VOGONS


ISAPC-00 ISA-to-PCMCIA card

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First post, by feipoa

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Has anyone tried using an ISA to PCMCIA card adapter in their retro systems? The part number I have is ISAPC-00 and it is based on the Vadem VC-469. A photo of one can be found here: https://retrodepot.net/?p=415

And this appears to be a manual saying that this adapter was originally intended for Orinoco PCMCIA cards. https://mikrotik.com/documentation/manual_2.3 … lan/GSG_ISA.pdf

I happen to have an Orinoco Gold WiFi card, though my main hope was to use a PCMCIA-CF card adapter on the ISAPC-00. Has anyone had any success with the ISAPC-00 with any card in Windows 95? I installed the ISAPC-00 into my 486 and performed the software setup according to this: http://www.amphus.com/chips/singlechip/469_driver.asp

However, I get a yellow exclamation mark under the Device Manager, stating that I may not have the drivers fully installed. It doesn't show any hardware conflicts though. The PC Card icon in the Control Panel cannot find any card I insert into the ISAPC-00, so I'm assuming it isn't installed correctly.

On another computer (Cyrix MII), I tried the same setup approach, but using Windows 2000 SP4. I also get a yellow exclamation in the Device Manager, with message: "The device cannot start (Code 10)"

Plan your life wisely, you'll be dead before you know it.

Reply 1 of 25, by HanJammer

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I have this one:
http://mypclist.net/u/pfcode/375/
It's based on the same chip so I guess it's pretty much the same.

I havn't tried it yet, although friend of mine who gave it to me didn't managed to get it running (but I think he only tried to do this under DOS).

Some additional info: http://www.cwdixon.com/support/win98_support/pcmcia.htm
See also SWAPFTL at Vetusware.

I may try it this weekend under Win98SE and let you know if it does anything...

Last edited by Stiletto on 2020-03-02, 07:47. Edited 1 time in total.

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Reply 2 of 25, by Aqua

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Hello feipoa,

I have stuck the Vadem VG-469 ISA
PCMCIA card in an AMD 5x86 socket
3 PC.

In MS-DOS 6.22, I use a Phoenix Card Manager to use CF and
SD cards via Pcmcia adapters.
For the Orinoco Gold and WfW3.11 you have to load into Dos an Enabler, the Wavelan driver.
At WfW itself you have to install the Orinoco ODI drivers.

For Win98SE you have to
manually install the PCMCIA socket
for the Vadem card, then the Orinoco Win98 driver.

For WinNT4.0> Cardwizard 4.1 for NT4, then the Orinoco NT driver.

Everything works fine for me.

Since on the 5x86 PC> Win2000 / XP
would make little sense,
I can not tell you much about Vadem-Orinoco Wlan.
I'm Sorry. 🙁

Regards

Aqua

Am5x86 PCI 3dfx Voodoo1.
AMD K6-2 500 3dfx Voodoo2 SLI.
Toshiba P200MMX PC Card Wonder.
Dell Optiplex Small PC Intel Core Duo.
Dell Vostro 1000 AMD64 X2 LD-52.

Reply 3 of 25, by Aqua

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Ich hab gelesen, dass ab gewissen Servicepacks die ISA Unterstützung fallen gelassen wurde.
Könnte also auch daran liegen.

Am5x86 PCI 3dfx Voodoo1.
AMD K6-2 500 3dfx Voodoo2 SLI.
Toshiba P200MMX PC Card Wonder.
Dell Optiplex Small PC Intel Core Duo.
Dell Vostro 1000 AMD64 X2 LD-52.

Reply 4 of 25, by Aqua

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In English, sorry.
I read that the ISA support was dropped from certain
service packs.
So it could be because
of it.

Am5x86 PCI 3dfx Voodoo1.
AMD K6-2 500 3dfx Voodoo2 SLI.
Toshiba P200MMX PC Card Wonder.
Dell Optiplex Small PC Intel Core Duo.
Dell Vostro 1000 AMD64 X2 LD-52.

Reply 5 of 25, by Aqua

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For Windows 95 you can have a
look> Control Panel> Hardware, if
there is an option 'Pcmcia Socket' for
manual installation.
If not, you will need a third-party card manager.

Honestly said never tested, because I use Win98SE synonymous with an
AMD 5x86 rather, because there
3dfx games with Voodoo1 run better. 😁

Am5x86 PCI 3dfx Voodoo1.
AMD K6-2 500 3dfx Voodoo2 SLI.
Toshiba P200MMX PC Card Wonder.
Dell Optiplex Small PC Intel Core Duo.
Dell Vostro 1000 AMD64 X2 LD-52.

Reply 6 of 25, by feipoa

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Thanks for responding. It sounds like you have described an installation similar to the weblink I posted,

For Windows 95/98/NT users, follow the on-screen instructions:

Select or double-click the "Control Panel" icon,
Click "Add New Hardware" icon,
Click "No" if asked "if you want Windows to search",
Click "PCMCIA Socket" in the "Hardware Types" window,
Click "Vadem" in the "Manufacturers" window,
Click "Vadem PCIC compatible PCMCIA Controller" in the "Model" window.
Click "Next" again,
Click "Finish" button.

