Re: Tiny Vortex86-based DOS gaming PC - weeCee

Posted on 2021-06-20, 15:43

by

by rasteri

in Marvin \ System Specs

in Marvin \ System Specs

keropi wrote on 2021-06-19, 07:24: also a recommendation, try to have thicker tracks on next pcb revision as these look too thin judging from the pics The power traces are 25mil but most other stuff is 6mil. Do you think it's neccesary to go up to 8mil, given the traces are low-current?

---

Re: Tiny Vortex86-based DOS gaming PC - weeCee

Posted on 2021-06-20, 14:57

by

by rasteri

in Marvin \ System Specs

in Marvin \ System Specs

As far as I can tell, the CS4237 drives the SCL pin push-pull so it doesn't need a pullup resistor. Certainly none of the CS4237-based soundcards I reverse engineered had a pullup on the SCL pin, and all the boards I've built work just fine without R10. The SDA is driven open-drain so it needs a …

---

Re: Tiny Vortex86-based DOS gaming PC - weeCee

Posted on 2021-06-08, 21:02

by

by rasteri

in Marvin \ System Specs

in Marvin \ System Specs

Another problem to solve: rework the ps2 splitter cable I got (I have such bad luck with adapter cables). Do you happen to have the exact pinout needed? Even the keyboard plugged into the keyboard split will not be recognized. The pinout is in the schematic on Circuitmaker. Some splitters have the …

---

Re: Tiny Vortex86-based DOS gaming PC - weeCee

Posted on 2021-06-08, 15:59

by

by rasteri

in Marvin \ System Specs

in Marvin \ System Specs

Looks like only change was the input cap, shouldn't make a difference. The default BIOS settings work for me, I assume your SoM has the same BIOS as me. There looks to be a slightly concerning blob of solder between C6 and C31? Also perhaps clean flux from around crystal, sometimes they can be …

---

Re: Tiny Vortex86-based DOS gaming PC - weeCee

Posted on 2021-06-06, 23:43

by

by rasteri

in Marvin \ System Specs

in Marvin \ System Specs

Heh excellent EEPROM work :) The fact that unisound can't detect anything means it can't see the crystal chip on the ISA bus at all, if the I2C EEPROM was just dead or anything it would still detect it (but be unable to assign it an IRQ etc). Do you have a scope? You could check the crystal is at …

---

Re: Tiny Vortex86-based DOS gaming PC - weeCee

Posted on 2021-05-27, 13:35

by

by rasteri

in Marvin \ System Specs

in Marvin \ System Specs

I've soldered QFPs with leadfree before but it's not ideal. It's all about adding loads of flux and encouraging the solder to go to separate pins by heating several pins at once.

---

Re: Tiny Vortex86-based DOS gaming PC - weeCee

Posted on 2021-05-24, 17:27

by

by rasteri

in Marvin \ System Specs

in Marvin \ System Specs

Haha you've been busy! BIN file is included in the zip file of the PC104 soundcard. When I do a final release of the weeCee gerber files I'll include it with those. Re: Open Source PC104 Soundcard You should be able to find SMD adapters for the TL866 on ebay or aliexpress etc.

---

Vortex86 series benchmarks

Posted on 2021-05-03, 15:10

by

by rasteri

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

I've been playing with the Vortex86 range of processors from DM&P for nearly 15 years, initially as a proto-raspberrypi running linux, and more recently as an ultra-portable DOS gaming platform. For a currently-manufactured chip it has a number of super useful features for a modern DOS gaming …

---

Re: getting bios mouse to work in 98se

Posted on 2021-04-16, 18:17

by

by rasteri

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

sorry, I've been busy with work the drivers did install and work okay sadly usb doesn't work, it even doesn't get detected in device manager the board has 2 com headers, I've soldered a couple serial headers but they didn't work, it's simply that windows 98se doesn't detect half of the hardware …

---

Re: Tiny Vortex86-based DOS gaming PC - weeCee

Posted on 2021-04-15, 08:29

by

by rasteri

in Marvin \ System Specs

in Marvin \ System Specs

Wow, the performance increase going from the 166/300Mhz parts to the 800/933Mhz parts is.... extremely modest. Any idea what's going on with that? So the original Vortex86 was based on the Rise MP6 which I believe is like a Pentium in terms of architecture. I don't think the Vortex86SX and later …

