While I've been in Poland I've bought these PC cases. These are brand new! Our local shop "ProLine" put huge discount on some "outdated" products. These are brand new, packed in an original cartoon package. I'm stunned.
The price for 4 PC cases was ~ 47 USD.

Picked up this 1.1ghz 100fsb PIII. Small nick on the side of the cpu but it works fine. Nice chip for a BX system.

jheronimus wrote on 2020-12-22, 21:00:

Decided to get this Biostar MB-1500PCT motherboard and try to restore it. Kind of above my skillset, but I really want a Pentium/VLB board, and can't really find one for adequate money.

bjwil1991 wrote on 2020-12-23, 09:59:

Still restoring my $20 SuperMicro P54VL-PCI board. Glad to see another Socket 5 board with VLB.

Wow. Nice to see that people are restoring their Pentium VLB systems.

This one is my recently acquired board. Still working on it. Need to solder missing voltage regulator.

brownk wrote on 2020-12-23, 15:16:

SCB-55.jpg Micronics.jpg […]
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SCB-55.jpg
Micronics.jpg

Got myself some treatments.
I recall Micronics mobos were horribly expensive but well built in general.
This one isn't exception; well thought-out layout, good components everywhere, easy jumper labels, and so on.

There's one glitch though.
Once you hook an ATX power plug, it's pretty fucking annoying to pull it out due to a capacitor not letting go of the plug's notch.
I had to cut the notch off at the end. 😐

They did make nice motherboards and that one looks like new it's a great find. I really like that heatsink on it to.

Lucky find: accidentally found Asus P4GPL-X (rare board with soc478+PCI-e) for sale for just 25 euros and obviously bought it. Can remake a computer I used from 2007-2009 (though I had Asus P4GD1, almost identical board but GD1 has 4 memory slots instead of two): Asus CT-479 adapter, with Dothan running nice and cool at 2.7 Ghz. Had 7950GT back then but now probably will give the motherboard a graphics card it deserves (overkill of course), some 780 GTX or similar.

chrismeyer6 wrote on 2020-12-23, 19:55:

brownk wrote on 2020-12-23, 15:16:

SCB-55.jpg Micronics.jpg […]
Show full quote

SCB-55.jpg
Micronics.jpg

Got myself some treatments.
I recall Micronics mobos were horribly expensive but well built in general.
This one isn't exception; well thought-out layout, good components everywhere, easy jumper labels, and so on.

There's one glitch though.
Once you hook an ATX power plug, it's pretty fucking annoying to pull it out due to a capacitor not letting go of the plug's notch.
I had to cut the notch off at the end. 😐

They did make nice motherboards and that one looks like new it's a great find. I really like that heatsink on it to.

That micronics motherboard will not support all PCI video cards, since some of them would not initialize the video card. I had to move on to AN430TX motherboard which does with any cards.
Second, highest MHz bios will report is 200MHz when using 233 MMX processor but still run.

Cheers,

jheronimus wrote on 2020-12-22, 21:00:

Decided to get this Biostar MB-1500PCT motherboard and try to restore it. Kind of above my skillset, but I really want a Pentium […]
Show full quote

Decided to get this Biostar MB-1500PCT motherboard and try to restore it. Kind of above my skillset, but I really want a Pentium/VLB board, and can't really find one for adequate money.

photo_2020-12-22 23.48.47.jpeg

So far I can see the following things missing:

- cache chips;
- CMOS battery;
- BIOS chip;
- two VRM modules;
- an unknown DIP14 chip between the second and the third ISA slots.

I'll probably make a dedicated thread asking for assistance, but in the meantime maybe someone has this board and could make pictures of the missing elements?

Found a site that has pictures of the board: http://www.amoretro.de/2012/10/biostar-mb-150 … otherboard.html

Unfortunately, I looked everywhere for the BIOS file itself and nothing yet.

chrismeyer6 wrote on 2020-12-23, 19:55:

They did make nice motherboards and that one looks like new it's a great find. I really like that heatsink on it to.

I feel I found a lost piece at last.

pentiumspeed wrote on 2020-12-24, 02:08:

That micronics motherboard will not support all PCI video cards, since some of them would not initialize the video card. I had to move on to AN430TX motherboard which does with any cards.
Second, highest MHz bios will report is 200MHz when using 233 MMX processor but still run.

