Whelp... the wonderful decade of the 1990s continues to surprise me with the insane products that it produced.

Like this DSP Solutions... erm... "network" card:

For those that want the adventure of trying to figure out what on earth this is, I'll leave you to it. For the rest, here is what I've found:

Haa I still have my HP 48G calculator with all manuals from back when I was at engineering school: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HP_48_series
It was amazing back then, you could transfer files to it via serial cable, share files between calculators using IR and there were even some games.

It has a CPU architecture I never hear of before: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HP_Saturn

I still have my Ti-83+ Silver Edition from high school as well. I used it up through college where I found a graphing bug. I called Ti to report it and the guy at the call center had a physical copy of all of their supported calculators. He graphed the equation on a couple of the units, confirmed the bug, and that was that.

Minutemanqvs wrote on 2023-04-28, 06:58:

Haa I still have my HP 48G calculator with all manuals from back when I was at engineering school: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HP_48_series
It was amazing back then, you could transfer files to it via serial cable, share files between calculators using IR and there were even some games.

It has a CPU architecture I never hear of before: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HP_Saturn

They're still amazing, and you can keep using them, as serial terminals, winamp remotecontroller, serial mouse, for internet access, making music, and so on. There were a lot of games available, and a little demoscene as well.
https://www.hpcalc.org/ is still alive and kicking!

lolo799 wrote on 2023-04-28, 08:39:

Minutemanqvs wrote on 2023-04-28, 06:58:

Haa I still have my HP 48G calculator with all manuals from back when I was at engineering school: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HP_48_series
It was amazing back then, you could transfer files to it via serial cable, share files between calculators using IR and there were even some games.

It has a CPU architecture I never hear of before: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HP_Saturn

They're still amazing, and you can keep using them, as serial terminals, winamp remotecontroller, serial mouse, for internet access, making music, and so on. There were a lot of games available, and a little demoscene as well.
https://www.hpcalc.org/ is still alive and kicking!

Ahh I'll have a look. I know that at the time it was possible to mod a 48G to a 48GX with more memory. It was very useful for work games.

Surprise box today...some interesting cards:

Network / Modem

Controllers

What is this RAM card for? The POST-card also looks interesting, will dump the ROM later

Heath 286 and IO card with unknown connector

😀

..and Apple II cards

Strange mix but seems to be worth the money I paid...

EDIT: The ROM on the POST-card will not do very much...

Predator99 wrote on 2023-04-28, 19:40:

The POST-card also looks interesting, will dump the ROM later

Good luck with that. As there is no sticker over the EPROM window, you'll be lucky if the data is complete, if it's not fully erased (depends how long it's been in the light with the window open to that light).

debs3759 wrote on 2023-04-28, 19:44:

Predator99 wrote on 2023-04-28, 19:40:

The POST-card also looks interesting, will dump the ROM later

Good luck with that. As there is no sticker over the EPROM window, you'll be lucky if the data is complete, if it's not fully erased (depends how long it's been in the light with the window open to that light).

Yes I noticed that. See screenshot I added above. Does not look like nonsense on the first sight. "55 AA", size of 01 and a Jump in byte 4....think the ROM is OK but theres not too much content...

Predator99 wrote on 2023-04-28, 19:40:

What is this RAM card for? The POST-card also looks interesting, will dump the ROM later
IMG_8245.jpg

ram card for memory upgrade of 512K ibm 286 pcs ?

Predator99 wrote on 2023-04-28, 19:40:

Heath 286 and IO card with unknown connector
IMG_8246.jpg

Cards from a Zenith computer or something, look similar to the ones I posted recently in the found thread. Useless without backplane.

Predator99 wrote on 2023-04-28, 19:40:

😀
IMG_8247.jpg

and some nice soundcards too.

oh, about the rom, run it through a disassembler to see what it does.

amadeus777999 wrote on 2023-04-27, 06:01:

HanSolo wrote on 2023-04-26, 10:04:

I'm from Germany. Here I still see CRTs being offered from time to time, but mostly they are too far away to pick them up. But f […]
Show full quote

amadeus777999 wrote on 2023-04-26, 08:02:

I take in what I can albeit space is limited. They are worth a lot to me - not in a monetary sense of course. All screens are "s […]
Show full quote

I take in what I can albeit space is limited. They are worth a lot to me - not in a monetary sense of course.
All screens are "screened"(brightness/color/sharpness) and then rated in a tier system which means that burnt out ones get used first and then discarded - given the phosphor or the electron gun(s) is/are dying. Even putting these ones away hurts a bit as sometimes it's a tasty model, for example, a 22" Iiyama or similar.
Worthier ones are being stored for "service" and some gusto-usage.

