VOGONS


Reply 440 of 844, by Robert B

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Toto - Hold The Line (Official Music Video)

Flea market surprise!!!

As you probably know by now, the Flea Market Surprise epsiodes contain a bunch of components that I have aquired from the flea market.

Flea Market Surprise - because you never know what you will find there! This is what makes the visits to the Good Ol' Flea Market, worthwhile. Trust me, I know what I'm talking about 😁 I can quit anytime I want, I just choose not to!

The presentation is short and I usually let the pictures tell the story. This is what a FMS episode is all about.

Let's meet the stars of this episode!

1. AMD K6-2/500AFX - 500MHz
2. AMD Athlon 1200MHz - AXIA0124UPBW - A1200AMS3C
3. Intel Pentium 4 - 1.4GHZ S423 Willamette - SL4SC
4. 3dfx Voodoo 1 - Diamond Monster 3D PCI 4MB Rev. E
5. Protac Video Excel AG240D REV2.2 - Fastware Intel i740 Power 3D
6. MITSUMI CRMC-FX120T - CD-ROM 12x
7. Intel Pentium II 350MHz - SL2U4

Quite a line-up don't you think?

AMD K6-2/500AFX - 500MHz *** AMD Athlon 1200MHz - AXIA0124UPBW - A1200AMS3C *** Intel Pentium 4 - 1.4GHZ S423 Willamette - SL4SC

The CPUs have been cleaned, pins have been straightened and useless labels have been eliminated.

CPUs-01.jpg CPUs-02.jpg CPUs-03.jpg CPUs-04.jpg CPUs-05.jpg CPUs-06.jpg CPUs-07.jpg

gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/1sw8y5ia6/

3dfx Voodoo 1 - Diamond Monster 3D PCI 4MB Rev. E

A common card but illusive at the same time.

I paid for it, a little over 1EUR, even if I knew that it was knee deep in the dead. Who knows, maybe I'll fix'er up in the future, I have a knack for hard to solve cases.

3dfx-V1-DAMAGED-01.jpg 3dfx-V1-DAMAGED-02.jpg

DO NOT BUY! was written all over it.

An idiot has learned some desoldering tehniques on a 3dfx card. What THE FU..........K?!?!? It's missing almost all of the resistors...a few solid capacitors...inductors...PCB pads...and God know what else...

Needless to say that the idiot still has a lot to learn...

Fortunately I have a Diamond V1 Rev. E in my collection and I was able to conduct a thorough examination...tens of missing componets...

3dfx-V1-DAMAGED-03.jpg 3dfx-V1-DAMAGED-04.jpg 3dfx-V1-DAMAGED-05.jpg 3dfx-V1-DAMAGED-06.jpg 3dfx-V1-DAMAGED-07.jpg 3dfx-V1-DAMAGED-08.jpg 3dfx-V1-DAMAGED-09.jpg 3dfx-V1-DAMAGED-10.jpg

Scary? Sure, but these V1 cards are very simple and they can be repaired. What is desoldered can be soldered back. You need the missing parts, some soldering skills and an ounce of madness...I think that I fit the profile quite well..

After I knew the full extent of the damage I prepared the card for cleaning. No dirty stuff in my boxes!

3dfx-V1-DAMAGED-11.jpg 3dfx-V1-DAMAGED-12.jpg 3dfx-V1-DAMAGED-13.jpg 3dfx-V1-DAMAGED-14.jpg 3dfx-V1-DAMAGED-15.jpg 3dfx-V1-DAMAGED-16.jpg 3dfx-V1-DAMAGED-17.jpg 3dfx-V1-DAMAGED-18.jpg 3dfx-V1-DAMAGED-19.jpg 3dfx-V1-DAMAGED-20.jpg 3dfx-V1-DAMAGED-21.jpg

When I had my two V1 cards side by side I saw that my good V1 was missing an inductor so I made a transplant. Another missing part from the almost empty V1 is not a big deal. IMO.

3dfx-V1-DAMAGED-22.jpg 3dfx-V1-DAMAGED-23.jpg 3dfx-V1-DAMAGED-24.jpg 3dfx-V1-DAMAGED-25.jpg

I searched on the internet information regarding the missing components and I found what I needed. Fate made it so that I also found at the flea market a HUGE card made in 1996 which is full of all the parts I need - ceramic capacitors, resistors and a bunch of other parts.

I think that you get my hint. It can be done if I'm willing to put in the hours or I can use this V1 as a donor card...all good alternatives.

3dfx-V1-DAMAGED-26.jpg 3dfx-V1-DAMAGED-27.jpg 3dfx-V1-DAMAGED-28.jpg 3dfx-V1-DAMAGED-29.jpg 20181124-113842.jpg

gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/1whc6apxq/

PRW-FM-49.jpg PRW-FM-50.jpg PRW-FM-51.jpg PRW-FM-52.jpg PRW-FM-53.jpg

I paid under 3EUR for the card. Money well spent! A treasure trove of parts!

Protac Video Excel AG240D REV2.2 - Fastware Intel i740 Power 3D

GOLDEN BROWN!

Power3-D-i740-01.jpg Power3-D-i740-02.jpg Power3-D-i740-03.jpg Power3-D-i740-04.jpg Power3-D-i740-05.jpg

gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/3gikxv2dq/

MITSUMI CRMC-FX120T - CD-ROM 12x

Ahhh Mitsumi...CD-ROMs...I LOVE THEM TO BITS...call me strange I DONT CARE!!! 😁

A soon as I laid my eyes on it I knew that it will come home with me. Still white and with few scratches it was begging for a rescue.

FX120-T-01.jpg

It costed me under 3EUR. Cheap date I konw...

When I got back to my car I noticed that something was rattling inside and the tray would not stay closed when I pointed the unit with the face down... sheeshhhh only you could find this kind of stuff...no further commentary is necessary...superfluous stuff...

Let's restore this $hit!

A screw wasnt going to come out...drilling action required!

FX120-T-02.jpg

Some superglue, transparent Poxipol, silicone grease, a little plastic surgery...good as new! MAN I'M GOOD!!!

FX120-T-03.jpg FX120-T-04.jpg FX120-T-05.jpg FX120-T-06.jpg FX120-T-07.jpg FX120-T-08.jpg FX120-T-09.jpg FX120-T-10.jpg FX120-T-11.jpg FX120-T-12.jpg

The unit was very clean inside and it doesnt have a rubber belt. All is based on sprockets...almost IMMORTAL stuff.

