No PC Speaker Beeps (bell)

Normally their are beep tones (bell) that occur for various conditions/actions such as trying to backspace beyond beginning of a console line, echoing/printing the bell control char, running the beep command, etc.
But this does not work on Dell Inspiron 1420.

Have tried with these FreeBSD versions.
FreeBSD 10.3-RELEASE-p19 i386
FreeBSD 11.0-RELEASE-p12 amd64

The beep (bell) works up until FreeBSD booting... Then no more.
The beep (bell) also works in Windows.
So the hardware is functional.
Mixer vol & speaker are both 75:75

Speaker device /dev/speaker exists.
 
If you are using X, you can look for something like xset b off somewhere in the configuration files, it disable the beep.
 
You may look if itsomehow is not disable:

sysctl hw.vt.enable_bell
sysctl hw.syscons.bell

The first one to the case you are using the vt console (default), and the second to syscons (old one).
 
# sysctl hw.vt.enable_bell
sysctl: unknown oid 'hw.vt.enable_bell'

# sysctl hw.syscons.bell
hw.syscons.bell: 1
 
You can run sysctl -a | grep bell to find out which options are available to the version you are running then.

It eventually can be kern.vt.enable_bell for 10.x.
 
Please check with:
cat /dev/sndstat
if you have more then one sound device and with:
mixer -f /dev/mixer...
all the devices.
 
# sysctl -a | grep bell
kern.vt.enable_bell: 1
hw.syscons.bell: 1
hw.firewire.sbp.use_doorbell: 0


# cat /dev/sndstat
Installed devices:
pcm0: <Sigmatel STAC9228X (Analog 2.0+HP/2.0)> (play/rec) default
pcm1: <Sigmatel STAC9228X (Analog)> (play/rec)
pcm2: <Sigmatel STAC9228X (Left Digital)> (play)
No devices installed from userspace.


# mixer -f /dev/mixer0
Mixer vol is currently set to 90:90
Mixer pcm is currently set to 100:100
Mixer speaker is currently set to 100:100
Mixer line is currently set to 1:1
Mixer rec is currently set to 1:1
Recording source: line


# mixer -f /dev/mixer1
Mixer vol is currently set to 90:90
Mixer pcm is currently set to 100:100
Mixer rec is currently set to 100:100
Mixer monitor is currently set to 100:100
Recording source: monitor


# mixer -f /dev/mixer2
Mixer vol is currently set to 100:100
Mixer pcm is currently set to 100:100
 
# sysctl -a | grep bell
kern.vt.enable_bell: 1
hw.syscons.bell: 1
hw.firewire.sbp.use_doorbell: 0


# cat /dev/sndstat
Installed devices:
pcm0: <Sigmatel STAC9228X (Analog 2.0+HP/2.0)> (play/rec) default
pcm1: <Sigmatel STAC9228X (Analog)> (play/rec)
pcm2: <Sigmatel STAC9228X (Left Digital)> (play)
No devices installed from userspace.


# mixer -f /dev/mixer0
Mixer vol is currently set to 90:90
Mixer pcm is currently set to 100:100
Mixer speaker is currently set to 100:100
Mixer line is currently set to 1:1
Mixer rec is currently set to 1:1
Recording source: line


...

Set in mixer0 all to 100. The names like line and rec are sometimes missleading/wrong.
 
If you run as root:


# kldload speaker
# echo CDEFGAB > /dev/speaker

does this play?

and


$ printf "\7"
 
# kldload speaker
kldload: can't load speaker: No such file or directory


# echo CDEFGAB > /dev/speaker
(silence)


# printf "\7"
(silence)


EDIT:
Booted livefs and loaded speaker (kldload speaker). Still no beep (bell).

As before backspace beep (bell) works during first part of booting (1. Boot Multi user) while it is doing the /boot/kernel/kernel text=... data=... syms=...

But soon as that finishes and it moves on to the "Booting...", no more beeps (bell).
 
Btw: It seems that your system has no kmod 'speaker', why?

Two more options to test/investigate:
  1. Can you boot some Linux livefs, for example a Knoppix, into desktop mode and see if sound is working, for example playing some YT stuff within browser. I think, modern laptops/netbooks have no "PC-speaker" connected to the motherboard and sound is always coming from the audio system speakers.
  2. Does your laptop has audio jacks? Maybe when system comes up the audio is directed to them. Boot in verbose mode in FreeBSD and try to understand in /var/log/messages what the sound driver is saying about channels and sound routing.
A good place for help in this case is as well the mailing-list <freebsd-multimedia@freebsd.org>. I do FreeBSD since 2.5.2 around 1995, and very seldom use this forum here :)
 
1. Correct. "PC-speaker" device/feature is implemented via audio system speakers. Sound works in both Android x86 and Windows.

