VOGONS

Search

Common searches

Another 486 board identification/debug help

Topic actions

First post, by 386SX

Posted on 
User metadata
Rank l33t
Rank
l33t

Hello,

today I found this untested board and as usual it doesn't boot. It's an unknown "UB433-DAVE REV1.1" board with an ALi M1429 A1 chipset plus another one I can't identify cause the sticker is difficult to remove (should be the ALI M1431 A2). Eight 30pin simm, 256KB cache 20ns already installed., three VLB, classic design I'd say for 5V only 486 cpu maybe up to 66Mhz/100Mhz probably. There's an after market sticker seller that doesn't mean anything but on the back of the board there's the code E119697 printed inside the layer of the PCB with the UNIC name.
Usual Amibios 486DX ISA 1993 12,5v VPP UV erasable bios, many jumpers but don't know what they are for. The board doesn't boot in the config I found it, a 486DX-33, tried different ram, different cpu, DX, SX, DX2, different ram sockets, different cache tag, ISA vga or a VLB vga on first VLB socket, no way. Removed the old battery put that large one, the only one I got until I find the config to use the external pin. Cpu, chipset, cache, everything seems to warm up (cpu first of all) when the AT psu is running but no video signal.
I found a very old online discussion with same questions but they had the bios boot number "40-0212-001235-..." and it point to the Formosa Industrial Computing (FIC) company. The only similar but not identical board I've seen online seems the TMC PAT48AV but the layout is a bit different while the general design is mostly similar but not the jumpers and components are installed in different positions.
Before going looking for an ISA debug card what I can check for? I suspect it may be bios related but I don't even know which jumper should reset it but considering it stayed decades with the battery @ 0 volt I'd imagine it's not the problem here.
Some photos attached for your opinions eventually. Thanks!

Attachments

  • 486mainboard2.JPG
    Filename
    486mainboard2.JPG
    File size
    265.72 KiB
    Views
    762 views
    File license
    Fair use/fair dealing exception
  • 486mainboard3.JPG
    Filename
    486mainboard3.JPG
    File size
    199.78 KiB
    Views
    762 views
    File license
    Fair use/fair dealing exception
  • 486mainboard4.JPG
    Filename
    486mainboard4.JPG
    File size
    79.31 KiB
    Views
    762 views
    File license
    Fair use/fair dealing exception
Last edited by 386SX on 2020-07-02, 09:58. Edited 1 time in total.

Reply 1 of 9, by Deksor

Posted on 
User metadata
Rank l33t
Rank
l33t

"Formosa Industrial Computing " isn't FIC, FIC is First International Computer

Now, to get a 486 running with 30 pin simm memory (or a 386DX), you HAVE to use four simm sticks. It won't start with just two

Trying to identify old hardware ? Visit The retro web - Project's thread The Retro Web project - a stason.org/TH99 alternative

Reply 2 of 9, by 386SX

Posted on 
User metadata
Rank l33t
Rank
l33t
Deksor wrote on 2020-07-02, 01:07:

"Formosa Industrial Computing " isn't FIC, FIC is First International Computer

Now, to get a 486 running with 30 pin simm memory (or a 386DX), you HAVE to use four simm sticks. It won't start with just two

I think I read somewhere that it were a subsidiary of FIC but I don't know if they were talking about the First International Computer probably not. 😀

I didn't remember of the four simm requirements for a 486 with 30 pin simms, really how can I have forgotten such thing. I'll try later!

Reply 4 of 9, by 386SX

Posted on 
User metadata
Rank l33t
Rank
l33t

Thanks, today I tried with four simm module, no video signal anyway. All components warm up but no signal. If I had some jumper table it'd be helpful but it's difficult to find any. I'll try also removing the cache, maybe some modules are gone who knows..

Reply 5 of 9, by evasive

Posted on 
User metadata
Rank Oldbie
Rank
Oldbie

If I had some jumper table it'd be helpful

Maybe you can help us to help you. Can you give the name and locations of the jumpers on the board (add them with paint on the photo if you have to) so we can compare them with boards that have them roughly in the same position? It is very well possible this board was sold under different brands/names.

