Re: ReactOS 0.4.0

Posted on 2017-09-02, 13:32

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by gerwin

in Release Announcements

in Release Announcements

ReactOS 0.4.6 has been released. The announcement presents a summary of the most significant changes and has links to more detailed changelogs and test results. Not much to add to that. I read about their 'Google summer of code' projects in the past months, like NTFS file system support. The logs …

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Re: SB16, no MIDI out through gameport

Posted on 2017-08-28, 15:40

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by gerwin

in Marvin \ Sound

in Marvin \ Sound

In all the sooundcards that I have checked (quite a few): the waveblaster midi pin is hardwired to the DB15 port midi pin.

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Re: Windows Sound System (WSS) Adlib/SB16 compatibility on Zenith laptop

Posted on 2017-08-28, 13:23

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by gerwin

in Marvin \ Sound

in Marvin \ Sound

The CS4231 codec is well documented and very common: http://www.cebix.net/downloads/bebox/cs4231a.pdf It is practically identical to the Analog Devices AD1848 codec, as found on an actual Windows Sound System ISA card. The Windows Sound System ISA card is the only card I know of which has no …

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Re: Will this gameport/midi adapter work with wavetable cards?

Posted on 2017-08-28, 02:09

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by gerwin

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

Yes, it uses a dc dc converter that switches at a frequency well above audible frequency, and has low ripple. That sounds like a good solution. Your application does sound interesting. I'd love to hear more if you want to continue via PM. Oh, it is this thing I made some years ago (picture). It is …

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Re: Doom 'MBF' for DOS, Maintenance release 2.04

Posted on 2017-08-28, 01:49

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by gerwin

in Release Announcements

in Release Announcements

Upload no. 16 is available: -Made changes in WSS.C sound driver, to prevent tweaks meant for CS4232 sound chip being applied to a similar OPL3SAx sound chip. Also disabled one tweak entirely for all WSS cards. -Made changes in MPU.C music driver, to prevent lockup when using the older SB16 MPU …

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Re: Why are old PCs considered lame and boring?

Posted on 2017-08-26, 18:30

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by gerwin

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

While I was writing my comment, and editing it, I was actually wondering. Could IBM have made a mode 13h with two pages with the technical limitations of the time? At first I thought yes, but now I am unsure. My comment was only resulting from your text 'VGA itself wasn't the problem.' I have no …

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Re: Why are old PCs considered lame?

Posted on 2017-08-26, 18:10

by

by gerwin

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

If you ask me, SVGA is irrelevant. 99.99% of all DOS games are standard VGA. VGA itself wasn't the problem. Lack of performance was. Amiga offered graphics that were roughly the same quality as VGA, but most games ran at a perfectly smooth 50 fps, where PC was slow and jerky. I would like to add a …

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Re: Will this gameport/midi adapter work with wavetable cards?

Posted on 2017-08-26, 18:02

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by gerwin

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

@dreamblaster I made a Voltage converter once for a similar adapter as the "Chill Limited Edition' V2 KIT". IIRC it made -12V out of 12V using an NE555 timer. But this method creates an alternating voltage that is levelled to the target voltage afterwards. The alternating current gave me audible …

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Re: Need some hardware assistance. Another mobo burns up.

Posted on 2017-08-25, 23:15

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by gerwin

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

I looked it up for you, the VRM does not mention Pentium III/VRM-8.4 compliance, but can supply 1.75 Volt nonetheless. "SC1185CSW" -> http://www.semtech.com/images/datasheet/sc1185.pdf -> "1.3V to 3.5V Pentium ll microprocessor supply" So the Vcore problem should not apply to your motherboard. (To …

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Re: Need some hardware assistance. Another mobo burns up.

