I just recently obtained this board from goodwill with the intentions of auctioning it on ebay. I have no functional use for it. I found this post while doing research on it, so I thought I'd register and share. 😀
If you're interested, let me know.

Gorgeous industrial quality board manufacturing. Very impressive.

1991 Compaq VGA BOARD
*BHS9XOQEP*
Spare No. 126656-001
ASSY. No. 002220-001
REV. P
BOARD No. 002222-001
A/W REV. C
FAB. REV. D

I just subscribed to this forum since I've still got a basement of (once) beautiful stuff and at the time was a sucker for EISA hardware. Something's still left that may suffice to set up an EISA retro machine which I may start assembling some time in future.

Since I've got a very peculiar Mylex GXE020-C graphics card (got it years ago for free from a friend who runs a PC shop) that I found little information about on-line, I thought I post some photos here in case someone may have more knowledge on this item. I'ld also be looking for any documentation, drivers, software and so on. I've got the EISA config file and some generic TIGA drivers, but that was all that I could source in the interwebs... So here come the photos 😉

Thanks, cheers and all the best,
Thomas

Oh thats just beautiful.

I too have a E-ISA build "in progress". Video cards are somewhat lacking in availability. You can literally fill a room with cheap network and scsi e-isa cards, but for some reason video cards never took hold. I mean, video was a major driving factor when it comes to the death of ISA, so you would think video cards would flock to E-ISA, but it didnt happen.

https://stason.org/TULARC/pc/graphics-cards/M … GXE020-A-B.html is what I thought would have jumper settings, but your card looks to be a revision C. It looks like the C revision went jumperless. Knowing Murphey and his law, this card is little more than a paperweight without the special utility to init the card. Maybe this is included with the TIGA drivers?

the actual VGA signal is made in that ACUMOS AVGA1 chip. So for basic VGA work, that chip is doing the grunt work. The ti34020 is just going to sit there until you fire up Auto-Cad or something similar that can leverage that chip. Thankfully the 34020 was relatively popular for its time so there is software for it, just no games AFAIK.

Regardless, it is a beautiful card, and I hope it works.

luckybob wrote on 2023-07-25, 19:37:

Video cards are somewhat lacking in availability. You can literally fill a room with cheap network and scsi e-isa cards, but for some reason video cards never took hold. I mean, video was a major driving factor when it comes to the death of ISA, so you would think video cards would flock to E-ISA, but it didnt happen.

Because there was no need. EISA was aimed at the server market first and foremost where most programs/OS were text based (think Netware, LANMan, Unix/Xenix, etc.) so bare minimum video function was fine. Plus given its compatibility with ISA meant you could just use a good ISA card if you really needed something better then the minimum when graphical server OSes were introduced (e.g. OS/2 and NT) and gained in popularity. EISA never lasted in the market long enough to penetrate the consumer market and even if it had really video was not going to be a big driver. Most 2D games at low res (this is 1988 after all) don't need that much bandwidth. The "self configuring" feature wasn't a real make it or break it feature for video cards which for the most part where plug and play even then. Graphics did not really kill off ISA until much later when 3D accelerators became the norm and people started running in much "higher res" (e.g. 1280x1024x32). These are the same reasons you don't see tons of MCA video cards.

By the time "graphical OSes" (like Win 3.x) became a driving force in the consumer space EISA was already on the way out, VLB was providing better performance for a lower TCO, and Intel had plans for PCI. In fact EISA group already had plans for a 64bit wide version which never materialized outside of a proposed standard AFAIK.

I have looked at similarly configured systems (as much as I could) comparing EISA vs. ISA vs. VLB vs. MCA with the ATI offering and the EISA vs. ISA performance is definitely not worth the premium people are trying to charge out there in the used market space. If you want a more professional look at the performance comparisons check out PC Mag V12N21. The results for the ELSA Winner 1000 are quite telling.

