Yep, it's in bad condition as it has a VIA chipset.

If there is not even a socket for the keyboard controller it might be built into the chipset.

Please note - when it comes to testing 486 mobos, as they are now getting increasingly rare, I am not bothered if they have "poor" chipsets, such as VIA. I am happy to test any 486s.

Regarding the missing KBD chip, the chip is missing from an area on the mobo which is clearly a socket where you can pull a chip away from, and conversely, push a chip in to this socket. The fact that the chip clearly seems to be missing seems a bad sign to me. (Not the fact that the main chipset is VIA.)

So, can I conclude that this mobo is not worth testing - please forget about the VIA chipset. Thanks a lot. 😀

Edit: I decided to test it. It didn't POST. I tried about 6 different sticks of RAM, and 2 dx2-66 CPUs. Nothing appeared on the screen.

My FIC PIO2 mobo also has an empty keyboard socket but the circuitry is integrated in another chip elsewhere

These VIA socket 3 mobo's are pretty good even though they have VIA chipset....so don't count them out yet 😉

Amigaz wrote:

My FIC PIO2 mobo also has an empty keyboard socket but the circuitry is integrated in another chip elsewhere

These VIA socket 3 mobo's are pretty good even though they have VIA chipset....so don't count them out yet 😉

I'm beginning to think that the missing KBD chip is OK!

But there is something else I really need to understand - and that's RAM configuration. ATM, I just stick in any RAM sticks I have available. I don't know what they are, or what I'm doing.

If you look at the mobo layout specification here -

http://stason.org/TULARC/pc/motherboard...P-IO2.html

It says stuff like this -

17MB - NONE | (1) 256K x 36 | (1) 4M x 36 | NONE

What does 4M x 36 mean for instance? Do I use RAM with chips on one side, or both? What is FP RAM? What am I doing? Why am I here?

😖 😉

256K x 36 means:
36 - memory width - 32 bits + 4 bits for parity.
256k * 32 bits = 256 k * 4 bytes = 1 MByte 72-pin SIMM (72-pin SIMMs have 32-bit memory width or 36-bit with parity chips, 30-pin SIMMs have 8 bit memory width or 9-bit with parity)

4M x 36 means:
4M * 32 bits = 4M * 4 bytes = 16 MByte 72-pin SIMM

FP RAM means FPM SIMMs

Thanks for the memory info. I'll have to remember that. 😉

Yeah, the missing Keyboard chip is sometimes handled elsewhereo n the board.

VIA had a way better reputation back then than they do now.

They made good stuff.

If you don't want to take my word for it, takes Redhill's.

http://www.redhill.net.au/b/b-95.html

I still have nightmares about my VIA GRA board. It was an AT mobo that had everything integrated.