I tried to read the chip but like I said - no luck.
Chip reads:

1AM27C1024 
2- 205DC
312.5V PGM
4838APDZ

I have seen such errors before ..usually when recent programmers cannot correctly identify the chip (Chip ID)
on the TL866 ..I think there is a check box to untick and ignore the chip ID and continue the process regardless ..
rgds
VS

Thanks for the help,

after all it might just be the default bios and someone trying to put any (defect) HDD in the case to sell it on ebay as defect...

anyway here is the thing. looks like the first 2/3rds are empty

best reg4rds
\ chozilla

Ok Cho..your other questions..
I'll try to answer ..
I suspect the original bios does not support master /slave ...but a modded bios may well do ..
not that I've tried.
The floppy drive is proprietory ..and rare ..
You can however make a standard floppy drive work if you make up the 'special ' ribbon cable ...details of which are provided by Ian in this thread.

..and lastly the dreaded memory.
again proprietory ...and uses a custom 40 pin simm ..
TBH you probably have more chance of opening a garden centre on mars ...than finding any of these..
If however you are feeling brave ..you could attempt another Ian B mod ..and make a 72 pin strip of EDO memory work and provide a max 12mb that way.
This is not for the faint hearted...requires good soldering skills ...good eyesight ...and a great deal of patience.
BUT it can be done ..
both myself and Ian are living proof..
good luck buddy..
VS

Vipersan wrote:

I suspect the original bios does not support master /slave ...but a modded bios may well do .. not that I've tried.

I am currently running the xtide BIOS from a XTCF card in the expansion slot overwriting the modified BIOS from IanB and the system still does not boot if two cards are plugged into the on-board IDE.
I suspect a channel problem...

Vipersan wrote:

The floppy drive is proprietory ..and rare ..
You can however make a standard floppy drive work if you make up the 'special ' ribbon cable ...details of which are provided by Ian in this thread.

That is up on my todo list once my 34 header connectors arrive from china. I managed to break 3 of them trying to remove them from cables...
Not sure if i want to use the original cable that was connected to the floppy since the ribbon cord is only 10cm long.
Also not sure if i want to put a Gotek inside the Maschine also it would be fun to find a place for the rotary-encoder and the display. - But then again i am not ready to chop up my case yet.
But then again having the Gotek on the LPT sucks because of the missing 5V powering options for the drive. I guess i will try to buy a working FDD for the time being.

Vipersan wrote:

..and lastly the dreaded memory. again proprietory ...and uses a custom 40 pin simm .. TBH you probably have more chance of open […]
Show full quote

..and lastly the dreaded memory.
again proprietory ...and uses a custom 40 pin simm ..
TBH you probably have more chance of opening a garden centre on mars ...than finding any of these..
If however you are feeling brave ..you could attempt another Ian B mod ..and make a 72 pin strip of EDO memory work and provide a max 12mb that way.
This is not for the faint hearted...requires good soldering skills ...good eyesight ...and a great deal of patience.

I struggle soldering in an pin-header not sure if I am ready to start such a project yet. I think everything will have to run for now with 2mb of ram or 6mb on my T3200SX. There is one shorter Memory slot as well on the board maybe I can populate that one first.

For now I will continue to struggle with partitioning and formatting that 8gb CF-Card.

best reg4rds
\ chozilla

@chozilla
Regarding the memory.

My T3200SX runs both - 2 original sticks that are fully compatible - as well as 4 sticks that normally throw a parity error because they are not compatible, but turned compatible without error by a very simple mod (breaking one line and adding another)

Find attached photos of the modded modules. IIRC you have to cut the trace to pin28 and connect that to the CAS line instead (pin2 I believe?, see picture). Then the modules work. Much simpler than the board mod. You can make 1MB parity modules (with 9 chips I believe) compatible with the T3200/SX/5200. The first picture should tell you which line to cut and where to connect instead. Other module layouts work as well, if they have 9 chips only though iirc.

Regarding the floppy, you'll find the pinout necessary for this specific 34pin to 26pin (two/three lines are different) back here in the thread and in the other thread by Vipersan as well iirc.

@Vipersan: I will also post images of the original modules tomorrow. I suspect the two original ones to have come with the machine or shortly bought after. Want to find out what they are as well.

You can see the cut trace and the re-route.


Original modules in the first two slots.

Regarding the CF card. You might still be locked in regards to the BIOS HDD size limit, in this case try out overlay software in the veins of EZ-Drive.

