VOGONS


First post, by nextse7en

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Howdy gang.

I've tried just about everything to get this machine running again, and I just can't get there.

The board is unusual. a 486 dx50 (not dx2) sits on a daughterboard with a cache controller and a ton of cache.

Board is marked with a Phoenix Bios copyright, though I don't know the version.

When powering up, I get the following beep code |-|-|||.

ISA diagnostic card displays "02", which, depending on the BIOS version either is a CMOS error or "Verify Real Mode"

Things I've tried.

Disabling onboard IO
Disabling onboard VGA
Replacing Dallas 1287+ with a new one.
Modifying new 1287 with a battery pack.
Replacing 1287+ with a glitch works replacement
Parity RAM
Not Parity RAM
Verifying capacitors
Replacing power supply

No matter what, I get the same beep code. The ONLY way I can get anything else is if I put more that 16mb in one of the memory banks without first setting the jumper for "16/32". This is largely useless info, except to say that the machine is at least capable of detecting how much RAM in in it.

Any help would be really appreciated.

Thanks

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Reply 1 of 21, by weedeewee

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nextse7en wrote on 2021-04-14, 15:57:

When powering up, I get the following beep code |-|-|||.

according to http://www.bioscentral.com/beepcodes/phoenixbeep.htm that would indicate

1-1-3 CMOS read/write error The real time clock/CMOS is faulty. Replace the CMOS if possible

Which probably means the battery in the DS1287+ is dead.

but since you already tried all that...

beats me.

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Reply 2 of 21, by weedeewee

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Have you tried modifying the old DS1287+ with a new battery ? (isn't listed in the things you've tried. 😀 )

Right to repair is fundamental. You own it, you're allowed to fix it.
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
Do not ask Why !
https://www.vogonswiki.com/index.php/Serial_port

Reply 5 of 21, by nextse7en

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liqmat wrote on 2021-04-14, 16:41:

Can you change the FSB speed on that board? If so, what's it set at? Isn't the DX50 unique in that it runs on a full 50MHz FSB? Just a thought. No idea.

There aren't any options to change bus speed, and yeah, you're right. The bus on DX50's runs at 50 MHz

Reply 6 of 21, by weedeewee

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nextse7en wrote on 2021-04-14, 16:29:
weedeewee wrote on 2021-04-14, 16:22:

Have you tried modifying the old DS1287+ with a new battery ? (isn't listed in the things you've tried. 😀 )

Is is, though. 😀

is not :-p

Replacing Dallas 1287+ with a new one.
Modifying new 1287 with a battery pack.
Replacing 1287+ with a glitch works replacement

maybe someone else already changed it once and it's no longer the original chip on the board? Hard to find other clear images.

edit : you know since this is an EISA board... maybe you need a DS1387

Right to repair is fundamental. You own it, you're allowed to fix it.
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
Do not ask Why !
https://www.vogonswiki.com/index.php/Serial_port

Reply 7 of 21, by nextse7en

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weedeewee wrote on 2021-04-14, 16:56:
is not :-p […]
Show full quote
nextse7en wrote on 2021-04-14, 16:29:
weedeewee wrote on 2021-04-14, 16:22:

Have you tried modifying the old DS1287+ with a new battery ? (isn't listed in the things you've tried. 😀 )

Is is, though. 😀

is not :-p

Replacing Dallas 1287+ with a new one.
Modifying new 1287 with a battery pack.
Replacing 1287+ with a glitch works replacement

maybe someone else already changed it once and it's no longer the original chip on the board? Hard to find other clear images.

edit : you know since this is an EISA board... maybe you need a DS1387

You're looking at the image, which was taken after I removed the battery pack.

"Modifying new 1287 with new battery pack" Means I put a new battery on a new Dallas chip.

Last edited by Stiletto on 2021-04-19, 04:41. Edited 1 time in total.