Even so, I cleaned it well... 😁

FX120-T-13.jpg FX120-T-14.jpg FX120-T-15.jpg FX120-T-16.jpg

The good stuff.

FX120-T-17.jpg FX120-T-18.jpg FX120-T-19.jpg FX120-T-20.jpg FX120-T-21.jpg

Clean bill of health.

FX120-T-22.jpg FX120-T-23.jpg FX120-T-24.jpg FX120-T-25.jpg

During testing I noticed that sometimes the tray would open right after I closed it.

I opened the unit and I tweaked a little the micro-switch that was responsible for this behaviour. Problem solved!

FX120-T-26.jpg

gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/1dqj95w3y/

Intel Pentium II 350MHz - SL2U4

Opened, cleaned, custom thermal pads made from soft blue AC thermal pads, some AC MX-4 and that's all she wrote....

More words aren't required...

PII350x2-01.jpg PII350x2-02.jpg PII350x2-03.jpg PII350x2-04.jpg PII350x2-05.jpg PII350x2-06.jpg PII350x2-07.jpg PII350x2-08.jpg PII350x2-09.jpg PII350x2-10.jpg PII350x2-11.jpg PII350x2-12.jpg PII350x2-13.jpg

gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/2md2w7lqm/

Don't be fooled by the short presentation, a lot of eblow grease was needed to obtain the results presented above, but I think that you already knew this...aaaa and before I forget I dont like working with half measures...but I think that you also already knew this...who knows maybe YOU, the readers know me better than I know myself 😁. Next year in February 2019 I will celebrate 4 years since I started this incursion into the past...

Time flies...

More later.

Reply 441 of 844, by Robert B

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Worakls ft. Linda Clifford - Porto (Nuno Cacho Lovers Mashup)

Intel 80486 OverDrive 100 MHz and friends

This story came out of nothing.

All started after I found at the flea market, my second Intel 80486 Overdrive 100MHz - DX4ODPR100 / SZ959 V1.1 CPU, which this time was complete and it came with the original heatsink. For this gem I had to pay arround 5 EUR and I had to use all of my haggling skills. The gypsy that sold it, told me to quit messing with him. This guy really didnt like my offer that was less than half of the asking price. I know him well and in the past I bought stuff from him, so I wasnt put off by this. You have to insist and also to present arguments, otherwise he won't sell a component even if he knows that he might not find someone else to buy it. He's quite stubborn but once you have passed his defences and start buying from him, prices drop considerably. The sight of money in your hand helps a lot.

The CPU was dirty, had a few bent pins, several fins from the heatsink were out of line but otherwise it was complete.

DX4-ODPR100-01.jpg DX4-ODPR100-02.jpg

After a little work it was almost good as new. The label has faded but it is still easy to descipher. I test fitted the CPU in my socket 3 Jetway J446A V2.0 motherboard and all went well.

DX4-ODPR100-03.jpg

Some time after this moment, coupled with the fact that my repairing and restoring skills have increased, I remembered that I have in my possession two socket 3 motherboards which were put in the BOX of damaged components.

The two socket 3 motherboards are:

* Kaimei Electronic Corp KM-S4-1 Ver: 1.1 - bought from the flea market in April 2016.
* Jetway J446A-V2.0 - bought in February 2015 with my first batch of old components.

Both feature a SiS 496/497 chipset combination. They are solid and versatile motherboards. I really like this type of socket 3 motherboard as it makes me remember the ZIDA Tomato Board 4DPS that equiped my first PC in 1996.

I took out the two socket 3 motherboard from the BOX in which they sat and I conducted a thorough examination. After this examination, I came to the conclusion that both of them were prime candidates for a full recovery.

I was prepared to do everything that was possible to recover the motherboards. I felt confident and I was looking only at the final goal: the complete recovery of the motherboards.

Kaimei Electronic Corp KM-S4-1 Ver: 1.1

I tackled this motherboard first as I thought that it had fewer problems to solve. Little did I know...

A trace that was placed in the middle of the CPU socket, was torn and its ends were up in the air. I found out about this problem right after I bought the motherboard and I started to clean it.

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

I used a multimeter to determine from where the trace came and where it went but this proved quite difficult and in the end I got nothing.

I evaluated my options and I wasnt going to desolder the entire CPU socket just to see where the trace went, so I decided to remove the cover of the CPU socket hoping that I might get a better view of the situation.

After I removed the CPU cover I found more problems. Even if the holes in the cover were pristine, beneath this cover, four pins in the CPU socket were damaged, three bent inward and one a little deformed. What the hell happened?!

SK3-04.jpg SK3-05.jpg

I didnt lose too much time searching for an explanation and I made from a soft needle, a tiny hook with which I was going to try and mend the damaged pins of the CPU socket. Initially I wanted to take four good pins from another motherboard, but I gave up on this idea as I suspected that they might have a shape that would not permit me to take them out of the socket even if I was to desolder them.

Even on my first try, a tiny metal piece broke off from one of the pins of the CPU socket that was bent inward ...in the end all of the pins that were bent inward lost the same tiny metal piece. The good news was that the oposite part of these pins was still in place and I bent this part a little, until it was at an angle that was needed for them to make contact with the pins of the CPU. The fourth pin of the CPU socket has survived the procedure.

SK3-06.jpg SK3-07.jpg

After I completed this task I made a test. All was OK! The force required to secure the CPU in the socket and all the noises made during this procedure were good. Dire Straits - Going Home

SK3-08.jpg

The removal of the CPU cover has yielded ZERO clues in regard to the PCB trace...

After I inspected several good motherboards I came to the conclusion that perhaps, I have nothing to worry about, and the part of the trace that went under the CPU socket probably didnt touch anything, so I positioned it at angle that I deemed to be correct.

I used a thicker wire to bridge the ends of the torn trace.

Why I used a thicker wire? The trace is made from a very fine copper wire and even if I used my 15W soldering iron there was a good chance that I might burn it. The thicker wire would take a lot of the heat that was needed for soldering and the trace would have better chances of survival. I dont have a trace repair kit but I know how its done professionally. No big deal if you have what you need. As I didnt have the required tools and materials I used what I had at hand.