Turbo-Tom wrote on 2023-07-25, 18:41:

I just subscribed to this forum since I've still got a basement of (once) beautiful stuff and at the time was a sucker for EISA […]
Show full quote

I just subscribed to this forum since I've still got a basement of (once) beautiful stuff and at the time was a sucker for EISA hardware. Something's still left that may suffice to set up an EISA retro machine which I may start assembling some time in future.

Since I've got a very peculiar Mylex GXE020-C graphics card (got it years ago for free from a friend who runs a PC shop) that I found little information about on-line, I thought I post some photos here in case someone may have more knowledge on this item. I'ld also be looking for any documentation, drivers, software and so on. I've got the EISA config file and some generic TIGA drivers, but that was all that I could source in the interwebs... So here come the photos 😉

Thanks, cheers and all the best,
Thomas

Mylex, TIGA and EISA - what's not to like 😀

Sadly, doesn't seem to be a manual, but there are still a few drivers & utilities listed on the Mylex graphic card support archive - https://web.archive.org/web/19970506210415fw_ … ex/grfxcrd.html

Those ftp links are long dead, but the files are still reachable on the alternate http archive here https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.myle … e/video_cards/*

Video_cards:

files1.exe - FONTS needed for DOS Applications (Ver.1.3)
files2.exe - Drivers needed for DOS Applications (Ver.1.3)
gle19.exe - GLE/GLI BIN files Rev.1.9
glecad.exe - Drivers for CAD Applications (Ver.1.3)
gledos.exe - Drivers for DOS Applications (Ver.1.3)
gleutil.exe - Utility programs for GLE/GLI (Ver.1.1)
glewin31.exe - GLE/GLI Drivers for WINDOWS 3.1 (Ver. 1.51)
glex11.exe - GLE/GLI Drivers for ODT X11R4 (Ver. 2.0.0)
grfx_cfg.exe - EISA .cfg file for GXE and GLE
gxe020.exe - GXE020 Rev B graphics drivers without ACAD
gxec10.exe - GXE020C Rev C TIGA DOS WINDOWS drivers
tigafix.exe - Fix for GXE020C Sync problem with NEC 5FG/6FG
tigafixb.exe - Fix for GXE020B Sync problem with NEC 5FG/6FG

Madao wrote on 2021-10-11, 09:04:

I can tell: S3 911 /924 hasn't native EISA Interface. My S3 924 EISA (yet broken) , i have drawing principal schematic from h […]
Show full quote

386_junkie wrote on 2015-12-30, 09:28:

Nothing came up in the FCCID, a bit more extensive searching came up with this: - […]
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Anonymous Coward wrote:

My guess is that it is EISA, since it uses S3 911 chipset with VRAM. All of the OPTi local bus cards I've seen so far use ET4000AX with DRAM. However, this card is not in the TH99 database, so you're taking a gamble plugging into an EISA board unless you know for certain what it is. Did you look up the FCCID? You could also try loading the video BIOS into an editor and examining the header.

Nothing came up in the FCCID, a bit more extensive searching came up with this: -

http://xjman.dsl.gr.jp/XF311/AccelCards.html#S3 911/924

Confirming the 911 and 924 both come in ISA, EISA, and VLB varieties. Still, not a lot of information out there... not looking forward to the config / driver search.

I may yet have a look at the bios string though just to be just... i'll look to back it up and archive it at least in any case.

I can tell: S3 911 /924 hasn't native EISA Interface.
My S3 924 EISA (yet broken) , i have drawing principal schematic from him.
And i have dead Motherboard from DEC (Modell DEC DECpc 400 MT) with S3 924, it is connect direct to 486 CPU BUS.
Both has same resistor config strap-ID. Card manufactur has config 911 into local bus mode and added with few PAL for using on EISA.
EISA and local bus is more similar than ISA (Memory / IO and, Write/Read, Clock, Command/Data, Ready Pin)

My diamond stealth VRAM ISA(with S3 911 ) has other strap ID.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1jutkD … dit?usp=sharing

regards
matt

Update about "broken" S3 924 EISA . (tooo laaaatee...)

