for 3.: both the CT1770 and the CT2230 have the hanging note bug, so keeping the AWE and getting a nice external synth for it may be better 😀 with a 386 maybe a MT-32

or using the two cards that you have simultaneously, with the SB16's DB for music and the AWE for sound effects should work out too

1. Somebody once told me that when using CF cards the parameters don't really matter as long as the total size is correct. I don't know if this is true. I always use my CF cards with the XT IDE BIOS (for AT systems) which auto detects.

2. I've heard of people using 3 AA batteries. It should work. I always use 4 AAs though.

3. Probably not worth it, unless you like having integrated SCSI and the nifty volume dial on the back.

4. ULSI FPUs are good. As long as rated faster than the CPU, it'll work.

If I were you I'd go with the 386DX-40 board. SX16 has no cache, and it is only running at 16MHz. It's basically no better than a 286. You also might want to consider a new graphics adapter. The Trident 8900 "looks" to be the better of the two.

Regarding PSU, I would just use an ATX PSU with a cheap eBay conversion kit. You can often mount AT boards in ATX case too...helps if you have the correct back panel though.

1. Usually 999/16/64 will work for 512MB cards, so I'd try that first. If for whatever reason that doesn't work, see if you can hunt down a copy of ideinfo.exe, which should tell you the necessary parameters.

2. Anything from about 3.5-6V is fine... some boards will even work with 3V, but it's kinda hit-or-miss. I personally use 4xAA holders, just because that allows me to reuse the 'dead' batteries out of other devices (which usually still have 1-1.2V charge in 'em) and still have enough voltage to keep the clock settings.

3. I'd personally skip the Creative cards altogether and go with a third-party SBPro-compatible clone. You wouldn't get SB16 compatibility that way, but IMO SBPro compatibility is more useful (and is something the SB16s lack), plus many of the third-party cards have properly working wavetable headers and better audio quality.

4. If you really want a coprocessor, go with whatever you find cheapest. Intel ones are slower than the rest, and I seem to remember ULSI ones having some compatibility issues, but it really doesn't matter since you're not likely to have any software that makes use of a copro anyway... having one is mostly for show, to fill up the empty socket

And yes, the Trident technically is the better of the two VGAcards. But that's not really saying much... I think it's more accurate to put it a different way: about only thing slower than a Trident card is an Oak card.

for 3.: both the CT1770 and the CT2230 have the hanging note bug, so keeping the AWE and getting a nice external synth for it may be better Happy with a 386 maybe a MT-32

or using the two cards that you have simultaneously, with the SB16's DB for music and the AWE for sound effects should work out too

Thanks very much for the input, distorsion 😀

So 1770 is not an improvement over 2230. Nice news, it saves me from shelling out another 60 bucks... 😈

I just find a Yamaha sound card NIB (Audician 32 Plus), sold for 5 bucks on ebay, 10 bucks including shipment to Turkey (which is miraculous). Checked vogons, and saw nothing but praise, so I'll most probably go for it. Only if I could see it before ordering 2230....

I'm probably writing it for the 5th time now 🤣 but most YMF71x cards are too small to take a normal DB like XR385 (if you don't build an own cable). These cards are only good for their real OPL FM, compatibility and low noise.

d1stortion wrote:

for 3.: both the CT1770 and the CT2230 have the hanging note bug, so keeping the AWE and getting a nice external synth for it may be better 😀 with a 386 maybe a MT-32

or using the two cards that you have simultaneously, with the SB16's DB for music and the AWE for sound effects should work out too

CT2230 have some conflicting information here on the forum. Some report it does have hanging notes, others (including me) say it is bug free. I can test the 1770 as well.

vetz, just give yourself a jolt and sign up to the wiki, we need some more editors 😁

Thanks a lot for all the answers Anonymous Coward,

1. Somebody once told me that when using CF cards the parameters don't really matter as long as the total size is correct. I don't know if this is true. I always use my CF cards with the XT IDE BIOS (for AT systems) which auto detects.

I recently become aware of XT IDE BIOS but I'm not sure if I have the capability to use it. Finding an EPROM programmer will not be easy for me, and probably trial error is much easier. If you say it does not matter much, then I'll just try and see.

2. I've heard of people using 3 AA batteries. It should work. I always use 4 AAs though.

I have both, so I choose 4xAA one.

3. Probably not worth it, unless you like having integrated SCSI and the nifty volume dial on the back.

2 votes against 0, it's no 1770 then. (I already will have an Adaptec in the machine, so extra SCSI connector is not needed)

4. ULSI FPUs are good. As long as rated faster than the CPU, it'll work.

Thanks aagain, one more variable eliminated.

If I were you I'd go with the 386DX-40 board. SX16 has no cache, and it is only running at 16MHz. It's basically no better than a 286. You also might want to consider a new graphics adapter. The Trident 8900 "looks" to be the better of the two.

I'm not really decided yet. I know all the pluses for DX40 but I really love that SX16 of mine, it was my first PCin 92, and continued to kick everything I throw at it (rather slowly, yes 😊), including all my FORTRAN projects and numerical analysis work, till I upgraded to a 486DX33 by the end of 94. Same is somehow true for Oak, too. And unfortunatelly decent ISA VGA cards on ebay have unexplainable price tags.