---

Re: Tiny Vortex86-based DOS gaming PC - weeCee

Posted on 2021-04-13, 15:38

by

by rasteri

in Marvin \ System Specs

in Marvin \ System Specs

keenerb wrote on 2021-04-13, 13:24: also your open-source carrier link doesn't seem to have any files or documents or anything, just a picture of it? I haven't released the project yet so the source files are only available in Circuitmaker software, once I get rev2 tested I'll generate gerbers etc

---

Re: getting bios mouse to work in 98se

Posted on 2021-04-13, 15:31

by

by rasteri

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

I successfully used https://www.helpjet.net/Fg-87913681-84611383.html (EDIT : wrong link) as VGA drivers on a vortex DX module - https://www.vogons.org/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=80651 As you say BIOS USB mouse support is super buggy. It might be worth examining the board to see if there's anything that …

---

Re: Tiny Vortex86-based DOS gaming PC - weeCee

Posted on 2021-04-13, 15:01

by

by rasteri

in Marvin \ System Specs

in Marvin \ System Specs

They don't say anything about USB drivers for any OS and dos only mentions network and possible serial interface. I bring it up because of this recent post https://www.vogons.org/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=79939 where no USB drivers were found and graphics drivers were also problematic. Yes the Vortex86 …

---

Re: Tiny Vortex86-based DOS gaming PC - weeCee

Posted on 2021-04-13, 11:32

by

by rasteri

in Marvin \ System Specs

in Marvin \ System Specs

Driver support for the different OSs will be annoying. It runs pretty well on Win98- drivers are available for the graphics/sound/network/usb. 2000/XP supposedly work too but I don't have much interest in that really Ndis2 drivers work on MS network client for DOS, I haven't tried the ODI or packet …

---

Tiny Vortex86-based DOS gaming PC - weeCee

Posted on 2021-04-13, 10:33

by

by rasteri

in Marvin \ System Specs

in Marvin \ System Specs

Gerbers/BOM here : http://rasteri.com/weeCee_gerbers_0.3.zip ICOP manufactures some super-small (70mm square) Vortex86-based System-on-Modules - https://www.icop.com.tw/product/SOM304RD-VI So I thought they'd be great for building a lil DOS gaming PC - weeceeview.jpg Of course it requires a carrier …

---

Re: Open Source PC104 Soundcard

Posted on 2021-02-21, 16:59

by

by rasteri

in Release Announcements

in Release Announcements

matze79 wrote on 2021-02-18, 11:04: Nice work 😀 did you use Output Stage from Datasheet ? (did not yet compare it..) Nah just a DC blocking cap. Some cheap CS4235 soundcards did it that way so I just copied that 😀

---

Re: Open Source PC104 Soundcard

Posted on 2021-02-18, 00:54

by

by rasteri

in Release Announcements

in Release Announcements

ExplodingLemur wrote on 2021-02-11, 21:58: Do you mind if I try to re-do the layout to enhance analog performance and possibly add an OPL3? Yes I'd love for you to do that. Please keep us updated!

---

Open Source PC104 Soundcard

Posted on 2021-01-26, 16:40

by

by rasteri

in Release Announcements

in Release Announcements

I wanted to build a mini DOS gaming PC (which has been discussed here : https://www.vogons.org/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=78370) and frustrated by the cost and lack of availability of PC/104 soundcards, I decided to make my own. The original revision had a few issues (incorrect gameport pinout, lack of …

---

Re: 486 MS-DOS gaming PC, this was a fun youtube video but short.

Posted on 2020-12-29, 00:26

by

by rasteri

in Milliways

in Milliways

I wonder if he posts on here? Hi, yeah I lurk here, thanks for all your kind words! I was gonna make a thread here about the PC104 soundcard when I got the second revision done. I had to add an I2C EEPROM to the board because I couldn't figure out how to get the CS4237 to work without one (I …

---

Cheap Homebrew ISA->PC104 adapters

Posted on 2020-08-10, 22:40

by

by rasteri

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

I've been playing with PC104 CPU boards recently and was frustrated by how expensive it is to plug an ISA card into them. Most adapters are more than $100 and that seems ridiculous when you could probably make your own adapter reasonably easily using IDC connectors and ribbon cable. But I was doing …

---