SK3-09.jpg

I fixed the thicker wire with transparent POXIPOL not only to hold it in place but to also insulate it and avoid a contact with other components. The ends of the torn trace were cleaned of laquer with a sharp blade and MAXIMUM ATTENTION so that the solder would adhere as it should. Any mishappening at this moment would've meant THE END.

Flux, solder, 15W soldering iron.

SK3-10.jpg SK3-11.jpg

After all this work I conducted a final examination of the motherboard.

BEHOLD! A monkey has played with the solder joints of the MOSFET and has even scratched the PCB. Pfffttt.........I have to fix this mess too.

SK3-12.jpg SK3-13.jpg

After a good IPA 99% bath I was ready FOR THE BIG TEST!!!

Did it work? He he, of course IT DID!

SK3-14.jpg SK3-15.jpg SK3-16.jpg SK3-17.jpg

RETURNED FROM THE DEAD!!!

SK3-18.jpg

Now came the moment to recover the second socket 3 motherboard.

This was going to be a tough nut to crack...

Jetway J446A-V2.0

SK3-19.jpg SK3-20.jpg

Problems that needed my attention:

1. 6 capacitors were missing 1uf 50V, 10uf 25V, 470uf 16V - TC1, TC2,TC3, TC4, TC20, C45
2. Missing MOSFET and missing information regarding the specs of the MOSFET.
3. The plastic cover of the CPU was damaged.
4. Many bent pins of the memory slots.
5. One memory slot was missing the tiny plastic hooks that keep the memory stick in place.
6. Hundreds of bent pins on the back of the motherboard.
7. The BIOS chip had a torn pin that had been soldered back.
8. ZERO JUMPERS PRESENT! about 30 pcs.
9. Bent pins in one of the ISA slots.

WHAT A MESS!! Even so, I was determined to do something about it and I wasnt going to quit.

I CAN SAVE THIS MOTHER OF ALL BOARDS!

The missing capacitors.

SK3-21.jpg SK3-22.jpg SK3-23.jpg SK3-24.jpg

The memory slots.

SK3-25.jpg SK3-26.jpg

After very tense minutes I managed to straighten all of the pins of the memory slots. Subsequent tests made with various sticks of RAM have revealed that all of the pins were making good contact with the pads. The sticks of RAM that were inserted in the top memory slot, the one that was missing the tiny plastic hooks, were held well in place so I had no reason to replace the slot.

SK3-27.jpg SK3-28.jpg

GET BENT! I had to straighten a lot of the pins on the back of the motherboard as many even made contact with another. A BIG NO NO when I was about to power up the motherboard. INDIAN SMOKE SIGNAL FOR SURE or 4th of July sparks, depending of the situation.

SK3-29.jpg

A new cover for the CPU socket was taken from an incomplete motherboard.

SK3-30.jpg

The damaged ISA slot. Again tense moments. The bent pins make good contact now but I won't use this slot unless it will be absolutely necessary.

SK3-31.jpg SK3-32.jpg SK3-33.jpg

I soldered the missing caps. Instead of a 470uf 16V capacitor I soldered a 470uf 25V SAMXON (GT) Long life/High Ripple/Low IMPEDANCE. It's bigger but I was able the shoehorn it in. The tiny 1uf 50V and 10uf 25V caps are the brand that I found localy: Huang and ChongX. Mr HUANG & ChongX told me: ME FIX YOU UP GOOD! So I used them. 😁

SK3-34.jpg SK3-35.jpg SK3-36.jpg SK3-37.jpg

I identified the specs of the missing MOSFET. My working J446A V2.0 motherboard has offered the information I needed, together with a not so great piece of news.

The heatsink required to cool the MOSFET had a special shape.

SK3-38.jpg

I searched high and low for a heatsink but I couldnt find anything that would fit so I had to order more models. I also had to order the missing MOSFET and 100 jumpers.

REINFORCEMENTS HAVE ARRIVED! Daft Punk - Veridis Quo

SK3-39.jpg SK3-40.jpg

The heatsink must be placed under the MOSFET and the MOSFET has to be tightened well with a screw, a washer and a nut.

The ordered heatsinks were all too wide and they wouldn't fit well on the PCB. They were the smallest size that I could buy and I wasn't going to grind them down to size and lose some of the cooling capacity.

I wanted to put the MOSFET in a straight position but it didnt have support.

Casse-tete probleme!

In the end I used a heatsink that was more suitable. I used a second nut to distance the heatsink from the surrounding components, I arranged the legs of the MOSFET in the required position, I soldered nicely the MOSFET, I even found a red washer like the original one.

AS GOOD AS IT GETS! Excellent results! (Pads himself on the back for a job well done.)

SK3-41.jpg SK3-42.jpg SK3-43.jpg

Pictures with the soldering job.

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More pictures with the MOSFET.

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Capacitors.

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After all this hard work I was ready for THE TEST!

I powered up the motherboard and I waited anxiously for the right noises and sounds.

NO POST! NO BEEP! NADA!

Sheeetttttt!

I looked closely at the motherboard and I saw that the graphic adapter didnt go all the way into the slot because one of the jumpers was in the way. A common problem back in the day.

SK3-57.jpg

I moved the graphic card into another slot and I tried again.

BLACK SCREEN! NO POST! NO BEEP! NADA!

#$&@*$&(@*&$*(@#~~~~~!!!! 😁

Hmmm...

Before I powered the board I removed the BIOS chip and I verified to see if the BIOS file was good. I didnt find the same version but I looked at another BIOS file and all seemed to be order. I used the HxD editor. At that moment I didnt write a newer version because I thought that maybe the version that was present on the chip was the right one for this motherboard.

Out of options I programmed the BIOS chip with the version that I found on the internet.

SK3-58.jpg SK3-59.jpg

I crossed my fingers and I pressed THE POWER BUTTON!

CLANK!

BEEP!

I'M ALIVE!!!

The satisfaction was off the scale. Oh the JOY! I breathed deep and I said to myself GOOD JOB!

First I inserted a single RAM stick then four and all of them were recognized, sign that all of the RAM slots are operational.

I tried an AMD 5x86 133MHZ ADZ CPU and the Intel 486 OverDrive 100MHz.

ALL SYSTEMS NOMINAL!!!

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Cleaned and repaired.

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A JOB WEEL DONE!

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I took pictures of my good J446A V2.0 together with the repaired motherboards.