Regarding PSU, I would just use an ATX PSU with a cheap eBay conversion kit. You can often mount AT boards in ATX case too...helps if you have the correct back panel though.

Two excellent ideas in one shot! I don't know why, but I never imagined such an adapter even existed. Now, I directly ordered one. And you also made me aware of the fact that I'm managing a metal manufacturing plant with all the machining capability, so why not one of my technicians drill some precise holes for me on a cheapo ATX case? 😏

Thanks a lot! you solved my two biggest problems with this last comment.

thanks a lot for all the suggestions old trashbag!..😀

1. Usually 999/16/64 will work for 512MB cards, so I'd try that first. If for whatever reason that doesn't work, see if you can hunt down a copy of ideinfo.exe, which should tell you the necessary parameters.

I will start trying with 999/16/64 then. and as it happens I already have 1.0 version of IDEINFO, (in my ever increasing 20-year-collection of useless old software 😈) so I'll try that, too.

2. Anything from about 3.5-6V is fine... some boards will even work with 3V, but it's kinda hit-or-miss. I personally use 4xAA holders, just because that allows me to reuse the 'dead' batteries out of other devices (which usually still have 1-1.2V charge in 'em) and still have enough voltage to keep the clock settings.

2 against 0 again, 4xAA is the way to go.

3. I'd personally skip the Creative cards altogether and go with a third-party SBPro-compatible clone. You wouldn't get SB16 compatibility that way, but IMO SBPro compatibility is more useful (and is something the SB16s lack), plus many of the third-party cards have properly working wavetable headers and better audio quality.

I just did that, and ordered the Yamaha card mentioned above, but then saw distorsion's message about it's size and wavetable card conflicts. For 10 bucks including shipment it was a no brainier anyway. so I will use whatever fits with the daughterboard

4. If you really want a coprocessor, go with whatever you find cheapest. Intel ones are slower than the rest, and I seem to remember ULSI ones having some compatibility issues, but it really doesn't matter since you're not likely to have any software that makes use of a copro anyway... having one is mostly for show, to fill up the empty socket

The only reasonably priced ones are ULSI at the moment anyway. The funny thing is, maybe the most important part of the computer that I'm trying to (somehow) replicate was it's mathco. It was my first PC (heck, my first computer) back in 1992. I had a very limited budget when purchasing it, and choosen mathco over a color VGA monitor. I was studying aerospace at that times, and computational fluid dynamics and basicly, all kinds of numerical analysis was my main purpose of having a PC (good old days of FORTRAN....😊). Of course that does not mean that I never played Wolfenstein, Wing Commander II, Command and Conquer, Comanche, Dune, Prince of Persia, Leisure Suit Larry and many others on it whole nights long, even without a sound card and a color display 😁.

And yes, the Trident technically is the better of the two VGAcards. But that's not really saying much... I think it's more accurate to put it a different way: about only thing slower than a Trident card is an Oak card.

By looking at the prices of decent ISA VGA adapters on ebay, I can easily see that I'm stuck with these two. Let me make myself feeling happy, thinking that my build will be more authentic... 😁

I'm probably writing it for the 5th time now Laughing Out Loud but most YMF71x cards are too small to take a normal DB like XR385 (if you don't build an own cable). These cards are only good for their real OPL FM, compatibility and low noise.

What about this one?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/190798196095?ssPageNa … 984.m1439.l2649

What prices do you pay for this old hardware? With my retro build i collect parts from friends for free most times. And only buy specific pieces like my voodoo2 cards and a specific motherboard.

What prices do you pay for this old hardware? With my retro build i collect parts from friends for free most times. And only buy specific pieces like my voodoo2 cards and a specific motherboard

All the items with pictures above are select left overs from my own upgrades (since 1992) or left overs from upgrades that I do for friends and such. I was the go-to guy for a long time regarding anything to do with computers, in my school, in my first couple of jobs, and also to friends and family. My price for any upgrade was fixed, non negotiable, and well known: "Any left overs will be mine!..." 😁

These are just a fraction of what I had. I put together 8 or 9 complete machines during all these years for people who need them but cannot afford them, give some needed parts as spares to many people, and throw out many many more (which are being sold for 100s of dollars now on ebay... 😖)

But for this build, I also purchased things like an ISA NIC, an ISA SCSI controller, a couple of sound cards, a wavetable daughterboard, and a few conversion adapters paying 10 to 30 USD for each.

Good news. Finally I found an AT case (a crappy one, however) with working power supply, for free!... 😀 Better, it arrived with a working 486 board (486-VIP-IO), 8MB of 72 pin EDO RAM, an MX (never herard of it before) 1MB PCI VGA card, a Quantum 810MB HDD, a 3com 3C900 COMBO PCI ethernet card, and a leter model IBM clicky keyboard all in working contiton (actually it smoothly booted into windows 95 that came in its HDD as soon as I started it.

The good thing is, finally having my At power supply, I had the chance to test all the all the parts in my first post, and seen that apart from HP 80MB HDD and the 256KB SIMMs on the DX-40 board, are in perfect working collection.

I still need to wait my orders from ebay to arrive though.

386DX40 board turned out to be a later model. It has HDD auto detection and many advenced BIOS options.

Now its time to play with that new(!) 486 board. 😁