Cheers,

That's right, but Micronics mobos are kind of "full-on". I couldn't help it. 😎

Acquired a bit of stuff lately. First, the less important stuff:

Now, the more interesting merchandise. A boxed and allegedly NOS 486 motherboard popped up for around $15, so I jumped on it and grabbed it. It was untested in unknown condition so I gambled my chances.

Whoa, that's a 386/486 Hybris motherboard with VLB? An AOpen Vi9 apparently. Not sure whether it's a valuable piece or collectable, but it sure is interesting to me! No cache, but I have spare cache chips from other dead motherboards lying around if I ever want to use it.

Of course it came with obligatory barrel battery leakage..

..which looked pretty horrible, particularly on that sticker at the bottom - I thought the traces were already lifted and gone.. But it actually wasn't that difficult to mostly fix with vinegar, alcohol and some scrubbing with a flat head screwdriver.

And voila:

I haven't tested it for POST yet but all the traces have continuity. I will do a POST test later tonight.

First time I’ve seen classical music as a theme for a box of PC hardware that is not sound related.

My first Roland )

Oh wow a LAPC-I 😮 Very nice!

appiah4 wrote on 2020-12-24, 08:56:

Acquired a bit of stuff lately. First, the less important stuff: […]
Show full quote

Acquired a bit of stuff lately. First, the less important stuff:

Now, the more interesting merchandise. A boxed and allegedly NOS 486 motherboard popped up for around $15, so I jumped on it and grabbed it. It was untested in unknown condition so I gambled my chances.

Whoa, that's a 386/486 Hybris motherboard with VLB? An AOpen Vi9 apparently. Not sure whether it's a valuable piece or collectable, but it sure is interesting to me! No cache, but I have spare cache chips from other dead motherboards lying around if I ever want to use it.

Of course it came with obligatory barrel battery leakage..

..which looked pretty horrible, particularly on that sticker at the bottom - I thought the traces were already lifted and gone.. But it actually wasn't that difficult to mostly fix with vinegar, alcohol and some scrubbing with a flat head screwdriver.

And voila:

I haven't tested it for POST yet but all the traces have continuity. I will do a POST test later tonight.

Great ! I'll add that to UH19 later.
Will you backup the bios ? Also can you scan the manual ?

It actually exists on UH19 as an Acer board (Same difference): http://www.win3x.org/uh19/motherboard/show/169

Dumping the BIOS should be simple aside from not knowing what particular IC it is on, I will try. As for the manual, yeah I can do that as well.

Bancho wrote on 2020-12-23, 16:34:

Picked up this 1.1ghz 100fsb PIII. Small nick on the side of the cpu but it works fine. Nice chip for a BX system.

Very nice. Mine arrived yesterday too. I expect we have bought from the same eBay seller 😀

For future reference SL5QW Pentium 3s (1100/256/100) work on Intel SE440BX-2 boards and are identified correctly by the BIOS (running P17). (Slot 1 to S370 adapter required of course).

Snagged this neat Packard Bell 486 tower for a reasonable price. It's got that funky "upside down" form factor with the PSU in the bottom and the slots at the top and that cool translucent door in front of the drives, should be fun to play with.

brt02 wrote on 2020-12-24, 14:57:

Bancho wrote on 2020-12-23, 16:34:

Picked up this 1.1ghz 100fsb PIII. Small nick on the side of the cpu but it works fine. Nice chip for a BX system.

Very nice. Mine arrived yesterday too. I expect we have bought from the same eBay seller 😀

For future reference SL5QW Pentium 3s (1100/256/100) work on Intel SE440BX-2 boards and are identified correctly by the BIOS (running P17). (Slot 1 to S370 adapter required of course).

Wow, those are pretty tough to find. Certainly not cheap at $80 USD but also not totally outrageous, considering the rarity.

I don't personally have much use for such a chip, but that's mostly because I prefer the chips with heat spreaders. I'd rather have a cheaper Coppermine-T 133Mhz FSB chip underclocked (or overclock the FSB to 133 if the rest of the components stay happy) than ever have to worry about a cracked P3 die again. Only had to have it happen once with a 1Ghz 133Mhz chip... I'd probably cry if I did it with a rare (and expensive) chip like a 1.1/100.

