VOGONS


Reply 421 of 844, by Robert B

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Uriah Heep - Lady In Black 1971

Banshee The Twisted

The graphic card presented today is the result of yet another visit I made at the local flea market. Lately, I've been making a lot more visits there, as the prices are lower and the satisfaction you get when you find something worthwhile is bigger as you dont know what you are going to find. The fact the the flea market is just 5 km away from my home also makes everything easier. Extraction mission, get in, do your job, get out. Pretty easy. 😁

My heart started pumping when I saw the card. MAXI GAMER PHOENIX. What the hell is this? My senses were tingling and I already intuited that it might be a 3dfx card. I received the confirmation a few moments later after a quick internet search. Yep, she's a 3dfx VooDoo Banshee alright. The PCI version. Not bad, I said to myself. I'll take ten please! 😁

Let's meet the Maxi Gamer Phoenix Banshee manufactured by Guillemot / PCI 16MB SGRAM / 600-0044-02 / 460 5057806

3dfx-MGP-01.jpg 3dfx-MGP-02.jpg 3dfx-MGP-03.jpg

4 layer board.

3dfx-MGP-04.jpg 3dfx-MGP-05.jpg

But where's THE TWIST? Well...there is no twist in a twisted kind of way...the matter of fact is that the board is twisted and when I mean twisted, I really mean twisted. 😁

3dfx-MGP-06.jpg 3dfx-MGP-07.jpg

Banshee The Twisted alright. When I saw the state that she was in, I almost didnt want to take it home with me, a 3dfx is still a 3dfx, so I haggled and I lowered the asking price by quite a large amount so in the end I was stuck with it. 😁 Was this a bad decision? We'll see later...

No matter the angle, it still looked like hell. The VGA connector was croocked. The bracket was bent. The PCB was twisted. The black connector from under MAXI GAMER PHOENIX silk screen, lost a few millimeters from some kind of friction, but against all the odds, all the components were still in place. Thank GOD that in the past they used leaded solder, otherwise I'm pretty sure that many of the small IC's would've been scattered into the four winds.

I tried to reduce some of the twist of the PCB by twisting gently in the other direction but there was no safe way to do this so I stopped. This board will be forever twisted.

I checked each component thoroughly and I received good news. ZERO PROBLEMS! NO SOLDERING FOR ME! YAY!!!

The only thing that might prove fatal lay deep under the graphic chip. Did it survive the ordeal that this board endured?

Let's give it a try!

VooDoo stuff I tell YOU!

3dfx-MGP-08.jpg 3dfx-MGP-09.jpg

More good news!

3dfx-MGP-10.jpg 3dfx-MGP-11.jpg

After I found out that it was alive and kicking, I started the cleaning procedure.

Come on let's twist again
Like you did last summer ..
.

3dfx-MGP-12.jpg

Smooth sailing.

3dfx-MGP-13.jpg 3dfx-MGP-14.jpg

Clean.

3dfx-MGP-15.jpg 3dfx-MGP-16.jpg 3dfx-MGP-17.jpg 3dfx-MGP-18.jpg

AC MX-4 please!

3dfx-MGP-19.jpg

DONE!

3dfx-MGP-20.jpg 3dfx-MGP-21.jpg 3dfx-MGP-22.jpg 3dfx-MGP-23.jpg 3dfx-MGP-24.jpg 3dfx-MGP-25.jpg

More later...as usual! 😁

Reply 423 of 844, by Robert B

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@peido : I'm glad that I can be of assistance 😀

When I'm scounting for new parts, restoring them or I write an episode, I try to isolate myself from the everyday problems which lately have been growing at a steady pace. "When I get back into the real world", I have my batteries fully charged, ready for whatever. I'm lucky that I still have free time available but I'm pretty sure that this will change in the near future.

