LeFlash wrote:

Yes, soldering since roughly 25 years, but only 1.5 years with hotair and rework stuff. I just need a cold beer to get smooth ha […]
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Cyrix200+ wrote:

That is a well-done repair. I assume you have experience and the tools for this? 😀

I would go SMP Windows 2000 with Voodoo 2 SLI.

Yes, soldering since roughly 25 years, but only 1.5 years with hotair and rework stuff.
I just need a cold beer to get smooth hands 😉

Here's another board (Socket 7, Via MVP3) where i replaced the Multi-IO, too. The old one was burned, don't know why. Cheap board from ebay

20180704_170419_resized.jpg

If you are curious, here's a video of me doing the repair. Unfortunately, the camera lost focus for some minutes until i noticed.
On this particular IC i soldered the pins individually, no big deal, just takes some more time but with sharp eyes you can be sure there are no solder bridges and you don't have to wick it afterwards.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkcfQztdPX0

Second board is here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKxt51BpQj0

@LeFlash

As usual, not just purchase of today, but the last week at least. 😀

Finally, MT-32 goodness 🤣

Picked this up, just for fun, sporting DX2-66, 20mb ram and AWE64

And this beast arrived today 😎 Looking forward to playing with it 😀

The Compaq computer looks like a YouTuber has reviewed and currently has it still. Amazing machine, but requires an external CD-ROM drive connected to the printer port (boo). I wish someone would make a slot bracket (add-on card) to install an IDE CD-ROM drive externally for machines like that (would be awesome) using an IDE cable and a Molex connector.

Vegge wrote:

<snip>
Picked this up, just for fun, sporting DX2-66, 20mb ram and AWE64

IMG_0304.JPG

Cool, I had the same or a very similar machine once. Mine had a 486 DX-33 and 8MB ram.

Vegge wrote:

*snip* And this beast arrived today 😎 Looking forward to playing with it 😀
[image of dual cpu tyan board]

omg I have one of those boards, wont post. I think it's a bios error. Would you be so kind as to dump that bios for me? I'd be very grateful.

Vegge wrote:

Picked this up, just for fun, sporting DX2-66, 20mb ram and AWE64

IMG_0304.JPG

Wait, it had AWE64 by default, as part of regular setup? Also - how big is the screen and how much does it weigh? Could you do some more photos, preferably in action?
(I like how it's your hand and a row of other machines reflected on the dark screen)

OldCat wrote:

Wait, it had AWE64 by default, as part of regular setup? Also - how big is the screen and how much does it weigh? Could you do some more photos, preferably in action?
(I like how it's your hand and a row of other machines reflected on the dark screen)

LGR made a Video where he uses a PC like that:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qex_6pWzuog&t=1s

I think he also made a video on the PC itself, don't know that one though.

Ozzuneoj wrote:

Awesome stuff. Can you list the equipment you use? Get as detailed as you like.

Basically a cheap SMD reworkstation with separate small soldering iron from ebay will do the trick. Sub 100$ range.
Some good flux (i used amtec), very small solder wire.

For diagnosis a oscilloscope and multimeter won't hurt.

I learned a lot about BGA from Louis Rosmann (Youtube channel) where he is raging about apple while repairing their products. 😉

Steps:

- Find fault
- Get replacement

- mask everything with aluminum foil so other parts don't get too hot
- use capton-tape (heat resistent)
- use good amount of flux on the pins
- use some air filter or cheap fan with carbon filter (flux is not healthy)
- heat the part evenly, at some point you can just pick it up
- clean the pads with flux and wick
- on newer boards with Pb-free soldering, use leaded solder first to get rid of the Pb-free one
- clean with alcohol
- place new part
- tack 2 diagonal pins
- solder pin-by-pin OR
- solder everything, flux it and remove excessive solder afterwards
- clean flux residues

Most of this stuff can be seen from videos.

LeFlash wrote:

Basically a cheap SMD reworkstation with separate small soldering iron from ebay will do the trick. Sub 100$ range. Some good fl […]
Show full quote

Ozzuneoj wrote:

Awesome stuff. Can you list the equipment you use? Get as detailed as you like.

Basically a cheap SMD reworkstation with separate small soldering iron from ebay will do the trick. Sub 100$ range.
Some good flux (i used amtec), very small solder wire.

For diagnosis a oscilloscope and multimeter won't hurt.

I learned a lot about BGA from Louis Rosmann (Youtube channel) where he is raging about apple while repairing their products. 😉

Steps:

- Find fault
- Get replacement

- mask everything with aluminum foil so other parts don't get too hot
- use capton-tape (heat resistent)
- use good amount of flux on the pins
- use some air filter or cheap fan with carbon filter (flux is not healthy)
- heat the part evenly, at some point you can just pick it up
- clean the pads with flux and wick
- on newer boards with Pb-free soldering, use leaded solder first to get rid of the Pb-free one
- clean with alcohol
- place new part
- tack 2 diagonal pins
- solder pin-by-pin OR
- solder everything, flux it and remove excessive solder afterwards
- clean flux residues

Most of this stuff can be seen from videos.