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gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/jgklxuvw/

A nice spread dont you think? 😁

Now my collection has two new socket 3 motherboards that are in good working condition.

It pays to stick to your guns and never give up once you have established a goal. 😁

A few years ago I labeled these types of boards as organ donors but now I know that I can save them.

Merry Christmas!

Reply 444 of 844, by Robert B

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Darin Epsilon - My Own Time (feat. Alice Rose)

ON NEW YEARS EVE(UTC/GMT+2): THE SUPER - not to be confused with SUPPER 😁

P6-DLS-V2-1-001.jpg

"What's All The Hubub...Bub?" with the toilet seat???. 😁 Well....in due time all will be revealed. 😁

Over one hundred pictures with a bunch of CPUs, slotkets and a mighty DUAL CPU LX mother of all moherboards! My biggest retro board to date!

CYA laterz my readers!!! 😁

Reply 445 of 844, by Robert B

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Saber Rider Metal Theme - High Quality

The SUPER

Like many other situations in the past, the way that this board has found its way to me, it is af if, it had my name written all over it. She was searching for me but I was playing hard to get.

In July 2018 I was having a session of physiotherapy because I lifted something too heavy in the wrong way. While the doctor was doing her work and I was lying on the bed, having nothing better to do, I opened the WhatsApp application on my phone, to see if I had received a message. BAM! ONE MESSAGE: "What do you think about this DUAL CPU motherboard?".

-Hmm...NICE piece of KIT you have there. How much is the DAMAGE?
-$$$
-That's a fair price I said. Let me think about for a few days.

Looking back, I had no reason to wait and I should've snatched it right away, but me being me, I had to do my homework before I would buy it.

What was the DUAL CPU motherboard that I'm referring to?

SUPER/SUPERMICRO P6DLS REV 2.1 - Intel SLOT 1 440LX DUAL CPU

The manual stated that the motherboard supports Pentium II 233/266/300/333 MHz CPUs on a 66MHz bus. Now, the board had my full attention.

https://www.supermicro.com/manuals/motherboar … 0LX/MNL-607.pdf

I searched for information regarding this model on the internet and I found a particularly interesting webpage written in russian. I used TRANSLATE and I obtained some valuable information.

http://www.phantom.sannata.ru/konkurs/2017/kt1701.shtml

From the translated text, one paragraph was very important as it stateted that if the VRM of the motherboard was equiped with a Cherry Semiconductor CS5155 chip, then it would support more CPUs than those stated in the manual. The CS 5155 can provide a voltage range from 1.3V to 3.5V versus the CS5150 which has a voltage range from 2.1V to 3.5V. The Vcore voltage is supplied automatically as this motherboard doesnt have OC features.

Why is this so important? Well, I can use Pentium II Deschutes(Vcore 2.0V) CPUs that run on a 66/100MHz bus besides the Pentium II Klamath (Vcore 2.8V) models specified in the manual. It is understood that the 100MHz bus Deschutes that will run on a 66MHz bus are going to function at a lower frequency than what they are cappable of. Let's take for example a PII 350MHz/100MHz Deschutes which has a 3.5 multiplier. If we multiply 3.5x100MHz=350MHz. On a 66MHz bus we will get a much lower frequency 3.5x66MHz~233MHz.

Besides all the aspects mentioned above, I also had an ulterior motive for wanting that CS5155 chip. I was planning to use two Celeron A SLOT 1 CPUs. I already had one Celeron 333MHz Mendocino core SL2WN (Vcore 2.0V) CPU which I bought from the flea market.

I asked the seller to send me a few pictures with the VRM area, to see if the CS5155 chip was present. From what I have read on the internet the CS5155 isn't usually seen on Revision 2.1 motherboards.

In a way I was looking for reasons not to buy this motherboard...

I received the pictures that I needed: CS5155 REPORTING FOR DUTY SiiiiiiiiiiiiiiRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!

YES!

After more WhatApp conversations I found out that the motherboard belonged to another contact of mine and the one that sent me the pictures was selling it for him. I knew both of them pretty well as we have made several transactions in the past. Over the phone I received all the information I needed from the owner of the motherboard and from the one that sent me the pictures and was selling it for him, I bought two Celeron 333MHz SL2WN SLOT 1 CPUs and I also received the confirmation that the motherboard was in good working condition.

Pretty complicated isn't it?

I had several opportunities to obtain DUAL CPU motherboards but I didnt buy any of them as they didnt speak to me. With the P6DLS it was different. As soon as I laid my eyes on it I knew that it was mine. The size, the emerald green color, the fact that it is a SUPERMICRO motherboard, a company that I still respect very much, the quality of construction, made me melt and I paid the asking price.

MINE!

I waited anxiously the arrival of the motherboard which had my name written all over it. When the courier came, I received a somewhat curious package.

P6-DLS-V2-1-001.jpg

A TOILET SEAT? I mean the package from a toilet seat?!?! That's something! I sure hope the contents aren't shitty.

I removed the components from the box and I took a few pictures. This thing right here is THE REAL DEAL.

P6-DLS-V2-1-002.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-003.jpg

CS5155

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440LX

P6-DLS-V2-1-005.jpg

It was obvious that the motherboard hadn't been used for some time. Even so, it wasnt too dirty. Dust and grime according to age.

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While I was waiting for its arrival I kept asking myself if I will be able to use two Celeron 333MHz SL2WN CPU in SMP configuration. I already read how to execute a Celeron A SMP mod. A tricky procedure that it is within my ability to perform.

http://www.ptrlabs.com/celeron/index-sepp.html
http://www.hardware-one.com/reviews/dualcel/dualcel2.shtml

Right after I received the motherboard I updated the BIOS with the latest version straight from the SUPERMICRO webpage. The description stated: "Supports Pentium II/Celeron Slot1". I mounted two Fractal fans on the two 333MHz Celerons SL2WN CPUs and I was ready to go.

https://www.supermicro.com/support/bios/archive.cfm

P6-DLS-V2-1-008.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-009.jpg

As expected, the two Celeron 333MHz SL2WN CPUs didnt work in a DUAL/SMP configuration and I needed to mod them. A not so thrilling proposition as I dont like to perform extreme/ireversible modifications on old components.

