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First post, by jdmcs

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I have an Emerson Elite SX386/16 PC, which as you might suspect by the model name, has a 16MHz 386SX inside. It has an AMI BIOS and a Headland Technology chipset. However, I have incomplete and confusing information, which is not helping in my quest to find a better BIOS image to try on this computer...

The information I have:

The computer is an "Emerson Elite SX386/16", and the model number on the back is SR160. The FCC ID is H9Z2008, for which the applicant was "Trigem Corporation" and the grant was to be mailed to "Rockford Engineering Services, Inc.". The computer was made in Korea.

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AMI BIOS Screen
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The AMI BIOS Identification String is DG2X-6080-020491-KB, which means:

  • D - BIOS w/ diagnostics
  • G2X - not on the list I found (G23, for G2 chipset 386 boards, is)
  • 6080 - a manufacturer not on the list I found
  • 020491 - BIOS release date of February 4, 1991... oops, I missed its birthday
  • KB - Keyboard BIOS revision B
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Headland Technology Chips Closest to FPU Socket
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Headland Technology Chip Closest to CPU
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The AMI labels on the ROM chips for the BIOS simply say "386 BIOS" with no version number. The serial numbers on the two chips do match, for what that's worth.

The Headland Technology chipset in use consists of three chips, in no particular order:

  • HT101SX/G3A020
  • GC102/B1A4000
  • HT113/D3A0021

None of these chips match chipsets listed on the Vogons Wiki. However, DOS Days says the GC102 is an 80286 chipset... is this really a 286 chipset in a 386 computer?

The Reason I Need a New BIOS:

This computer has a maddening problem: the BIOS is apparently not scanning option ROMs (or is not scanning 8-bit option ROMs). I tried two different XT-IDE based cards (an XT-IDE Rev 4 and an XT-CF Lite), and on the latter, I had even tacked on the ROM from a Y2K card just to rule out some sort of incompatibility with this system and the XT-IDE Universal BIOS.

I thought that after the IBM XT, computers scanned for option ROMs... and IIRC the XT eventually had a firmware update to enable scanning of option ROMs, too.

Interestingly enough, if I run CheckIt and display a Memory Map, CheckIt shows no option ROMs between C800-DFFF. I'm not sure if this is a symptom, or just a coincidental failure in CheckIt. However, the XT-IDE Configuration Utility does see its ROMs, and can even read/write those ROMs, so I know the cards are there and those ROMs are mapped to the correct memory locations.

Viewers of my last livestream were just as stumped as I was, and the consensus is that I need to try to find a better BIOS for this computer...

The Problem:

It seems as if I have a 386SX computer that was built on a 286 chipset. Does this mean I am looking for a 286 or a 386 BIOS?

I tried to decode the AMI BIOS Identification String, but some of the values don't match the list I found, so I can't sanity-check any potential alternate BIOS and/or search for alternate BIOS images by the motherboard manufacturer's name. Any help to fill in these blanks?

Maybe someday I will be able to find an appropriate BIOS for this computer that will actually scan option ROMs.

I'm Justin D. Morgan, Host of Computerized Start™
If you use one of the photos I post on Vogons, I would appreciate being credited by name (Justin D. Morgan) instead of by user name. Thanks!

Reply 1 of 54, by Horun

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Can you post a picture of the entire motherboard ? Some one might recognize it 😀

Hate posting a reply and then have to edit it because it made no sense 😁 First computer was an IBM 3270 workstation with CGA monitor. https://archive.org/details/@horun

Reply 2 of 54, by Predator99

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I dont think the reason is your BIOS doesnt scan for option ROMs...and in case it doesnt, this would be an easy patch...

Note the locaation of your ROM and test with debug.exe. In case its at D000 enter:

debug
d D000:0
q

What is the output..?

Also provide a dump of your current ROM, you can create it i.e. with NSSI.

Check in your BIOS if you have disabled memory shadowing etc.. Show some screenshots of the options you have there please.

Reply 3 of 54, by jdmcs

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Long Story Short: I think the motherboard is an ESP SX386M.