The satisfaction I get when I recover parts that were on the brink of nothingness is off the charts. Even as we speak, I have on the operating table, two socket 3 motherboards that are undergoing surgery. 😁 One has been recovered even if it will remain with a few tiny scars which are hidden from sight 😁, the other one is still on artificial ventilation. I need a MOSFET TIP127 which will have to be ordered from an online shop. This particular board had a lot of problems and I kept it for three years in my box of organ donors. All this time it remained in my mind and I kept thinking of it. Bent memory pins, five torn capacitors, missing MOSFET and heatsink, broken plastic from the CPU socket, bent pins in one ISA slot which still need straightening, tens of bent pins on the back of the board which in some instances were making contact one with another, missing jumpers, suspicious BIOS chip with a broken pin which might or might not be original... During these 3+ years of restoring parts, my skills have increased and now I can tackle more difficult tasks so I decided to try and restore it. The fact that it resembles the motherboard of my first PC will make all this effort worthwhile. I have a soft spot for boards like the ZIDA 4DPS, J446A V2.0, KM-S4-1 V1.1, etc. There is a 70/30 chance of success 😁 In the past I tried my best even when the chances of success were lower than 1%. My main problem is that in general I dont know when to quit 😁

The recovered board:

PRW-KM-S4-1.jpg

Lately I try not to buy parts on impluse as I'm fully aware that I already have too many as it is. So, I have turned my sight over the parts that need my attention and I must say that there are quite a few that now can be recovered. This is just another stage that I enjoy as a result of my trip in the past. I'm still prepared to pay BIG BUCKS for some exotic components that I want but ATM they elude me BIG TIME!!! 😁

All of these adventures are for me like a form of time travel and when I post something I feel like I'm there back in the day when I had my first contact with the PCs. Good Ol' 1994 when I was 14 😁 ... long time ago... the rest is history 😁

THIS WEEK: Another VooDoo has been recovered from the crusher. A MIGHTY Creative Labs 3D Blaster Voodoo2 (CT6670)

My 4 V2s: 3x Creative CT6670 12MB and 1x Guillemot Maxi Gamer 3D2 8MB. All in good working condition 😁 YAY!!!

PRW-V2-QUAD.jpg

More later.

Last edited by Robert B on 2018-11-12, 18:12. Edited 1 time in total.

Reply 424 of 844, by bjwil1991

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Fancy. For the CD-ROM drive, in DOS, did it give you a device not ready error or when you try to launch the setup file it doesn't open up the setup file?

I have that drive myself and the only issue mine had was a bad eject mechanism motor (corrosion and it was on its last legs), soldered on a motor from a busted CD-ROM drive that lost its laser due to a broken disk that was in there, and it opens and closes freely now and faster. It could also be a firmware that's failing, but, I digress. Does anyone know if there's a way to dump the ROM contents from the CD-ROM drive from either within Windows or DOS, or is that impossible?

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Systems from the Compaq Portable 1 to Ryzen 9 5950X
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Reply 425 of 844, by Robert B

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In WIN95 my Creative CR-563-B just hangs with the led on when when I try to read from any disc. The driver installs without problems.

I installed the DOS drivers from WIN95 and I just rebooted. Upon reboot the CD-ROM was recognized in DOS and I could access the drive.

To my knowledge the only way for this old tech, to update the firmware (if you find it), is to desolder the firmware chip from the PCB, place it into a programmer, burn the new firmware and then solder it back. If the firmware chip package allows it, it is possible to use a clamp and program the chip while it is still soldered on the board. I tried this procedure when I wanted to recover the ATI 9800 PRO 256MB but it didnt work and I still had to desolder the firmware chip. I didnt see a socketed firmware chip until now.

My drive has the V0.75 firmware.

Reply 426 of 844, by Robert B

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Dave Brubeck - Take Five

Creative Labs 3D Blaster Voodoo2 (CT6670)

This card was also bought from the flea market. 4.2 EUR well spent!

I found it dumped into a bin, together with at least 50 other cards. The negociation was interesting. The seller didnt know what it was and he said that he wont lower the price no matter what, as the card has a lot of electronic components on it, hence the fixed price. Interesting. I guess that this is another way to set the price for a part with an unknwon value. I used this tactic a few times, to lower the price for other parts I bought, when I said that the asking price is too high and there are very few components on the PCB. 😁 To my amazement this has worked well. 😁

When I got back to my car I examined the VooDoo 2 thoroughly. I already saw that a chip had a few bent pins but after this examination I found a few more. With all your experience and you still make mistakes... I said to myself. In any case, I would've bought it even with torn pins, so it didnt matter that it had 3,4 or 10 bent pins.

In the picture bellow I already straightened the bent pins a little. Surprisingly none of them broke off from their pads. AWESOME!

CT6670-01.jpg CT6670-02.jpg

Intial state. Dirty, a lot of scratches on various chips, dull bracket...

CT6670-03.jpg CT6670-04.jpg CT6670-05.jpg

I straightened the pins as best as I could. One in particular was bent inward and I had to straighten it just a little and then let it be, otherwise it might've broken off . A BIG NO! NO!

