56k on 8-bit ISA? Sounds unlikely...

As far as the systems not starting - any bulging/blown caps? Any visible burn/damage/etc to the boards? As far as stuff that you can confirm non-working, I'd probably just recycle it.

As far as the card - you may have borked something with the configuration on the working machine, especially if we're talking ISA cards - I'd investigate that before writing the previously working hardware off as a lost cause.

I didn't believe it either when 98 detected it as a 56K. Googled the model and it's US Robotics Sportster 0460, perfect for those 8088 machines wanting fast BBS access.

I pulled both boards out of the cases and have them on a desk. I'm stumped but I'll fiddle around with them for a few days before junking them. Wish I tested them before removing the covers but I couldn't wait to see what goodies were inside. Hunting for good sound/video cards for Dos gaming and got excited when I found them.

TandySensation wrote:

I didn't believe it either when 98 detected it as a 56K. Googled the model and it's US Robotics Sportster 0460, perfect for those 8088 machines wanting fast BBS access.

🤣 What an odd card!

I pulled both boards out of the cases and have them on a desk. I'm stumped but I'll fiddle around with them for a few days before junking them. Wish I tested them before removing the covers but I couldn't wait to see what goodies were inside. Hunting for good sound/video cards for Dos gaming and got excited when I found them.

Random thought: are they missing jumpers perhaps?

might be worth cleaning the contacts on the sound blaster with a pencil eraser, might just be built up dirt and corrosion.

Good news on the socket 462 - it started! Woohoo There's a bank of switches to set the bus speed. I rocked them back and forth then reseated all the other jumpers, replaced the cmos battery, and tried a 3rd CPU and it started! I have an Athlon 1Ghz and a Duron 1.2Ghz that work in the board. I wonder which is better. The Duron has SSE and some other minor improvements but a small cache. Thinking the Duron might be better for music/movies while the Athlon would be better for compiling kernels and running office apps.

No luck with the FIC 503. I reset the jumpers for an Intel 166 and tried different memory, reseated all jumpers. When I set it to ATX mode and then touch the pins for the PW switch there is nothing at all, the ATX supply stays off. When I put it on AT mode and turn it on the fans start but no signs of life.

Looking through the bios options for the Gigabyte board there is a section for the sound that says SoundBlaster legacy along with the IRQ and other settings the SB should use. I enabled it and booted into DOS but unable to install it, the installer doesn't detect a soundblaster.

I never seen a motherboard with a 'Legacy sound blaster' option for the onboard AC'97 I'm guessing it would emulate a real SB but not sure how to use it. Anyone use one before? My goal is to run DOS/3.1 with sound working.

TandySensation wrote:

Looking through the bios options for the Gigabyte board there is a section for the sound that says SoundBlaster legacy along with the IRQ and other settings the SB should use. I enabled it and booted into DOS but unable to install it, the installer doesn't detect a soundblaster.

I never seen a motherboard with a 'Legacy sound blaster' option for the onboard AC'97 I'm guessing it would emulate a real SB but not sure how to use it. Anyone use one before? My goal is to run DOS/3.1 with sound working.

3.1 on a 1GHz system? That is a big waste of performance

^
Ditto.
IMO anything from 266MHz to 500MHz deserves Windows 9x/NT4/2000 and:
933-1GHz Intel chips (Pentium 3/Celeron 3) - Windows XP
750-1GHz and faster AMD chips - Windows Vista or 7,as long as there is at least 1GB RAM and a good video card for Aero (older cards work too,except no Aero)

TandySensation wrote:

No luck with the FIC 503. I reset the jumpers for an Intel 166 and tried different memory, reseated all jumpers. When I set it to ATX mode and then touch the pins for the PW switch there is nothing at all, the ATX supply stays off. When I put it on AT mode and turn it on the fans start but no signs of life.

With the ATX 20 pin cable still installed on board,try jumpstarting the PSU.It will also turn on the PC.(I used this trick on a Pentium 4 board using a rocker switch wired to jumpstart the PSU,like the old XT PSUs)

I found out the SB Legacy mode needs a special driver from VIA and only works in DOS. I can use my SB PCI 128 for Dos only gaming. Installed XP and set it up with two sound cards and will use it for ham radio digital modes.

