H3nrik V! wrote on 2022-04-11, 19:32:

As in driving around the streets and picking up stuff from the curb? But yeah, she's a keeper

She was the one who told me that the local school organized an e-waste collection day so we went there and picked up everything computer related. We had to make 2 turns to get them all. They usually don't advertise these events to keep people like me away but my wife knows the staff so they let me collect whatever I wanted.

gerry wrote on 2022-04-12, 09:13:

all of that in one swoop? fantastic!!

Too bad it's only twice a year! 😁

When she told you about the e-waste collection, that was actually a test. You failed.

Kahenraz wrote on 2022-04-13, 10:52:

When she told you about the e-waste collection, that was actually a test. You failed.

Partners that 'test' you like that should be thrown to the curb. They're the real waste.

Random curb pile eMac. Heavy beast to carry home and no carry handle like a G3!
Dusty internally but less of a pain to take apart to clean the CRT board than a G3 iMac..
The acrylic shell polished quite nicely.

holdencars11 wrote on 2022-04-14, 11:49:

Random curb pile eMac. Heavy beast to carry home and no carry handle like a G3!
Dusty internally but less of a pain to take apart to clean the CRT board than a G3 iMac..
The acrylic shell polished quite nicely.

Lol, that's how I always imagined Steve Jobs to look on the inside.
Had to work on one of those once and the HDD noise drove me nuts.
I might have left face down it on the curb.
(no, not really)

So there was Halo for the Mac, only two years later. Figure that!

Cuttoon wrote on 2022-04-14, 12:02:

I might have left face down it on the curb.
(no, not really)

hahh i don't think I've ever bought anything new from Apple... all came from the trash
Was considering leaving it, just couldn't...

Miphee wrote on 2022-04-13, 09:52:

She was the one who told me that the local school organized an e-waste collection day so we went there and picked up everything […]
Show full quote

H3nrik V! wrote on 2022-04-11, 19:32:

As in driving around the streets and picking up stuff from the curb? But yeah, she's a keeper

She was the one who told me that the local school organized an e-waste collection day so we went there and picked up everything computer related. We had to make 2 turns to get them all. They usually don't advertise these events to keep people like me away but my wife knows the staff so they let me collect whatever I wanted.

gerry wrote on 2022-04-12, 09:13:

all of that in one swoop? fantastic!!

Too bad it's only twice a year! 😁

Nice! I want that kind of events too 🤣

Found a Zida TX100-3D board today, never seen an AT board this small, not sure what Ill do with it if it passes POST and testing but I do have a IBM 6x86 PR266 2.9v sitting in my collection that should work on this board if Ultimate Retro is correct.

Don't know if I have a case that wont look silly with such a tiny board in it though ..its down right adorable if you can say such a thing about PC hardware.

Never realised they made SFF sized AT boards, its certainly something I want to keep, fingers crossed that it works.

cyclone3d wrote on 2022-04-12, 04:37:

maestro wrote on 2022-04-12, 02:08:

1. Maxware 8086 (NEC V20)

The NEC V20 is the replacement for the 8088, while the v30 is the replacement for the 8086.

V20 is likely correct, and 8086 wrong. The board looks like the standard mid-80s XT clone board, and the XT is designed around the 8-bit data bus of the 8088. As there is no crystal oscillator box, but just the 14.318 MHz crystal next to the ISA slots, I'd expect that the board is 4.77MHz only, and doesn't feature a "turbo mode".

To reduce the risk of fireworks and spontaneous combustion of capacitors on the board, I suggest to test the power rails for short circiuits before powering up the board. The tantalum caps on that kind of hardware tend to fail short and burn with a nasty smell if the power supply doesn't enter short-circuit protection mode quick enough. Even if they test good unpowered, they might break down under voltage. Apart from the nasty smell, failing tantalums rarely cause collateral damage, so don't be afraid to try to power up the board. If capacitors burn up, remove them and plan to replace them.

appiah4 wrote on 2022-03-22, 11:09:

InWin A500 is the best ATX case ever made. I wish I had one 🤣

This would be your chance:
https://www.ebay.de/itm/154951173566
Price of 59 € is not nothing, but the seller seems like one who'll be open to offers.

