VOGONS

Search

Common searches

iBase MB800H problems

Topic actions

First post, by insanitor

Posted on 
User metadata
Rank Newbie
Rank
Newbie

Hi, guys!

I’ve got an ibase MB800H Motherboard.

It’s a Pentium 4 industrial motherboard with 3 ISA slots, 3 PCI slots and 1 8X AGP slot.

It works with the old ISA soundblaster cards as it supports ISA DMA.

But unfortunately, now this motherboard has begun software corruption of any partition in any hard drive hooked up to it’s onboard IDE connectors necessitating a repartitioning and reformat. And this hard drive is new.

If I connect IDE DVD-ROM drives and SATA hard drives to a PCI SATA IDE controller card, all works well.

It also has begun to exhibit strange behavior such as misnaming the hard drive and it’s model number (Paxlor instead of Maxtor), sometimes the video when it starts up gets corrupted, or it will not allow you to skip the long memory test by pressing ESC or let you in the BIOS by pressing DEL.

It’s got a new video card installed so this is confusing. I believe I used a good PSU and RAM (tested more than 10 passes with Memtest+)

I’ve used other CPU’s and the occasional video problems persist.

All I can think of is that it just needs a recapping but that’s a shot in the dark.

Any ideas?

Last edited by insanitor on 2023-02-12, 05:01. Edited 1 time in total.

When I go, the smiles and the laughs go with me.

Reply 4 of 15, by insanitor

Posted on 
User metadata
Rank Newbie
Rank
Newbie
Babasha wrote on 2023-02-09, 11:55:

Check the capacitors on your motherboard.

Of course I’ll be recapping the entire board. I’ll be ordering them all today.

Roman555 wrote on 2023-02-09, 16:44:

Looks like a IDE controller sometimes looses connection with an IDE device...

Yup. That’s what it’s doing. After that happens the hard drive is inaccessible.

When I go, the smiles and the laughs go with me.

Reply 5 of 15, by Roman555

Posted on 
User metadata
Rank Oldbie
Rank
Oldbie
insanitor wrote on 2023-02-09, 22:24:
Roman555 wrote on 2023-02-09, 16:44:

Looks like a IDE controller sometimes looses connection with an IDE device...

Yup. That’s what it’s doing. After that happens the hard drive is inaccessible.

In the past I bumped into such situation when a pin of a IDE connector of a HDD or a CD-drive lost contact with a PCB. So I re-soldered it to restore the device.
It has been already said about ATA cables and capacitors.
I can add that if I were you I would inspect all IDE connectors and wires from a chipset (Intel 82801DB ICH4) to the IDE-s using a magnifying glass and under good lighting.
If nothing helps you can try to press the ICH chip carefully during start of the system to diagnose possible cold joints under the chip

[ MS6168/PII-350/YMF754/98SE ]
[ 775i65G/E5500/9800Pro/Vortex2/ME ]

Reply 6 of 15, by Babasha

Posted on 
User metadata
Rank Oldbie
Rank
Oldbie
Roman555 wrote on 2023-02-10, 10:47:
In the past I bumped into such situation when a pin of a IDE connector of a HDD or a CD-drive lost contact with a PCB. So I re-s […]
Show full quote
insanitor wrote on 2023-02-09, 22:24:
Roman555 wrote on 2023-02-09, 16:44:

Looks like a IDE controller sometimes looses connection with an IDE device...

Yup. That’s what it’s doing. After that happens the hard drive is inaccessible.

In the past I bumped into such situation when a pin of a IDE connector of a HDD or a CD-drive lost contact with a PCB. So I re-soldered it to restore the device.
It has been already said about ATA cables and capacitors.
I can add that if I were you I would inspect all IDE connectors and wires from a chipset (Intel 82801DB ICH4) to the IDE-s using a magnifying glass and under good lighting.
If nothing helps you can try to press the ICH chip carefully during start of the system to diagnose possible cold joints under the chip

I am too jam one pin in my IDE HDD with the continuous glitches until I recover it)))

Need help? Begin with photo and model of your hardware 😉

Reply 8 of 15, by insanitor

Posted on 
User metadata
Rank Newbie
Rank
Newbie

I’ll be following all of your suggestions. Although I’m clueless as to how I can possibly fix the ICH chip if it is the cause of the problem.

I’ll be using a different PSU. It’s hardly used but it’s not a great one.

When I go, the smiles and the laughs go with me.

Reply 10 of 15, by insanitor

Posted on 
User metadata
Rank Newbie
Rank
Newbie
CoffeeOne wrote on 2023-02-10, 20:21:
insanitor wrote on 2023-02-09, 11:33:

Hi, guys!

....

Any ideas?

Please make meaningful subjects when you post something.

Sorry!

Last edited by insanitor on 2023-07-10, 07:42. Edited 1 time in total.

When I go, the smiles and the laughs go with me.

Reply 11 of 15, by Tiido

Posted on 
User metadata
Rank l33t
Rank
l33t

Photos of the board itself will help

T-04YBSC, a new YMF71x based sound card & Official VOGONS thread about it
Newly made 4MB 60ns 30pin SIMMs ~
mida sa loed ? nagunii aru ei saa 😜

Reply 12 of 15, by CoffeeOne

Posted on 
User metadata
Rank Oldbie
Rank
Oldbie
insanitor wrote on 2023-02-11, 09:31:
I asked for help with my situation. […]
Show full quote
CoffeeOne wrote on 2023-02-10, 20:21:
insanitor wrote on 2023-02-09, 11:33:

Hi, guys!

....

Any ideas?

Please make meaningful subjects when you post something.

I asked for help with my situation.

That is far from meaningless.

In fact, I’ve been given some avenues to pursue.

It’s strange but your comment saying that my post was without meaning actually seems meaningless.

But hey, whatever floats your boat.

To everyone else:

I’ll be replacing the RAM with Micron RAM and I’ll be removing the Crucial RAM. I’ll be replacing the PSU with one from Insignia. This is the one I use for testing purposes. I know for sure that it’s fine.

I’ll be recapping this motherboard all with Panasonic caps.

Hello,
with subject I mean the heading. Like subject in a mail.

It was
"I'm sad! 🙁"
It is meaningless for me.

Reply 15 of 15, by insanitor

Posted on 
User metadata
Rank Newbie
Rank
Newbie

Update:

After much heartache, I completely failed to get this motherboard working.

I now have two of these exact same motherboards and both are completely dead and I have no idea how to get them repaired.

The other problem is that these boards are so old that they need recapping and the biggest caps on this board have leads that are almost as think as the holes on the board and are ******EXTREMELY HARD TO REMOVE***********!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am not sure it’s a good idea for me to pursue this unless I can find someone who has the skills to repair this board.

EDIT:

Found shorted N channel MOSFET.

If this doesn’t fix the problem, at least it will make a technician’s work easier.

When I go, the smiles and the laughs go with me.

Go to top of page Go to top of page
Back to General Old Hardware
Close window
Close window