Thanks JZ ..
as you know I did mod 6 mem sticks which dont throw up parity errors at boot ..but do when playing games ..
so they lock or crash.
..which is why I'm back on the hunt for original simms..
those close ups of original sticks will give me info for my searches..
cheers buddy
VS

You have to tell me what you tried and when it crashed so I can test myself, I have not run into problems yet but I wanna test whether mine work correctly. Maybe I should take the original ones out and run only with the modded ones to make possible crashes happen, if neccessary

I was running the freebie demo of Wolfenstein 3D in DOS ..
and as soon as I fired the gun ..it threw up a 'PARITY 2' error and fell out of the game..
I was using my modded princeton 9 chip simms ..
all 6 slots populated..
I pulled them all and tried again ..using only standard built in memory ..
and ..no Error ..
the game played ..and if anything ..a little smoother and faster.
rgds
VS

Will test asap. If mine actually work, that means that some modules work and some not, making this even more complicated which is important to know. Also I have two incompatible modules in an IBM PS/2 laptop which throw parity errors but actually seems to work regardless, so I have to try that there as well. The problem is that laptop has 2MB onboard which might not trigger the error.

While I'm at it, will make pictures of the modules it came with

Well JZ ..if you are opening up the 3200 to get some photos anyway ..
I guess you could just try modded simms only ...
and genuine simms only..
the more info the better.
Chances are it ..may just me my choice of simm (modded) ...
in which case ..the ones you modded is also important data..assuming everything runs ok
rgds
VS

Yes, maybe. I just tried the full version of Wolf3D with the modded simms only. All worked flawlessly. But I saw on the startup screen it only utilizes 1MB. Regardless I started up Colonization as well, which iirc uses more than 1MB if available. It also worked.

Will do proper pictures of both modules tomorrow as it seems my modded ones seem to work. The original modules turned out to be "Transcend" branded, so maybe not as original as I thought. But regardless they work without any errors and quarrels, so.... pictures incoming.

Any other thing I could try? I remember making memory benchmarks on the Toshiba back then with these modules, so I think everything works.

Thought Id share pics of a quick hookup and test of the 10.4" lcd 'kit' that arrived this morning from China ..
No running round for collection.
No import duties to pay (jail break fees)...
Delivered to the door ..and fairly speedy considering it travelled further than parcel from America.

anyway ..
here are the pics ..
currently hooked up to the 3200SX via VGA cable ...and a 12v DC supply.
After much pondering ..I think the 3200SX will be the recipient ...keeping the 5200 intact with it's working gas plasma.
rgds
VS

@Vipersan
Yeah, you better! Using these screens as replacement for a broken gas plasma is one thing (a recommended thing actually 😁). But If I ever see you replacing a working gas plasma screen on the T series, I will come over there and keelhaul you 😁

https://imgur.com/q6rXrHL
https://imgur.com/rM13pdf

Here are pictures of the RAM modules I made compatible, which after extensive testing have not thrown me any parity errors or crashes yet. I ran various memory testing benchmarks in the veins of memtest and have received 0 errors so far. Seems like there are modules like this one where the "mod" works and ones that are still not compatible when modded, although the error at POST is not shown.

https://imgur.com/b5fj4iR
https://imgur.com/yXGJEHo

These are pictures of one of the modules that were inside the machine when I received it one year ago. The former owner of the T3200SX was the first and only owner, having had stored and used this machine since the early nineties in his basement, and used it for steering application purposes. I suggest the RAM to be ordered by him either shortly after machine or at machine purchase. The two chips on the left seem to be the memory, the right one the parity chip. Also interesting is the eight-sectioned parity lane of resistors below the chips. Three are populated. And it seems this module was altered after manufacture. When this happened is not known. But the modules themselves must be quite old as mentioned above.

Is there anything I could test further to make dead sure that the modded modules of mine are completely compatible?

Can't think of anything further to test atm JZ ...
but ....
take a look at my 3200SX memory thread ..
I now have 2 unmodded IBM matched simms that appear to mork ok.

and please ..no keehauling ...
I'm not a well man ..
If you ever come over ...I'd much rather share a beer or two...
😉

Vipersan,

You heard from IanB lately?
I'm starting to get worried that he hasn't posted anything.

Hamby wrote:

Vipersan,

You heard from IanB lately?
I'm starting to get worried that he hasn't posted anything.

Sadly no buddy ...and it is starting to worry me too..
I hope he's ok and just on holiday or something..
rgds
VS

Been busy today making an escutcheon to fit the T3200SX ..carry the lcd screen and hide the fact that it is a little bit smaller than the original Plasma screen.
I also wanted it reversable ..just in case I ever found a replacement plasma screen.
Doesn't look too bad does it ?
..cut from that new-ish stuff ...PVC foam board and sprayed black
rgds
VS