Short Story Long:

I searched eBay for 386SX computers, and one listing for an ESP SX386MC PC caught my eye. The cover photo looked a lot like my Emerson Elite SX386/16: the number of drives, the approximate power switch location, and the two LEDs. And how they stylistically called it an SX386... So I clicked on it, and looked at the photos.

eBay 324912939173 Computer 0.jpg
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ESP SX386MC PC Auction Photo - Cover Photo
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Emerson Elite SX386/16 Front
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The picture of the back of the computer looks exactly like my Emerson. All the text printed on the paint, the placement of the serial number label, the location of the FCC Label, the on-board ports (including the second serial port), and the two screws that retain the motherboard from outside the case (missing on the eBay computer - boo).

eBay 324912939173 Computer 1.jpg
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ESP SX386MC PC Auction Photo - Rear of Case
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Emerson Elite SX386/16 Rear
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And the AMI BIOS string has the same manufacturer ID of 6080.

eBay 324912939173 Computer 2.jpg
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ESP SX386MC PC Auction Photo - Boot Screen
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So could AMI manufacturer ID 6080 be for ESP? Maybe a code they used for OEM boards integrated into white label PCs?

On a hunch, I searched for ESP SX386 and boom: I found the CMS Enhancements Inc. ESP SX386SM motherboard on stason.org. And the layout matches my motherboard!

As a side note, I noticed that J2 is the NPU enable jumper. Could this be why I was previously unsuccessful in getting a Cyrix FasMath to work in the computer? The computer detected the FasMath with the jumper open, but the computer was highly unstable, and CheckIt failed one of the three NPU tests. So very much on a hunch, I re-installed the FasMath and put a jumper on J2. And it works! All the tests pass on it, too. So if this isn't an ESP SX386M motherboard, then it sure seems to have all the same jumpers on it...

I'm Justin D. Morgan, Host of Computerized Start™
If you use one of the photos I post on Vogons, I would appreciate being credited by name (Justin D. Morgan) instead of by user name. Thanks!

Reply 4 of 54, by jdmcs

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Predator99 wrote on 2022-02-07, 10:11:
Note the locaation of your ROM and test with debug.exe. In case its at D000 enter: […]
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Note the locaation of your ROM and test with debug.exe. In case its at D000 enter:

debug
d D000:0
q

What is the output..?

According to CheckIt, the System ROM starts at E000. So I've dumped E000 and F000.

Debug Output.PNG
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Debug Output.PNG
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Emerson Elite SX386/16 Debug Output
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Predator99 wrote on 2022-02-07, 10:11:

Also provide a dump of your current ROM, you can create it i.e. with NSSI.

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Emerson Elite SX386/16 ROM Dumped by NSSI
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Predator99 wrote on 2022-02-07, 10:11:

Check in your BIOS if you have disabled memory shadowing etc.. Show some screenshots of the options you have there please.

The Setup has only one screen for settings:

Setup.PNG
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Setup.PNG
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Emerson Elite SX386/16 Setup Options
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I'm Justin D. Morgan, Host of Computerized Start™
If you use one of the photos I post on Vogons, I would appreciate being credited by name (Justin D. Morgan) instead of by user name. Thanks!

Reply 5 of 54, by Predator99

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Can you also check with debug if you can See the xtide?

Your BIOS is a standard BIOS and - of course - it should support an option ROM.

What ROM adress did you choose on your XT-IDE card? If you selected C800 you can take a look with debug...
debug
d c800:0
q

...if it is really there.
If yes: We can take a closer look at your Mainboard-BIOS. But I dont think its there.

If not: You have an issue with your XT-IDE card, a ROM-adress conlict with some other card or your ROM-image may be faulty. There are many other options....

Reply 6 of 54, by jdmcs

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Predator99 wrote on 2022-02-07, 13:48:
Can you also check with debug if you can See the xtide? […]
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Can you also check with debug if you can See the xtide?

Your BIOS is a standard BIOS and - of course - it should support an option ROM.

What ROM adress did you choose on your XT-IDE card? If you selected C800 you can take a look with debug...
debug
d c800:0
q

I have a known-working XT-CF Lite that is jumpered for C800, which also have a Y2K compatibility ROM added that would be mapped at CA00. I also have a newly-assembled XT-IDE revision 4 that is jumpered for D800. With both in the system:

XT-CF Lite w Y2K ROM Added.PNG
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XT-CF Lite w Y2K ROM Added.PNG
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Debug Output for C800 and CA00
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XT-IDE Also Seen.PNG
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Debug Output for D800
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With these cards absent from the system, I get all FF's from debug.

And yes, I've tried a few different images for the XT-CF Lite in case the XT BIOS is not appreciated in a 386... and while I do not know if the Y2K ROM image has a banner output for sure, I do know the XT-IDE Universal BIOS images I have should be displaying the menu, but don't.

I'm Justin D. Morgan, Host of Computerized Start™
If you use one of the photos I post on Vogons, I would appreciate being credited by name (Justin D. Morgan) instead of by user name. Thanks!

