If the pins in the vga connector are damaged, try with the contact cleaner. Maybe this will change the pattern, but i doubt this is the problem... More likely RAM...

butjer1010 wrote on 2024-08-02, 06:55:

If the pins in the vga connector are damaged, try with the contact cleaner. Maybe this will change the pattern, but i doubt this is the problem... More likely RAM...

I can try some isopropyl alcohol but yes I doubt it too... still it's weird that pressing the ram modules the pattern doesn't change...

That looks like either a RAM or a BGA chip issue. Please post photos of the card's top and bottom sides..

I tried to push both the memory chips and the main chip, no changes...

The only thing out ordinary I can see it seems on zoran chip, it seems there is blob of something on the right side?

Ok I just checked, I know the gpu needs a cooler, but there is another chip which just 30 seconds gets very very hot it's this one: SEC 818D KS0127

There is an MGA rebranded by IBM as GXT130 used for their RS/6000 Unix boxes.
These can be flashed for PC use as the PC-version can be flashed for RS/6000.
This might explain the different identifier.

eisapc wrote on 2024-08-02, 08:41:

There is an MGA rebranded by IBM as GXT130 used for their RS/6000 Unix boxes.
These can be flashed for PC use as the PC-version can be flashed for RS/6000.
This might explain the different identifier.

Thank you, it would explain why I had to flash twice the bios of the card.
Could it be that's incompatible with other computers?
Do you have the card, any guide to check if the pins are correct (they should be now).

That's the chip which gets even more hot than the gpu, just after 30 seconds:

interesting, the zoran and ks0127b are jpeg codec & MULTISTANDARD VIDEO DECODER/SCALER respectively

Only thing missing would be a tv tuner & video inputs.

weedeewee wrote on 2024-08-02, 08:55:

interesting, the zoran and ks0127b are jpeg codec & MULTISTANDARD VIDEO DECODER/SCALER respectively

Only thing missing would be a tv tuner & video inputs.

Yes in fact the flashed bios is the TVO version.

Is there a website that has the different bios files which are possible? including the rs6000 one .

sorry, i'm too lazy to google for it at the moment.

weedeewee wrote on 2024-08-02, 09:26:

Is there a website that has the different bios files which are possible? including the rs6000 one .

sorry, i'm too lazy to google for it at the moment.

More than the bios, the problem I think they could be the pins.
Since now the card gives a garbled output while when there wasn't any bios I was receiving the 3 beeps video card error.

Nemo1985 wrote on 2024-08-02, 09:29:

weedeewee wrote on 2024-08-02, 09:26:

Is there a website that has the different bios files which are possible? including the rs6000 one .

sorry, i'm too lazy to google for it at the moment.

More than the bios, the problem I think they could be the pins.
Since now the card gives a garbled output while when there wasn't any bios I was receiving the 3 beeps video card error.

It's a Marvel G200-TV PCI... https://web.archive.org/web/20030416054400/ht … 00/marv_eng.pdf

Far as a PINS file goes, try MXINFO Re: Changed refreshrate (advanced option) for matrox g200 and now i get only black screen

There is an archive collection of PINS files, but the Marvel G200-TV listed seems to be for the AGP version (may still work!?)... https://web.archive.org/web/20040102184813/ht … .html#pinsfiles

Don't think there's a BIOS set newer than v3.51 for this generation of cards...

PC Hoarder Patrol wrote on 2024-08-02, 10:08:

[...]

Thank you very much.

So here is an update.
I was able to export the pins, the values seems ok. The latest bios version is the 3.3 (which I already installed from this file: setup_g258_2 I had in my archive, it should probably contains the latest bios released from Matrox for series G card.
The bios used is the one starting with 899.
What I think is wrong is that the chip near the db-26 ports just after a minute become so hot that I can't touch it with my finger, unlucky I wasn't able to find what the purpose of the chip, if it was the ramdac could it explain the video issues?
It also seem it's used just in this particular model of g200 so I can't even buy another g200 and try the transplant.

The broken characters are always the same, I tried to turn on the pc several times, just to be sure.

Nemo1985 wrote on 2024-08-02, 19:02:

Thank you very much. […]
Show full quote

PC Hoarder Patrol wrote on 2024-08-02, 10:08:

[...]

Thank you very much.