CT6670-06.jpg CT6670-07.jpg

The question was if the card has survived this ordeal. I put it into my PC and I was ready to power it up.

CT6670-08.jpg CT6670-09.jpg

Suspense.

CT6670-10.jpg CT6670-11.jpg CT6670-12.jpg CT6670-13.jpg

OUTSTANDING! I LIKE IT!!

4.2 EUR for a V2? HELL YEAH!!!

Let's make this card GREAT AGAIN!

Gentle scrubbing of memory chips and graphic chips with an abrasive paste. I use this polishing paste to restore the shine of the metal brackets or other metal parts. Because it has a fine grit I also use it to remove mild scratches and other blemishes from various chips. The results are always A+++. REMEMBER: BE GENTLE!!! After this treatment I wash the card with IPA 99%.

NOTE: Dont use the polishing paste on the pins of the chips, the PCB or other surfaces.

CT6670-14.jpg CT6670-15.jpg CT6670-16.jpg

What did I tell you? A+++!

CT6670-17.jpg CT6670-18.jpg CT6670-19.jpg CT6670-20.jpg

Ready for assembly.

CT6670-21.jpg

ICE ICE BABY!

CT6670-22.jpg CT6670-23.jpg CT6670-24.jpg

Autumn sun...

CT6670-25.jpg

...

CT6670-26.jpg CT6670-27.jpg CT6670-28.jpg CT6670-29.jpg CT6670-30.jpg CT6670-31.jpg CT6670-32.jpg CT6670-33.jpg CT6670-34.jpg CT6670-35.jpg CT6670-36.jpg CT6670-37.jpg

gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/21u9e7y7i/

More later.

Reply 427 of 844, by Robert B

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Another socket 3 SIS496/497 motherboard - model J446A V2.0, underwent surgery. It took a lot of work to get to the stage shown in the picture and I still have to clean it well. 😁

I'll receive the missing MOSFET TIP127 next week, together with the required heatsinks.

I sure hope that it works.

PRW-SK3-01.jpg PRW-SK3-02.jpg PRW-SK3-03.jpg

More later.

Reply 428 of 844, by bjwil1991

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Robert B wrote:
In WIN95 my Creative CR-563-B just hangs with the led on when when I try to read from any disc. The driver installs without prob […]
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In WIN95 my Creative CR-563-B just hangs with the led on when when I try to read from any disc. The driver installs without problems.

I installed the DOS drivers from WIN95 and I just rebooted. Upon reboot the CD-ROM was recognized in DOS and I could access the drive.

To my knowledge the only way for this old tech, to update the firmware (if you find it), is to desolder the firmware chip from the PCB, place it into a programmer, burn the new firmware and then solder it back. If the firmware chip package allows it, it is possible to use a clamp and program the chip while it is still soldered on the board. I tried this procedure when I wanted to recover the ATI 9800 PRO 256MB but it didnt work and I still had to desolder the firmware chip. I didnt see a socketed firmware chip until now.

My drive has the V0.75 firmware.

Good news: I found the firmware ROM. The ROM is a 28-pin DIP 256Kb (32Kx8) 120ns chip.

The original chip is a Fairchid NM27C256N-120 EPROM 28-pin PDIP. I have backed up my firmware, and the revision is 0.80. I don't think I see the 28-pin on your drive has a socket or not. Was yours soldered on? Mine is socketed. The firmware ROM must be a 28C256-120 (120ns) only, I even attempted to write the ROM file to a 150ns of the same size successfully, but, the CD-ROM drive doesn't like it. Let me know if this fixes your drive. I also have the file available on my Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1zzOfbTKsuC6 … Oy9eqHQ7-ltOWxh

Attachments

  • Filename
    CR563B-firmware.zip
    File size
    15.25 KiB
    Downloads
    64 downloads
    File comment
    Creative Labs CR563B Firmware 0.80
    File license
    Fair use/fair dealing exception

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Systems from the Compaq Portable 1 to Ryzen 9 5950X
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Reply 429 of 844, by Robert B

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Thank You very much bjwil1991. I'll give it a go some time in the comming weeks. I'll have to identify the firmware chip as mine doesnt have a socket.

I sure hope that it wont be an obscure chip or an uncommon model.