2. Not being redirected to the audio jacks. Ear buds behave same as the speakers (no beep/bell after it reaches the point of "Booting...")

Clipped audio related stuff from /var/log/dmesg.boot.
It seem right to me. But I have no idea what I'm looking at.
Seems to flow
from hdaa0 nid=13, as=1, seq=0
to hdacc0 at cad 0 on hdac0

hdac0: <Intel 82801H HDA Controller> mem 0xfe9fc000-0xfe9fffff irq 21 at device 27.0 on pci0
hdac0: PCI card vendor: 0x1028, device: 0x01f3
hdac0: HDA Driver Revision: 20120126_0002
hdac0: Config options: on=0x00000000 off=0x00000000
hdac0: attempting to allocate 1 MSI vectors (1 supported)
msi: routing MSI IRQ 256 to local APIC 0 vector 54
hdac0: using IRQ 256 for MSI
hdac0: Caps: OSS 4, ISS 4, BSS 0, NSDO 1, 64bit, CORB 256, RIRB 256
random: harvesting attach, 8 bytes (4 bits) from hdac0


nvme cam probe device init
hdacc0: <Sigmatel STAC9228X HDA CODEC> at cad 0 on hdac0


hdaa0: <Sigmatel STAC9228X Audio Function Group> at nid 1 on hdacc0
hdaa0: Subsystem ID: 0x102801f3
hdaa0: NumGPIO=3 NumGPO=0 NumGPI=0 GPIWake=1 GPIUnsol=1
hdaa0: GPIO0: disabled
hdaa0: GPIO1: disabled
hdaa0: GPIO2: disabled
hdaa0: Original pins configuration:
hdaa0: nid 0x as seq device conn jack loc color misc
hdaa0: 10 0221101f 1 15 Headphones Jack 1/8 Front Black 0
hdaa0: 11 40f000f0 15 0 Other None Unknown 0x00 Unknown 0
hdaa0: 12 40f000f1 15 1 Other None Unknown 0x00 Unknown 0
hdaa0: 13 90170110 1 0 Speaker Fixed Analog Internal Unknown 1
hdaa0: 14 02811030 3 0 Line-in Jack 1/8 Front Black 0
hdaa0: 15 02011020 2 0 Line-out Jack 1/8 Front Black 0
hdaa0: 16 40f000f2 15 2 Other None Unknown 0x00 Unknown 0
hdaa0: 17 40f000f3 15 3 Other None Unknown 0x00 Unknown 0
hdaa0: 18 40f000f4 15 4 Other None Unknown 0x00 Unknown 0
hdaa0: 19 90a60040 4 0 Mic Fixed Digital Internal Unknown 0
hdaa0: 20 40f000f5 15 5 Other None Unknown 0x00 Unknown 0
hdaa0: 33 034410a0 10 0 SPDIF-out Jack RCA Left Black 0
hdaa0: 34 40f000f6 15 6 Other None Unknown 0x00 Unknown 0
hdaa0: Patched pins configuration:
hdaa0: nid 0x as seq device conn jack loc color misc
hdaa0: 10 0221101f 1 15 Headphones Jack 1/8 Front Black 0
hdaa0: 11 40f000f0 15 0 Other None Unknown 0x00 Unknown 0 DISA
hdaa0: 12 40f000f1 15 1 Other None Unknown 0x00 Unknown 0 DISA
hdaa0: 13 90170110 1 0 Speaker Fixed Analog Internal Unknown 1
hdaa0: 14 02811030 3 0 Line-in Jack 1/8 Front Black 0
hdaa0: 15 02011020 2 0 Line-out Jack 1/8 Front Black 0
hdaa0: 16 40f000f2 15 2 Other None Unknown 0x00 Unknown 0 DISA
hdaa0: 17 40f000f3 15 3 Other None Unknown 0x00 Unknown 0 DISA
hdaa0: 18 40f000f4 15 4 Other None Unknown 0x00 Unknown 0 DISA
hdaa0: 19 90a60040 4 0 Mic Fixed Digital Internal Unknown 0
hdaa0: 20 40f000f5 15 5 Other None Unknown 0x00 Unknown 0 DISA
hdaa0: 33 034410a0 10 0 SPDIF-out Jack RCA Left Black 0
hdaa0: 34 40f000f6 15 6 Other None Unknown 0x00 Unknown 0 DISA