Reply 7 of 54, by jdmcs

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Wait a minute... where's the 55 AA on my XT-IDE? I did run xtidecfg to both configure the BIOS as well as to flash it to the XT-IDE.

I'm Justin D. Morgan, Host of Computerized Start™
If you use one of the photos I post on Vogons, I would appreciate being credited by name (Justin D. Morgan) instead of by user name. Thanks!

Reply 8 of 54, by Predator99

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That doesnt look that bad. Yes it should start with 55 AA.

You can make a dump of that memory area with debug.exe .. read the manual or I can check later how to do it, dont have a DOS PC in front of me currently...

Reply 9 of 54, by jdmcs

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Predator99 wrote on 2022-02-07, 17:53:

That doesnt look that bad. Yes it should start with 55 AA.

You can make a dump of that memory area with debug.exe .. read the manual or I can check later how to do it, dont have a DOS PC in front of me currently...

XT-IDE Reflashed.PNG
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XT-IDE Reflashed.PNG
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XT-IDE After Erasing and Re-Flashing Chip
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I erased the 28C64B with my TL866 and then re-flashed the XT-IDE using the xtidecfg utility. That looks correct (the debug output appears to match the contents of the bin file).

I also pulled the XT-CF Lite because I realized both cards had the IDE base address set to the same location.

Still no change on boot.

I'm Justin D. Morgan, Host of Computerized Start™
If you use one of the photos I post on Vogons, I would appreciate being credited by name (Justin D. Morgan) instead of by user name. Thanks!

Reply 10 of 54, by stamasd

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I'm puzzled, what is there at E000:0000? A copy of the BIOS from F000:0000? Normally, that shouldn't be there.

I/O, I/O,
It's off to disk I go,
With a bit and a byte
And a read and a write,
I/O, I/O

Reply 11 of 54, by Predator99

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Still cant test it on my PC...but try:
debug
a
call far D800:3
int 19
int 20
(enter)
g
q

This should start the ROM. What is the output?

Last edited by Predator99 on 2022-02-07, 20:24. Edited 1 time in total.

Reply 12 of 54, by keropi

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/offtopic
"Y2K compatibility ROM added" on XT-IDE bios?
how can this be done? I was unaware of such a thing !

🎵 🎧 PCMIDI MPU , OrpheusII , Action Rewind , Megacard and 🎶GoldLib soundcard website

Reply 13 of 54, by Predator99

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OK, just tested with PCem:

This is for testing if your ROM is OK:
a
call far D800:3
int 19
int 20
(enter)
g
q

Then make a dump of your image:
debug
n xt.rom
rcx
8000
w d800:0
q

....and upload the file xt.rom.

Then: You have the 386 image. Why dont you start with the AT one?

Reply 14 of 54, by jdmcs

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Horun wrote on 2022-02-07, 04:28:

Can you post a picture of the entire motherboard ? Some one might recognize it 😀

Just in case my initial identification was incorrect. (Note that I installed the Cyrix FasMath, and replaced the very dead DS1287 with a GlitchWorks GW-DS12887-1.)

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Emerson Elite SX386/16 Motherboard
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Emerson Elite SX386/16 Multi I/O Controller Detail
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stamasd wrote on 2022-02-07, 18:21:

I'm puzzled, what is there at E000:0000? A copy of the BIOS from F000:0000? Normally, that shouldn't be there.

Yes, it does appear to be a duplicate. I do know that some Compaq computers map their diagnostic ROM at E000, maybe they were trying to mimic that behavior on this computer? (It is an AMI Diagnostic ROM.)

Since this would only hamper trying to install an EMS card (as I believe those usually map to E000), I'm not going to dig into this unless it becomes relevant in getting option ROMs to work.

keropi wrote on 2022-02-07, 18:52:

/offtopic
"Y2K compatibility ROM added" on XT-IDE bios?
how can this be done? I was unaware of such a thing !

Since it's probably off-topic, but for the benefit of the doubt, I'll give you the Justin's Notes version: I used the instructions on the Lo-tech Wiki to append the ROM from a Y2K card archived on archive.org to one of Lo-tech's pre-configured BIOS images before flashing it to the XT-CF Lite.

I'm Justin D. Morgan, Host of Computerized Start™
If you use one of the photos I post on Vogons, I would appreciate being credited by name (Justin D. Morgan) instead of by user name. Thanks!