Reply 430 of 844, by bjwil1991

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You can also add a socket to the blank 28-pin PDIP spot on the board, however, it's a pain to find the 256Kb 120ns EEPROM (not sold on Digikey or other sites, yet, eBay might have them).

Discord: https://discord.gg/U5dJw7x
Systems from the Compaq Portable 1 to Ryzen 9 5950X
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Reply 432 of 844, by bjwil1991

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bjwil1991 wrote:

You can also add a socket to the blank 28-pin PDIP spot on the board, however, it's a pain to find the 256Kb 120ns EEPROM (not sold on Digikey or other sites, yet, eBay might have them).

Check that: it looks like there are 45ns and 70ns EPROM chips available (either OTP or UV) that are the same size (256Kb or 32Kx8) and amount of pins. I'm planning on purchasing both speed EPROM chips, the socket itself, and I'll check to see how that works out.

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Systems from the Compaq Portable 1 to Ryzen 9 5950X
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Reply 433 of 844, by Robert B

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@bjwil1991 - I'm curious if you'll be successful in your endeavour 😀 I dont know if I'll be able to find those EPROM chips. I still have to take apart the CR-563-B (again), at some point and determine the specs of the firmware chip. As you pointed out, there is a place on the PCB for a socket but it wasnt soldered. In my case I'm pretty sure that the laser assembly is the culprit.

@amadeus777999 - Actually, the recovered motherboards are: J446A V2.0 branded ACorp and KM-S4-1 V1.1 braded Kaimei Electronic Corp.

I had to put 30 new jumpers on the ACorp J446A V2.0 as they were all MIA. Good thing I bought 100. 😁 These old motherboards eat jumpers like there is no tomorrow. 😁

My other J446A V2.0 is also branded ACorp but may be a Jetway. They all are clones of the same motherboard. Even the jumper settings and placement, are the same. There are some differences of construction and placement of some components/connectors, but they kind of look the same. Needless to say that I LOVE SIS496/497 motherboards to bits 😁 and especially these smaller ones 😁

PRW-SK3.jpg

My Zida 4DPS V2.1 is in my 5x86. I dont know when I'll take it out of storage.

Reply 435 of 844, by Robert B

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Boris Brejcha - Purple Noise [Minimal Techno]

I crack some skulls!

This episode will feature four SLOT CPUs which have received "the treatment".

Let's meet "THE VICTIMS"! 😁

* Pentium II 266MHz/66 - SL2HE - IRELAND
* Pentium II 333MHz/66 - SL2S5 - 2 pcs - MALAY/IRELAND
* AMD Athlon K7 - AMD-K7700MTR51B A

All of the CPUs have been bought from the flea market for a very low price. I really enjoy the trips I take to the local flea market. You never know what you are going to find there.

Not bad!

Lately, I put the PIIs/100 on the back burner and I focused more on PIIs/66 and I buy them without blinking an eye. They have more appeal in my book but I guess that's just me. 😁

When it comes to SLOT A CPUs it is no contest. YES PLEASE! Any day of the week!

Slot-A-1-01.jpg Slot-A-1-02.jpg Slot-A-1-03.jpg Slot-A-1-04.jpg

As usual, all of the CPUs have received a full SPA treatment - cleaning, fresh TIM (AC MX-4), the works. I dont just buy them and toss them in a box. They must be RESTORED! I take no prisoners!

The CACHE chips of the SLOT A K7 CPU have received new thermal pads (soft, blue made by Arctic (Cooling)), because the old TIM used from the factory wasnt up to spec. This operation has been presented in the past.

I made detailed pictures of each of the CPUs, because I didnt want to mix-up the cases, the PCB or other components. Afterwards, each CPU has been put back as it came from factory. As usual, I take my work seriously. No half measures.

The opening of any SECC CPU has become a routine job. Zero incidents. Lately I use only my hands and a small fine screwdriver. This method is less likely to damage something but it takes patience and correctly applied force. The screwdriver is only used to gently separate three of the corners of the SECC cartridge and under no circumstance it is used on the inside.

Slot-A-1-05.jpg Slot-A-1-06.jpgSlot-A-1-07.jpg

Old TIM.

Slot-A-1-08.jpg Slot-A-1-09.jpg Slot-A-1-10.jpg

After all these years, the TIM was still soft. Interesting.

Slot-A-1-11.jpg Slot-A-1-12.jpg

NAKED!

Slot-A-1-13.jpg Slot-A-1-14.jpg

Ready for cleaning.

