I have also an tekram DC-680T controller here.. Its very hard to install in on a 486 motherboard with that newer `winbios`on it.. I really can get it working on those board..
But on a normal 486 board with older style bios it works pretty well.

Can it go beyond 540MB ?

Yes it would work with larger drives.. I think it would do till 8.4GB like other Enhanced controllers do.
When you boot the system, you need to see a menu from that card.. (biosrom from the tekram DC-680T)

How to get that menu? Go to your mainboard bios and setting your harddisk C: to User type =47, leave the other values on zero.. and leave harddisk D: to none..

This setting will activate your Tekram DC-680T bios.. Then there would be a key or keys to pressed to get in de cards bios.. There you can testing the connected harddisk, set it so to get support for bigger harddisk..ect.
And then just configure the whole card to the correct settings..

You have an option to connect one drive on each controller connector (i guess)
The other option is the use Raid 1, then it will mirror the first disk to the second slave one for backup (for failing drives)
Raid 0 and or Raid 5 nor Raid 10 / 1+0 isnt possible with this controller.

The memory cache part of that card only makes really slower drives faster by caching them. it seems that would only working when the disk using the writing mode.

Didn't the Promise VLB caching controllers support this ?

I'm looking at my boxed DC420VL box, but can't recall if it did or not.

Ok thanks for all the input.

I really wonder how close to SCSI performances/low CPU usage it will get.
And also if the 286 on the 680C really brings something above the 186 on the 680T. (even lower main CPU usage ?)

Well if it doesn't work with write back, I can still revert to write through CPU and keep the SCSI.
Plus I don't really like having to put the CDROM on the sound card ...
The good point with the EIDE cache is that I can use a compact flash and get benefits of both cache controller and the CF.

Looking forward to the benchmarks!

What benchmarks do you usually use to test HDDs? And do you test with CF cards or SSD to max out the transfer speeds?

Also what are some popular ISA controllers with on-board BIOS?

sunaiac wrote:

Since SCSI + WriteBack are not really friends

Is this only with Adaptec controllers, or all brands?

Apparently the writeback L1 cache issues has to do with all VLBus cards that do busmastering.

vetz wrote:

sunaiac wrote:

Since SCSI + WriteBack are not really friends

Is this only with Adaptec controllers, or all brands?

Can't say, tried only an Adaptec 2842.
With writeback, DOS 6.22 installation hangs quickly.
Without, no problem finishing installation.

NJRoadfan wrote:

Apparently the writeback L1 cache issues has to do with all VLBus cards that do busmastering.

If that is the case I guess I should havec problems with the DC-680T then.
I'll soon know.

Robin4 wrote on 2013-12-15, 19:52:

I have also an tekram DC-680T controller here.. Its very hard to install in on a 486 motherboard with that newer `winbios`on it.. I really can get it working on those board..
But on a normal 486 board with older style bios it works pretty well.

Hy Robin4
I have Asus VL/I-486SV2GX4 motherboard and buy a Tekram DC-680C VLB EIDE cache controller.
I use it Tsen VLB Graphic card.
My problem: I don't see at post the cache conroller's bios setup, and i cannot enter i t.
From FDD boot the system, this part of controller work
But not see the attached HDD
When i try at bios to auto detect HDD function, then there find hdd, but other what i connect, and find 2 hdd, but im attach only one.
What must set at bios to me to a possibility to go a setup program?
Thanks for any helping :R

envagyok wrote on 2023-01-03, 20:45:

I have Asus VL/I-486SV2GX4 motherboard and buy a Tekram DC-680C VLB EIDE cache controller.
I use it Tsen VLB Graphic card.
My problem: I don't see at post the cache conroller's bios setup, and i cannot enter i t.

The BIOS is supposed to show up just after the "energy star" logo fades out. The ROM is supposed to show up at a software adjustable base address between C800 and DC00 on the ISA bus. That address should not collide with your ET4000 graphics card, but it could collide with the address space for a boot ROM on a network card. If you have any other card with a ROM (or even an unpopulated ROM socket) installed, try uninstalling that card.

Only with video card and the ide cache card try it.
I try all of combination of slots