@mod, I have no affiliation with that sale, but if I'm not supposed to post this here, please let me know!

I see the InWin A500 often mentioned positively on this forum - what's so special about it?

MMaximus wrote on 2022-04-16, 15:10:

I see the InWin A500 often mentioned positively on this forum - what's so special about it?

mainly the motherboard tray and the truly compact height - afforded by putting the PSU not horizontally up top but in line with the mobo over the ATX bracket and (usually) CPU area.

Overall build quality is top notch as well.

another week, another haul... help. 😐
a bit higher res images can be found here : https://imgur.com/a/8d8nfGt

not photographed...
microsoft natural keyboard, one with the arrow keys in an inverted T shape, not the horrible plus shape.
Sinclair QL
powerpc mac mini
2 normal floppy drives, new in box.
1 ide zip 250
4GB quantum bigfoot
USrobotics 56k USB modem
and a pinnacle systems Studio MP10

edit: I forgot... a Tandy 1100FD

Cuttoon wrote on 2022-04-16, 15:16:

MMaximus wrote on 2022-04-16, 15:10:

I see the InWin A500 often mentioned positively on this forum - what's so special about it?

mainly the motherboard tray and the truly compact height - afforded by putting the PSU not horizontally up top but in line with the mobo over the ATX bracket and (usually) CPU area.

Overall build quality is top notch as well.

Thanks for the info. I wonder why more manufacturers didn't use this PSU placement. Maybe not the best for thermals I guess

MMaximus wrote on 2022-04-17, 08:31:

Cuttoon wrote on 2022-04-16, 15:16:

MMaximus wrote on 2022-04-16, 15:10:

I see the InWin A500 often mentioned positively on this forum - what's so special about it?

mainly the motherboard tray and the truly compact height - afforded by putting the PSU not horizontally up top but in line with the mobo over the ATX bracket and (usually) CPU area.

Overall build quality is top notch as well.

Thanks for the info. I wonder why more manufacturers didn't use this PSU placement. Maybe not the best for thermals I guess

Probably because it was bad for airflow using socketed CPUs along with a PSU that pushed air out of the case. or at least this is what would seem logical to me.

mkarcher wrote on 2022-04-15, 08:31:

cyclone3d wrote on 2022-04-12, 04:37:

maestro wrote on 2022-04-12, 02:08:

1. Maxware 8086 (NEC V20)

The NEC V20 is the replacement for the 8088, while the v30 is the replacement for the 8086.

V20 is likely correct, and 8086 wrong. The board looks like the standard mid-80s XT clone board, and the XT is designed around the 8-bit data bus of the 8088. As there is no crystal oscillator box, but just the 14.318 MHz crystal next to the ISA slots, I'd expect that the board is 4.77MHz only, and doesn't feature a "turbo mode".

To reduce the risk of fireworks and spontaneous combustion of capacitors on the board, I suggest to test the power rails for short circiuits before powering up the board. The tantalum caps on that kind of hardware tend to fail short and burn with a nasty smell if the power supply doesn't enter short-circuit protection mode quick enough. Even if they test good unpowered, they might break down under voltage. Apart from the nasty smell, failing tantalums rarely cause collateral damage, so don't be afraid to try to power up the board. If capacitors burn up, remove them and plan to replace them.

Indeed, this is a V20 and 8088. I saw 86 stamped on the chip and thought it was an 8086. Thanks for clearing that up and for the useful information on the tantalums, it's greatly appreciated as is anything I can learn about hands-on repair.

Both the XT and the Paradise '88 are working. I'm not sure what EA means but when I press F1 the system responds by shreiking continuously from the PC speaker. I'll leave it at that for now, the important point is that the PSU is working and so the problem with my 486 is on the motherboard-side of things.

maestro wrote on 2022-04-18, 17:34:

Indeed, this is a V20 and 8088. I saw 86 stamped on the chip and thought it was an 8086. Thanks for clearing that up and for the […]
Show full quote

mkarcher wrote on 2022-04-15, 08:31:

cyclone3d wrote on 2022-04-12, 04:37:

The NEC V20 is the replacement for the 8088, while the v30 is the replacement for the 8086.