Slot-A-1-15.jpg Slot-A-1-16.jpg Slot-A-1-17.jpg Slot-A-1-18.jpg Slot-A-1-19.jpg

A nice spread.

Slot-A-1-20.jpg Slot-A-1-21.jpg

Details.Details. Details.

Slot-A-1-22.jpg Slot-A-1-23.jpg Slot-A-1-24.jpg Slot-A-1-25.jpg

Clean. Clean. Clean.

Slot-A-1-26.jpg Slot-A-1-27.jpg Slot-A-1-28.jpg Slot-A-1-29.jpg

IPA 99%.(lots of it)

Slot-A-1-30.jpg

After I opened up the cases I was surprised to see that one of the PII-333(IRELAND) was missing a ceramic capacitor. It wasnt my blame and I'm surprised that it passed the quality control. I have no ideea what was the purpose of the missing cap and I wasnt expecting something like this. As it was protected by the plastic case and it had an armor bolted with screws, the chances of being damaged were pretty low, even if it came from the flea market or a salvage facility.

The placement of the missing cap, deep inside, under the heatplate made me think that it came like this from the factory. Besides, the plastic case didnt have signs of damage and I'm sure that it was never opened.

When I opened it I didnt have contact with that area.

All the time I handeled the CPU I didnt hear any rattle. I didnt use anything to try and pry the case from the inside either.

Total mistery.

Slot-A-1-31.jpg

Enter my donor card Medion X740XL.

Slot-A-1-32.jpg Slot-A-1-33.jpg Slot-A-1-34.jpg Slot-A-1-35.jpg

After this incident it was business as usual.

Slot-A-1-36.jpg Slot-A-1-37.jpg Slot-A-1-38.jpg

Ready to be GREAT AGAIN!

Slot-A-1-39.jpg

Testing has revealed that all the CPUs are at 100%!

Slot-A-1-40.jpg Slot-A-1-41.jpg Slot-A-1-42.jpg Slot-A-1-43.jpg Slot-A-1-44.jpg Slot-A-1-45.jpg

Restored.

Slot-A-1-46.jpg Slot-A-1-47.jpg Slot-A-1-48.jpg Slot-A-1-49.jpg

gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/2fd97o8dq/

More later.

Last edited by Robert B on 2018-12-17, 21:08. Edited 1 time in total.

Reply 436 of 844, by Robert B

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Lika Morgan - Can't Deny (Radio Mix)

I'm feeling 440BX

I found my Celeron 300A - THE LEGEND at the local flea market. Fate made it so that I found the 300A together with a 440BX motherboard. As the price was an absolute steal, I took both of them home with me. NO BRAINER!

* Amptron/Jamicon/FastFame 650B-ATX Rev1.1 / KM650B / 440BX (The motherboard is probably Jamicon but it was also sold under other names)
* Celeron 300A - SL2WM

650-B-ATX-300-A-01.jpg 650-B-ATX-300-A-02.jpg 650-B-ATX-300-A-03.jpg

This motherboard isnt top of the line and doesnt have any OC settings but it can support fast Pentium III CPUs via a slotket. The multiplier settings listed on the silk screen present a value of 8 but I'm pretty sure that there are some undocumented settings that can be found given a faster CPU. Not bad all.

"Slot 1 Platform for Pentium II up to 450Mhz *** Slot 1 Platform for SECC 2 Pentium III *** Support FC PGA Pentium III processor (Coppermine™ & Katmai™ ) via Slot-to-Socket Adapter"

A budget CPU on a budget motherboard. Sounds about right.

I removed the BIOS chip, the jumpers, the retaining system of the CPU and I was ready to perform my magic.

650-B-ATX-300-A-04.jpg

The motherboard was in an average state in regard to cleanliness. The person that I bought it from has nice parts on a regular basis and the fact that it didnt have any esthetic problems, suggest that it was taken out of a case quite recently. I was the right person at the right time and in the right place and I was able to save this 20 years old kit.

650-B-ATX-300-A-05.jpg 650-B-ATX-300-A-06.jpg 650-B-ATX-300-A-07.jpg 650-B-ATX-300-A-08.jpg

After a few hours of work...