Where are you situated - Europe or US? I heard that in some parts of the west Crts are getting scarce... it may be useful to connect the CRT collector's hobby with an official outlet. Something like cooperating with a department for technology or art - this way funds could be raised to keep the screens working.

I'm from Germany. Here I still see CRTs being offered from time to time, but mostly they are too far away to pick them up. But from my observations over the last 3-4 years they are getting rarer. And yet there doesn't seem to be much interest in them because if an ad shows up it doesn't disappear very quickly. (Right now I see a 17" and a 15" being offered since 2 months)

I know that not only Retro-PC-user look for them but also collectors of arcade machines.

I'm not an expert on CRT technology, but what I know is that Sony-tubes become brighter just by sitting unused for years. But that can be fixed by software. The same might apply to the Mitsubishi Diamontron (Iiyama). So maybe you shouldn't throw away the 22" too early. I have one such a problem with a Dell (with Sony tube inside) that I plan to try to repair 'some day'..

Germany is one of the better countries for retro things - big(ger) nation were some people are neat and keep things tidy. I'm in Austria, which is similar but the "market" is way smaller and often less interesting. Yes, Crts still do not get too much love... fortunately or one would have to pay a Lot (more) for them
The IIyama was shot as one of the emitters seemed failing - the picture always had a red tint which did not stem from a bad solder joint. I encountered "brightening" of Sony tubes in an IBM P260 - with the right tools it's just a small service routine. Nonetheless a pesky issue.

Hello, I looked everywhere for your reply, I read it and then totally forgot in which thread it was in!

I even created a new thread to try and obtain the answer, here: Sony CRT TVs and Monitors "breathing" and brightness problem - which caps/parts to replace to fix it?

But I can just delete it and ask here: could you please elaborate on the procedure to solve the "breathing" and brightness issue on Sony CRTs? I have that same problem with a small 1999 Black Trinitron, I adjusted the brightness to mitigate the issue of distorted geometry and it worked, but I assume it will only get worse with age, and that servicing it is inevitable. How did you proceed to do the service? What parts/capacitors did you replace, if that's the case, and if it's the same between Trinitron Monitors and TVs? Many thanks for your help, glad I could finally find your reply!

Predator99 wrote on 2023-04-28, 19:40:

Network / Modem
IMG_8243.jpg

No modems there, just Arcnet cards pretending to be Ethernet and Modems 😀 Com90c65/UM9065L is Arcnet, so are the Dlink RJ11 ones. 2.5 Mbit/s token ring weirdness that tried to compete with IBM 4/16 Mbit/s Token Ring at fraction of the cost but ultimately lost to Ethernet. Big plus was ability to wire in STAR topology using passive hubs like Apple LocalTalk/PhoneNET. Afaik you can connect two rj11 cards together directly with ordinary telephone cable.

Predator99 wrote on 2023-04-28, 19:40:

Controllers
IMG_8244.jpg

Love the vintage POST card.
WD1036S-WX2 Board 1/4" tape controller (IBM PC XT to QIC-36).

Predator99 wrote on 2023-04-28, 19:40:

IMG_8247.jpg

fast multimedia av master = AV Master 2000. Mjpeg hardware encoding/video capture at full framerate, bundled with full version of Ulead. Full NLE on a card. $750 when introduced at CeBIT'99, down to ~$550 in 2000. Video Toaster eat your hear out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqD9iOrbPyI Love oddball stuff like this.

weedeewee wrote on 2023-04-28, 19:59:

oh, about the rom, run it through a disassembler to see what it does.

10x0000000000000000:  90          nop  
20x0000000000000001:  90          nop  
30x0000000000000002:  90          nop  
40x0000000000000003:  E8 14 00    call 0x1a
50x0000000000000006:  B0 D1       mov  al, 0xd1
60x0000000000000008:  EE          out  dx, al
70x0000000000000009:  E8 0E 00    call 0x1a
80x000000000000000c:  B0 DF       mov  al, 0xdf
90x000000000000000e:  EE          out  dx, al
100x000000000000000f:  E8 08 00    call 0x1a
110x0000000000000012:  FA          cli  
120x0000000000000013:  B0 FC       mov  al, 0xfc
130x0000000000000015:  E6 64       out  0x64, al
140x0000000000000017:  F4          hlt  
150x0000000000000018:  EB FD       jmp  0x17
160x000000000000001a:  BA 64 00    mov  dx, 0x64
170x000000000000001d:  EC          in   al, dx
180x000000000000001e:  A8 02       test al, 2
190x0000000000000020:  75 FB       jne  0x1d
200x0000000000000022:  C3          ret  
210x0000000000000023:  5B          pop  bx

