First post, by x0zm_
Current Progress: Indefinitely on-hold. Potentially dead. Hardware issues.
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Build Purpose:
As usual, builds I work on that aren't straight picking parts from my collection tend to change purpose and scope over time. This started as a simple restoration of an old Government PC that was made by an Australian system integrator, just for the sake of keeping a cool part of Australian computing history that not many people would care about around. Since then, I've expanded on the purpose a bit. I'm sticking to these exact ideals - keeping as much of the build as feasibly possible in the 1994 to mid 1996 era, using hardware that would not have been prohibitively expensive or unreasonable (i.e., not going for absolute top tier/collectible parts to build the ultimate [purpose] machine), while also turning it into my main 95/DOS machine.
The reason for this is that when I move house later this year or early next year, I don't want to have to take my whole PC collection with me. I have to make tough choices on what I do want and what I don't want. For that reason, this build has become the chosen one for this era. It's form factor is perfect (one of the only desktop cases that I own). It's the right era. It's not crazy and it has some history behind it.
In order to serve this purpose, I'm aiming to keep an fun, enjoyable and robust collection of external peripherals and addons to turn this once Government Office workhorse into a box filled with endless fun without changing its core. This includes objects such as MIDI Sound Modules, external SCSI devices and an all-encompassing mid 90's setup in the end. My little shrine and retreat to the late DOS and Win95 era, no matter how boring the office PC is. Though that's for another topic after moving.
Current Hardware/Specs:
Plain colour annotates original hardware, green annotates new hardware, red annotates removed hardware and reason for removal.
Ipex Pentium-120 PCI/I
Case: Custom Ipex Desktop AT Case
CPU: Intel Pentium 120MHz
CPU Cooler: Standard Intel Pentium Retail Cooler
Motherboard: ECS P5VX-Be Rev 2. (430VX)
RAM: 64MB - NEC MC-424000F32P-60 (4x16MB)
HDD1: Seagate Medalist 1276 1.2GB (NT4)
HDD2: Original replacement doesn't like the board. Replacement likely IDE DOM. TBD.
FDD: Sony MPF920-1
ODD: Teac 6x CD (Didn't check exact model)
PSU: ST-230WHF
Graphics Card: Canopus Power Window T64V (S3 Trio64V+) + Canopus MPEG Decoder Daughterboard (S3 Scenic/MX2 Powered)
Sound Card: Creative Sound Blaster 16 IDE (CT2290)
Network Card: SMC EtherEZ ISA
Perhiperals:
Mouse: Standard Microsoft Serial Mouse - P/N:55305 (It's in pretty rough shape, may replace it with a new one, or use my Ipex PS/2 Mouse).
Keyboard: Acer 6311 - Acer branded, but Ipex had their own version of this with Ipex branding. Exact replacement minus cosmetic differences.
Monitor: Sony CPD-17SF2 17" CRT. Original monitor was thrown out long ago. This was a nice '96 vintage monitor at the right price that I can also use with my Amiga.
Printer: Panasonic KX-P1123 Dot Matrix Printer - There was no printer attached to this machine originally as far as I'm aware. I recall using this model a lot in the past, so it's nice to have one again.
Audio:
Sound Module: Roland MT-32
Sound Module: Roland SC-55
Sound Module: AIWA A10 Amp
Removed/Replaced:
CPU Cooler: Standard Intel Pentium OEM Cooler - Replaced with retail cooler from a PC that has partial historical significance to me.
ODD: Acer 624A 403 - 24x Speed - Was an upgraded drive, so replaced with an era appropriate 6x Drive.
Graphics Card: AOpen PT70 S3 ViRGE/DX - Was not original in the build, unsure what the original card was. Replaced with something cooler, and older.
Sound Card: AOpen AW35 - Was not original in the build, unsure what the original card was. Replaced with something more appropriate and exciting.
RTC: Odin OEC12B887A - Old and dead, replaced with brand new Dallas DS12887+.
Wishlist/To Purchase:
Sound Module:Yamaha MU80/MU128
Speakers:Unsure yet. Era appropriate speakers would be great. Beige preferred. Ipex would be absolutely great of course, but I do not know if they even rebadged any speakers. Altec Lansing or Yamaha would be amazing. Early to mid 90s HiFi speakers would be suitable to me as well.
SCSI Card:An appropriate Adaptec '95-Mid '96 model at the right price. There are lots of fun, external SCSI devices to play with after all!
And more to come...
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Original Post:
Hey guys. Just a little fun project to keep me occupied for awhile as I wait for parts to come in stock for my watercooled build.
Here I've got an Ipex Pentium-120 PCI/I computer. Ipex was an Australian PC manufacturer from 1984 to 2008 based in Victoria, and I'd argue their heyday was the mid 90s to early 00s. They are mostly known for the computers they built for the Australian Goverment and anyone who spent any time in public schools, Defence Force bases/DoD offices and many other public sector buildings would likely have seen an Ipex computer or peripheral during this time. Here's a logo to jog your memory for those Aussies out there:
Not many of Ipex's computers made it out into the "wild", so to speak. The Government was fond of recycling or destroying these PCs after their lifespan was up, and the few you do find these days are more than likely ex-business, not ex-government.