Reply 15 of 54, by stamasd

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Nice going with the adding the Y2K extra option ROM in together with the XTIDE BIOS. I have in the past done something even crazier. I put the XTIDE code inside the main BIOS. 😀 (on a XT clone, I found an unused area inside the main BIOS, which happened to span over one of the areas where the BIOS scans for 55AA signatures, and which was big enough to hold the XTIDE code; so I put it there and burned an EPROM with this hybrid BIOS+XTIDE, replaced the BIOS chip on the motherboard, and it worked. XT with XTIDE integrated in the main BIOS. No need for any addon cards or chips anymore - this modified main BIOS was enough to make any multi-IO controller with IDE work on that XT)

I/O, I/O,
It's off to disk I go,
With a bit and a byte
And a read and a write,
I/O, I/O

Reply 16 of 54, by jdmcs

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OK, something has happened to the flash chip on my XT-CF Lite, Lo-tech's flash utility will no longer detect what type of flash chip it is, so its attempts to program it fail. The troubleshooting below is with the XT-IDE I assembled yesterday, but I don't have a way to plug a CF card into it.

Predator99 wrote on 2022-02-07, 20:15:
OK, just tested with PCem: […]
Show full quote

OK, just tested with PCem:

This is for testing if your ROM is OK:
a
call far D800:3
int 19
int 20
(enter)
g
q

I set the XT-IDE BIOS to D000 before doing this. It's the same image I programmed over lunch.

What Debug Did.PNG
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What I Saw While Testing ROM
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It then tried to boot from C (which didn't exist as I don't have an IDE to CF adapter), then tried to boot from A (though I never heard the floppy drive), then finally the system displayed the error "NO ROM BASIC SYSTEM HALTED".

Predator99 wrote on 2022-02-07, 20:15:
Then make a dump of your image: debug n xt.rom rcx 8000 w d800:0 q […]
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Then make a dump of your image:
debug
n xt.rom
rcx
8000
w d800:0
q

....and upload the file xt.rom.

Then: You have the 386 image. Why dont you start with the AT one?

For some reason when I tried to dump the image this way, I ended up with a 32K file full of FF bytes. However, when I dump the same starting address to screen, I see the proper contents...

Debug Not Cooperating.PNG
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Attempt to Dump ROM
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I think I already tried the AT image on the XT-CF Lite in this computer a few weeks ago, and it did not give me the boot menu. That's why one of my YouTube viewers sent me the XT-IDE card to try, and he recommended the 386 image. I will try the AT image again, using the XT-IDE card, shortly.

I'm Justin D. Morgan, Host of Computerized Start™
If you use one of the photos I post on Vogons, I would appreciate being credited by name (Justin D. Morgan) instead of by user name. Thanks!

Reply 17 of 54, by jdmcs

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The AT image does the same thing. I can manually call it from debug, but nothing happens on boot.

I'm Justin D. Morgan, Host of Computerized Start™
If you use one of the photos I post on Vogons, I would appreciate being credited by name (Justin D. Morgan) instead of by user name. Thanks!

Reply 18 of 54, by BloodyCactus

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Maybe the flash is corrupt.

Where in CV are you? I'm in Lexington, work in Lynchburg...

--/\-[ Stu : Bloody Cactus :: [ https://bloodycactus.com :: http://kråketær.com ]-/\--

Reply 19 of 54, by jdmcs

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BloodyCactus wrote on 2022-02-08, 01:57:

Maybe the flash is corrupt.

Where in CV are you? I'm in Lexington, work in Lynchburg...

I'm just north of Charlottesville.

Actually, one of the pins just broke off of the AT28C64B that was in the XT-IDE, which I had pulled to erase so I could try another image. I have no spares and don't feel like trying to solder a new lead on tonight -- it's too cold in my basement. And yes, I've confirmed that it is a very important pin: VCC.

Maybe that explains some of the odd behavior I've seen on the XT-IDE today. However, flash chip on the XT-CF Lite only stopped being recognized by the Lo-tech flash utility and the xtidecfg utility today, and I've been trying various images on it over the past six weeks on this computer.

I did try the SST39SF010 from my XT-CF Lite in the TL866A . The TL866A recognized it, and was able to erase it, but that didn't help the Lo-tech flash utility or the xtidecfg utility recognize the chip. I also have no spares of this chip. This was actually the first time I had pulled that chip, as I purchased the card pre-assembled from TexElec. Its legs looked great, and I had previously used the Lo-tech flash utility several dozen times to program images onto it - definitely nowhere near its rated 1000 erase/program cycles.

I'm Justin D. Morgan, Host of Computerized Start™
If you use one of the photos I post on Vogons, I would appreciate being credited by name (Justin D. Morgan) instead of by user name. Thanks!