I have a non X4 version of that board (rev 1.8 ) and if I remember correctly it came with a UV-erasable EPROM, not a flash one. So it was not possible to flash the ROM with a tool like AWDFLASH. I had to use an EPROM programmer on a blank 27C512 chip.

You're right. Thankfully, programmers are cheap now. Flash ROM was something that became popular with the i586 processors and ATX mainboards.

Oh thanks...
I thought it was flashable. Do you know it has to be a 27C512 or what the specifications are which are important for the chip?
Jo22 do you've got a GX4? I've got a Rev 2.1 and would like to check with somebody who also programmed a chip for this board, to not make any mistakes.
(like using the "wrong" programmer or chip)

You can use the W27C512 EEPROM chip.
It's a 512 kilobit (64 kilobyte) chip, which is the size of the BIOS.
You just flash the BIOS onto a blank chip and replace it with the existing one on the motherboard.
Just be careful when removing and replacing the chip and be sure to orientate the chip correctly.

That would be great if this works, because buying a programmer just for two or three chip is a little bit strange 😉
But I still would need a EEPROM programmer for flashing it the first time, right? Still would be much cheaper than a EPROM programmer...
Or would somebody flash 2 or 3 chips for me? (would send or pay for the chips and the flashing of course)

Jesolo is right. Just imagine EEPROM chips beeing an older generation of Flash Chips.
They can usually be programmed in cerain network cards. PCI cards, for example.
Or via "hot-flashing" by using another motherboard which allows for the programming of flash chips.

It's also worth noting, that the type of ROM (ROM/PROM/EPROM/EEPROM/FLASH,etc.) is not so important
for the target device (the mainboard). In read-mode they behave pretty much the same.

Just make sure the pinout is correct and the size matches. But even if that's not the case, you could build a
little mechanical adapter if needed.

Flash ROMs are also a little bit quicker in terms of access time, but that isn't so important there.
Once the PC boots, the ROM code gets decompressed and copied into the machine's RAM.

Karm wrote:

Oh thanks... I thought it was flashable. Do you know it has to be a 27C512 or what the specifications are which are important fo […]
Show full quote

Oh thanks...
I thought it was flashable. Do you know it has to be a 27C512 or what the specifications are which are important for the chip?
Jo22 do you've got a GX4? I've got a Rev 2.1 and would like to check with somebody who also programmed a chip for this board,
to not make any mistakes. (like using the "wrong" programmer or chip)

No, sorry, I don't own 486s anymore (except as laptops). Not that they aren't great,
but I had to take a step back because I had too much different systems at one point.. 😅

Anyway, is this the same mainboard as yours ?
http://www.philscomputerlab.com/asus-vli-486sv2gx4.html

If so, I could program one 27512 chip for you. Just tell my which image you'd like to have. 😉

Karm wrote:

That would be great if this works, because buying a programmer just for two or three chip is a little bit strange 😉
But I still would need a EEPROM programmer for flashing it the first time, right? Still would be much cheaper than a EPROM programmer...
Or would somebody flash 2 or 3 chips for me? (would send or pay for the chips and the flashing of course)

There are also cheap BIOS flashers, but they are more likely intended for modern BIOSes (PLCC form factors, etc.)
A good and cheap programmer can be bought for about 50€ or so. Sure, that looks a bit expensive at first glance,
but it's a good investment, I think. Especially in our retro hobby, these devices can come in handy anytime.

They are ideal for fixing old machinery or to build our own devices (just think of the CMS upgrade for SB2.0, for example).
I own both the G540 and the TL866CS, for example. Other users like Phil, also have/had the TL866 I think.

For basic stuff, you can buy the cheapest one you find. They all can handle the popular CMOS-types 27C256/27C512.
Only the older NMOS chips are sort of problematic, like the original 27256 and 27512 types (or even 2764/27128)..

But that's not because of the chips, but rather because USB programmers are powered with 5V.
Only the expensive models support the higher voltages required by these historic chips.

Here are some thread regarding EPROM programmers (aka prommers)
(E)EPROM Programmer choice&
EPROM burner. Which one should I get?
EPROM burner and "blank" BIOS chips&

Also interesting:

Some Things You Wanted To Know About EPROMs, But Didn't Know Whom Or What To Ask
https://xtronics.com/wiki/How_EPROMS_Work.html

Edit: Sorry for the bad English. I rushed this response a bit. 😊

Thanks for the long answer 😀
I just need some (E)EPROMs because I wan't to get the board running with 5x86 processors.
Don't have enough space to really make it into a big hobby 😉 Maybe later, but right now I don't think I need a programmer, maybe later.
So right now it would be enough for me getting 2,3 chips.

Anyway, is this the same mainboard as yours ?
http://www.philscomputerlab.com/asus-vli-486sv2gx4.html

If so, I could program one 27512 chip for you. Just tell my which image you'd like to have. 😉

Yes it is. Would like to have the newest bios update, but I'm unsure, if it will work, so I would like to have the version before too, just for testing.
Will write you a PN.
Thanks for the help 😀

Btw. Does someone know a tool to get the Bios or L2 Cache out of the sockets easily? Tried a lot of things, some working, but allways I have scratches and everything and bended pins 🙁

Karm wrote:

Yes it is. Would like to have the newest bios update, but I'm unsure, if it will work, so I would like to have the version before too, just for testing.

Use the latest one (0402.001), it will work perfectly on your board, has AMD 5x86 support and adds Y2K support. I even use that version without problems on a rev 1.8 board, even though the update claims it's only for revs 2.0 and 2.1.

Karm wrote:

Btw. Does someone know a tool to get the Bios or L2 Cache out of the sockets easily? Tried a lot of things, some working, but allways I have scratches and everything and bended pins

You may want something like this (there are other variants of this kind of tool):
https://www.amazon.com/RadioShack-Extraction- … n/dp/B0047OMZYY

But to be honest, what usually works better for me is carefully wedging a flat screwdriver under the chip, alternating from side to side until it's out. Those puller tools like the one I linked require a certain force which makes me feel like I'm going to rip the board apart, and in some cases the component I want to remove is obstructed by something else and there is not enough space to use the tool.

TheMobRules wrote:

Use the latest one (0402.001), it will work perfectly [..]

Thanks for the tip!

Karm wrote:

Will write you a PN. Thanks for the help :)

Received, mail sent. You're welcome! :)

Thanks I received it and could test it on the board.
Everything was working fine until I put it in a different case.
Now the board is dead and I even don't know how it happend.
Tested it outside the case, it was working, put it inside the case added a I/O Controller
(before turning it on, so I don't know if it had anything to do with it or not)
And the result is a board without any post beep sounds (before it was working well) and no picture.
Depending on which cpu I use it gets hot, but thats all. Didn't change the jumpers or the RAM.
Any idea how this could have happend and what the problem may be?
(tested the minimum configuration afterwards with a CPU attached and a different PSU)
The board looks okay, I couldn't see any damage...