Played a few older games with my 7yo grandson-Rescue Rover, Rockford and Duke Nukem. Killed another crt in the process 😉 Still have 4 as backups out in the shed.

Cleaned up an old 2 button Microsoft mouse that was being tempermental. Took it all the way down and lifted the board out to remove every bit of 16 year old grime.
Now it works as good as when it was new back in 1998 (Going from the "Getting Started" manual copy date).

Another thrift store find, since it was complete in the box for 2$ I had to get it.

Plus it came with a PS/2 to serial adapter which will come in handy with my PCjr once I copy some mouse drivers to 5.25" diskette.

Finally got around to printing 3.5" diskette labels. 😀 Avery 6490 is a great product for that.

Got a mouse today..
Here's a video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxodWhdmp9s&l … H2kZ0MlmlFBRszw

Nice I have a trackball that would match that. 🤣

Well, not exactly today, but last night I did try an old Packard Bell Legend 486 machine that was given to me by my dad's aunt and uncle. No boot, but the barrel battery looks to have really gotten to a few components. I removed that, and will need to try to clean up with vinegar and alcohol. Probably will make a dedicated thread over it, especially since trouble shooting will likely be needed. 😵

ReeseRiverson wrote:

Well, not exactly today, but last night I did try an old Packard Bell Legend 486 machine that was given to me by my dad's aunt and uncle. No boot, but the barrel battery looks to have really gotten to a few components. I removed that, and will need to try to clean up with vinegar and alcohol. Probably will make a dedicated thread over it, especially since trouble shooting will likely be needed. 😵

Aghh my packard bell died because of a leaking battery. On mine, the RAM decoding circuitry is right next to the battery.

smeezekitty wrote:

ReeseRiverson wrote:

Well, not exactly today, but last night I did try an old Packard Bell Legend 486 machine that was given to me by my dad's aunt and uncle. No boot, but the barrel battery looks to have really gotten to a few components. I removed that, and will need to try to clean up with vinegar and alcohol. Probably will make a dedicated thread over it, especially since trouble shooting will likely be needed. 😵

Aghh my packard bell died because of a leaking battery. On mine, the RAM decoding circuitry is right next to the battery.

I bet they are both like that. Since that is the area the onboard ram is located...

I bought a few GOTEK drives to install in my systems.

I'm in the process of creating a 1000 floppy disk image that contains EVERY SINGLE GAME and PROGRAM that I'd ever want to install via floppy disk. http://goughlui.com/2013/04/24/review-unbrand … loppy-emulator/ I even created a batch program in linux from an excel file that incremented each floppy sector "area" so once I get all the files manually named and organized, I can just run the batch program and it'll automatically inject each one into the USB flash drive image. I'll just need the original list of what program is on what numbered "disk" on the USB floppy image.

DOS 5.0, DOS 6.22, DOS 7, Windows 3.11, QEMM, 386MAX, Norton Utilities*(fun fact...below), SB Pro install disks, SB16 install disks, Wing Commander, Wing Commander II, X-Wing, Tie Fighter, Civilization, so on and so on....So far I've injected over 46 disks into the image, with 954 left to fill. I plan on having the last 10-15 floppy images blanks so I can use those as transfer images. This single 1000-floppy disk image will be my go-to for anything RETRO PC floppy 3.5" disks, and I'll even try to convert some 1.2mb 5.25 to 1.44.

*Also, the Norton Utilities disks I created. Vetusware had it to download, but not the disk images....but I recreated them from that jumble of files! There's an install.cfg file that listed the files per disk 1, 2, 3 and 4. I recreated the install disks from that list. One file was compressed and corrupt, but found that file somewhere else and recreated it by using Winrar to zip it, then renaming it to "*.dl!" Now the install program routine seems to work just fine.

How easy is that? Download 1000 floppy disk USB image onto a 2GB+ flash drive, use a Gotek 1000 floppy emulator USB drive, install to your heart's content from original installation disks. 😎

That honestly sounds very tempting... would make it so easy to keep all the important install disks and drivers intact. 😀

ReeseRiverson wrote:

That honestly sounds very tempting... would make it so easy to keep all the important install disks and drivers intact. 😀

Going to do that too. Have install disks injected of very common hardware (ZIP disk drivers, Soundblaster, Windows 3.1 drivers, etc). I'm a BIG BIG fan of installing from original disks, or disk images. I don't like copying a folder over and call it good. I want to do get the program on the drive from scratch.