P6-DLS-V2-1-010.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-011.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-012.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-013.jpg

To rule out any doubt, I wanted to see if the motherboard works in a DUAL/SMP configuration with two Pentium II CPUs. Because I didnt have two 66MHz bus Pentium II CPUs I used two Deschutes 100MHz bus CPUs. These werent even identical. One was SL2U4 and the other SL37F. Even so, all was OK. The CPUs ran at 233MHz(3.5*66MHz) and both of them were recognized.

http://www.cpu-world.com/sspec/SL/SL2U4.html
www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/Pentium-II/Intel ... 512E).html

P6-DLS-V2-1-014.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-015.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-016.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-017.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-018.jpg

BIOS

This type of AMIBIOS interface wasnt too popular back in the day, but I liked it. The motherboard has an onboard SCSI controller.

P6-DLS-V2-1-019.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-020.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-021.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-022.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-023.jpg

After the Pentium II 350MHz test I decided to try my only Celeron 366MHz/Slotket combo that I had in my possession.

P6-DLS-V2-1-024.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-025.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-026.jpg

I also tested a Pentium II 333MHz 66MHz bus SL2S5 CPU. In this instance I fiddled with the multiplier settings. From jumpers I was able to make it run at: 300MHz, 233MHz and 133MHz. When I ran the CPU at 133MHz the 512KB L2 CACHE was DISABLED and it wasnt detected at POST.

http://www.cpu-world.com/sspec/SL/SL2S5.html

P6-DLS-V2-1-027.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-028.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-029.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-030.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-031.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-032.jpg

I even tried a Pentium II 450MHz SL2U7 CPU. This CPU ran at 300MHz and 200MHz.

http://www.cpu-world.com/sspec/SL/SL2U7.html

P6-DLS-V2-1-033.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-034.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-035.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-036.jpg

Jumper settings.

P6-DLS-V2-1-037.jpg

After all these tests I decided to buy another slotket and a bunch of Celeron - Mendocino core S370 CPUs. I gave up on the ideea of performing a Celeron A SLOT 1 SMP mod.

To be able to use Celeron A S370 in DUAL/SMP configuration, the slotket must have a connection between the B75 pin from the SLOT 1/SECC connector and the AN15 pin from the s370 socket of the CPU. If this connection isnt present you can solder a thin wire between them and PRESTO Celeron SMP ACTION! Some more advanced slotkets even have a jumper to ENABLE/DISABLE this feature.

http://www.hardware-one.com/reviews/dual370/dual370-3.shtml

SMP-MOD.jpg

Pretty easy stuff.

THREE Celeron 333MHz CPUs SL2WN.

P6-DLS-V2-1-038.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-039.jpgP6-DLS-V2-1-040.jpg

The P6DLS has the aura of a HIGH QUALITY PRODUCT. I dont even want to think how much it costed back in the day when I was still enjoying my AMD 5x86 133MHz PC.

P6-DLS-V2-1-041.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-042.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-043.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-044.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-045.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-046.jpg

I laid the SUPER/SUPERMICRO P6DLS next to her 440LX sister, the EPOX EP-61LXA-M. There is nothing more to be said. THIS THING IS MASSIVE!

P6-DLS-V2-1-047.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-048.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-049.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-050.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-051.jpg

A few bent pins, nothing too serious.

P6-DLS-V2-1-052.jpg

The first task that I performed was the removal of a label that was placed in a bad spot. I maintained the label wet using a cotton disk soaked in IPA 99%, I added more alcohol using a syringe, I used a bamboo stick that wasnt too pointed and paciently I removed the label that broke in many many many small pieces. This was a stressful endavour The chances to damage something were pretty high and the label had a damn sticky glue.

P6-DLS-V2-1-053.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-054.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-055.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-056.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-057.jpg

While I waited for the arrival of my second slotket and the Celeron S370 CPUs, I cleaned the two Celeron 333MHz SL2WN CPUs. It made no sense to clean the motherboard and then leave it on the desk for two days during testing.

P6-DLS-V2-1-058.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-059.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-060.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-061.jpg

I washed the heatsinks with water and dish soap. The retaining clips took a bath in a mild rust removal solution and they were hand polished until they shined. I wasnt able to remove the pitting on one of them but in the end I got a more presentable result.

P6-DLS-V2-1-062.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-063.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-064.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-065.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-066.jpg

SHINY!

P6-DLS-V2-1-066.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-067.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-068.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-069.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-070.jpg

The white fans are nothing special. Maybe a little weak but still up to the task.

P6-DLS-V2-1-071.jpg

ALL DONE!!!

P6-DLS-V2-1-072.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-073.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-074.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-075.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-076.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-077.jpg

CLEAN!

P6-DLS-V2-1-078.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-079.jpg

The Celerons have arrived!

P6-DLS-V2-1-080.jpg

After I received my second slotket, model 370SP Rev 1.0, I used it together with my Gigabyte GA-6R7 REV 1.7 slotket, to test all the Celeron A S370 CPUs. To my joy, a multimeter test, has revealed that both of them had continuity between the B75 pin and the AN15 pin. No modding required.

The SUPER/SUPERMICRO P6DLS motherboard worked well with two different types of slotket, in DUAL/SMP configuration, at 400MHz, 433MHz and 500MHz. AWESOME STUFF! I LIKE IT!!!

P6-DLS-V2-1-081.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-082.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-083.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-084.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-085.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-086.jpg

After this much fun I had to clean again the CPUs that I used. What a mess.

P6-DLS-V2-1-087.jpg

The moment when I had to clean the motherboard arrived.

BEFORE and AFTER!

P6-DLS-V2-1-088.jpg

NOT SHINY!

P6-DLS-V2-1-089.jpg

I protected all of the stamped ink markings and the MADE IN U.S.A. logo with ORAFOL STONE GUARD film. I didnt want them to be removed by IPA 99%.

P6-DLS-V2-1-090.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-091.jpg

Ready for ACTION!

P6-DLS-V2-1-092.jpg

Sadly, I didnt protect the label from beneath the northbridge chip and it was removed by IPA 99%, ...it happens even to the best of us. I thought that the protection wouldn't be needed but as soon as it was touched by IPA99% and a soft brush, all the writing has disintegrated.

I dried the motherboard using a small air compressor. Two wash cycles and three pass of fine detailing were needed to obtain the results that I wanted.