Video card works fine, nothing broken. Micronics M5PE (w P60 CPU) didn't like S3 911 ISA and S3 924 ISA/EISA
I have got a 486 EISA Motherboard and i have check S3 924 EISA.... OH , it works good.

PC Hoarder Patrol wrote on 2023-07-25, 23:15:

Mylex, TIGA and EISA - what's not to like :) […]
Show full quote

Mylex, TIGA and EISA - what's not to like 😀

Sadly, doesn't seem to be a manual, but there are still a few drivers & utilities listed on the Mylex graphic card support archive - https://web.archive.org/web/19970506210415fw_ … ex/grfxcrd.html

Those ftp links are long dead, but the files are still reachable on the alternate http archive here https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.myle … e/video_cards/*

Video_cards:
...

Thanks @PC Hoarder Patrol, this information helped a lot! At least, now I've got the software package for the Mylex card complete. I'll post back when (if?) I've got that mostrosity up and running...

I haven't been here long and I can't find any swap / buy / sell Rubic. Is it allowed here ?

On vogons, no.

On vcfed, yes.

If you're looking to offload a card, shoot me a pm. ^.^

@luckybob I do not yet have authorization to send pm
but you can send me a pm thx

PC Hoarder Patrol wrote on 2021-01-16, 21:59:

Yes, it POSTs as a QVision 1280/E with 2MB, and it doesn't say it is 148867-001, but "REPLACE WITH SPARE NO. 148867-001". I'd guess that by mid-93, the v1 1280/E (which I don't think was ever produced with the V32 controller) was being phased out in favour of the V32-equipped v2 1024/E, with or without the optional VRAM upgrade board.

I recently found a Compaq technical doc that gives some specifications on this card and the V32 card. I was wondering if you still have the card installed and if so what is the maximum color depth for the QVision 1280/E at 1280x1024? I would have thought it was 256 colors given the 2MB of RAM. However, the docs indicate it is limited to 1280x1024 at 16 colors. There could be errors in the doc of course. The same doc also indicates that the 1024/E w/ the V32 chip and 2MB can do 1024x768x16 (16 bits not 16 colors) and that the same chip is used in the 1280/E. In fact the difference between the two cards, according to the doc, is the DAC w/ the 1280/E having a newer DAC from BT.

TIA!

Shadow Lord wrote on 2024-06-09, 22:37:

PC Hoarder Patrol wrote on 2021-01-16, 21:59:

Yes, it POSTs as a QVision 1280/E with 2MB, and it doesn't say it is 148867-001, but "REPLACE WITH SPARE NO. 148867-001". I'd guess that by mid-93, the v1 1280/E (which I don't think was ever produced with the V32 controller) was being phased out in favour of the V32-equipped v2 1024/E, with or without the optional VRAM upgrade board.

I recently found a Compaq technical doc that gives some specifications on this card and the V32 card. I was wondering if you still have the card installed and if so what is the maximum color depth for the QVision 1280/E at 1280x1024? I would have thought it was 256 colors given the 2MB of RAM. However, the docs indicate it is limited to 1280x1024 at 16 colors. There could be errors in the doc of course. The same doc also indicates that the 1024/E w/ the V32 chip and 2MB can do 1024x768x16 (16 bits not 16 colors) and that the same cheap is used in the 1280/E. In fact the difference between the two cards, according to the doc, is the DAC w/ the 1280/E having a newer DAC from BT.

TIA!

Haven't tested tbh, but the QVision Installation Guide agrees with you (can you share the errant doc)...

[quote="PC Hoarder Patrol" post_id=1268741 time=1717995647 user_id=37640

Haven't tested tbh, but the QVision Installation Guide agrees with you (can you share the errant doc)...

[/quote]

Thank you for the info. By any chance have you scanned the manual as a PDF? I would love a copy if you have. I am attaching the tech docs to this message. It is actually technical info from DEC for the Deskpro M. However, it does have a few pages discussing the QVision 1024/E and 1280/E in it.