VOGONS


First post, by Great Hierophant

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I had an accident with my prior 486 system, which I described here :

The 486 I just built

The accident was that I destroyed the 486 by removing it and reinserting it in the wrong orientation. A socket 3 system can fit a 486 in at least four different ways, and I put it in the wrong way. System did not boot up again after that.

So I decided to scrap the case, motherboard, CPU and RAM and try again. I hated the case because it had been in a smoker's shop or home and reeked of tobacco and tar. The motherboard had signs of water damage.

The new systems' specs are as follows :

Generic AT case w/3x5.25" & 3x3.5" bays (1 internal)
Intel 486DX/2 66
ASUS VL/I-486SV2G w/256KB Cache
16MB FPM RAM
Diamond Stealth 24VL w/1MB
Gravis Ultrasound ACE 1.0 w/1MB
Roland MIF-IPC-A & MPU-401
Creative Labs Sound Blaster Pro CT-1330
Kouwell KW-560D VLB IDE & I/O controller
1GB Compact Flash w/IDE adapter (formatted to 504MB)
Epson SD-880 Combo 5.25" & 3.5" Floppy
Generic 3-button Serial Mouse (Microsoft/Mouse Systems switch)
Roland CS-30 Stereo Micro Monitor
KDS VS-7p VGA Monitor 17/16"
IBM Model M Keyboard 1391401 w/AT cable

I took a picture of my desktop setup.

You can see surrounding the system are a Roland SC-55 and Roland SC-55ST on one side and a Roland MT-32 rev.0 and Roland CM-32L on the other side. The stereo speakers are on the floor because there is no real good place for them above the desk. The speakers are useful because they can mix two stereo inputs and have a dial to adjust the treble/bass. Unfortunately there is virtually no stereo separation.

The old motherboard, ASUS ISA-486SV2 and the new one are virtually the same. Neither support 3V processors unless I soldered a voltage converter and some jumper pins. The BIOS on the old board was a very basic AMI BIOS, the new one has an Award BIOS with many more options. This BIOS supports Large and LBA hard drives, but apparently the Large option does not work in this BIOS, which is dated before December, 1994.

I have two Sound Blaster 16s, but I do not want to have to open the case on a regular basis, so I put my Pro in there for no-fuss gaming. I found out that the Kouwell I/O board's built in joystick only supports two-axes and two buttons, so I use the Pro's.

The Diamond Stealth 24VL needs the SVGA compatibility fix turned on to display correctly in Keen 4-6.

The case I bought new and comes with a 200W power supply from Enlight. Some thought went into its design, as opposed to many AT cases which seem to have been designed by aliens with very different anatomies. The big, ugly power switch line does not get in the way, there is plenty of room to work inside the case. Case comes with a too-small PC speaker. There is a cage to support full-length cards and a fan. Installing 5.25" drives requires the use of the included drive rails. 3.5" drives are a bit trickier because you need to remove the front panel to access them.

Finishing touches to this system which I intend to implement in the future include :

Getting stereo speakers that are separate and can accept two inputs.

Using a 2GB CF card for one maximum partition

Installing an IDE CD-ROM (the last one got thrown out in anger over my 486 destruction)

Obtain an analog joystick with a hand grip like a CH Flightstick Pro.

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Reply 1 of 17, by MaxWar

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R.I.P Old 486 ;*(

You know, if you have a dish washer, You can take the case apart and wash the parts in it, should remove the TAR smell and give then a nice clean scent.

I actually have parts of a case in the Dishwasher RIGHT NOW, not joking. :p

FM sound card comparison on a Grand Scale!!
The Grand OPL3 Comparison Run.

Reply 2 of 17, by badmojo

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You bought the case new ey? How did you manage that? Looks very nice, and I like the dual size floppy drive, I need me one of those. It would be particularly handy in a desktop because it's hard to get the floppy cable to reach b/w the 5 1/4 drive bays and the vertical 3.5 bay.