hdaa0: 5 associations found:
hdaa0: Association 0 (1) out:
hdaa0: Pin nid=13 seq=0
hdaa0: Pin nid=10 seq=15
hdaa0: Association 1 (2) out:
hdaa0: Pin nid=15 seq=0
hdaa0: Association 2 (3) in:
hdaa0: Pin nid=14 seq=0
hdaa0: Association 3 (4) in:
hdaa0: Pin nid=19 seq=0
hdaa0: Association 4 (10) out:
hdaa0: Pin nid=33 seq=0
hdaa0: Tracing association 0 (1)
hdaa0: Pin 13 traced to DAC 2
hdaa0: Pin 10 traced to DAC 2 and hpredir 0
hdaa0: Association 0 (1) trace succeeded
hdaa0: Tracing association 1 (2)
hdaa0: Pin 15 traced to DAC 5
hdaa0: Association 1 (2) trace succeeded
hdaa0: Tracing association 2 (3)
hdaa0: Pin 14 traced to ADC 7
hdaa0: Association 2 (3) trace succeeded
hdaa0: Tracing association 3 (4)
hdaa0: Pin 19 traced to ADC 8
hdaa0: Association 3 (4) trace succeeded
hdaa0: Tracing association 4 (10)
hdaa0: Pin 33 traced to DAC 30
hdaa0: Association 4 (10) trace succeeded
hdaa0: Looking for additional DAC for association 0 (1)
hdaa0: Looking for additional DAC for association 1 (2)
hdaa0: Looking for additional ADC for association 2 (3)
hdaa0: Looking for additional ADC for association 3 (4)
hdaa0: Looking for additional DAC for association 4 (10)
hdaa0: Tracing input monitor
hdaa0: Tracing other input monitors
hdaa0: Tracing nid 14 to out
hdaa0: nid 14 is input monitor
hdaa0: Tracing nid 19 to out
hdaa0: nid 19 is input monitor
hdaa0: Tracing beeper
hdaa0: Headphones redirection for association 0 nid=10 using unsolicited responses.
hdaa0: Redirect output to: main
hdaa0: FG config/quirks: forcestereo ivref50 ivref80 ivref100 ivref


pcm0: <Sigmatel STAC9228X (Analog 2.0+HP/2.0)> at nid 13,10 and 14 on hdaa0
pcm0: Playback:
pcm0: Stream cap: 0x00000001 PCM
pcm0: PCM cap: 0x000e07e0 16 20 24 bits, 44 48 88 96 176 192 KHz
pcm0: DAC: 2
pcm0:
pcm0: nid=13 [pin: Speaker (Fixed)]
pcm0: + <- nid=2 [audio output] [src: pcm]
pcm0:
pcm0: nid=10 [pin: Headphones (Black Jack)]
pcm0: + <- nid=2 [audio output] [src: pcm]
pcm0:
pcm0: Record:
pcm0: Stream cap: 0x00000001 PCM
pcm0: PCM cap: 0x000e07e0 16 20 24 bits, 44 48 88 96 176 192 KHz
pcm0: ADC: 7
pcm0:
pcm0: nid=7 [audio input]
pcm0: + <- nid=27 [audio selector] [src: line]
pcm0: + <- nid=24 [audio selector] [src: line]
pcm0: + <- nid=21 [audio selector] [src: line]
pcm0: + <- nid=14 [pin: Line-in (Black Jack)] [src: line]
pcm0:
pcm0: Master Volume (OSS: vol): -95/0dB
pcm0: +- ctl 1 (nid 2 out): -95/0dB (128 steps) + mute
pcm0:
pcm0: PCM Volume (OSS: pcm): -95/0dB
pcm0: +- ctl 1 (nid 2 out): -95/0dB (128 steps) + mute
pcm0:
pcm0: Line-in Volume (OSS: line): 0/40dB
pcm0: +- ctl 6 (nid 21 out): 0/40dB (5 steps)
pcm0: +- ctl 9 (nid 24 in 0): 0/21dB (15 steps)
pcm0: +- ctl 12 (nid 27 out): mute
pcm0:
pcm0: Speaker/Beep Volume (OSS: speaker): -18/0dB
pcm0: +- ctl 15 (nid 35 out): -18/0dB (4 steps)
pcm0:
pcm0: Recording Level (OSS: rec): 0/21dB
pcm0: +- ctl 6 (nid 21 out): 0/40dB (5 steps)
pcm0: +- ctl 9 (nid 24 in 0): 0/21dB (15 steps)
pcm0: +- ctl 12 (nid 27 out): mute
pcm0:
pcm0: Mixer "vol":
pcm0: Mixer "pcm":
pcm0: Mixer "speaker":
pcm0: Mixer "line":
pcm0: Mixer "rec":
pcm0: Playback channel set is: Front Left, Front Right,
pcm0: Playback channel matrix is: 2.0 (unknown)
pcm0: Recording channel set is: Front Left, Front Right,
pcm0: Recording channel matrix is: 2.0 (disconnected)
random: harvesting attach, 8 bytes (4 bits) from pcm0


