_s":243.04,"text":"from an old NEC PC98. If you can wait for it to be shipped from Japan.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":243.04,"end_s":247.4,"text":"Do you still use the internal PC speaker in your modern setup?","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":247.4,"end_s":251.92,"text":"Let us know down below. And if you wanna know why most computers don't come with sound cards anymore,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":251.92,"end_s":254.8,"text":"go watch this video next. It's pretty good.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0}],"full_text":"When you think PC speakers, you probably think of something that looks like this. But the original PC speaker actually looked more like this. The original IBM PC from 1981 actually had a speaker built into the chassis. And unlike modern computer speakers, it would typically only emit a series of beeps and boops. Kind of like R2-D2, but without the fun personality. And even though many of you probably aren't old enough to remember using the original IBM PC, plenty of subsequent systems featured a similar PC speaker. If you remember hearing a beep coming from your PC chassis when you booted it up, that was the PC speaker in action. Indeed, from the mid 1990s onward, the primary use of the PC speaker was to relay information about system operations to the user. It was common for a beep at boot up to mean that the computer had passed the power on self test or post while multiple beeps or no beep at all indicated some kind of error or hardware problem. But prior to the mid 90s, the PC speaker was actually used for general sound output, music playback, feedback from productivity applications or sound effects NVIDIA games. So similar to the full fat speakers of today, just with a much more limited range of sounds. But why was it so limited? Well, most speakers work by having a diaphragm move from some starting position to some end position with the movement of the diaphragm pushing the air to make what our ears register as sound. Normally speakers receive analog input, a voltage that tells them how far to move, a big wiggle or a little wiggle. The old PC speaker though could be told to either be all the way in or all the way out. Quickly switching between these two positions at a regular interval makes something close to a single frequency tone. And yet this system could produce a wider range of sounds somehow. A special technique called pulse width modulation or PWM was used to expand the capabilities of the PC speaker. You might be more familiar with PWM as a method to vary the speed of the fans in your computer, but it also worked well for the PC speaker. It worked by essentially applying voltages for varying lengths of time, which resulted in the speaker being told to switch between in and out faster than it could physically respond. You see, it takes time for the speaker to change states between in and out. It's a very short amount of time. We're talking far lower than a millisecond, but it still takes time nonetheless. So if a signal is sent to change back before the speaker is fully finished switching states, different kinds of sounds can be produced. Although the sounds you'd get in many games and applications were still fairly simple, talented programmers could exploit this method in some games to allow for the playback of more complex music and even human speech. The downside though is that this often put quite a load on CPUs of the day. So not all systems were powerful enough to reproduce the best that the dinky little speaker had to offer. Of course, once dedicated sound cards started making their way into PCs, picking that load off of the CPU, we all started connecting proper desktop speakers to our computers. And the PC speaker was mostly relegated back to its original role of just beeping at us every now and then. And even that isn't as common these days since modern applications can give you auditory feedback through, you know, actual speakers. And there are more robust tools for diagnostics between Windows features, the UEFI, and even indicator lights and LED codes on the motherboard itself. Some motherboards don't even have headers for an internal speaker anymore. But if you really miss that sweet startup beep, you can actually buy an M.2 gadget that makes a similar sound which originated from an old NEC PC98. If you can wait for it to be shipped from Japan. Do you still use the internal PC speaker in your modern setup? Let us know down below. And if you wanna know why most computers don't come with sound cards anymore, go watch this video next. It's pretty good."}