Got the PCS desktop working by swapping the board and GPU (both the Trident VGA/EGA and the BioStar board aren't functional and my plan is to fix the BioStar board and get it installed). The Koalk 20MB drive works and it'll get archived once I receive other components and format a hard drive and the turbo display has 1 speed selection that doesn't show the full number and only has 2 of the 10 segments lit up, yet the others work fine: 33MHz is the one that has issues, which means a reflow of every IC needs to be done and if that fixes it, I'll call it a day. That and I need to label the connectors so I know which one is which for the reset button and keyboard lock since they share the same wire colors blue and indigo.

Today I've been rescuing files from a 2003 era Medion PC. A friend of my fathers sadly passed away earlier in the year and he'd worked as a publisher and had published some of my fathers own work. I was asked if I could get some files off the 'tower' and was told it was 'modern'. Knowing the chap had been in his 70's when he passed I actually expected this to mean Windows 7 or maybe 8 and a SATA HDD or maybe even an SSD. Nope, a Pentium 4 2.66GHz with Geforce MX 440 and 2 x IDE HDD's and complete with a 56K modem and fancy front panel complete with CF, USB, audio jacks and SVHS and composite outputs.

I'm now pulling all the old images, and quark express files off via USB for archiving. No one wants the PC itself so I've offered to give it a home to save it from someone carelessly throwing it in landfill - my offer was accepted 😀

Today I'm working on an 8088 board with some burned up Tantalums. (Took these with my Microscope)

Wowsers.

I cleaned the corrosion off of my BioStar 1333/40 386 board since the batteries leaked and luckily, everything else in intact and looks better than before, but not 100% all the way yet.

Can I replace those tag tantalums with modern electrolytics or should I stick with tantalums?

kingcake wrote on 2022-09-12, 02:55:

Can I replace those tag tantalums with modern electrolytics or should I stick with tantalums?

I would replace with equal Tants but you could go with Electrolytics if you already have them but if you have to order them with stick with identical replacements.
And replace them all, if one or two go pop then the rest will follow....just my opinion

I read the BIOS from the BioStar 1333/40PME-CH board in case I need to make a new ROM in the future.

I tested this trash picked 8088 XT Turbo. I was surprised it was a NEC V20... Probably a Juko ST motherboard. Worked first time! Installed Trident TVGA, XT IDE and Vibra 16. Very happy with it being such a painless resurrection!

I got the BioStar 1333/40PME-CH cleaned up from the battery corrosion and it lives, plus the 33MHz segment display is working after I soldered a wire to the two solder joints that a trace would connect to that had gone bad.

The PCS desktop is finally repaired and working. Next stop: EIDE controller with a sound card and the Kalok drive will get archived to an IDE HDD.

Decided to start getting my HP 9000 and Sun SparcStation 5's up and running and start looking to acquiring an SGI setup hopefully in time to apply to be a exhibitor at VCF East in 2023.

Started to do some more recordings of the Pianobox USB GM Module. Recording Rise Of The Triad sound track which I plan to upload to Youtube at some point.

Here's one of the tracks recorded.

Tested a Zip 100 drive.
Halfway copying files it would crash W98/2K/Xp and crash the drive on W7/10.

Tested with TIP (trouble in paradise utility that tests the disks) and it would start displaying "error seeking head", probably meaning the head is busted on one side.
Disks retested in another drive were actually good and had very few issues.

Seller sold it as "tested", when actually it was just connected and a disk inserted.

Lately I had very bad luck with Zip drives, only two did actually work 100%, one Jaz is good.
REV I skipped one opportunity as the unit had visible dirt inside (come on!).

Nexxen wrote on 2022-09-12, 20:49:

Tested a Zip 100 drive. Halfway copying files it would crash W98/2K/Xp and crash the drive on W7/10. […]
Show full quote

Tested a Zip 100 drive.
Halfway copying files it would crash W98/2K/Xp and crash the drive on W7/10.

Tested with TIP (trouble in paradise utility that tests the disks) and it would start displaying "error seeking head", probably meaning the head is busted on one side.
Disks retested in another drive were actually good and had very few issues.

Seller sold it as "tested", when actually it was just connected and a disk inserted.

Lately I had very bad luck with Zip drives, only two did actually work 100%, one Jaz is good.
REV I skipped one opportunity as the unit had visible dirt inside (come on!).

was it an internal or one of the externals?

Veeb0rg wrote on 2022-09-12, 22:53:

Nexxen wrote on 2022-09-12, 20:49:

Tested a Zip 100 drive. Halfway copying files it would crash W98/2K/Xp and crash the drive on W7/10. […]
Show full quote

Tested a Zip 100 drive.
Halfway copying files it would crash W98/2K/Xp and crash the drive on W7/10.

Tested with TIP (trouble in paradise utility that tests the disks) and it would start displaying "error seeking head", probably meaning the head is busted on one side.
Disks retested in another drive were actually good and had very few issues.

Seller sold it as "tested", when actually it was just connected and a disk inserted.

Lately I had very bad luck with Zip drives, only two did actually work 100%, one Jaz is good.
REV I skipped one opportunity as the unit had visible dirt inside (come on!).

was it an internal or one of the externals?

USB, looks like a normal floppy in a cheap plastic case.
If you mean the REV, a pic with open lid. I heard a voice "hmmm lemon pledge".

Today, quirky but replace my old washing machine by a new.
And my only criterion of selection was finally the LED display that reminds me of my childhood (black + orange) ;p
I'm so happy in 2022 to see this kind of display model, I knew it was the one!
I know you understand me 🤣

Romain wrote on 2022-09-12, 23:30:

Today, quirky but replace my old washing machine by a new. And my only criterion of selection was finally the LED display that r […]
Show full quote

Today, quirky but replace my old washing machine by a new.
And my only criterion of selection was finally the LED display that reminds me of my childhood (black + orange) ;p
I'm so happy in 2022 to see this kind of display model, I knew it was the one!
I know you understand me 🤣

Very cool. Definite mainframe vibes.

I did my first FSB overclock on my Soyo SY-6BB system today. I picked up a Celeron 366 (SL36C) with plans to overclock from 5.5x66 = 366 MHz to 5.5x100 = 550MHz. This was apparently a very popular and easy to obtain overclock back in the day. However, mine topped out at 83 MHz FSB. 🙁 Seems fine in the BIOS and Plop at 100 MHz, but Windows hangs or complains of missing DLLs. Oh well, maybe a different adapter or stepping would work better. In the end, it was a fun $10 project.

Some photos:

CPU-Z Scores

I wonder how common it was back in the day to get 550 on that. I would have guessed it's the exact same core as a 300A that they just sold at a different price point, so 450 without jacking up the voltage and maybe higher if you cook it a little.

Yup, if possible with your motherboard, adjust the voltage to 2.1/2.3v to have a stable front side bus 100 Mhz frequency with this cheap lovely CPU.
Below 2.1v, it's not stable.

I fixed up the Aztech Sound Galaxy NX Pro non-16 that had 2 broken off mounting screws for the gamepad/joystick and replaced them with the ones from a dead video card. I also re-bent the bracket to make it more straight and not crooked.