VOGONS


My Schneider AT Towers

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Reply 20 of 50, by dr.zeissler

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My EGA TowerAT (10Mhz) EGA Hires 😀 has so much software on it, I can easily put another 1GB SCSI-HDD in it,
but I have far more software on the NAS that will work just fine with this really beautiful machine.

btw: https://translate.google.de/translate?sl=de&t … t-text=&act=url
My EGA-Collection directly for the use of this machine: https://www.flickr.com/photos/94839221@N05/al … 157652364100484

If someone has some original EGA Hires-Images for 800x600@6Bit (16colors) please let me know : )

some other cool stuff on my (EGA) TowerAT:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Nvu_CUTKSE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--4XmCKyPqo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kuqw8RrcpCU

Retro-Gamer 😀 ...on different machines

Reply 26 of 50, by yawetaG

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Something like the system discussed on this thread on VCFED?

Or Amstrad PC + Amstrad PC Turbo Advanced Technology Accelerator Board? Which according to the catalogue I kept from my PCW days is "An add-in board that speeds up processing by over 700% more than twice as fast as an IBM AT! Simply plug in the board to any expansion slot in the Amstrad PC, replace the 8086 processor chip with TURBO's connector and appreciate the scintillating Advanced Technology performance. Compatibility with all your popular software." that cost only 425 UK pounds.

Reply 27 of 50, by tombuutkamp

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Hey there!

I have an AT VGA/10 Tower (386SX 12MHz) and the power supply has failed. It clicks when I try to turn it on but nothing happens.
It has this weird auxiliary connector, instead of the standard 2x6 pin connectors that go black to black they are 1x5 and 1x7 pin connectors. Does someone have a pinout or encountered a similar issue?

Thank you!

Reply 29 of 50, by Cyberdyne

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This is so wrong, video card is on the motherboard, and rest is on addon cards 😁

I am aroused about any X86 motherboard that has full functional ISA slot. I think i have problem. Not really into that original (Turbo) XT,286,386 and CGA/EGA stuff. So just a DOS nut.

Reply 31 of 50, by tombuutkamp

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derSammler wrote:

The PSU of the 386 model is prone to fail. I could check the voltages of my VGA Tower PSU, but I'm not sure if it has the same connector.

I have a photo of the connectors here.

https://imgur.com/qpPjZv6

I hope this helps. And when these power supplies fail, can I buy a replacement or should I solder on new capacitors or whatever? I really want this computer to live. And I don't think I could put a standard 386 board in there.

Reply 32 of 50, by Jo22

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Wait, there are replacement PSUs available ? 😳

tombuutkamp wrote:

It clicks when I try to turn it on but nothing happens.

That's good, actually. It probably means the soft-on/off or power good circuit is still working, I think.

tombuutkamp wrote:

[..]should I solder on new capacitors or whatever? I really want this computer to live. [..]

It looks like a nice machine, so I can feel your disappointment.
But be warned, repairing PSUs is dangerous for inexperienced users (no offense).
So please don't rush it. No machine is worth it risking your health.

If you do the repair, better make sure your electricity mains have got some sort of
residual current circuit breaker installed (newer fuse boxes sometimes have them by default, too).

It's no requirement, of course, but it is recommend, as it is much faster than a
ordinary fuse and could lower the risk of something harming you and/or the PSU in case sometimes goes wrong.

Also make sure a second person is around
- at least when you try out the fixed PSU the fist time.

Anyway, caps aside, I'd check the regulators for +12v,-12v, +5v, -5v (790x, 780x ?),
the main mosfet, the bridge rectifier, diodes and such.

Especially the diodes are a bit touchy, so I'd check them first.

"Time, it seems, doesn't flow. For some it's fast, for some it's slow.
In what to one race is no time at all, another race can rise and fall..." - The Minstrel

//My video channel//

Reply 33 of 50, by tombuutkamp

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I don't know if there would be any replacements. Friday I'll pull the machine apart again to identify the PSU. Maybe there are schematics for it, but I'd doubt it.

I have never done a PSU repair, so I will make sure to bring it to the right person to have it fixed. I was thinking to look inside myself, to see if there are any fuses present in the PSU. If a fuse has blown, I can try to replace it and see if that was the problem. If there's no fuse in there I will be sure to have it checked out by an experienced technician, and I'll ask the technician to replace for example all capacitors, diodes and such. Because I think those parts are most susceptible and dangerous after 30 years.

Reply 34 of 50, by derSammler

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tombuutkamp wrote:
derSammler wrote:

The PSU of the 386 model is prone to fail. I could check the voltages of my VGA Tower PSU, but I'm not sure if it has the same connector.

I have a photo of the connectors here.

https://imgur.com/qpPjZv6

Seems like the same connector as on the EGA AT and 286 VGA Tower. I'll check if I can work out the pinout.

Reply 36 of 50, by derSammler

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tombuutkamp wrote:

Thank you! It's kind of stupid that there were no standards for computer design back in the days. I can't just place an other AT power supply in there I think.

There was, it was called "AT". Schneider just did not care. 😉

I try to check the pinout this weekend.

ps: care to share some photos of your machine?

Reply 37 of 50, by tombuutkamp

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Yes, I made some photos last week. I won't embed them into this post because they are fairly large photos.
This is what the tower came with.

Front of the computer
https://i.imgur.com/GdhdVPt.jpg

Back of the computer
https://imgur.com/eiWSgK4.jpg

Case opened
https://imgur.com/3UCUpq9.jpg

--

Dumb board
https://imgur.com/dEhYGoE.jpg

Another picture of the dumb board
https://imgur.com/WRT8plB.jpg

386SX Processor board (I am aware of the bad battery holder job, I'll clean that up when I can get it to work again.)
https://imgur.com/9HBf6qi.jpg

Processor board RAM
https://imgur.com/nx7SGf3.jpg

Winchester Drive (HDD) controller
https://imgur.com/SjJ3lNt.jpg

SoundBlaster 2 (CT1350B)! 😀
https://imgur.com/SZO9vHf.jpg

256K of Video expansion memory
https://imgur.com/Up63sRM.jpg

--

The machine and other hardware is in good condition. The plastics have not yellowed, there's a little bit of rust/oxidation on some parts but not on the hardware itself. The SoundBlaster 2 is in working condition too!

Reply 38 of 50, by derSammler

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Interesting. Seems to me the pre-owner build this from parts. The Winchester controller is from an EGA Tower (AT System 2xx) - the I/O board (which is identical to my VGA Tower) has IDE on-board already. Also, the CPU card should belong where the Winchester controller currently sits. It's not supposed to sit in one of the ordinary ISA slots. Unless Schneider f*cked it up this way itself to use as many old parts as possible, that is. This is just the 2nd Schneider 386sx VGA Tower I see so far. Well, unless you got that one from dr.zeissler, then it's still the only one I saw so far. 😁

Nice system, still. Was the PSU already dead when you got it, or was the system working and failed recently?

Reply 39 of 50, by Jo22

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SoundBlaster 2 (CT1350B)! 😀
https://imgur.com/SZO9vHf.jpg

With CMS chips, too! Whait, was that an official upgrade ?
There's a sticker on the GAL chip! 😳

"Time, it seems, doesn't flow. For some it's fast, for some it's slow.
In what to one race is no time at all, another race can rise and fall..." - The Minstrel

//My video channel//