All told a very nice system, all you need now is one of those old school case badges to put in the little square insert above your keyboard lock!

Life? Don't talk to me about life.

Reply 3 of 17, by Great Hierophant

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The seller has a few more of these cases to sell, and the price is pretty reasonable :

http://www.ebay.com/itm/261040268182?ssPageNa … #ht_1385wt_1396

Oh and the Keylock? When I first connected everything and booted up, the keyboard did not respond! I tried another keyboard and since they were both IBM Model Ms, I thought that the motherboard may have some compatibility issue. They I discovered that the keylock was set in the lock position, so I unlocked it with the given key and the keyboard worked. I had no prior experience with a keylock.

This particular ASUS motherboard is great because it does not have a Dallas RTC chip or a soldered barrel-type battery, it has a slot for a CR2032.

http://nerdlypleasures.blogspot.com/ - Nerdly Pleasures - My Retro Gaming, Computing & Tech Blog

Reply 5 of 17, by Great Hierophant

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Many motherboard have a 4-pin header for an external battery. But the barrel batteries tend to have exploded and could cause damage in the meantime.

http://nerdlypleasures.blogspot.com/ - Nerdly Pleasures - My Retro Gaming, Computing & Tech Blog

Reply 6 of 17, by feipoa

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Many 486 motherboards seem to have no safeguards against wrong CPU orientation insertion. The HOT-433 is one board which stands out. From my experience, the MB8433 seems to be OK with it for the 10 s duration which I screwed up. Depending on the duration of abuse, components will get burned out due to a voltage short to ground. This scenerio probably also depends on which orientation; I have never bothered to investigate it. My Intel DX4-100-WB started smell of burning electronics pretty quickly, but it has worked fine since I removed it. That particular board was toast though. It was some no name board.

That is one damn sexy 486 case. I'm not a big fan of desktop cases, but this one is flaming hot. Now all you need is a suttle looking case sticker to fill the case badge spot. Where did you get the 5.25 inch WHITE 3.5" + 5.25" drive unit? I must have one of those.

I am also impressed with your use of a matching white monitor.

I also have that Addonics CF card adapter, 2 of them in fact. I found it looks better with the Addonics sticker removed.

Unfortunately, those cases are only shipped to the USA. I prefer the 486 mini-towers myself, just because they save space.

ncmark wrote:

That is the way to go - if I see a Dallas chip or barrel battery - forget it

Yes, leave those motherboards all for me!

Plan your life wisely, you'll be dead before you know it.

Reply 7 of 17, by Great Hierophant

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The reason why I sprung for a desktop case, in addition to this one being new, affordably priced and readily available, is because I needed something to place the monitor on. If the monitor sat directly on the desk, it would not be at eye-level (I'm over 6' tall). Putting it on the desktop is nearly perfect.

http://nerdlypleasures.blogspot.com/ - Nerdly Pleasures - My Retro Gaming, Computing & Tech Blog

Reply 8 of 17, by Great Hierophant

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I made a few YouTube posts regarding my 486 PC, I hope people will find them informative :

Part 1 :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ivw_pE_yMc&feature=plcp

Part 2 :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JREJG6RKxVg&feature=plcp

Part 3 :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91XCk2p40VA&feature=plcp

Please excuse the rough quality of these videos.

http://nerdlypleasures.blogspot.com/ - Nerdly Pleasures - My Retro Gaming, Computing & Tech Blog

Reply 9 of 17, by simbin

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RIP 486.. you will be missed!

Just a FYI.. SOS pads work wonders on cases that have been exposed to tobacco smoke. If you remove any metal pieces, you can easily hose down the plastic in the shower and let air dry. There's some pics in my sig link. Look towards the bottom.

Also sticking dryer sheets in some of the crevasses for a few days will eat up the stench.