P6-DLS-V2-1-093.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-094.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-095.jpg

Final results? MIRROR-LIKE! 😁

P6-DLS-V2-1-096.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-097.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-098.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-099.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-100.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-101.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-102.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-103.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-104.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-105.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-106.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-107.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-108.jpg

While I was cleaning the board I had a lot of time to inspect it thoroughly. Minimal damage.

P6-DLS-V2-1-109.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-110.jpgP6-DLS-V2-1-111.jpg

More good stuff.

P6-DLS-V2-1-112.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-113.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-114.jpg P6-DLS-V2-1-115.jpg

This was the story of my first DUAL (Symmetric multiprocessing (SMP)) procesor motherboard. I dont know if I'll buy this type of motherboard in the future. Maybe YES maybe NOT.

Appart of bragging rights I dont see how am I going to use it. The 440LX chipset makes it to stand out. Even if I like the 440BX a lot, I'm also a 440LX fan, the first AGP+SD-RAM chipset for Pentium II CPUs.

Windows 98 knows nothing about SMP and I would have to use a version of Windows NT or Windows 2000. These last ones might have some quirks with some games and other applications.

If I'll include this motherboard in a Windows 98 SE build, one thing is certain. I will use TWO Celeron 500MHz CPUs. SMP support of not, I want all the SLOTS FILLED! 😁

After many years of service, after more years of being kept in a case stashed in a dark corner, this motherboard, meticulously restored, is waiting paciently in a box together with her sistes, away from the teeth of the crusher, ready to tell the story of times gone by.

gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/17rvyrpaa/

Cya next year with more episodes.

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 😀

Reply 446 of 844, by Robert B

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UMBERTO TOZZI - TI AMO

RESTORED!!! 😁

PRW-GUS.jpg PRW-GUS-02.jpg PRW-GUS-03.jpg

In progress:

PRW-GF256-01.jpg PRW-TNTM64-01.jpg

MS-6168 WIN! WIN! WIN! 😁 - this will be an EPIC story, of the magnitude or maybe higher than some of my best. You will be the ones to decide 😁 Enjoy the pics! 😀

PRW-MS-6168-06.jpg PRW-MS-6168-07.jpg PRW-MS-6168-08.jpg

2019 Preview 😁

PRW-2019-01.jpg PRW-2019-02.jpg PRW-2019-03.jpg PRW-2019-04.jpg PRW-2019-05.jpg PRW-2019-06.jpg PRW-2019-07.jpg PRW-2019-08.jpg

gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/3fal9nxmq/

More later.

Reply 448 of 844, by Robert B

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Even if now my collection has hundreds of parts it is still manageable.

I dont keep my parts at home. I have close to 100 individual cards, about 100 CPUs, close to 30 motherboards (how did I have so many I don't know, I didnt even try too hard 😁), many RAM sticks SIMM SDRAM DDR and RIMM, some ODDs and HDDs, 3 completed systems, 3 extra PSUs, plus misc stuff like fans, coolers, cables. I pack them in small boxes but I have to buy ESD bags and put them in heavy duty black boxes and so I will reduce the footprint of my collection even more.

At my workplace I have a designated area and all of them are kept there, on the 3rd floor of a big building with alarm systems and guards paid by the owner of the building. So my stuff is safe too. 😁 I almost forgot the dog. I say DOG as they used to be dogs but they kicked the bucket from old age.

Warehouse rent prices start at 3.3 EUR/m2+VAT. 😁

Reply 449 of 844, by havli

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At this amount it is still reasonably easy to keep track of everything. Wait till you triple the numbers 😈 That is where I am now and it is starting to be a mess. Luckily I have more or less everything I wanted to have and now my collection will grow much slower than in the last few years.

HW museum.cz - my collection of PC hardware

Reply 450 of 844, by Robert B

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I plan to keep it simple and not triple the number of cards in my collection. At least that's the plan. 😁

Cleric - The Key Of Night (Original Mix)

The two missing pieces from my 3dfx collection have arrived. 😁

* PCI3DFX-6M - Macronix MX86251FC & 3DFX Voodoo Rush 6MB
* 3dfx VooDoo 5 5500 AGP 64MB

PRW-RUSH-01.jpg PRW-RUSH-02.jpg PRW-V5-5500-01.jpg PRW-V5-5500-02.jpg

The VooDoo 5 5500 has only one functional chip. I knew about this before I bought it. Each attempt to make it work with both of the chips was met with a faillure. There is no doubt that the second chip is toast even if the board looks almost mint. Along three days of testing I have exhausted all of the alternatives. I don't intend to modify or repair the board and I will just do a complete restoration. This card is destined to be a showpiece and not a daily driver. The emotions I felt when I opened the ESD bag will be revealed when I'll post the episode. 😁 For now, it's waiting paciently to be restored.

The VooDoo RUSH was problematic. The stories about incompatibilities and sometimes the unpredictable behaviour of this card, are completely true. Graphical anomalies, system hang ups,.... the whole nine yards...All in all a thrilling experience.

The story of these artefacts of times gone by will be told at the appropriate time.

More later.

Reply 452 of 844, by Ponjiayulady

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Robert B wrote:

After all these tests I decided to buy another slotket and a bunch of Celeron - Mendocino core S370 CPUs. I gave up on the ideea of performing a Celeron A SLOT 1 SMP mod.

To be able to use Celeron A S370 in DUAL/SMP configuration, the slotket must have a connection between the B75 pin from the SLOT 1/SECC connector and the AN15 pin from the s370 socket of the CPU. If this connection isnt present you can solder a thin wire between them and PRESTO Celeron SMP ACTION! Some more advanced slotkets even have a jumper to ENABLE/DISABLE this feature.

Inspired by your article, I build my own Dual Celeron system
MB: Asus P2B-DS
cpu: celeron 400mhz PPGA x2 with slocket converter (It has SMP jumper, so no modding needed)

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Cpu Slocket converter looks like this (with SMP jumper)

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Boot up screenshots

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Reply 453 of 844, by Robert B

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@Ponjiayulady - I really like your dual CPU configurations.

That ASUS P2B-DS is a classic. 😁 I also saw your ASUS P3C-D with RAMBUS. Awesome stuff. 😀

Droplex - Stay Alive [Minimal Techno]

The next episode in the works: "The Cooler bunch"

PRW-COOL-01.jpg

More later.

Reply 454 of 844, by Robert B

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Kraftwerk - Das Model

The COOLER bunch

All the CPU coolers presented bellow have been found last year at the good ol' local flea market. Some were an impulse buy others were something that I desired..