EDIT: Just occurred to me, I don't even remember if Coppermine-T chips work properly on 440BX boards. I remember messing with this before, but the memories have totally left me. 😕

Ozzuneoj wrote on 2020-12-24, 19:06:

Wow, those are pretty tough to find. Certainly not cheap at $80 USD but also not totally outrageous, considering the rarity.

I don't personally have much use for such a chip, but that's mostly because I prefer the chips with heat spreaders. I'd rather have a cheaper Coppermine-T 133Mhz FSB chip underclocked (or overclock the FSB to 133 if the rest of the components stay happy) than ever have to worry about a cracked P3 die again. Only had to have it happen once with a 1Ghz 133Mhz chip... I'd probably cry if I did it with a rare (and expensive) chip like a 1.1/100.

EDIT: Just occurred to me, I don't even remember if Coppermine-T chips work properly on 440BX boards. I remember messing with this before, but the memories have totally left me. 😕

I paid the equivalent of 35USD for it. But yeah they don't come up often.

I've not tried a coppermine-T CPU in the SE440BX, but have tried a 1000/256/133 SL52R pentium 3 and it did not post. So I think this is about as good as it gets for this particular board.

brt02 wrote on 2020-12-24, 19:29:

Ozzuneoj wrote on 2020-12-24, 19:06:

Wow, those are pretty tough to find. Certainly not cheap at $80 USD but also not totally outrageous, considering the rarity.

I don't personally have much use for such a chip, but that's mostly because I prefer the chips with heat spreaders. I'd rather have a cheaper Coppermine-T 133Mhz FSB chip underclocked (or overclock the FSB to 133 if the rest of the components stay happy) than ever have to worry about a cracked P3 die again. Only had to have it happen once with a 1Ghz 133Mhz chip... I'd probably cry if I did it with a rare (and expensive) chip like a 1.1/100.

EDIT: Just occurred to me, I don't even remember if Coppermine-T chips work properly on 440BX boards. I remember messing with this before, but the memories have totally left me. 😕

I paid the equivalent of 35USD for it. But yeah they don't come up often.

I've not tried a coppermine-T CPU in the SE440BX, but have tried a 1000/256/133 SL52R pentium 3 and it did not post. So I think this is about as good as it gets for this particular board.

Oh wow, nice job getting one for that price! I see a seller on ebay selling them for $80 right now, which is high but not as high as I've seen them go for in the past. I saw they had sold two and assumed that was you guys. 😀

It was really bugging me that I couldn't remember, so I just plunked a 1Ghz SL5QJ Coppermine-T (with a heatspreader) onto the basic slotcket adapter in my Wintac W6BXA and it booted up first time, detected as 750Mhz (100Mhz FSB). Forcing it to run 133Mhz FSB makes it detect the CPU as " :00Mhz", but it does run at 1Ghz just fine. Basic tiny heatsinks are a bit tougher to install on these because of the added thickness of the heat spreader, but it feels a lot less scary than installing a larger heatsink directly onto a fragile die. It's not a huge issue, just a personal preference of mine. 😀

Ozzuneoj wrote on 2020-12-24, 19:47:

Oh wow, nice job getting one for that price! I see a seller on ebay selling them for $80 right now, which is high but not as high as I've seen them go for in the past. I saw they had sold two and assumed that was you guys. 😀

Ah, I see that listing now, it doesn't come up on eBay UK 😀

Ozzuneoj wrote on 2020-12-24, 19:47:

It was really bugging me that I couldn't remember, so I just plunked a 1Ghz SL5QJ Coppermine-T (with a heatspreader) onto the basic slotcket adapter in my Wintac W6BXA and it booted up first time, detected as 750Mhz (100Mhz FSB). Forcing it to run 133Mhz FSB makes it detect the CPU as " :00Mhz", but it does run at 1Ghz just fine.

Might just be a limitation of this intel board, A few BIOS updates have added and removed support for CPUs, so I bought this CPU unsure of whether it would actually work or not.

Ozzuneoj wrote on 2020-12-24, 19:47:

Basic tiny heatsinks are a bit tougher to install on these because of the added thickness of the heat spreader, but it feels a lot less scary than installing a larger heatsink directly onto a fragile die. It's not a huge issue, just a personal preference of mine. 😀

I'm really careful with heatsinks on these CPUs, Haven't had any cracked dies yet (touch wood), but have certainly heard enough to make me take notice.