I would like to say that I am completely disgusted with the support some vendors provide for their hardware. I have been trying to get sound working under Linux now for my BenQ S52-v54 for a long time now, it has now come to the point that I am trying to write a patch myself, yey for kernel hacking.

This is a documented bug in ALSA for my laptop as one of the notes said this is a CX20551 chipset from Conexant I event went to the trouble of filing for support:

The chipset on this laptop does not work under the Linux Alsa architecture and is a current bug request: https://bugtrack.alsa-project.org/alsa-bug/view.php?id=1134

To develop a compatible driver for this chipset I wish to confirm that it is a CX20551. An exact number would be optimal.

Any support documentation and such as that available for the CX20468, http://www.alsa-project.org/alsa/ftp/manuals/conexant/100965aSmartAMC-AudioModemCodec.pdf,
would also be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

Quite civil I thought I was just asking for a confirmation and possibly some documentation on the chipset that I own in my laptop. Not too demanding I just want to know about something I own. I filed it as a Linux support issue because it was relating to Linux but the question is not necessarily about supporting Linux. I’m not asking for them to provide drivers etc. I received the following reply:

Hi Cameron

BenQ does not support the use of Linux on our notebooks, there for there are no drivers or support documentation is written for this system.

Regards

BenQ Support

(Spelling errors removed, how professional of them)

What the freak? I am not asking for support documentation or drivers I am asking for developer level documentation and a confirmation that I have a particular chipset on my laptop.

Very disgruntled with the reply I phoned them instead of using the online support and asked for an explanation of why I can’t get a simple answer as to what is in my laptop, without taking the back off and looking at the chip and therefore voiding my warranty. I received the same treatment over the phone until I insisted that he go and try to find out what hardware I owned. They are happy enough to tell me that my laptop is a Centrino with an Intel 915GM graphics chipset but they wont tell my what runs my sound that’s just pathetic. I did get confirmation however and told that they don’t have any documentation.

Which leaves me in exactly the position I started in nowhere with no sound. So I did a Google search for the CX20551 which gets you no where except for links to a few non useful websites and some to Toshiba laptops, yey a company that acknowledges what hardware they run, and a few links to people who can’t get this chipset to work under Linux.

Conexant have supplied documentation to the ALSA community before as stated in my initial support request so I had high hopes of getting some and on their Contact Us page they have an email address for requesting literature. I could see an answer in sight but no luck their either the email address is not active an will return unsent. Wow that shook me I expected maybe a black whole but not an email address that doesn’t exist.

However if you are in the US you can phone them for free. Great luck for me there is no office in Australia.

I was stuck yet again but today I had another hope this time from Linuxant I have sent them a similar email but this time I am hoping to at least get a real email address or better the documentation. However I don’t hold high hopes.

We will see if I get a reply if not I will not leave it here until I get a working driver or sell the laptop next year, whichever comes first. Till then don’t go to the Bank on pension day it’s not worth it :P.

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