650-B-ATX-300-A-09.jpg 650-B-ATX-300-A-10.jpg 650-B-ATX-300-A-11.jpg 650-B-ATX-300-A-12.jpg 650-B-ATX-300-A-13.jpg 650-B-ATX-300-A-14.jpg 650-B-ATX-300-A-15.jpg 650-B-ATX-300-A-16.jpg 650-B-ATX-300-A-17.jpg 650-B-ATX-300-A-18.jpg 650-B-ATX-300-A-19.jpg 650-B-ATX-300-A-20.jpg 650-B-ATX-300-A-21.jpg 650-B-ATX-300-A-22.jpg

The Celeron 300A was quite dirty but it didnt pose a challenge.

650-B-ATX-300-A-23.jpg 650-B-ATX-300-A-24.jpg 650-B-ATX-300-A-25.jpg 650-B-ATX-300-A-26.jpg

Clean as a whistle.

650-B-ATX-300-A-27.jpg 650-B-ATX-300-A-28.jpg 650-B-ATX-300-A-29.jpg 650-B-ATX-300-A-30.jpg 650-B-ATX-300-A-31.jpg 650-B-ATX-300-A-32.jpg 650-B-ATX-300-A-33.jpg

Impecable.

650-B-ATX-300-A-34.jpg

One question that was eating me was if the CPU will be able to run at 450MHz by only changing the bus setting from 66MHz to 100MHz like it was the case back in the day. This CPU didnt attain THE LEGEND status by chance. A 50% OC at that time was something fantastic. With less money you could get the performance of higher priced models. From my point of view this is the essence of overclocking.

The system booted at 450MHz and I was ready to install Windows 98 SE to see if it would be stable at this frequency.

650-B-ATX-300-A-35.jpg 650-B-ATX-300-A-36.jpg 650-B-ATX-300-A-37.jpg 650-B-ATX-300-A-38.jpg

First, I ran 3dmark 99 with the CPU at 300MHz and I used an Intel i740 graphic adapter. I was going to run more tests with the CPU at 450MHz afterwards.

650-B-ATX-300-A-39.jpg 650-B-ATX-300-A-40.jpg

With the CPU at 450MHz I was able to get into Win 98 without incidents. When I ran CPU-Z I saw that the window had a lot of little squares. I tried another graphic card but the symptoms were the same.

650-B-ATX-300-A-41.jpg 650-B-ATX-300-A-42.jpg

The motherboard doesnt have voltage settings so I couldnt increase it a notch to see if this would solve my problem. After this I stopped and I decided to find an answer later when I'll buy a top of the line OC-friendly SLOT 1 motherboard.

All in all, for a little over 3 EUR I got a lot more than the value would suggest. Back in the day I had a 440ZX and Celeron 366(A) but I was dreaming of a 440BX and a Pentium II...

gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/1hf57pi7w/

More later.

Reply 437 of 844, by peido

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Robert B wrote:

The negociation was interesting. The seller didnt know what it was and he said that he wont lower the price no matter what, as the card has a lot of electronic components on it, hence the fixed price. Interesting. I guess that this is another way to set the price for a part with an unknwon value. I used this tactic a few times, to lower the price for other parts I bought, when I said that the asking price is too high and there are very few components on the PCB. 😁 To my amazement this has worked well. 😁

LOOL
I will have to try that sometime. 🤣

Keep up the nice work 😀

Reply 438 of 844, by Robert B

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n u a g e s - Dreams

Another blue wonder Gigabyte GA-660 PLUS REV 1.4

This card makes me think about the legendary HERCULES graphic cards. Those cards were something that I couldn't afford back in the day...at least I had an ACorp VANTA 8MB and I appreciated the increase in performance coming from an ATI RAGE IIC 4MB...I wish I had a full TNT 2...at any rate I dont regret a thing. I had a 440ZX with a Celeron A 366MHz and a VANTA 8MB which took me into another realm (3D). Carmageddon ran like a dream. No K6-2 for me. I really wanted an Intel CPU and at least I got a slice of a Pentium II. I had long discussions with my best friend in regard to which CPU was better: K6-2(him) vs Celeron A(me) ... The Pentium II prices were sky high and I was drooling looking at the offers of the local IT suppliers. VooDoo was the stuff of legend...I never saw one in the flesh until 2015 when I started gathering old parts. 😁

As usual these days, I found the GA-660 PLUS at the local flea market. It cost me peanuts, dirt cheap. How could I pass it?

It was dumped into a box together with other filthy stuff. The VIVID BLUE color attracted me like a magnet. As a matter of fact, this shade of blue is my favourite.