It perfoms some I/O operations then it stops. Nothing very useful. At least the dump is OK.

rasz_pl wrote on 2023-04-28, 22:04:

No modems there, just Arcnet cards pretending to be Ethernet and Modems :) Com90c65/UM9065L is Arcnet, so are the Dlink RJ11 one […]
Show full quote

Predator99 wrote on 2023-04-28, 19:40:

Network / Modem
IMG_8243.jpg

No modems there, just Arcnet cards pretending to be Ethernet and Modems 😀 Com90c65/UM9065L is Arcnet, so are the Dlink RJ11 ones. 2.5 Mbit/s token ring weirdness that tried to compete with IBM 4/16 Mbit/s Token Ring at fraction of the cost but ultimately lost to Ethernet. Big plus was ability to wire in STAR topology using passive hubs like Apple LocalTalk/PhoneNET. Afaik you can connect two rj11 cards together directly with ordinary telephone cable.

Predator99 wrote on 2023-04-28, 19:40:

Controllers
IMG_8244.jpg

Love the vintage POST card.
WD1036S-WX2 Board 1/4" tape controller (IBM PC XT to QIC-36).

Predator99 wrote on 2023-04-28, 19:40:

IMG_8247.jpg

fast multimedia av master = AV Master 2000. Mjpeg hardware encoding/video capture at full framerate, bundled with full version of Ulead. Full NLE on a card. $750 when introduced at CeBIT'99, down to ~$550 in 2000. Video Toaster eat your hear out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqD9iOrbPyI Love oddball stuff like this.

Thanks for your research! 😀

Indeed, no modems but Arcnet. Maybe I will keep some to play with them. At least some ethernet cards under them...

andre_6 wrote on 2023-04-28, 21:16:

Hello, I looked everywhere for your reply, I read it and then totally forgot in which thread it was in! […]
Show full quote

amadeus777999 wrote on 2023-04-27, 06:01:

HanSolo wrote on 2023-04-26, 10:04:

I'm from Germany. Here I still see CRTs being offered from time to time, but mostly they are too far away to pick them up. But from my observations over the last 3-4 years they are getting rarer. And yet there doesn't seem to be much interest in them because if an ad shows up it doesn't disappear very quickly. (Right now I see a 17" and a 15" being offered since 2 months)

I know that not only Retro-PC-user look for them but also collectors of arcade machines.

I'm not an expert on CRT technology, but what I know is that Sony-tubes become brighter just by sitting unused for years. But that can be fixed by software. The same might apply to the Mitsubishi Diamontron (Iiyama). So maybe you shouldn't throw away the 22" too early. I have one such a problem with a Dell (with Sony tube inside) that I plan to try to repair 'some day'..

Germany is one of the better countries for retro things - big(ger) nation were some people are neat and keep things tidy. I'm in Austria, which is similar but the "market" is way smaller and often less interesting. Yes, Crts still do not get too much love... fortunately or one would have to pay a Lot (more) for them
The IIyama was shot as one of the emitters seemed failing - the picture always had a red tint which did not stem from a bad solder joint. I encountered "brightening" of Sony tubes in an IBM P260 - with the right tools it's just a small service routine. Nonetheless a pesky issue.

Hello, I looked everywhere for your reply, I read it and then totally forgot in which thread it was in!

I even created a new thread to try and obtain the answer, here: Sony CRT TVs and Monitors "breathing" and brightness problem - which caps/parts to replace to fix it?

But I can just delete it and ask here: could you please elaborate on the procedure to solve the "breathing" and brightness issue on Sony CRTs? I have that same problem with a small 1999 Black Trinitron, I adjusted the brightness to mitigate the issue of distorted geometry and it worked, but I assume it will only get worse with age, and that servicing it is inevitable. How did you proceed to do the service? What parts/capacitors did you replace, if that's the case, and if it's the same between Trinitron Monitors and TVs? Many thanks for your help, glad I could finally find your reply!

Most of your questions are (way) beyond my expertise.
But when it comes to a Trinitron PC monitor with the brightness issue, the following procedure can be done...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xH4fKpKLkBM

I have some of my stuff stored on the countryside(Crt, cable), so I can't provide much info as I can't test the procedure step by step to verify my memories.
The video should help though. Changing the resistor may not be a good option so better try the cable/software route.

I'll most likely buy a P260 crt in the next 2 weeks, so this should ease "re-hashing" what I did.

Predator99 wrote on 2023-04-28, 19:41:

..and Apple II cards […]
Show full quote

..and Apple II cards

IMG_8250.jpg

Strange mix but seems to be worth the money I paid...

EDIT: The ROM on the POST-card will not do very much...