So here is an update.
I was able to export the pins, the values seems ok. The latest bios version is the 3.3 (which I already installed from this file: setup_g258_2 I had in my archive, it should probably contains the latest bios released from Matrox for series G card.
The bios used is the one starting with 899.
What I think is wrong is that the chip near the db-26 ports just after a minute become so hot that I can't touch it with my finger, unlucky I wasn't able to find what the purpose of the chip, if it was the ramdac could it explain the video issues?
It also seem it's used just in this particular model of g200 so I can't even buy another g200 and try the transplant.

The broken characters are always the same, I tried to turn on the pc several times, just to be sure.

FYI.
ks0127 MULTISTANDARD VIDEO DECODER/SCALER

it's for the tv part of the card, shouldn't have anything to do with VGA output.

weedeewee wrote on 2024-08-02, 19:41:

FYI. ks0127 MULTISTANDARD VIDEO DECODER/SCALER […]
Show full quote

Nemo1985 wrote on 2024-08-02, 19:02:

Thank you very much. […]
Show full quote

PC Hoarder Patrol wrote on 2024-08-02, 10:08:

[...]

Thank you very much.

So here is an update.
I was able to export the pins, the values seems ok. The latest bios version is the 3.3 (which I already installed from this file: setup_g258_2 I had in my archive, it should probably contains the latest bios released from Matrox for series G card.
The bios used is the one starting with 899.
What I think is wrong is that the chip near the db-26 ports just after a minute become so hot that I can't touch it with my finger, unlucky I wasn't able to find what the purpose of the chip, if it was the ramdac could it explain the video issues?
It also seem it's used just in this particular model of g200 so I can't even buy another g200 and try the transplant.

The broken characters are always the same, I tried to turn on the pc several times, just to be sure.

FYI.
ks0127 MULTISTANDARD VIDEO DECODER/SCALER

it's for the tv part of the card, shouldn't have anything to do with VGA output.

Ok... I wonder if I should try to desolder it since I'm not going to use the tv part... this chip gets so hot (I doubt it's normal since it does nothing), it's impossible to keep the finger on it after 30 seconds that the system has been on...
It could also mean there is a short somewhere...
The other way is to try to desolder the video ram

By the way, you only usually learn much about flaky RAM, badly soldered RAM, when it's mechanically supported by the solder, like standard DIP (bad join, loose via, cracked trace) also applies to SOJ, and BGA (bad ball, bad solder etc) whereas the SOP TSOP SOIC types are often fixed down to the board with a blob of epoxy, so unless they're kinda popcorned (usually visible) and you're pressing the die back down onto the lead frame they're not really going to move in relation to their connections and show a fault. In that situation, what you want to be doing is actually pressing on the leads with something non conductive, popsicle stick or something.

BitWrangler wrote on 2024-08-02, 21:51:

By the way, you only usually learn much about flaky RAM, badly soldered RAM, when it's mechanically supported by the solder, like standard DIP (bad join, loose via, cracked trace) also applies to SOJ, and BGA (bad ball, bad solder etc) whereas the SOP TSOP SOIC types are often fixed down to the board with a blob of epoxy, so unless they're kinda popcorned (usually visible) and you're pressing the die back down onto the lead frame they're not really going to move in relation to their connections and show a fault. In that situation, what you want to be doing is actually pressing on the leads with something non conductive, popsicle stick or something.

Uhm I'm skeptical that there is epoxy under the video ram, but if I got it right I should try to press the metal contacts with a popsicle while the system is on? It would be different than use the finger to press the memory chips?

Well epoxy or not, chips that are absolutely flush with the board surface, no sliver of light can be seen under them, have no freedom of movement at all, such that the pressure on them goes straight to the PCB and doesn't disturb the connections in any way. Just saying in that situation you want to try disturbing the connections directly, with something non conductive if you want to just run it across them, or very carefully one at a time with a metal probe.

BitWrangler wrote on 2024-08-04, 03:09:

Well epoxy or not, chips that are absolutely flush with the board surface, no sliver of light can be seen under them, have no freedom of movement at all, such that the pressure on them goes straight to the PCB and doesn't disturb the connections in any way. Just saying in that situation you want to try disturbing the connections directly, with something non conductive if you want to just run it across them, or very carefully one at a time with a metal probe.

uhm but correct me if I'm wrong if the problem is the connection pushing the chips may change the pattern, while if a video memory chip is damaged instead of being a contact issue push the chips does nothing.
I'm puzzled because the memory chips are quite near the plastic expansion slot, for sure I wouldn't be able to desolder them I will need someone with some skill and the right equipment.