WIP: 486DX2/66, 16MB FastPage RAM, TsengLabs ET4000 VLB
Check out my Retro-Ghetto build (2016 Update) 😀
Commodore 128D, iBook G3 "Clamshell"
3DO M2, Genesis, Saturn, Dreamcast, NES, SNES, N64, GBC

Reply 10 of 17, by Great Hierophant

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I added another YouTube video :

Part 4 :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_e … d&v=1f28637wwcc

Part 5 will be posted once I acquire an IDE CD-ROM drive.

http://nerdlypleasures.blogspot.com/ - Nerdly Pleasures - My Retro Gaming, Computing & Tech Blog

Reply 11 of 17, by simbin

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Great Hierophant wrote:
I added another YouTube video : […]
Show full quote

I added another YouTube video :

Part 4 :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_e … d&v=1f28637wwcc

Part 5 will be posted once I acquire an IDE CD-ROM drive.

I love that dual 3.5" / 5.25" floppy drive!! :p Hoping to find one of those and a caddy-based CD-ROM drive for my rig.

WIP: 486DX2/66, 16MB FastPage RAM, TsengLabs ET4000 VLB
Check out my Retro-Ghetto build (2016 Update) 😀
Commodore 128D, iBook G3 "Clamshell"
3DO M2, Genesis, Saturn, Dreamcast, NES, SNES, N64, GBC

Reply 12 of 17, by Anonymous Coward

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I wouldn't use SOS pads on anything. You might as well use sandpaper. Get some retrobrite.

"Will the highways on the internets become more few?" -Gee Dubya
V'Ger XT|Upgraded AT|Ultimate 386|Super VL/EISA 486|SMP VL/EISA Pentium

Reply 13 of 17, by simbin

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Anonymous Coward wrote:

I wouldn't use SOS pads on anything. You might as well use sandpaper. Get some retrobrite.

Retrobrite is for plastics that have flame retardant chemicals that become UV damaged. Cigarette tar gets on the surface and can be scrubbed off.

Also, SOS pads are not like sandpaper.. Magic Eraser's are. Gently rubbing a SOS pad over the surface, under running water works just fine with no visible damage.

I've done this with perfect success on several systems.

I *think* SOS pads used to use some kind of wirebrush-like material, now it's all nylon mesh.. perfectly safe on plastic. I guess if you pull some of these from your garage that are 10 yrs old.. check first. I wouldn't recommend using metal on plastic.

Edit: I got curious about this and looked it up. Apparently, they contain steel wool. I didn't think they still did. They feel a lot softer than they used to.

I haven't had any problems using them on plastic. I use a minimal amount of pressure to take off the tar residue and am careful not to overdo it. I've done this on a handful of plastic case parts and they all turned out great.

I guess, use with caution. If you're still worried.. maybe try using a Brillo pad.. may take a little more elbow-grease.

WIP: 486DX2/66, 16MB FastPage RAM, TsengLabs ET4000 VLB
Check out my Retro-Ghetto build (2016 Update) 😀
Commodore 128D, iBook G3 "Clamshell"
3DO M2, Genesis, Saturn, Dreamcast, NES, SNES, N64, GBC

Reply 14 of 17, by Anonymous Coward

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I'd definitely be careful. I destroyed the textured paint on a nice IBM XT case with an SOS pad. Bon Ami also isn't entirely non abrasive either.

"Will the highways on the internets become more few?" -Gee Dubya
V'Ger XT|Upgraded AT|Ultimate 386|Super VL/EISA 486|SMP VL/EISA Pentium

Reply 16 of 17, by Great Hierophant

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dacow wrote:

Watched all your vids! Awesome work Mr Heiro!

Do you recall where you managed to get that combo drive from?

I think eBay.

http://nerdlypleasures.blogspot.com/ - Nerdly Pleasures - My Retro Gaming, Computing & Tech Blog

Reply 17 of 17, by Great Hierophant

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Here are speedsys benchmarks for the system :

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