This one is from the Government. It hasn't been used since 1999 and has been in storage since then. Without going into too much detail on how I came across this (not stolen) and which department it's from, it's a machine I'm going to keep for myself mainly for nostalgia, but also because it's a cool little piece of Australian computing history. One of the only large scale Australian PC builders that existed out there!
So let's dive into this, take a look at what was inside and go through what I want to do with it. I've blanked out the Ipex serial numbers on the components PC, since they are recorded.
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The front of the case. Notice the lines are styled to match their logo? Neat! I only noticed that the other day. Two spots visible where the Government serial number/barcodes used to be. Plenty of LED options, too!
This CD drive seems out of place. 24x? Floppy seems fine though!
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Side, Top and Back views.
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The inside.
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The Hard Drive. Seagate Medalist 1276, 1.2GB. Understandable pick, reliable as hell and large storage for the time!
Edit: turns out this was a replacement drive, but was replaced by Ipex under warranty. Perhaps not as reliable as suspected. Found the documentation for the replacement. 🤣
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The Optical Drive. Acer 624A 403. 24x Speed. Mfg date March '98. No Ipex sticker. It works just fine, but something's wrong here!
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The PSU. Ipex ST-230WHF. 16A +5V, 12A +12V, 0.3A -5V, 0.5A -12V. No idea who the OEM is, and haven't really researched it either. Plenty of certifications though, and I'm confident they aren't faked since these were Government PCs after all. Caps not checked, so I'll likely check those at another date and recap if necessary. Fan still working and fairly quiet.
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The Floppy Drive. Sony MPF920-1. Original part, works, Jan '97. However, this had a different serial number on the Ipex sticker. I'm guessing it was a replacement.
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Now we'll get into the cards, board and everything else.
BIOS. Award PCI/PNP 586. Nothing special here. '95 Date.
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RTC. Odin OEC12B887A. Again, nothing special here. Dead.
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CPU/Cooler. Intel Penium 120, exact SKU not checked. Cooler - San Ace MC 109X4412H6022. Made in Japan of course! Working fine, but may replace with a new one since I have a couple of them NIB.
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Motherboard. ECS P5VX-Be Rev 2. PCISet SB82371SB/SB82437VX
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Graphics Card. AOpen PT70 S3 ViRGE/DX. No Ipex serial number, so not sure if it's original or not.
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Sound Card. AOpen AW35. Crystal CX4237B-XQ3 sound chip. No Ipex serial number either.
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Network Card. SMC EtherEZ ISA. SMC 83C785QF chip. Ipex serial number that matches case, so certainly original.
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RAM. NEC MC-424000F32P-60. SMC 83C785QF chip. Ipex serial number that matches case, so certainly original.
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Now an interesting tidbit I found while disassembling this machine.
These are the screws that were holding in the three expansion cards. Sound card, Graphics Card, Network card from left to right. The Sound Card is clearly out of place, which I found unusual for an OEM machine, but didn't think much of it.
I then saw this later on. A matching screw hidden away in the side of the case. The fact the Sound Card and Graphics Card have no Ipex warranty sticker, combined with the fact that there is a single different screw in the case holding one of them in, the fact they were registered with the FCC in 1997, the sound card having a different warranty sticker and the original screw was hidden away leads me to believe that these are not original parts.
I also like these cable routing clips and holders they built into the case.
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So that's the PC. Now why is the title a "Restoration / Downgrade / Upgrade" project? Here's what I want to achieve with this PC.
Restoration:
- Full backup of current install as a reference point (still has everything on it).
- Thorough cleaning of all parts.
- Retrobright the case.
- Source replacement RTC.
- Fresh install of NT 4.0 (original OS on here), minus the Government Department additions, but keeping the original Government wallpapers and some software.
- Source an Ipex keyboard and possibly mouse. I have an Ipex PS/2 mouse but would prefer a serial one.
- Recap PSU if required.
- Possibly replace CPU Fan.
Downgrade:
- Get rid of the Acer 24x CD Drive.
- Replace with either a 4x or 6x CD Drive.
- Potentially remove some of the extra RAM that seemed to be added after the fact. There is 64MB of RAM in here, and that doesn't seem right. But it very well could have been, given where it came from. Unfortunately I don't have anything to compare to or research with.
Upgrade:
- Remove the S3 and the Sound Card, since I am convinced they aren't original. I will keep them however, just in case it turns out they are.
- Source and install AWE32 (preferably Value) Sound Card. May use my AWE64 Gold, but it's too out of place in my opinion.
- Decide on a more appropriate graphics card. Though the ViRGE/DX is fine, I wouldn't mind something a bit more powerful yet still in the '95 to mid '96 era.
- CF adapter for easy file transfers.
I'll update the post as I make progress! Thanks for checking it out guys.