Let's meet the models.

1. PDC38130BC
2. S423 cooler
3. Titan CU5TB
4. Thermaltake Slim Volcano 10+

PDC38130BC

An impluse buy. The golden colour and the very low price made me to take it home.

It didnt look too great but I knew that I could make it like new again.

PDC38130-BC-01.jpg

All clogged up.

PDC38130-BC-02.jpg PDC38130-BC-03.jpg

A little magic.

PDC38130-BC-04.jpg PDC38130-BC-05.jpg PDC38130-BC-06.jpg PDC38130-BC-07.jpg

The fan required a lot more work.

I tried IPA 99%.

PDC38130-BC-08.jpg

More IPA 99%, but to no avail. The inside of the fan was covered by a reddish crust that was very stubborn and it just showed me the middle finger while it laughed at me. I didnt take it apart as the propeller was fixed with a proprietary washer and I didnt want more headaches.

PDC38130-BC-09.jpg PDC38130-BC-10.jpg

I tried dishwashing liquid and a little water, but to no avail.

PDC38130-BC-11.jpg

In the end I resorted to metal polishing cream, followed by dishwashing liquid and a little water and I finished everything off with IPA 99%.

PDC38130-BC-12.jpg PDC38130-BC-13.jpg PDC38130-BC-14.jpg

After a lot of work I had a clean fan but this aggresive cleaning process made the plastic surface of the fan to lose its shine. I used a silicone cream designed for cars, I applied a thick layer and I left it overnight closed in a plastic bag. The following day I took it out of the plastic bag and I wiped off the excess.

The results were above my expectations. The moral? Be careful who you bring home as they can be more trouble than you think. 😁

PDC38130-BC-15.jpg PDC38130-BC-16.jpg PDC38130-BC-17.jpg

Final results.

PDC38130-BC-18.jpg PDC38130-BC-19.jpg PDC38130-BC-20.jpg PDC38130-BC-21.jpg

The cooler is very silent and well built. All in all, an era period correct element for a future build.

gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/1zc9nt8w8/

S423 cooler

This is a stock cooler for S423 systems.

It's pretty hard to find and I didnt think too much when I saw it. Unfortunately it didnt came with the original fan but I reckon that a Noctua would look just about right mounted on it.

I removed it from a damaged Intel Desktop Board motherboard. The seller accepted my offer and it was amazed why I didnt take the whole package. A damaged motherboard means a lot of work as we will see in the MS-6168 episode.

S423-COOLER-01.jpg S423-COOLER-02.jpg S423-COOLER-03.jpg S423-COOLER-04.jpg

gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/2qu9f66vc/

Titan CU5TB

I still own my Titan CU5TB which I bought back in the day. I used it on a KT333/Athlon XP 1900+ Palomino system.

I read about it on the internet and I wanted to have it. So, I went to a local HW shop and I bought it together with the Athlon XP 1900+.

When I arrived home I powered up my new PC. OH THE NOISE! You see, there is one thing to read about a cooler and another thing to actually own it. In the end I used it for a few years and even to this day I still remember the noise it made even with the case closed. 😁

When I bought my Abit NF7-S 2.0 I used the stock cooler from the 2800+ Barton as it was more silent.

The moment I saw this CU5TB at the flea market I wanted to have it. 😁 I paid a very low price for it and I took it home. TWICE THE POWER, TWICE THE NOISE, TWICE THE FUN or something like this...

If I were to use these coolers on a dual Athlon XP-M system I would mount two Noctua fans and all would be OK!

CU5TB-01.jpg

Full disassembly.

CU5TB-02.jpg

Shiny. I washed the heatsink with dishwashing liquid and water, followed by a quick session with a hair dryer, followed by polishing cream and a soft rag .

CU5TB-03.jpg CU5TB-04.jpg CU5TB-05.jpg CU5TB-06.jpg

Because I didnt like the look of the inside of the cooler I put it for a few hours in vinegar made from grapes.

CU5TB-07.jpg

Results? Like new.

CU5TB-08.jpg CU5TB-09.jpg CU5TB-10.jpg

Clean. New thin double sided tape for the sticker.

CU5TB-11.jpg

Ready for assembly.

CU5TB-12.jpg

The fan.

CU5TB-13.jpg CU5TB-14.jpg CU5TB-15.jpg

All done!

CU5TB-16.jpg CU5TB-17.jpg CU5TB-18.jpg CU5TB-19.jpg CU5TB-20.jpg CU5TB-21.jpg CU5TB-22.jpg CU5TB-23.jpg

I just couldnt leave this jewel to be recycled. 😁

gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/34nbq1a2w/

Thermaltake Slim Volcano 10+

I found this Thermaltake Slim Volcano 10+ cooler on a sunny day at the local flea market. As soon as I saw the box of the cooler I took it my hands.

When I opened the box, I saw that inside was present a Thermaltake Slim Volcano 10+. YAY! Usually this is not the case. In the past I found in boxes anything but what was written them.

I paid the asking price and I took it home. The seller said that it was new. It looked great but I was pretty sure that it wasnt brand spanking new so I didnt comment.

Inside I found very little dust and I had to clean just the fan and the bottom of the cooler.

I used it on an Athlon XP 1900+ CPU and I was very satisfied by the performance and the sound of the cooler.

A great little cooler with a high visual impact.

TT-SV10-01.jpg TT-SV10-02.jpg TT-SV10-03.jpg TT-SV10-04.jpg TT-SV10-05.jpg TT-SV10-06.jpg TT-SV10-07.jpg

gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/1mojsmi4o/

More later.

Reply 455 of 844, by Robert B

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HERE'S BATMAN!!!

Premiere PCI ED (Batman) 60MHz *** Intel PREMIERE/PCI *** Intel Batman *** P5-PCI BATMAN

AA 624415-211 *** PBA 623667-211 *** PB 631446-001

PRW-BATMAN-01.jpg PRW-BATMAN-02.jpg PRW-BATMAN-03.jpg PRW-BATMAN-04.jpg PRW-BATMAN-05.jpg PRW-BATMAN-06.jpg

Fresh from the Post Office. MINT! It still needs cleaning but it is in great shape.

More later.

Reply 457 of 844, by bjwil1991

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Do you still have issues with the CR-563-B CD-ROM drive not loading files?