Less than 2 EUR? HELL YEAH! Here's the money! No haggling or going back and forth. Just the way I like it.

This particular card, the Gigabyte GA-660 Plus, is fitted with a TNT 2 PRO/TNT 2-A chip, which is nothing more than a regular TNT 2, manufactured into a 0.22 micron process vs 0.25 micron. This translates into a lower working temperature, a lower current draw, a higher working frequency of the graphic chip and a better OC potential. In certain scenarios this card can take on the mighty TNT 2 ULTRA, which isnt something to sneeze at.

The blue TURBO jumper does exactly what it suggests and underlines the "warlike" character of the board.

The graphic card works at: CORE 150MHz(170MHz MAX TURBO) / MEMORY 166MHz(180MHz MAX TURBO) vs Regular TNT 2 125MHz/150MHz vs Regular TNT 2 PRO 143MHz/166MHz vs TNT 2 ULTRA 150MHz/183MHz

It comes with 32MB and Samsung K4S643232C-TC/L60 chips rated for 166MHz. In TURBO mode they run at 180MHz straight from the manufacturer. Factory sanctioned OC? F@K YEAH!

We should take into consideration the OC potential of the GA-660 PLUS which might go way up from the TURBO 170MHz/180MHz frequencies.

Need I say more? I really don't think so. A beast of a card I tell you! Dont be fooled by the small size of the card. Potent substances are held in small vials.

Before we get ahead of ourselves, we should point out that this card came on the market at a moment when the Geforce 256 and ATI Rage Fury MAXX were also available. In fact this card is nothing else than a respin of the TNT 2 on another manufacturing node.

Even so, I consider this card A TRUE GEM!!! Less than 2 EUR?!??!? F@K YEAH!!! Bring it ON earthling!

After this somewhat bombastic introduction, let's get down to nut cuttin'.

Initial state.

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Looks okay OR IS IT? Well, I had to put in the hours and I wasnt stingy with the elbow grease. No respect for old cards I TELL YOU!

Against my regular policy I decided to see if the card is alive and kicking before I cleaned it. I removed some of the dust and dirt with a soft brush and into the PC it went. The PIII-800MHz didnt help her too much but it was all I could muster at that moment.

Did it run? ... FLAWLESS!!! I'm a survivor!

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After this moment, all went well until I received some bad news. About this a little bit later...

First, I tackled the fan, the bracket and the screws.

All cleaned and shining.

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Battle scars...lots of them...I inspected all the scratches, hits and blemishes and I can tell you that I felt them like a slow motion replay...no respect...no consideration...no feeling for artefacts of a passed era...there are more to be said here and not just about the objects themselves but this is not the moment or the place to do so...

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Soon after this came the moment when I had to clean the board. I couldn't remove the heatsinks as they were held in place with thermal tape and or thermal glue. Because I was afraid that I might damage something, I decided to let them be, this time ....

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With a set of fine files, "I sweetened" the dents made into the soft aluminium. That was about it. I could've filled the gaps with solder, file them with patience and find some paint that would match...who knows mabe I already did this in a parallel universe...but at that moment I didnt do such a thing. 😁

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When I was about to do my magic with cotton sticks, IPA99% and old chinese man patience, I came across the problem I was telling you above.

The diagonal scratches made by a sharp object, on the back heatsink, were pointing at a cut trace near the AGP connector. The A2 trace was out of order.

GA660-26.jpg

LUCK was on my side. The A2 is presented as A SPARE. In other words the card works with and without A2.

https://allpinouts.org/pinouts/connectors/buses/agp-bus/

I could feel the bullet flying above my head. It's not about the money I spend, it's about the fact that I still think I can save any component even when all hope is lost. Because of this, I decided to avoid, when possible, the purchase of cards that have obvious problems. I get involved way over my head as I cant do things with half measures. Remember the Creative GF2 GTS GB0010? That Annihilator card almost annihiltaed me. 😁

This was the moment when I did my first trace repair, even if it wasnt really needed. I applied all the things I learned until that moment.

As usual, when you do something for the first time, I hit a few bumps in the road.

I used a wire that was a little too thick plus other small problems but in the end results were above average. I say above average, conservatively.

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I used transparent POXIPOL to cover the repaired area.

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While the glue was still tacky I decided to insert the card into an AGP slot. Surprise surprise, the card went inside the slot waaaay more than I anticipated and if I did this after the glue hardened I would've been in a bad spot.

