Re: AM486DX5 from ebay
Posted on 2021-02-18, 09:16
Yep, you would need to solder that to a custom QFP to PGA adapter and I've not seen one for that layout before. Were any 486 motherboards sold with soldered-on processors that were not PGA chips?
Re: Amstrad MegaPC - Hopeful Resto Build
Posted on 2021-02-18, 09:05
You can't (normally) plug a PS2 mouse in to a keyboard port and vice-versa, so that won't help to test which is faulty.
Re: 286 dead, long live the 286! Sourcing and building a fast 286 replacement
Posted on 2021-02-17, 22:48
Results for the same hardware for Wolf3D benchmark and F1GP bench #1. Fastest video configuration was used in all cases (pretty sure this was the ET4000 for every result, but some runs [Eurosoft at 24MHz and VLSI at 25MHz] barely finish by the point the RAM is getting hot and the system wants to …
Re: 286 dead, long live the 286! Sourcing and building a fast 286 replacement
Posted on 2021-02-17, 22:46
The first of my next victims, err... 'test subjects' arrived; a VLSI VL82C201 board. It has been run through the entire suite of tests that I did for the previous boards. It's a solid performing board. It just nudges past the Eurosoft HT12/A board by a few percent in each benchmark except FPU, where …
Re: DOS SVGA X-Windows server
Posted on 2021-02-16, 09:41
Jo22 wrote on 2021-02-15, 19:26: Also like the Motif style. It shares some similarity to OS/2 PM, Windows 2,3 and CDE, I think. It definitely shares similarity with CDE... as CDE is built on the Motif widget set. I never really liked CDE - on pretty much everything I used it on (be it Sun or HP kit …
Re: what are your favourite ps/2 mice?
Posted on 2021-02-16, 09:33
Logitech Trackman Marble plus: 259716197b417bd7f47b36557d0d58e3.jpg They released it in a native USB version, as well as native PS/2 (I have both on my desk - one in PS2 for the old kit connected to the VGA kvm, the other in USB for my present-day workstation). There's also a more modern charcoal …
Re: Bought these (retro) hardware today
Posted on 2021-02-16, 09:27
Bought some more parts for a 386 build: - BOCA Research 1MB CL-GD5428 VGA - TI 486DLC-40 CPU - AMD Am386DX/DXL-40 CPU - Cyrix FasMath 83D87-40 FPU On the hunt for some reasonably priced 60ns 4MB 30pin simms now.
Re: Bought these (retro) hardware today
Posted on 2021-02-15, 18:44
Bought another "scrap" motherboard from Russia. This time a Forex 386DX. Looks to have a cracked 74-series IC between ISA slots, some small battery leakage and a couple of missing pins in the first ISA slot. I have all the parts needed so thought it would be worth a try. 64836859.jpg Again it was …
Re: What is the earliest DOS system that could recognize a 1tb drive?
Posted on 2021-02-14, 19:46
Total DOS Launcher was written exactly for this use case. Needs a modern machine for the preliminary setup/indexing step, but it does all the gruntwork for you, and once it's ready you move it over and it will run on just about any DOS machine with some mass storage (depending on how many games you …
Re: Why are 3Com NICs regarded in such high regard?
Posted on 2021-02-14, 17:41
Did 3Com ever make a gigabit product? Yes, there are a few types: lots of SFP cards, including PCI-X versions, but there are a few plain PCI models too; the 3C2000 is a boring 32bit PCI with RJ45 10/100/1000 copper connection. I think the inclusion of on-board ports kinda faded them out. Especially …
Re: soundblaster 16 problem
Posted on 2021-02-14, 16:41
Unless you have a game that absolutely requires CTMM.SYS and CTSB16.SYS I would comment them out - there are virtually no games that need the soundblaster drivers loaded; most talk to the hardware directly, and the SET BLASTER= and DIAGNOSE.EXE should take care of the hardware initialisation for you …
Re: What is the earliest DOS system that could recognize a 1tb drive?
Posted on 2021-02-14, 09:01
... then you need to write something to parse all those games, build a GUI interface for them (Dos/VGA based or Win9x based?) And build the the logic to run them. Unless those games have metadata files already included with them then even getting just game names from zip files or directory names is …
Re: 286 Rev to 486 not working
Posted on 2021-02-12, 14:59
What model of upgrade card is it? Some of them (especially the IBM modules) will only work on the board they were designed for. I have a 486SLC2 here that is for an IBM 50z and it won't work on anything else I've tried it on - regardless of clock fitted to the motherboard.
Re: What Soundcard is as good if not better than the SoundBlaster AWE64 line of cards?
Posted on 2021-02-12, 13:55
In terms of analog audio quality compared to their line-out power which were the best for ISA cards? Me, or in general? Out of the above, I'd say my Ultrasound Max was probably the cleanest in terms of audio quality. Pretty much every Soundblaster I've owned has been noisy... but you put up with it …
Re: What Soundcard is as good if not better than the SoundBlaster AWE64 line of cards?
Posted on 2021-02-12, 13:54
If it's just later games like you list, then probably a single card solution like the new Orpheus and a Dreamblaster (or any other GM compatible module attached to the waveblaster header), or another Awe32 or Awe64 . Most of those games are going to be Soundblaster + General MIDI, I'd expect.
Re: What Soundcard is as good if not better than the SoundBlaster AWE64 line of cards?
Posted on 2021-02-12, 13:42
It's subjective, but I don't think there is a best . An AWE32 or AWE64 won't replicate a Covox or a Roland MT-32. An Ultrasound won't replace a proper OPL2/3. The Dreamblaster is only General MIDI, not FM or digital Soundblaster effects. It all depends on what era of games you play the most and what …
Re: Roland CM-32p and MT-32 advantages?
Posted on 2021-02-11, 15:16
Still the sexiest computer ever in my book :) I'd want one just to look at it. https://www.retroarch.com/images/X68000_Black.jpg nerdgasm No question. Although mine isn't quite a 'manhattan' model (the name given to the vertical tower models); it's the more traditional desktop case: img_1375.jpg …
Re: Roland CM-32p and MT-32 advantages?
Posted on 2021-02-11, 15:10
Tell me about it. This was one of the two boards in the second X68000 I bought as a donor machine to salvage the first. Upon receiving it the (ongoing) damage from the battery vomit all of the board(s) was obvious. Even if working it wasn't going to be for long: img20200917125713.jpg Every single …
Re: Roland CM-32p and MT-32 advantages?
Posted on 2021-02-11, 15:01
Not sure if any DOS games supported it - though there *are* games on the Sharp X68000 that had it as an option (as well as specific sample ROM cards that the CM-32P can take). I think the PC-98 may have one or two games specifically listing it as well. Yeah, I have heard tales of Japanese games …
Re: Roland CM-32p and MT-32 advantages?
Posted on 2021-02-11, 14:38
Not sure if any DOS games supported it - though there *are* games on the Sharp X68000 that had it as an option (as well as specific sample ROM cards that the CM-32P can take). I think the PC-98 may have one or two games specifically listing it as well.
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