Discord: https://discord.gg/U5dJw7x
Systems from the Compaq Portable 1 to Ryzen 9 5950X
Twitch: https://twitch.tv/retropcuser

Reply 459 of 844, by Robert B

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RAMBUS FUN!

Last year I had a case of RAMBUS "fever'. Finding a S423 RAMBUS motherboard proved to be a tough proposition, in stark contrast with the CPUs which were quite easy to source. The RIMM memory sticks pop quite often at the flea market and in adds that that sell PC memory. You can easily find 128MB PC800 sticks, sometimes 256MB sticks and rarely 512MB sticks.

My first S423 RAMBUS motherboard was a Gigabyte GA-8TM but it was a total fiasco. Her story will be told shortly.

My second S423 RAMBUS motherboard was ECS P4ITA VER:1.0 *** 15-A09-010300. Not quite a PITA but close. 😁

The motherboard showed clear signs that it came from the pile that was ready to be fed to the shredder and it had a twisted chip. A few bent capacitors. The retaining clips of the CPU heatsink were also affected. One metal clip was missing and the plastic ones were cracked or incomplete. What bothered me the most was the missing heatsink.

At first I didnt want to buy it, but for a very low price I received, a Pentium 4 S423 1.3GHz SL4SF CPU, three RIMM sticks (1x512MB PC800, 2x128MB PC800) and a RIMM Terminator. All in all not a bad deal.

The motherboard underwent the standard procedure at the recycling center. The WINBOND W83627HF-AM chip was out of line and it had two pins that were in worse shape than the others, one was separated from the pad and the second was badly bent. I still wonder how it didnt fly off the board.

ECS-P4-ITA-01.jpg ECS-P4-ITA-02.jpg ECS-P4-ITA-03.jpg ECS-P4-ITA-07.jpg

I'm sure that many of you would've passed on this board. Not me! My experience with ECS boards was always pretty good. They dont stand out but they are solid and reliable. Not speed demons but not slouches either. For example my ECS K7VTA3 V3.1 is still going strong after I replaced 9 capacitos. I cant say the same thing about other premium motherboards from more reputable manufacturers.

I searched for the diagram for the WINBOND W83627HF-AM chip to see if the two pins were important.

drivers.portwell.com/CA_Manual/GPIO/w83 ... nation.pdf (PAG 11)

Two my joy the two pins had a role in measuring the temperature of the CPU and the temperature of the system. If I wasnt able to fix them, the motherboard could work without them.

* VTIN2 103 AIN Temperature sensor 2 input. It is used for CPU1 temperature
measuration.
* VTIN1 104 AIN Temperature sensor 1 input. It is used for system temperature measuration.

With great care I straightened the bent pin and I managed to arrange and solder the other pin. Taking into consideration that these pins have already been bent and twisted, the risk of them breaking was so much greater.

All done!

ECS-P4-ITA-04.jpg ECS-P4-ITA-21.jpg

I prepared the motherboard for testing. As a precaution I decided to change the thermal paste underneath the northbridge heatsink as it seemed that the heatsink was out of its original position. For sure the thermal paste was dry and brittle.

ECS-P4-ITA-05.jpg ECS-P4-ITA-06.jpg ECS-P4-ITA-08.jpg ECS-P4-ITA-09.jpg ECS-P4-ITA-10.jpg ECS-P4-ITA-11.jpg ECS-P4-ITA-12.jpg ECS-P4-ITA-15.jpg

First BOOT! NO PROBLEMS!

ECS-P4-ITA-13.jpg

BEFORE. The sensor indicated a system temperature of 25C and the CPU temperature was stuck at 12C.

ECS-P4-ITA-14.jpg

AFTER. The sensor indicated a system temperature of 25C and the CPU temperature was 45C. The system has the same temperature of 25C because the PC was used in an open bench scenario at the same ambient temperature. I'm sure that if I was to leave the system ON for a longer period of time the system temperature would've increased. The jump in temperature would've been smaller as we are talking about the system temperature and not the CPU temperature.

ECS-P4-ITA-22.jpg

Pictures with a stock S423 cooler. Unfortunately I had only one metal clip and the plastic parts could not be used.

ECS-P4-ITA-16.jpg ECS-P4-ITA-17.jpg ECS-P4-ITA-18.jpg

This retaining system is for me a bad joke. If the thermal paste hardens, which is frequenlty the case, or if a thermal pad is used, there is no way for you to twist the heatsink to free it from the CPU and in many cases you can remove the CPU from its socket while it is attached to the heatsink. Even with fresh Arctic MX4 thermal paste I had a tough time separating the heatsink from the CPU. A really bad system....

The damaged capacitors. For sure they will have to be replaced. No leaks yet.

ECS-P4-ITA-19.jpg ECS-P4-ITA-20.jpg

The Pentium 4 1.3GHz SL4SF CPU had many pins that needed to be aligned.

ECS-P4-ITA-23.jpg ECS-P4-ITA-24.jpg

Some time after I bought the ECS P4ITA I found a S423 compatible cooler and a 1GB RIMM PC600 256MBx4 memory kit.

The cooler is model number 7P182 and it came from a Dell Optiplex GX240. The metal clips are good but the plastic bits arent spaced for S423. It came without a fan.

After a decent amount of elbow grease the cooler came out MINT. The metal clips were put in a rust remover solution and hand polished afterwards. I mounted an ENERMAX T.B Silence 80mm fan and I was ready to party.

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gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/2xs9ovwbm/

1GB of glorius RAMBUS. I'm sure this costed an arm and a leg back in the day...

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gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/1aygpwuw2/

COMPLETE!

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The cleaning of the motherboard had its own problems.

The motherboard was so dirty that IPA 99% wasnt enough. After a few tries I lost patience as the results weren't up to spec.

In the end I washed the motherboard with FAIRY LEMON and warm water from the tap. This way I was able to remove the stubborn layer of dirt from the PCB surface.

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I dried the motherboard with a small air compressor.

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Afterwards came a few IPA 99% baths and fine detailing.

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I'm starting to like this purple colour. 😁

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gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/2aazge5wi/

The Gigabyte GA-8TM agreed to donate the plastic parts from the cooling system and now the ECS P4ITA was whole again.

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For me ECS is not such a bad proposition. 😀 Call me strange I don't care! 😁

More later.