thanks for the tip re: http://www.searchtempest.com/

i just read about the VETRA box.. is that the only solution?

not sure how this would even work when it has male 9pin.. u would need a female to female 9 pin serial cable to attach it to the 486.. and then the mouse plugged into the ps2 port? is this correct?

is there no mice that actually just WORK with a male serial -> female PS2 adapter?

Do not waste your time / money. This guy in Detroit has a lot of stuff:
https://detroit.craigslist.org/okl/sop/5188892718.html

Free PC cases in Toronto:
http://toronto.craigslist.ca/tor/zip/5155255110.html

FYI: my IBM PS/ValuePoints (4X 486, 1X 386) all have PS/2 keyboard & mouse ports. That is the nice thing about OEM.

Digital Venturis are usually overlooked and cheap. Gateway 2000 is hit or miss price wise. IBM PC 300 / 350 is also often overlooked. As are IBM Aptiva and IBM PS/1.

Cheap and could fit in a case in case you mod it:
http://cgi.ebay.ca/371341901234

Or look for a cheap complete unit in the US (small so shipping is reasonable):
http://cgi.ebay.com/171889017714

You would have to ask them to ship to CA or ship to someone in US to then ship to CA.
http://cgi.ebay.com/371424325119

I have bought most of my OEMs for <= $75 shipped.

hey peter - 🤣 that toronto case ad was placed 29 days ago AFTER he had put them on the curb already so its safe to say they are gonzo!! shame because one of them looks like a nice ATX antec Sonata! i loved that case.. used it from 2006-2010.

also, im looking to get something to take pride in, a quality motherboard. most of my system builds are either gigabyte or asus
and i kind of would like to stay within those two brands, but i would consider biostar or MSI aswell! and ideally id like to have as many ISA slots as possible as i have a few sound cards that are ISA as well as MIDI interfaces that connect via ISA. (the whole reason im trying to build this box in the first place.. to use old hardware in combination with old software.)

really i will probably have to wait for an Asus 486 board to show up.. or bite the bullet + pay 200$ for the right board.

Good luck! 😀

BTW: I take a lot of pride in my OEMs: they perform very well in DOS and Windows 3.1 / 95 / 98.

id really like to talk about the whole ps/2 mouse support issue... !@

There are ps/2 mice that work with an adapter to Serial ports. The Logitech Mouseman is one such creature. Otherwise you are kinda SOL. For the keyboard it is rather simple and easy, just use a DIN to ps/2 adapter.

re first boards to feature usb i made a post about this on my site
http://www.oldschooldaw.com/forums/index.php?topic=1240.0

heres the requirements of the app i want to run:
http://www.oldschooldaw.com/forums/index.php?topic=842.0

Minimum System Requirements: operating system:Windows 3.0 RAM: 2MBytes CPU: 386SX/16Mhz+ GFX: VGA graphics also compatible wit […]
Show full quote

Minimum System Requirements:
operating system:Windows 3.0
RAM: 2MBytes
CPU: 386SX/16Mhz+
GFX: VGA graphics
also compatible with: windows 95, windows 98

i suppose i could even look for a 386 motherboard - seeing as im not having much luck finding a decent 486 for a good price

GUYS! IT HAPPENED FINALLY! I GOT AN ASUS 486!! DX2 80MHZ CPU!!
and the motherboard i got is this: a VL/I-486SV2GX4 !!!!!! with ps2 mouse port header, coin battery, i just put in 4 x 16mb = 64mb RAM!!

exact same model, but my board is missing some of the cache chips on the bottom right
but IM PSYCHED!!!!!!!! if anyone can give me tips on where to get teh cache chips i need to max out the cache.. and where to get a 4x2 ps2 mouse connector id love the tips

You can get brand new cache chips from Aliexpress. You have to input the ic part number in their search engine. Make sure You buy from a
reliable seller, there are some dodgy ones there, read the feedback, etc.

Unless You have less than 256k cache, don't bother, most people reckon it won't make a noticeable difference.

it seems im missing 50% of the cache chips