In theory I know all this, but it takes a lot of practice to get it right! I have tried to solder the XT CF Lite, and while it does work as a BIOS card, the CF adaptor seems wonky. The stupid little SMD fins ALWAYS suck up the solder in between them, no matter how much flux I apply...

Technically I didn't buy this - it was given to me - and it wasn't today, but I finally got around to digging it out and bringing it home - a handy compact HP tower:

Nothing too special, it's an Athlon 64 x2 4400+ with 3GB DDR2 on an nForce chipset (Geforce 6150SE onboard.) Exactly at the bottom of its depreciation curve, even in this town where everything is five years behind the rest of the world, so the price was right. 😜 Still useful for my needs.

It was dusty as hell but a date with the vacuum cleaned it up nicely.

This thing will run my twin Datapath VisionRGB cards as I need them in a 'small' machine I can pick up and lug around.

It came with a second network card and 56k modem occupying its two PCI slots, but I took those out already.

^^ does this look wrong to you? It does to me! (it's BTX. 😜 )

Lots of storage & media options up front. I don't have anything for that 'HP Pocket Media Drive Bay' (did you really need five words to describe that, HP??), which takes a custom removable enclosure for a laptop-size SATA or IDE drive. I could see that being handy.

The most interesting thing up there is a lightscribe CD/DVD burner, which was a really neat take on labelling CDs that didn't catch on. Never had one before so it'll be a fun thing to have a go at.

Lightscribe discs seem to be far harder to find than the actual drives these days - fortunately, I lucked into a spindle of them for a couple bucks recently (and some mini CD-Rs for good measure) :

Not sure what I'll do with these, maybe I'll release a special "gold" limited edition of my upcoming EP or my game on them. Only nine copies!

LeFlash wrote:

Basically a cheap SMD reworkstation with separate small soldering iron from ebay will do the trick. Sub 100$ range. Some good fl […]
Show full quote

Ozzuneoj wrote:

Awesome stuff. Can you list the equipment you use? Get as detailed as you like.

Basically a cheap SMD reworkstation with separate small soldering iron from ebay will do the trick. Sub 100$ range.
Some good flux (i used amtec), very small solder wire.

For diagnosis a oscilloscope and multimeter won't hurt.

I learned a lot about BGA from Louis Rosmann (Youtube channel) where he is raging about apple while repairing their products. 😉

Steps:

- Find fault
- Get replacement

- mask everything with aluminum foil so other parts don't get too hot
- use capton-tape (heat resistent)
- use good amount of flux on the pins
- use some air filter or cheap fan with carbon filter (flux is not healthy)
- heat the part evenly, at some point you can just pick it up
- clean the pads with flux and wick
- on newer boards with Pb-free soldering, use leaded solder first to get rid of the Pb-free one
- clean with alcohol
- place new part
- tack 2 diagonal pins
- solder pin-by-pin OR
- solder everything, flux it and remove excessive solder afterwards
- clean flux residues

Most of this stuff can be seen from videos.

I am pretty good at regular soldering, I have had no need to do this yet. But I kind of look forward to doing it 😀 I will need some practice though. And that cold beer for a steadier hand.

xjas wrote:

^^ does this look wrong to you? It does to me! (it's BTX. 😜 )

I assure you it is actually standard Micro ATX. Any mATX board should fit the mounting holes and expansion slot bracket. HP just had a weird attachment with its upside-down mini-tower cases during this period.

SW-SSG wrote:

xjas wrote:

^^ does this look wrong to you? It does to me! (it's BTX. 😜 )

I assure you it is actually standard Micro ATX. Any mATX board should fit the mounting holes and expansion slot bracket. HP just had a weird attachment with its upside-down mini-tower cases during this period.

I believe Dell was like that as well for the BTX systems, such as the Dimension E510 which is impossible to install an mATX board in there since the I/O ports are right-side up.

^^ haha on second look you guys are right, it's not BTX. The "wrong" side of the case opens up & the board's in there upside-down. Guess I'm a bit dyslexic. 😜 I wonder WTF they did that for? I'm not planning to swap it out so no problem.

gdjacobs wrote:

Was Sonic really that great on the Master System? It was sure the bees knees on the Genesis, but I don't remember seeing it on the older platform.

Sonic was great on the SMS, better than he Genesis version I think. Great level design and it still plays V fast.

^ it was a feat allright to fit Sonic in an 8bit console but it was not better - naturally because of technical limitations. The 8bit version is a great platformer but in the end it was different than what the genesis version was - level design included so it suited the system. Was it a good choice back then? Yeah because that was SEGA's new mascot and the system needed a refresh you can't bundle the same game for ever 😁
Damnit now I got to hook the sms and play it 🤣

$30 working x1950pro AGP

I think I'll upgrade my 6600 256mb on my a64 3400

1) boxed Sapphire 3870 (not that retro and didn't take a pic sorry)
2) a pile of optical drives. I will need to test them.

3) These 3 boys

They are 2x 386SX + Coprocessor and the other one turns out to be a 8088 yuy.
If anyone can help me identifying the motherboard, feel free 😀

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