DIAG-ROM.jpg

There are some pal chips on that POST card.They might be protected though.
Very good card.Does it work?

Yay, it's garage sale season again! Picked up two boxes of promotional flash drives today. They range in size from 512MB - 2GB, and with write speeds barely hitting 2 MB/s, they are pretty much useless these days. But hey, $3/box, plus the fun shapes and colours totally won me over. 😜

Car boot sale day here.

Got a Medion machine (surprisingly under the Microstar branding) w/ the following specs:

- MSI MS-6747 mainboard
- P4 2.8GHz HT (Northwood)
- 160GB Seagate Barracuda ST3160021A
- Geforce FX5600 XT - what's the deal with the XT? Is it any better than a standard 5600?
- 512MB of RAM which I upgraded to 3.5GB over 4 DDR sticks
- Some funky TV-Tuner + 56k modem combo PCI card
- interesting front panel combo - Multi-Card Reader, USB, Composite, S-Video, USB, 1394, Line in, Out, Mic and Gameport. - also explains the yellow header installed on the 5600.
- Fortron FSP250-60MDN-120 PSU - barely any issue apart from a scorched load resistor and a bulged cap as its consequence - FSP really didn't think it through that much to add a big ass resistor that would cook any traditional cap installed in that place. The rest surprisingly held up very well. Half bridge topology from what I've seen inside.
- Pioneer DVD-RW drive + Ultima DVD-ROM drive
- silver bezel Sony floppy drive that I have little hopes in ever seeing it work again
- Creatix PCI WLAN card, w/ Agere chipset.

whitepawn wrote on 2023-04-30, 16:54:

Predator99 wrote on 2023-04-28, 19:41:

..and Apple II cards […]
Show full quote

..and Apple II cards

IMG_8250.jpg

Strange mix but seems to be worth the money I paid...

EDIT: The ROM on the POST-card will not do very much...

DIAG-ROM.jpg

There are some pal chips on that POST card.They might be protected though.
Very good card.Does it work?

Yes works and gives a nice firework. Dont know what all the LEDs mean.

Also dont know about the PALs, my Minipro seems not to be able to read them.

amadeus777999 wrote on 2023-04-30, 12:41:

Most of your questions are (way) beyond my expertise. But when it comes to a Trinitron PC monitor with the brightness issue, th […]
Show full quote

andre_6 wrote on 2023-04-28, 21:16:

Hello, I looked everywhere for your reply, I read it and then totally forgot in which thread it was in! […]
Show full quote

amadeus777999 wrote on 2023-04-27, 06:01:

Germany is one of the better countries for retro things - big(ger) nation were some people are neat and keep things tidy. I'm in Austria, which is similar but the "market" is way smaller and often less interesting. Yes, Crts still do not get too much love... fortunately or one would have to pay a Lot (more) for them
The IIyama was shot as one of the emitters seemed failing - the picture always had a red tint which did not stem from a bad solder joint. I encountered "brightening" of Sony tubes in an IBM P260 - with the right tools it's just a small service routine. Nonetheless a pesky issue.

Hello, I looked everywhere for your reply, I read it and then totally forgot in which thread it was in!

I even created a new thread to try and obtain the answer, here: Sony CRT TVs and Monitors "breathing" and brightness problem - which caps/parts to replace to fix it?

But I can just delete it and ask here: could you please elaborate on the procedure to solve the "breathing" and brightness issue on Sony CRTs? I have that same problem with a small 1999 Black Trinitron, I adjusted the brightness to mitigate the issue of distorted geometry and it worked, but I assume it will only get worse with age, and that servicing it is inevitable. How did you proceed to do the service? What parts/capacitors did you replace, if that's the case, and if it's the same between Trinitron Monitors and TVs? Many thanks for your help, glad I could finally find your reply!

Most of your questions are (way) beyond my expertise.
But when it comes to a Trinitron PC monitor with the brightness issue, the following procedure can be done...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xH4fKpKLkBM

I have some of my stuff stored in the countryside(Crt, cable), so I can't provide much info as I can't test the procedure step by step to verify my memories.
The video should help though. Changing the resistor may not be a good option so better try the cable/software route.

I'll most likely buy a P260 crt in the next 2 weeks, so this should ease "re-hashing" what I did.

Thank you for your reply. It seems it is indeed different between Sony Monitors and TVs. The brightness issue in Monitors is a problem in itself and it doesn't warp the geometry per se. In my problem with the CRT TV it's the geometry that's clearly affected, which in turn can be alleviated via the brightness / screen adjustments. Shame, if the problem was the same all around I would have a better chance of tracking down the failing part that is to blame. If I ever find it out I'll post it in the thread I made