Are you able to provide screenshots of what your control panel and PCMCIA control panel properties look like without a PC card inserted? Is an IRQ required? I only see a yellow exclamation mark.

Plan your life wisely, you'll be dead before you know it.

Reply 7 of 25, by feipoa

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HanJammer wrote:

I have a unit which looks like this in a 486. The ISA card contains a VIA chipset. This setup worked fine for me.

Plan your life wisely, you'll be dead before you know it.

Reply 8 of 25, by Aqua

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Nice to read. 😀
Now i have buy 2 ISA Pcmcia Vadem VG-469 Cards in 2010 for usefull Filetransfers with my AMD 5x86 and Voodoo 1.

If you want the success Phoenix Cardmanager Config for MS-DOS 6.22, i load an Example up.

Note: I have repartizionized a 64GB Sandisk Ultra 64GB CF Card in 1x 2GB for MS-DOS 6.22 and the Rest in FAT32 for Win98SE for 3dfx Iso-Files for using with Daemon Tools.

Am5x86 PCI 3dfx Voodoo1.
AMD K6-2 500 3dfx Voodoo2 SLI.
Toshiba P200MMX PC Card Wonder.
Dell Optiplex Small PC Intel Core Duo.
Dell Vostro 1000 AMD64 X2 LD-52.

Reply 9 of 25, by Aqua

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I have a Mini Socket 3 Motherboard from Tomato Boards 4DPS with SIS 496 Chipset, manufactured at 1998 for Gaming Automats.
PCI 2.1 Compliant.

Am5x86 PCI 3dfx Voodoo1.
AMD K6-2 500 3dfx Voodoo2 SLI.
Toshiba P200MMX PC Card Wonder.
Dell Optiplex Small PC Intel Core Duo.
Dell Vostro 1000 AMD64 X2 LD-52.

Reply 10 of 25, by Aqua

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For Dosglide ISO's like Starfighter 3000, X-Car Experimental Racing, Tomb Raider 1 with Unfinished Bussiness Pack, Extreme Assault, VRsoccer96 and more i have insert a OpTi 4 Port USB 1.1 Card.

After i have repartionized 8GB Microsd Cards in 4x 2GB FAT16 Primary Partitions and mounted with the Moto Hairu Dos Usb Drivers.
Ok, later i post the Screenshot's from the Pcmcia Socket in Win98SE from Aida32.

Regards from a Nokia N95-8GB Hacked Device. 😀

Am5x86 PCI 3dfx Voodoo1.
AMD K6-2 500 3dfx Voodoo2 SLI.
Toshiba P200MMX PC Card Wonder.
Dell Optiplex Small PC Intel Core Duo.
Dell Vostro 1000 AMD64 X2 LD-52.

Reply 12 of 25, by 386SX

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Sorry if I update this old thread to ask if anyone has tried different multimedia solution using this adapter. There were even Mpeg2 notebook oriented dvd decoders in PCMCIA format, not to mention, bluetooth, modem, wifi, etc... the idea of having such expansion on a 486 or even a 386 sounds cool. 😀

Reply 13 of 25, by Tiido

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This particular adapter is PCMCIA and not Cardbus, majority of those devices are Cardbus and aren't gonna work (or even fit) in the ISA to PCMCIA things.

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Reply 14 of 25, by lolo799

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16bit pcmcia cards will work of course, wifi, modem, sound, graphic, scsi, ide, fm radio, analog tv, video capture, etc.
Dvd decoders are another matter as they require a ZV enabled port, which isn't provided by isa-pcmcia interfaces.
Not sure if bluetooth 16bit card exist, i would think they don't.

PCMCIA Sound, Storage & Graphics

Reply 15 of 25, by Sphere478

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Question..

Usb adapter in this as a way to get usb on isa systems?

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Reply 17 of 25, by Sphere478

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cyberluke wrote on 2022-07-19, 21:35:

Have you found 16bit pcmcia usb card? I found only 32bit cardbus stuff. So I guess the answer is no.

Darn. Thanks 😀

Sphere's PCB projects.
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Reply 18 of 25, by HanJammer

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Sphere478 wrote on 2022-07-19, 21:11:

Question..

Usb adapter in this as a way to get usb on isa systems?

Overly complicated when things like: https://www.lo-tech.co.uk/wiki/Lo-tech_ISA_USB_Adapter exist...

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Reply 19 of 25, by Sphere478

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HanJammer wrote on 2022-07-20, 00:30:
Sphere478 wrote on 2022-07-19, 21:11:

Question..

Usb adapter in this as a way to get usb on isa systems?

Overly complicated when things like: https://www.lo-tech.co.uk/wiki/Lo-tech_ISA_USB_Adapter exist...

Not really, as those devices are for simulating fixed disks. Not other usb devices.

Sphere's PCB projects.
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Sphere’s socket 5/7 cpu collection.
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SUCCESSFUL K6-2+ to K6-3+ Full Cache Enable Mod
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Tyan S1564S to S1564D single to dual processor conversion (also s1563 and s1562)