While the glue was still soft I managed to trim it and give it an ideal shape and size. I used and xacto knife and maximum attention to detail.

Ideal results. Tests made on ECS P4ITA & GA-8TM.

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After all this work, the rest was smooth sailing.

My TNT 2 PRO was on its way to a full recovery.

After the cleaning process the card was smiling at me.

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Blue, blue, deep blue, dark blue, sky blue, sea blue, b l u e...and I'm not blue 😁 I LOVE THIS COLOUR!

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At the end I put the card into my workhorse PIII 800MHz/Luckystar 6VABX2, for a final test and then it went into a box and it will be taken out only on special occasions.

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Happy moments filled with satisfaction.

Benny Benassi - 'Satisfaction'

I can write off my list another milestone that has been achieved. My TNT 2 is in good working condition, firing all its cyclinders!

See you with the next episode.

More later.

gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/37c3gp9mk/

Reply 439 of 844, by Robert B

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Rockwell - Somebody's Watching Me

PowerColor TNT 2 PRO - CTNT2SD VER2.0

I've seen this card week after week after week, dumped on the pavement together with other electronic components which were in various states of electronic putrefaction. Flea market rules: dump them in a big pile and let the buyer sort them out!

When, finally, I decided to see what model it was I said to myself that I should've paid more attention ever since I laid my eyes on it.

CTNT2SD VER2.0 is a TNT 2 PRO / TNT 2 - A, like the Gigabyte GA-660 Plus graphic card from the previous episode, but without the bells and whistles.

Even so, in an ocean full of Vanta and M64 cards, a full TNT 2 is something special. I paid little over 1 EUR for it so I have nothing more to add. NO BRAINER!

Let's meet the star of this episode.

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The card lost its shine and marks left by contact with water abound. The solder joints were dull, the bracket had spots of surface rust and the cooling system has seen better days. I think that you already have guessed why I ignored it for weeks.

A quick test has revealed that it is still firing on all its cylinders.. Well I'll be ...

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Satisfied with the preliminary results, I prepared the operating table for the rejuvenation treatment that the golden card would undergo.

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The heatsink was fixed with a metalic clip and it came with a thick non-adhesive thermal pad.

CTNT2-SD-12.jpg

At some point, someone has added thermal paste over the thermal pad, strange to say the least. I removed all the traces of thermal paste from the thermal pad with a cotton stick and IPA 99% .Thermal pad or thermal paste please make up your mind!

I wanted to replace the original heatsink with a DeepCool V50 but the mounting holes were atypical and it just wouldn't fit even if I was to enlarge the holes in the soft aluminium. So, I decided to reuse the old cooling system.

The thermal pad was mint so I left in place.

The retaining metal clip that was used to fix the heatsink dug a little into the PCB over the years but nothing too serious. A couple of plastic push-pins would've been better. The spacing between the holes suggest that a regular motherboard northbridge heatsink could be used.

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Ready for THE TREATMENT.

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Patience, lots of cotton sticks and a lot of alcohol...isopropyl 99% of ocurse. 😁

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The moment when I gave my full attention to the heatsink, came soon and I weighted my options.

The paint fell off in some areas and I decided to touch up the problem zones instead of painting the entire heatsink. My choice was the right one and the final results were above my expectations. The retaining metal clip was cleaned of rust and hand polished using a rag and some polishing paste.

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While I was cleaning the PCB I saw two ceramic capacitors hanging for dear life. I dont know how I missed them or how they didnt fell off while I was cleaning the board. The graphic card has worked well with them just held in place by tiny bits of solder. I take this as a confirmation of my gentle touch while I clean these relics. 😁.

I soldered them well and the problem was solved.

CTNT2-SD-23.jpg

After this hurdle I turned my attention to the fan which was kind of meh.

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Final results. When I assemebled the cooling system I reversed the retaining clip and I took precautions that none of the hooks from the ends would touch the PCB as it was the case when I bought the card. Attention to detail is paramount when your are working with old parts.

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GOLDEN!

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Some marks will remain forever on the surface of the card, signs of a not so fortunate past, but in the end I was able to restore at least some of its original glory. There is no denying that this model is a budget one but the same thing could be said about a Powercolor Evil King 4 if it wasn't a 3dfx card. One thing is certain, I will buy and restore any TNT 2 (not M64/Vanta) that I can get my hands on.

Another success story!

Cya with the next episode!

gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/10pl7h3bw/

More later.