Picked up my A-Open case, and began to build my next project.
Only thing wich is missing now, is a PSU, a SATA to PATA converter and some software on the system,

The project is to build as close to a 1999 system as possible, sadly the case is stamped 2000.
Well.... It's an A-Open HX45 wich have been reviewed in Feb. 1999.
Would really have liked it to be stamped 1999 for this build.

The rest of the hardware is an P3-500, Intel VC820, 256mb ram, TNT2 Ultra, SB-LIVE and a Realtek NIC.
Storage is an Seagate 40 gig HDD and finally a CD-Rom and a floppy drive.
The CPU is an Slot-1 wich have had it's thermal paste replaced, and the fan is with some new oil in the ball bearing's.
When the system is finished, I will do a post complete with pictures.

Sounds like a lot of time. I simply copy things I need from system to system with a LapLink cable and INTERLNK/SVR or FastLynx. 😀

I am debating whether I should get an OEM Pentium 3 so I can play WarCraft III. I really liked playing that game back in 2004. 🤣

PeterLI wrote:

Sounds like a lot of time. I simply copy things I need from system to system with a LapLink cable and INTERLNK/SVR or FastLynx. 😀

I am debating whether I should get an OEM Pentium 3 so I can play WarCraft III. I really liked playing that game back in 2004. 🤣

Same here. I first played it on my Voodoo 3 back in the day and it ran surprisingly well! That's actually one of my best memories of my Voodoo 3 was being amazed at how I could play Warcraft 3 at the time with it.

PeterLI wrote:

Sounds like a lot of time. I simply copy things I need from system to system with a LapLink cable and INTERLNK/SVR or FastLynx. 😀

I am debating whether I should get an OEM Pentium 3 so I can play WarCraft III. I really liked playing that game back in 2004. 🤣

MS-DOS LAN Manager Client works great and still works to connect to modern windows file shares. I even got my IBM XT 5160 on the network with a 3Com Etherlink II card. No more floppies or LapLink for me.

QBiN wrote:

MS-DOS LAN Manager Client works great and still works to connect to modern windows file shares. I even got my IBM XT 5160 on the network with a 3Com Etherlink II card. No more floppies or LapLink for me.

And even with the use of ftp access over the network with ethernet cards in DOS, I try to fit a nice ethernet card in every machine I can. I'd sure like to find something that will work in 8-bit slots for my Tandy 1000 even!

ReeseRiverson wrote:

QBiN wrote:

MS-DOS LAN Manager Client works great and still works to connect to modern windows file shares. I even got my IBM XT 5160 on the network with a 3Com Etherlink II card. No more floppies or LapLink for me.

And even with the use of ftp access over the network with ethernet cards in DOS, I try to fit a nice ethernet card in every machine I can. I'd sure like to find something that will work in 8-bit slots for my Tandy 1000 even!

Exist they do

My project of rebuilding my 440BX machine came to an abrupt halt last week, as I inadvertently fried the new ASUS P3B-F. I had another one, but it was already dead when I got it.

I bought a POST card from China, hoping it would provide any clues. Terrible quality by the way, but for €3 I'm not one to complain. Anyway the tester card didn't do anything in the first P3B, the one I accidentally turned into smoke. Scope confirms: supply voltages come up but nothing happens on either the PCI or ISA bus. Uh oh. I think that means it's seriously dead.
The other board did something at least on the POST card, which I didn't really expect since even the power button didn't do anything on this one. It kept repeating the same sequence over and over again. With a high-fps camera I could see the reset signal coming up up as soon as it tried to initialize the keyboard controller. Finger confirms: the I/O controller runs burning hot!

So I grabbed the most unexciting AOpen board I could find with the same I/O chip and tried to desolder it. Now this is a 128-pin chip in QFP package, shouldn't be too difficult with hot air soldering tools... BUT. I don't have any of that. The method I came up with involved prying a thick (0.75mm) stainless steel wire behind the pins, bending it into a triangle shape, then heating the pins up with the soldering iron while pulling on the stainless wire at the same time, to lift the pins from the board. Then I had to clean all the solder of the pins and carefully bend them back in place. One by one.