Posted on 2017-08-25, 19:02

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by gerwin

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

No problem, but I think my previous post answered your voltage question already? All this is speculation, which may or may not apply to your motherboard, you have to first find the motherboard documentation and VRM datasheet. As for the performance, I don't know. The i440BX was told to be a fast …

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Re: Windows Sound System (WSS) Adlib/SB16 compatibility on Zenith laptop

Posted on 2017-08-25, 16:21

by

by gerwin

in Marvin \ Sound

in Marvin \ Sound

There was an actual Windows Sound System ISA card. And it had an Analog Devices Codec. I don't see the card around much, so I don't think it sold that well. I don't expect your laptop to actually contain that ISA card (or does it?). But the actual WSS sound interface compatibilty is seen in many …

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Re: Need some hardware assistance. Another mobo burns up.

Posted on 2017-08-25, 15:57

by

by gerwin

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

I never dared to try that. My guess is: on a poorly prepared motherboard one of the Voltage request signals is unsupported and gets ignored, so what you may get instead is a totally unexpected core voltage. On a properly prepared mainboard it would detect 'voltage request is unsupported' and will …

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Re: Need some hardware assistance. Another mobo burns up.

Posted on 2017-08-25, 15:17

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by gerwin

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

Do these mainboards officialy support Slotted Coppermine-core Processors? Coppermine core normally requires voltages of 1.65 to 1.75V. But early Slot-1/Socket 370 motherboards precede this requirement. Do these mainboards UNofficialy support Slotted Coppermine-core Processors? Which usually means: …

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Re: Why no 486 to 386 socket adapter?

Posted on 2017-08-25, 14:20

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by gerwin

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

I hope to reverse engineer and create a copy from this one... maybe even make a socket version... rather than QFP. Have you tested this to work? It is very interesting indeed. It seems to be a relatively simple device. But what is the deal with the two extra rows of contacts within the socket 3 …

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Re: Researching new Windows XP build

Posted on 2017-08-23, 22:00

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by gerwin

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

Falcosoft wrote: Would you test your i3 with 16x multiplier to see how its TSC behaves? You can use my tool (it's only 4KB and no installation is required). Of course. Here are the results at 16.0x multiplier (Both cores enabled). Seems like good news right? Just that 1600 MHz is not particularly …

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Re: Researching new Windows XP build

Posted on 2017-08-23, 21:02

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by gerwin

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

The Ivy Bridge i5-3570K is about as fast as you can get without getting exotic (socket 2011). Fast, no hyperthreading, and the price has come down a lot. The main benefit of the i5-3570K might not be its speed but its underclocking potential. I have been reading that some XP games might not like an …

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Re: Tie Fighter floppy version VESA support (and Pentium)

Posted on 2017-08-23, 01:16

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by gerwin

in Marvin \ Software

in Marvin \ Software

I don't know by head, but I wrote MCGA to differentiate from the 640x480 16 color mode which is also referred to as VGA. (this 16 color mode has nothing to do with TIE Fighter.) Most 320x200 games use https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mode_13h, But some use 320x200 Mode-X. Not sure if Keropi is talking …

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Re: 386 upgrade kits and the Transcomputer 486HPi - Am5x86-160 anyone?

Posted on 2017-08-22, 22:26

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by gerwin

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

Does it work with an Am5x86-133/160? It does... can set clock multiplier to x2, x3, and x4... ran it on one of the Forex boards I have kickin around... Interesting stuff. Are you sure you have that many multiplier options. AFAIK there is only one multiplier select pin ( R17 CLKMUL ) on the am486/ …

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Re: 486 VLB UMC-Chipset, what is it?

Posted on 2017-08-22, 18:59

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by gerwin

in Marvin \ System Specs

in Marvin \ System Specs

Good to hear that this topic was helpful for you. I suppose quite a few typical 486 problems and solutions were encountered during the tweaking of this 486. Makes me wonder, which problem did I miss out on. Well... Fake cache for example ;). If you have time, please share some more details and/or …

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Re: Tie Fighter floppy version VESA support (and Pentium)

Posted on 2017-08-22, 01:41

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by gerwin

in Marvin \ Software

in Marvin \ Software

Floppy version is MCGA only: 320x200 pixels. It requires EMS memory. CD version can switch from 320x200 to 640x480. It is a protected mode game.

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