sonicx wrote on 2023-02-02, 11:50:

Everything works fine

Great!! It only took about six years to find a working version. 😀

Finally, this is found!
Too bad it'll be several months before I'm able to test it.
Is there a small performance gain over AMIBIOS?

Unfortunately, there is no performance gain. Only support for large disks has been added.

You should run a comparison of the speedsys memory tests.

I finally got mine installed and running in a case, and while it's not exactly a speed demon, it's quite nice.

About the aforementioned VLB VGA compatibility though: I found a card that doesn't work! I have a Tseng ET4000/W32p VLB card that works fine in a number of machines - but not in this one. That is to say, it works as long as the external cache is off, but any attempt to turn external cache on will prevent it from getting past the POST+option ROM stages. All manner of wait states and timing settings have been explored.

I'm suspecting it has to do with the 16-bit bus, which the Tseng (well, this implementation of it, anyway) doesn't like.

I also have a Genoa Phantom64 S3-based card which worked for a while, but then stopped - soon after I started my attempts at overclocking to 40MHz bus speed. I haven't tested in any other machines yet, so I have no idea if the damage is permanent or system-specific..

Right now it's got a different S3 868 card, miroVIDEO 20SD. Seems to work.

Biggest problem right now is the inability to reboot the system using c-a-d or even the reset button! The former hangs the machine, the latter causes no video signal (and no booting).

mat919 wrote on 2023-01-30, 17:18:

Anonymous Coward wrote on 2023-01-22, 09:49:

No, this BIOS image is surprisingly still missing.

I have hoarded over some time an extensive collection of MR BIOSes. I just purchased the board with AMI and looking forward to an upgrade, but since I paid a lot of money for it I am afraid to ruin it on the very next day. Is there anything in particular, that would allow me to pinpoint correct version of MR? A string inside the rom?
If you have an advanced knowledge and/or resources to play with and a know-how , to protect yourself from bricking the board I could upload a rom candidate that look promising in my opinion. LMK.

Can you please also upload your collection here if there are some additions?

How about a MR-BIOS ROM file repository?

Thank you:-)

ltning wrote on 2023-03-27, 21:06:

I finally got mine installed and running in a case, and while it's not exactly a speed demon, it's quite nice. […]
Show full quote

I finally got mine installed and running in a case, and while it's not exactly a speed demon, it's quite nice.

About the aforementioned VLB VGA compatibility though: I found a card that doesn't work! I have a Tseng ET4000/W32p VLB card that works fine in a number of machines - but not in this one. That is to say, it works as long as the external cache is off, but any attempt to turn external cache on will prevent it from getting past the POST+option ROM stages. All manner of wait states and timing settings have been explored.

I'm suspecting it has to do with the 16-bit bus, which the Tseng (well, this implementation of it, anyway) doesn't like.

I also have a Genoa Phantom64 S3-based card which worked for a while, but then stopped - soon after I started my attempts at overclocking to 40MHz bus speed. I haven't tested in any other machines yet, so I have no idea if the damage is permanent or system-specific..

Right now it's got a different S3 868 card, miroVIDEO 20SD. Seems to work.

Biggest problem right now is the inability to reboot the system using c-a-d or even the reset button! The former hangs the machine, the latter causes no video signal (and no booting).

I also tried that board with VLB cards: Tseng ET4000s didnt work except one in one VLB, some S3s works some didnt (mostly diamonds, except the Trio64), and the fastest was also an S3 one, a Trio64 STB card:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0FWZevKlUY

I'm pretty sure I tested a Hercules Dynamite Power (et400ow32p) in my Alaris board, and it worked. I was curious and I think I tested my entire pile of VLB cards, and they all worked. Though admittedly I did not test windows drivers.

I got one of these that won't boot. PC speaker gives error codes with High and Low beeps. It has MR. Bios chip.

Error code is:

LH-HHLLH Real-time clock failure

Does anyone have any idea what is going on and how to proceed?

What is your board revision?

Anonymous Coward wrote on 2023-11-23, 01:44:

What is your board revision?

It's REV C.

Did your board come with MR BIOS？If so, please dump.

I thought it was already dumped...

I believe we have a dump from a Rev A board.
Perhaps the BIOS on the Rev C board has improvements.

Hey folks, sorry to bother but I found what looks like a rev C board with battery damage. Does anyone onow the values for D5 and R51?

Mine has the AMI bios so Im no help in tracking down the missing image.

A got this MB from scrap today 😀
It's rev. C with AMI BIOS, SLC2-50, w/o FPU.
It has also leaked accu but not much excessive. I just desoldered it off and seems no damage to PCB was done yet so it could work.
R51 should be 100ohm according the SMD code. As a D5 you can probably use any similar generic diode but it doesn't seem to be damaged, just oxidized. Desolder it, clean the PCB, solder it back...

The MB is running. R51 is 100 ohm.

RayeR wrote on 2024-10-07, 19:17:

A got this MB from scrap today :) It's rev. C with AMI BIOS, SLC2-50, w/o FPU. It has also leaked accu but not much excessive. I […]
Show full quote

A got this MB from scrap today 😀
It's rev. C with AMI BIOS, SLC2-50, w/o FPU.
It has also leaked accu but not much excessive. I just desoldered it off and seems no damage to PCB was done yet so it could work.
R51 should be 100ohm according the SMD code. As a D5 you can probably use any similar generic diode but it doesn't seem to be damaged, just oxidized. Desolder it, clean the PCB, solder it back...

Much appreciated, this is my first experience with Varta damage, wish me luck.

I tested 2 VLB VGA cards in this MB
S3 765VL - doesn't work (garbage on boot screen)
Cirrus Logic CL-GD5429-86QC - works, benefit in Doom compared to ISA VGA is 11,80 FPS vs 9,38 FPS (poor, choked by slow 16-bit bus)