All in all, I spent a solid four hours replacing one single chip... But it was worth it! THE P3B-F NOW LIVES AGAIN!

The clock generator and serial port drivers still run pretty hot too. I think I'll also replace those, and all the capacitors, just to be sure. At least I can now resume building my 440BX dream machine, and doing the memory hack and ISA extender stuff 😀

jwt27 wrote:

My project of rebuilding my 440BX machine came to an abrupt halt last week, as I inadvertently fried the new ASUS P3B-F. I had a […]
Show full quote

My project of rebuilding my 440BX machine came to an abrupt halt last week, as I inadvertently fried the new ASUS P3B-F. I had another one, but it was already dead when I got it.

I bought a POST card from China, hoping it would provide any clues. Terrible quality by the way, but for €3 I'm not one to complain. Anyway the tester card didn't do anything in the first P3B, the one I accidentally turned into smoke. Scope confirms: supply voltages come up but nothing happens on either the PCI or ISA bus. Uh oh. I think that means it's seriously dead.
The other board did something at least on the POST card, which I didn't really expect since even the power button didn't do anything on this one. It kept repeating the same sequence over and over again. With a high-fps camera I could see the reset signal coming up up as soon as it tried to initialize the keyboard controller. Finger confirms: the I/O controller runs burning hot!

So I grabbed the most unexciting AOpen board I could find with the same I/O chip and tried to desolder it. Now this is a 128-pin chip in QFP package, shouldn't be too difficult with hot air soldering tools... BUT. I don't have any of that. The method I came up with involved prying a thick (0.75mm) stainless steel wire behind the pins, bending it into a triangle shape, then heating the pins up with the soldering iron while pulling on the stainless wire at the same time, to lift the pins from the board. Then I had to clean all the solder of the pins and carefully bend them back in place. One by one.

All in all, I spent a solid four hours replacing one single chip... But it was worth it! THE P3B-F NOW LIVES AGAIN!

The clock generator and serial port drivers still run pretty hot too. I think I'll also replace those, and all the capacitors, just to be sure. At least I can now resume building my 440BX dream machine, and doing the memory hack and ISA extender stuff 😀

All I can say is: Impressive. Good luck with the build, and may the optical fibres of pc fortune shine their bitstream at you 😉

jwt27 wrote:

My project of rebuilding my 440BX machine came to an abrupt halt last week, as I inadvertently fried the new ASUS P3B-F. I had a […]
Show full quote

My project of rebuilding my 440BX machine came to an abrupt halt last week, as I inadvertently fried the new ASUS P3B-F. I had another one, but it was already dead when I got it.

I bought a POST card from China, hoping it would provide any clues. Terrible quality by the way, but for €3 I'm not one to complain. Anyway the tester card didn't do anything in the first P3B, the one I accidentally turned into smoke. Scope confirms: supply voltages come up but nothing happens on either the PCI or ISA bus. Uh oh. I think that means it's seriously dead.
The other board did something at least on the POST card, which I didn't really expect since even the power button didn't do anything on this one. It kept repeating the same sequence over and over again. With a high-fps camera I could see the reset signal coming up up as soon as it tried to initialize the keyboard controller. Finger confirms: the I/O controller runs burning hot!

So I grabbed the most unexciting AOpen board I could find with the same I/O chip and tried to desolder it. Now this is a 128-pin chip in QFP package, shouldn't be too difficult with hot air soldering tools... BUT. I don't have any of that. The method I came up with involved prying a thick (0.75mm) stainless steel wire behind the pins, bending it into a triangle shape, then heating the pins up with the soldering iron while pulling on the stainless wire at the same time, to lift the pins from the board. Then I had to clean all the solder of the pins and carefully bend them back in place. One by one.

All in all, I spent a solid four hours replacing one single chip... But it was worth it! THE P3B-F NOW LIVES AGAIN!

The clock generator and serial port drivers still run pretty hot too. I think I'll also replace those, and all the capacitors, just to be sure. At least I can now resume building my 440BX dream machine, and doing the memory hack and ISA extender stuff 😀

Wow, that is some seriously impressive work you've done there! I've always wondered about some tricks to revive older motherboards, and heck, that one is pretty dang impressive.

What would you guys suggest doing for chips like that, that have bent pins while on a board already? I found a Voodoo 2 3DFX card at a local computer shop for almost nothing, but it had bent pins that do touch each other.