- memtest
- cache off, slowest possible BIOS settings
- check if the board reproducibly crashes/reboots when you bend it a bit

The 5x86 133mhz problem sounds the same as my problem: my 486 acts the same and does not support that cpu. Either do a bios update or set it as a dx4 and run it like that.

Your other problems sound like memory problems to me.

It will freeze with black screen whenever some time have passed, and that is even if I have entered the BIOS.
This is with the default BIOS settings loaded and with the external cache disabled (L2).
It will freeze with black screen faster with a PCI Vga card than a VL-Bus VGA card (both S3 cards).
And I do not have time enough to do a mem-test at all. It has frozen with black screen before that.

meljor wrote:

The 5x86 133mhz problem sounds the same as my problem: my 486 acts the same and does not support that cpu. Either do a bios update or set it as a dx4 and run it like that.

Your other problems sound like memory problems to me.

It has a modded BIOS (modded by a former member) and it has been running a 5x86-133.

EDIT:
Can this be a L2 cache problem, as it does not matter wich non-parity FPM i use.
Same problem with a stick of 16mb or a stick of 8mb or a stick of 4mb.

If it displays the same behaviour with the L2 cache disabled, wouldn't that suggest the problem is elsewhere?

yawetaG wrote:

If it displays the same behaviour with the L2 cache disabled, wouldn't that suggest the problem is elsewhere?

Probably yes... 😀 I am just not that used to troubleshoot 486 boards.

Did you exchange other hardware? I would try another psu or harddisk if the memory isn't the problem.

Have not tried another PSU yet. Right now it is using an ATX connected with a converter cable that has a minus 5 volt line. The harddrive is not the problem (I think), as the symptoms are the same on both a 512mb Quantum and a 512mb Transcend CF card.

Other than that, it is running with the same PCI vga card and I have tried with an S3 805 VLB card too.
The same memmory stick makes the same symptoms too.

Nope.... It's not the psu eighter. 🙁

The 486-VIP-IO has a lot of jumpers to set. I got it running after weeks of trial and error. And I'm not talking about the CPU jumpers alone - everything needs to be tested. See if you maybe lost a jumper from someware - if they are weak or the pins are bent in too much they sometimes fall off. Also reseting the BIOS might help. Just remember you need to move a jumper (JP7?) then boot the board, and then turn it off and move it back again - it's not like in new machines.

kanecvr wrote:

The 486-VIP-IO has a lot of jumpers to set. I got it running after weeks of trial and error. And I'm not talking about the CPU jumpers alone - everything needs to be tested. See if you maybe lost a jumper from someware - if they are weak or the pins are bent in too much they sometimes fall off. Also reseting the BIOS might help. Just remember you need to move a jumper (JP7?) then boot the board, and then turn it off and move it back again - it's not like in new machines.

Thanks for the tips. I have tried the J7, and this gave me no outcome. Same issues. 🙁
I have gone over all the jumpers, and nothing is missing.
Next up, I will check and swap all the jumpers on the board with my spare jumpers.

I bought some 4 pieces of 64x8 15ns cache modules some day's ago.
When they arive, I will test if they make a difference on this board.

The thing is, that no matter wich CPU i am running, the board will freeze, lockup or
reboot with black screen, at aprox the same amount of kb of mem testes in speedsys.
I still have an idea that this is related to the cache mem or the tag module in some way
or another. This is because, as far as I have understood information found online, that
the tag mem has something to do with both amount of cache mem supported and how
much main memory that can be cached.

Does this sound like an correct assumption, or an I totally wrong on this?

Can it boot with the cache memory or tag module removed? If so, then you should be able to narrow it down to one of the two.

yawetaG wrote:

Can it boot with the cache memory or tag module removed? If so, then you should be able to narrow it down to one of the two.

I actually don't know if it can. I will be testing that on monday, as I need to concentrate on other more important things now. Going to make ready for my daughters birthday party on saturday.

All right.... Found the root/culprit of my issue with this motherboard.

I was using an ATX to AT converter cable, that I bought from China, and that one is defect.
I solved the issue by using my own homemade converter, wich I thought was a nice way of testing it out.
You know... Testing if I had soldered everything correctly on the converter.

The morale... Make you'r own converter cable, as these china thing's are not durable in the long run.

I have tested the whole thing, by playing Dynablaster for 30+ minutes.
Nothing went wrong. No hangups, no freezes, no reboot. Just gamingtime.
The old converter is fixable, as the bad wire is the "power-on-good", that looses connection when wiggeling it.
I guess what happened, was the ATX psu was getting confused by this.
Delivering power and not having a power-on-good signal present at the same time.

EDIT:
It has been tested with my 5x86-133 cpu, wich were the CPU that froze the system the quickest.
And I have tested it with both an CL-5446-2mb PCI card and an S3-805 VLB card. (2x30+ min test-gaming)

Try to find an AT psu. I'm 110% sure the issues you're having with the LS486 board I sent you are also PSU related. It might be sending 3.3v direcly from the PSU

kanecvr wrote:

Try to find an AT psu. I'm 110% sure the issues you're having with the LS486 board I sent you are also PSU related. It might be sending 3.3v direcly from the PSU

Have tried with an AT psu on the Lucky Star. Wich did not seem to selve that problem. 🙁
The lucky star was running with the homemade convertercable, so now I need to craft my third homemade cable.
I have given up the idea of buying them, other than to use them as doners for a homemade cable.

Anyway...
I have been running some tests on the FIC now. And it can do both of the Superscape 3 times each (1.0 and 1.0c). That is 6x benching in a row. Plus it can run a full Speedsys twice after that. No hickups, freezing or anything.

The results are with the S3-805 VLB card (vide memory unknown)