Reply 8 of 21, by weedeewee

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nextse7en wrote on 2021-04-14, 17:36:

"Modifying new 1287 with new battery pack" Means I put a new battery on a new Dallas chip.

Yes I saw that, and I specifically asked to use the OLD chip that was on the board and put a NEW battery on that one. Not use a NEW dallas chip with a NEW battery.
but then again, as I said in a previous post, I wouldn't be surprised if it was actually a DS1387 that you need.

Right to repair is fundamental. You own it, you're allowed to fix it.
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
Do not ask Why !
https://www.vogonswiki.com/index.php/Serial_port

Reply 10 of 21, by weedeewee

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nextse7en wrote on 2021-04-14, 17:43:

It shipped, unfortunately, with a 1287

And have you seen it working with that 1287 ?

Right to repair is fundamental. You own it, you're allowed to fix it.
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
Do not ask Why !
https://www.vogonswiki.com/index.php/Serial_port

Reply 12 of 21, by weedeewee

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just trying to get a clear picture 😀

Since it's an eisa board it has to store that config somewhere and I don't see a ds1225 so it either has to be in the RTC which won't work with a DS12(8)87 (only 64bytes),
or there has to be another chip on the board that stores that info, either battery backed like a DS1225 or an eeprom specifically for the eisa config, maybe a 24C08 or other type.

Right to repair is fundamental. You own it, you're allowed to fix it.
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
Do not ask Why !
https://www.vogonswiki.com/index.php/Serial_port

Reply 13 of 21, by pentiumspeed

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This board requires two set of matched 4MB or 8MB or 16MB 9 chip or 12 chip, or parity SIMMs industry standard at 70ns installed in slot 1 and 2 or slot 1 and 3 just in case. This was intended for server. Intel's code name for this is called Xpress.

Cheers,

Great Northern aka Canada.

Reply 14 of 21, by PC Hoarder Patrol

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Board is from a X-series LX desktop / deskside / rack system - the EISA config is stored in NVRAM rather than a DALLAS

http://66.113.161.23/~mR_Slug/deviceInfo/Inte … l/xpressLX.html

http://66.113.161.23/~mR_Slug/deviceInfo/Inte … al/XLX_TRM.html

Last edited by PC Hoarder Patrol on 2021-04-14, 19:11. Edited 1 time in total.

Reply 15 of 21, by weedeewee

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PC Hoarder Patrol wrote on 2021-04-14, 19:03:

Board is from a X-series LX desktop / rack system - the EISA config is stored in NVRAM rather than a DALLAS

http://66.113.161.23/~mR_Slug/deviceInfo/Inte … l/xpressLX.html

What chip (... 8 KB of Flash memory ) might that be on this particular board ?

Right to repair is fundamental. You own it, you're allowed to fix it.
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
Do not ask Why !
https://www.vogonswiki.com/index.php/Serial_port

Reply 17 of 21, by nextse7en

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pentiumspeed wrote on 2021-04-14, 18:46:

This board requires two set of matched 4MB or 8MB or 16MB 9 chip or 12 chip, or parity SIMMs industry standard at 70ns installed in slot 1 and 2 or slot 1 and 3 just in case. This was intended for server. Intel's code name for this is called Xpress.

Cheers,

This may well be the issue!

I currently have 16 chip non parity 8mb chips installed in 1 and 3. I don't have any 9 or 12 chip ram.

I do have 18 chip parity 8mb Simms, will that work?

Reply 18 of 21, by pentiumspeed

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18 chips means 9 per side 4MB, 4MB is 8MB simm, sure thing, give it a try, make sure it is FPM also.

Cheers,

Great Northern aka Canada.

Reply 19 of 21, by Horun

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Sorry no helpful info from me. Being a bastard dual cpu on a card mobo and EISA too just leaves a lot of nightmare type memories better forgotten 😀

Hate posting a reply and then have to edit it because it made no sense 😁 First computer was an IBM 3270 workstation with CGA monitor. Stuff: https://archive.org/details/@horun