Reply 6 of 9, by 386SX

Posted on 
User metadata
Rank l33t
Rank
l33t
evasive wrote on 2020-07-02, 19:16:

If I had some jumper table it'd be helpful

Maybe you can help us to help you. Can you give the name and locations of the jumpers on the board (add them with paint on the photo if you have to) so we can compare them with boards that have them roughly in the same position? It is very well possible this board was sold under different brands/names.

I'll draw a scheme of the layout or simply write the jumpers name on the first post attached mainboard photo. Meanwhile I found on ebay an image of an identical board where I could see the jumpers for a DX2-66 and as imagined they are in the very same position of the one I have. I suspect they might not be the problem even if still I need some info on them but I suspect more something to do with the bios. Maybe I'll try to read which uveprom is that to find an equivalent but still the only similar board I found is that TMC PAT48AV but not that much..

Reply 7 of 9, by 386SX

Posted on 
User metadata
Rank l33t
Rank
l33t

Here I am, I've done what I could with this drawing linux software I'm not expert at all.. 😁

JP10 are three vertical jumpers empty by factory with three pin points.
JP17 are five vertical jumpers with three pins
JP32 are four vertical jumpers with three pins
JP30 is close to Keylock connector
JP31 is a single vertical jumper with two pin
JP21 are four horizontal jumper with two pins
JP22 are three horizontal jumpers with two pins
JP25 is strange named SW (?)
JP1 and JP3 are three pins jumpers
Jp6 and JP7 are three pins jumpers
Close to the bios there's that U12 IC empty space that in that similar mainboard I was talking above, is populated with a chip named M5818 A1 (by ALi I suppose)
JP18-19-20 are three pins jumpers

I also found the uveprom chip model: MX 27C512DC-15 with VPP=12,5V
And online I found a bios for an unknown generic similar board in case I'd try on another similar flashable eeprom.
From that old discussion found on the search engine the original bios boot should say this:
"
AMIBIOS (C)1993 American Megatrends Inc.,
ALI M1429 [VL-BUS] 486SX/DX/DX2-25/33/40/50/66NHz G53-001 "

(C) American Megatrends Inc.,
40-0212-001235-00101111-040493-ALI1429-H
"

Attachments

  • 486jumpers.JPG
    Filename
    486jumpers.JPG
    File size
    264.28 KiB
    Views
    651 views
    File license
    Fair use/fair dealing exception

Reply 8 of 9, by MJay99

Posted on 
User metadata
Rank Member
Rank
Member

If you're still interested (I only just ran across this thread right now), here are the jumpoers on my UB433-DAVE, which are working for a 486-DX2 (non-enhanced), so they should probably be working for the DX, too (please ignore the am5x86, I was just testing with that and it ends up doing the same as your board: no video at all, but everything warming up - so that seems to be typical failure mode for wrong settings, even on an otherwise working mainboard):

photo_2020-12-10_20-32-56.jpg
Filename
photo_2020-12-10_20-32-56.jpg
File size
190.26 KiB
Views
587 views
File license
GPL-2.0-or-later
photo_2020-12-10_20-32-51.jpg
Filename
photo_2020-12-10_20-32-51.jpg
File size
183.9 KiB
Views
587 views
File license
GPL-2.0-or-later

Reply 9 of 9, by MJay99

Posted on 
User metadata
Rank Member
Rank
Member

For the fun of it, I flashed another BIOS (just trying to see if there might be any interesting change):

==== 4alm002.zip ========================================
Name: ???
Revision: REV 1.0
CPU/FPU: 486 (in LIF socket)
Chipset: ALi M1429, M1431
ICs: IS61C256AH-20N (9), SC425APB, JETkey V5.0
Memory: SIMM-30 (8)
Exp. slots: ISA-8 (1), ISA-16 (3), VLB (3)
Id string: ???
BIOS: AMI
ROM: M27C512-15XFI (64k)
File: 4alm002.bin
MD5: 94dc4cb035971879d1dbd4dd40d743d8
Comment: -

from: http://chukaev.ru54.com/bios/4alm002.zip

It did boot fine for the DX2, but had a little less features. Seems it came from an Acer 😀
The Am5x86 of course kept not working.

Attachments

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