pcm1: <Sigmatel STAC9228X (Analog)> at nid 15 and 19 on hdaa0
pcm1: Playback:
pcm1: Stream cap: 0x00000001 PCM
pcm1: PCM cap: 0x000e07e0 16 20 24 bits, 44 48 88 96 176 192 KHz
pcm1: DAC: 5
pcm1:
pcm1: nid=15 [pin: Line-out (Black Jack)]
pcm1: + <- nid=5 [audio output] [src: pcm]
pcm1:
pcm1: Record:
pcm1: Stream cap: 0x00000001 PCM
pcm1: PCM cap: 0x000e07e0 16 20 24 bits, 44 48 88 96 176 192 KHz
pcm1: ADC: 8
pcm1:
pcm1: nid=8 [audio input]
pcm1: + <- nid=28 [audio selector] [src: monitor]
pcm1: + <- nid=19 [pin: Mic (Fixed)] [src: monitor]
pcm1:
pcm1: Master Volume (OSS: vol): -95/0dB
pcm1: +- ctl 4 (nid 5 out): -95/0dB (128 steps) + mute
pcm1:
pcm1: PCM Volume (OSS: pcm): -95/0dB
pcm1: +- ctl 4 (nid 5 out): -95/0dB (128 steps) + mute
pcm1:
pcm1: Microphone2 Volume (OSS: monitor): 0/0dB
pcm1: +- ctl 13 (nid 28 out): mute
pcm1:
pcm1: Recording Level (OSS: rec): 0/0dB
pcm1: +- ctl 13 (nid 28 out): mute
pcm1:
pcm1: Mixer "vol":
pcm1: Mixer "pcm":
pcm1: Mixer "rec":
pcm1: Mixer "monitor":
pcm1: Playback channel set is: Front Left, Front Right,
pcm1: Playback channel matrix is: 2.0 (disconnected)
pcm1: Automatically set rec source to: monitor
pcm1: Recording channel set is: Front Left, Front Right,
pcm1: Recording channel matrix is: 2.0 (unknown)
random: harvesting attach, 8 bytes (4 bits) from pcm1


pcm2: <Sigmatel STAC9228X (Left Digital)> at nid 33 on hdaa0
pcm2: Playback:
pcm2: Stream cap: 0x00000005 AC3 PCM
pcm2: PCM cap: 0x000e07e0 16 20 24 bits, 44 48 88 96 176 192 KHz
pcm2: DAC: 30
pcm2:
pcm2: nid=33 [pin: SPDIF-out (Black Jack)]
pcm2: + <- nid=30 [audio output] [src: pcm]
pcm2:
pcm2: Mixer "vol" -> "none": child=0x00000010
pcm2: Mixer "pcm": parent="vol"
pcm2: Soft PCM mixer ENABLED
pcm2: Playback channel set is: Front Left, Front Right,
pcm2: Playback channel matrix is: 2.0 (unknown)
random: harvesting attach, 8 bytes (4 bits) from pcm2


random: harvesting attach, 8 bytes (4 bits) from hdaa0
random: harvesting attach, 8 bytes (4 bits) from hdacc0
hdacc1: <Conexant (0x2c06) HDA CODEC> at cad 1 on hdac0
unknown: <Conexant (0x2c06) HDA CODEC Modem Function Group> at nid 2 on hdacc1 (no driver attached)
hdacc1: Subsystem ID: 0x8259adb0
random: harvesting attach, 8 bytes (4 bits) from hdacc1
 
1. Correct. "PC-speaker" device/feature is implemented via audio system speakers. Sound works in both Android x86 and Windows.
...

Please use Knoppix livefs and see what it says in messages about booting.
 
This is hardware dependent.

In days of old, motherboards were equipped with a small speaker that would generate the beeps. Lately, the speaker has been removed and beeps are piped, via the sound card, to the system speakers.

I'm guessing that your system bios has code that uses the system sound card and when FreeBSD loads it's sound driver you loose the system beep.

Without special configuration, FreeBSD uses 1 of the 3 sound groupings (pcm0, pcm1, pcm2) as the default. I see 3 groupings in your system that are assigned by physical location (internal, side jacks, rear). It is likely that your problem can be addressed by reading the sound section of the handbook and the manual page for snd_hda(4). You can also search the forums for "snd_hda".
There are threads where problems of this kind have been solved.
 
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