V20 is likely correct, and 8086 wrong. The board looks like the standard mid-80s XT clone board, and the XT is designed around the 8-bit data bus of the 8088. As there is no crystal oscillator box, but just the 14.318 MHz crystal next to the ISA slots, I'd expect that the board is 4.77MHz only, and doesn't feature a "turbo mode".

To reduce the risk of fireworks and spontaneous combustion of capacitors on the board, I suggest to test the power rails for short circiuits before powering up the board. The tantalum caps on that kind of hardware tend to fail short and burn with a nasty smell if the power supply doesn't enter short-circuit protection mode quick enough. Even if they test good unpowered, they might break down under voltage. Apart from the nasty smell, failing tantalums rarely cause collateral damage, so don't be afraid to try to power up the board. If capacitors burn up, remove them and plan to replace them.

Indeed, this is a V20 and 8088. I saw 86 stamped on the chip and thought it was an 8086. Thanks for clearing that up and for the useful information on the tantalums, it's greatly appreciated as is anything I can learn about hands-on repair.

boots.jpg

Both the XT and the Paradise '88 are working. I'm not sure what EA means but when I press F1 the system responds by shreiking continuously from the PC speaker. I'll leave it at that for now, the important point is that the PSU is working and so the problem with my 486 is on the motherboard-side of things.

Damn, it's an intelligent computer? Where did you find that thing????
😜

maestro wrote on 2022-04-18, 17:34:

(Screenshot saying "EA keyboard bad, press F1 to continue" removed)

Both the XT and the Paradise '88 are working. I'm not sure what EA means but when I press F1 the system responds by shreiking continuously from the PC speaker. I'll leave it at that for now, the important point is that the PSU is working and so the problem with my 486 is on the motherboard-side of things.

The "EA" probably is a hexadecimal error code. Are you aware that XT and AT computers use the same keyboard plug, but the communication protocol is incompatible? Your issue might be caused by connecting an AT keyboard to an XT computer. Many early AT keyboards have a switch reachaeble from the bottom side labelled "XT/AT" or "8088/286". You can use that switch to select the protocol. Some keyboards also can auto-sense whether the connected computer requires the XT or the AT protocol, so a keyboard without that switch might possibly work, too.

Cuttoon wrote on 2022-04-18, 17:40:

Damn, it's an intelligent computer? Where did you find that thing????
😜

Here's a picture of the case these were in. My coworker had already pillaged all the Voodoo cards from the other boxes so I just grabbed what was left.

mkarcher wrote on 2022-04-18, 17:47:

The "EA" probably is a hexadecimal error code. Are you aware that XT and AT computers use the same keyboard plug, but the communication protocol is incompatible? Your issue might be caused by connecting an AT keyboard to an XT computer. Many early AT keyboards have a switch reachaeble from the bottom side labelled "XT/AT" or "8088/286". You can use that switch to select the protocol. Some keyboards also can auto-sense whether the connected computer requires the XT or the AT protocol, so a keyboard without that switch might possibly work, too.

Yes, it looks like a hexadecimal code. I'm using a PS/2 keyboard with an adapter, not ideal since they weren't 100% backwards compatible but unfortunately that's all I have to test with. I remember that switch now that you mention it. 😀

maestro wrote on 2022-04-18, 18:21:

I'm using a PS/2 keyboard with an adapter, not ideal since they weren't 100% backwards compatible but unfortunately that's all I have to test with. I remember that switch now that you mention it. 😀

To put things straight: PS/2 keyboards and AT keyboards with a DIN connector are 100% compatible. You can use the cheap passive cable adapter without any restrictions. On the other hand, AT and XT keyboards are 0% compatible. XT keyboards use a unidirectional protocol without parity, and AT keyboards use a bidirectional keyboard with parity and the possibility to resend bytes if the receiver encounters a parity error.

Your problem is only that much related to the keyboard having a PS/2 plug as keyboards with PS/2 plugs are less likely to implement the XT protocol than keyboards with DIN plugs. An AT keyboard with DIN plug without XT protocol support would work just as bad as the PS/2 keyboard you are currently using.