TheMobRules wrote:

Based on the white mark in the top right of your picture (which should be pin 1), the "20" on the lower left and trying to match […]
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Based on the white mark in the top right of your picture (which should be pin 1), the "20" on the lower left and trying to match the diagram with the text on the board, this would be the pinout for the front panel on the picture you posted:

10 09 08 07 06 05 04 03 02 01
20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11

BTW, this will also be very useful for me since I just got a VI15G and will get to pick it up in a few days! 😁

Thanks for your expertise. These old boards are a lot more challenging that boards from the last 20 years or so. I used to have someone else build my computers prior to the Pentium days. So I started in the ATX era really. Here is where that information came from http://motherboards.mbarron.net/models/486vlb3/vi15g.html .

I hope all of this works when I turn it on for the first time. There are so many things that could go wrong! I have managed to adapt an ATX case and PSU. It looks like crap and would be much nicer in an AT case, but if it works I will be happy.

Anybody know why the speaker has 5 pins allocated on the pin out? I am trying to use an ATX case and my connector has 4 pins.

rick12373 wrote:

Anybody know why the speaker has 5 pins allocated on the pin out? I am trying to use an ATX case and my connector has 4 pins.

Just got my board a couple of hours ago and noticed the same thing when I was setting it up for testing. I think it's a mistake in the jumper diagram, you can use the last four pins of the row (7-10) and it will work fine, I just tested that.

TheMobRules wrote:

rick12373 wrote:

Anybody know why the speaker has 5 pins allocated on the pin out? I am trying to use an ATX case and my connector has 4 pins.

Just got my board a couple of hours ago and noticed the same thing when I was setting it up for testing. I think it's a mistake in the jumper diagram, you can use the last four pins of the row (7-10) and it will work fine, I just tested that.

Good. I need to hear the speaker for any error codes (were there such things back then?). I turned it on to see if I am getting any video signal and nothing. The PSU fan comes on but that is all I know. Would a video card as old as this be able to output to an LCD screen? I will also try switching the CPU for the one that it came with. The pins on the one I put in there were bent to begin with and it took some time to try and straighten them and get in in. Maybe something went wrong with the pins.

Yes, with the speaker connected you should be able to hear the error codes (unless the board is totally dead).

I assume most ISA/VLB cards should work well with the LCD monitor, at least for boot screens and DOS. I never had any problems with getting my old cards to work with LCD screens.

What processor(s) have you tried? Are you sure the jumper configuration for CPU speed and type are correct? Also, try clearing the CMOS (JP6) to see if it helps.

If you're still having issues you can post pics of the jumpers you have set and I can help you troubleshoot, as I managed to get my board working with both DX and DX2 CPUs, a single stick of 16MB FPM DRAM and a few different ISA/VLB VGAs.

The board came with an Intel 486 DX 33 in it when I bought it. I looked at the jumper settings and it looked like I did not need to change them if I put a 486 DX2 66 in, which is what I did. I will put the 486 DX 33 in and see what happens.

OK, connected the speaker and switched the CPU. Same thing PSU fan spins, no video output and no sounds from speaker. I am using an adapter to adapt the ATX PSU to the AT board. I tried a few different ATX PSUs and no go. Maybe there is something wrong with the adapter and the way it is receiving power? I wish I had an AT PSU to try.

I am testing with an ATX PSU + adapter, works fine so I don't think that's the problem.

However, by looking at your jumper settings I noticed the following differences with mine:

- JP23: you have 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, according to the DX/DX2 section on the manual it should be only 5-6, 7-8
- JP24: looks fine (7-8)
- JP25: looks fine (open)
- JP26: you have 1-2, 5-6, it should be open
- JP27: you have 4-5, 7-8, it should be only 7-8
- JP13: you have 1-2, it should be open

Please give these settings a try as they work well for me with DX/DX2 processors. Also make sure you have both JP9, JP10, JP18 and JP19 set to 1-2 (DX/DX2, 0 VESA Wait States, <= 33MHz CPU bus).

Thanks, the guy that sold it on eBay indicated that the board may have never been used but it did come with the DX CPU in it. Therefore I assumed the jumpers we already correct. One should never assume! I will change those jumpers and report back.

TheMobRules wrote:

I am testing with an ATX PSU + adapter, works fine so I don't think that's the problem. […]
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I am testing with an ATX PSU + adapter, works fine so I don't think that's the problem.

However, by looking at your jumper settings I noticed the following differences with mine:

- JP23: you have 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, according to the DX/DX2 section on the manual it should be only 5-6, 7-8
- JP24: looks fine (7-8)
- JP25: looks fine (open)
- JP26: you have 1-2, 5-6, it should be open
- JP27: you have 4-5, 7-8, it should be only 7-8
- JP13: you have 1-2, it should be open

Please give these settings a try as they work well for me with DX/DX2 processors. Also make sure you have both JP9, JP10, JP18 and JP19 set to 1-2 (DX/DX2, 0 VESA Wait States, <= 33MHz CPU bus).

I don't suppose you are able to snap a picture of your jumper settings for ease of use?

I'm not home right now so no access to the board, however I have marked in your picture the pins that you need to jumper for JP23-27 + JP13. You only need those 4 jumpers marked in red in that section.

Thanks mate. I find it really difficult even with that documentation to figure out which pin is which. Things are much easier on modern boards!

I found this schematic quite helpful when trying to identify the jumper locations:

http://th99.classic-computing.de/src/m/A-B/32306.htm

Well, I adjusted the jumpers to match your suggestions. I have the 486 DX2 66MHz, one 8 MB RAM stick in there and the graphics card. Still nothing. Not sure what to do now.

The other components (CPU, VGA, memory) are known to be working right? Here's a couple of things I would check if the board shows no signs of life:

- JP6 (near the battery). This jumper should be in 1-2 position for normal operation. Otherwise it's in clear CMOS mode and the board may fail to POST
- No jumpers on JP7 or JP8 (also near the battery)
- JP9 and JP10 jumpers should both be in 1-2 position (these jumpers are located between the SIS chip and the BIOS)
- JP18 and JP19 also should be in 1-2 (between 2 VESA slots)
- You could also check the cache jumpers, depending on how much cache you have installed

If you have trouble identifying the pin numbers, remember that pin 1 is marked with a small white stripe next to it on this board.

You can also plug your front panel LEDs or touch the chips/CPU to check if they're warm, this way at least you know the board is getting power.

I have no way of testing the components to see if they are working really. All the jumpers are set as you indicated. Not sure about the cache. I think it has 256kb cache. Here is what it looks like:

Yeah, cache config looks good. Sadly I don't know what else you could check other than the obvious (inspect the board for physical damage, missing components, and so on). Perhaps someone skilled at electronics can suggest something?

Sadly with these boards old age is a factor, and there is a high chance you may be dealing with a dead board 😢

-Watches thread closely- Clint also inspired me to learn about older hardware. I'm an IT admin but the oldest things Ive has to support are some proprietary XP machines. All this hardware talk is fascinating.

So, the CPU does get warm, but nothing. I am thinking it is either the motherboard or the graphics card. I wish I had another graphics card to test in it.

TheMobRules wrote:

Yeah, cache config looks good. Sadly I don't know what else you could check other than the obvious (inspect the board for physical damage, missing components, and so on). Perhaps someone skilled at electronics can suggest something?

Sadly with these boards old age is a factor, and there is a high chance you may be dealing with a dead board 😢

Physically the board looks great. No signs of damage and clean. The same goes for the graphics card. I can try getting a refund from the eBay seller I suppose. Of course for all I know it could be the graphics card.