I will try to ATX jump start trick with the VA-503+ but if it doesn't work I give up and will drop the board off on ewaste recycle day.

Ordered a SB Vibra off Ebay for 10$ shipped. It's going in a K6 box for DOS/3.1 nostalgia.

Thanks for all the tips!

TandySensation wrote:

I found out the SB Legacy mode needs a special driver from VIA and only works in DOS. I can use my SB PCI 128 for Dos only gamin […]
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I found out the SB Legacy mode needs a special driver from VIA and only works in DOS. I can use my SB PCI 128 for Dos only gaming. Installed XP and set it up with two sound cards and will use it for ham radio digital modes.

I will try to ATX jump start trick with the VA-503+ but if it doesn't work I give up and will drop the board off on ewaste recycle day.

Ordered a SB Vibra off Ebay for 10$ shipped. It's going in a K6 box for DOS/3.1 nostalgia.

Thanks for all the tips!

I still think you should install 98 on it. It has a "restart in msdos mode" on it and it also opens up the option to play Windows games
For reference, programs on 3.1 start with no noticeable delay on my 486DX-120 with a CF hard drive which means even a fast 486 is overpowered.

Could the boards have leaky caps? Sometimes you have to hold the board at the precisely the right angle to the light to see the crud around the caps. There was a period of time where nearly every consumer grade motherboard was built with the cheapest caps available and they all melted down eventually.

I finally got the FIC 503+ to boot up. I was about to throw it away but read about reflowing boards in an oven.

Finally moved into my own place with my own oven and I can cook electronics without anyone flipping out. Put it in the oven, set it to 390F, and let it cook until the pre-heat alarm beeped off at 390. Then I shut off the oven and let it cool down in there, opened the door after about 8 minutes.

There was some smoke and smell, visible smoke came out from around the oven. Opened a window and directed the smoke outside with a fan.

When it fully cooled off I hooked everything back up and nothing happened at first... then the monitor light went from amber to blue!

I did see some brown crud at the top of a cap near the cpu. Not sure if it leaked long ago and was clear and the oven browned it or if it leaked due to the oven.

Loaded it with two 32MB EDO SIMMs and a gold faced P90 and now I'm rockin the DOS. The white plastic bits on the board are slightly caramelized brown and the board feels a bit crispy but seems stable running that P90. 😁

Thanks everyone!

It's usually enough to "bake" hardware at 350F and that only for 10 minutes or so...

Yes you killed the capacitors while baking.
The fluid could oxidize the board.
Replace all caps if you want to keep using it.

Replacement caps are on the way, looks like an easy enough job to replace them.

I'm having trouble setting a 60MHz FSB speed. I found some websites saying to set CLK1 as 2-3, CLK2 as 1-2, and CLK3 as 1-2 for 60MHz. This website was the clearest in explaining the settings, http://softlyspokenmagicspells.com/overclocking.html.

When I set it to 60 I get 124FSB, looking at the chart it shows both have the same setting. I don't understand how both speeds could be set the same unless there is something else to change.

Replaced all the swollen or leaking caps which was about half of them. Used a 40w pencil to walk the old caps off and then rocked the new ones in before using a tiny amount of solder to finish it off. Doubt this is the proper way but the results look good and it worked fine without using any desoldering tools.

The lesson is, before throwing it out try to reflow and/or cap replacement. It did work after baking even with the bad caps so I doubt the problem was just bad capacitors but it's always something to investigate.

Thanks everyone.

Would probably be better to do a full recap, the ones that aren't visibly bad have to be suspect.

For removal and hole clearing, a piston type solder sucker or braid is useful.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desoldering

PS. 2 bewares for the solder sucker...
Do not put it away primed, it'll weaken the spring if it spends a long time set.
Mind your thumb, when you fire it, the plunger can give quite a whack if you're in its way!