More attachments.

yeah, Futro S400 is quite nice, because SiS chipset has DDMA support:

DDMA and PCPCI for Low IQ Individuals (Me included)

and so that's what the patched Yamaha driver is using - the compatibility should be very high.

I wish we had tool like this:

VIAFSB - DOS FSB utility for VIA chipsets

but for SiS chipsets, because it would be better and more precise way for slowdown than SetMul. I guess in theory it's not that hard such tool to be made, i.e. set the PLL chip via SMBus and actually the source code included in ALS4000 patched drivers, already has all routines necessary to access the SiS chipset registers, which means it can be used as base with slight modification for such tool to be made. maybe, when have time, I should look at that further...

mattw wrote on 2023-05-18, 22:42:

yeah, Futro S400 is quite nice, because SiS chipset has DDMA support: […]
Show full quote

yeah, Futro S400 is quite nice, because SiS chipset has DDMA support:

DDMA and PCPCI for Low IQ Individuals (Me included)

and so that's what the patched Yamaha driver is using - the compatibility should be very high.

I wish we had tool like this:

VIAFSB - DOS FSB utility for VIA chipsets

but for SiS chipsets, because it would be better and more precise way for slowdown than SetMul. I guess in theory it's not that hard such tool to be made, i.e. set the PLL chip via SMBus and actually the source code included in ALS4000 patched drivers, already has all routines necessary to access the SiS chipset registers, which means it can be used as base with slight modification for such tool to be made. maybe, when have time, I should look at that further...

If you do look into SiS chipset specific slowdown tooling…I’m happy to be a tester 😀

OldWingCommander wrote on 2023-05-19, 03:31:

If you do look into SiS chipset specific slowdown tooling…

I will most certainly do, I've already took out 2 of my Futro S400 from storage, but I don't know where I put the power supplies, which is what is stopping me at the moment. However, while I am looking for the power adapters, in case someone else is interested, here is how simple (or maybe hard) it looks to me at the moment1:

1) ALS4000 patched driver for SiS chipsets is doing of course DDMA initialization of the SiS chipset, hence it source code contains all Read/Write routines to access SiS chipset registers in DOS

2) I was not sure if SiS chipset datasheets are available in public domain and not only under NDA and hence where to get info about their SMBus, but it doesn't matter, because Linux already has open-source code for that:

2.1) Sis5595 and compatible SMBus access routines:
https://github.com/torvalds/linux/blob/master … s/i2c-sis5595.c

2.2) Sis630 and compatible SMBus access routines:
https://github.com/torvalds/linux/blob/master … es/i2c-sis630.c

2.3) Sis96x and compatible SMBus access routines:
https://github.com/torvalds/linux/blob/master … es/i2c-sis96x.c

I am not sure yet, which SMBus type is the compatible one with Futro S400, but my guess is 2.3), i.e. SiS 96x type. So, anyway, essentially mixing together 1) and 2.x) and we're done, because 2.x) gives us SMBus support via Reads/Writes to SiS chipset registers and 1) gives us Reads/Writes to SiS chipset registers in DOS.

3) it has to be very minor step, send via SMBus the necessary bytes to the PLL chip in order to set the FSB speed.

OldWingCommander wrote on 2023-05-18, 22:12:

I had a lot of "fun" this past week getting my latest project up and running: the Fujitsu Futro S400 thin client. I achieved suc […]
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I had a lot of "fun" this past week getting my latest project up and running: the Fujitsu Futro S400 thin client. I achieved success in getting Windows 98SE up and running. I then used that as a springboard to get my pure DOS games up and running like Duke3D, Doom 1/2, Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, Day of the Tentacle, and Wing Commander 1 with fully working sound on the Yamaha YMF724 PCI sound card.

Requirements:
- Retro computing target falls within the entire 1990s gaming/computing decade.
- Target OS: Win98SE/DOS 7.1
- PCI expansion port (either for sound card or video card)
- 3D acceleration not required (I have other systems to fulfill this role).
- Joystick support

Specs:
- Fujitsu Futro S400 thin client
- AMD Geode NX 1500 CPU
- 256MB RAM
- 8GB Innodisk CF card (plugged into built-in CF slot)
- SiS 963L south bridge
- SiS 741CX video chip
- SiS 301 DVI expansion module
- RTL8110SB network chip
- Yamaha YMF724F-V PCI sound card
- CH FlightStick Gameport version

Issue 1: Getting the YMF724 PCI sound card up and running was a challenge, as it kept defaulting to IRQ 11 in DOS with the YMF7x4 DOS Drivers.
Resolution 1:
- Via BIOS: Limited active IRQ/DMA system devices by disabling USB Controller, SiS AC97 built-in audio, serial port 1, and parallel port
- Via BIOS: Set PCI resource control to "manual"
- VIA BIOS: Reserved IRQ 5 for PCI device
- Ran patched YMF724 drivers for SiS chipsets from https://vsynchmame.mameworld.info/
- ???
- Profit!

Issue 2: Slowing down the S400 to handle more speed sensitive games
Resolution 2: Used SetMul tool with the following parameters "setmul.exe 3 l1d" to lower the clock multiplier to 3x and disable the CPU L1 cache

Issue 3: System did not like the ALS4000 sound card I used
Blocker: No resolution at this time. Too lazy to test the patched ALS4000 drivers also available here: https://vsynchmame.mameworld.info/

Future exploration:
- Test more games!
- Run benchmarks and validate the lowest speed I can run on the AMD Geode NX 1500
- Explore setting up IDE CDROM drive to the 40-pin IDE connector
- Validate if -12V rail needs to be run to PCI slot (system is working fine without it at this time)

Hi! please, can you test a game in your futro? is the Dangerous Dave in the Haunted mansion

I have i think same thin client,. but different cpu, this game in pure DOS give me corrupted image, but work fine inside windows 98. One of reasons i dont use this futro, because is a great thin client

thanks

theelf wrote on 2023-05-20, 17:11:

Hi! please, can you test a game in your futro? is the Dangerous Dave in the Haunted mansion […]
Show full quote

Hi! please, can you test a game in your futro? is the Dangerous Dave in the Haunted mansion

I have i think same thin client,. but different cpu, this game in pure DOS give me corrupted image, but work fine inside windows 98. One of reasons i dont use this futro, because is a great thin client

thanks

I tried Dave 2 but there are graphical issues once you try to load level 1. I noticed the S400 also has intermittent graphical issues after I exit to DOS from Doom and Duke3D, causing me to restart the machine.

OldWingCommander wrote on 2023-05-20, 21:23:

theelf wrote on 2023-05-20, 17:11:

Hi! please, can you test a game in your futro? is the Dangerous Dave in the Haunted mansion […]
Show full quote

Hi! please, can you test a game in your futro? is the Dangerous Dave in the Haunted mansion

I have i think same thin client,. but different cpu, this game in pure DOS give me corrupted image, but work fine inside windows 98. One of reasons i dont use this futro, because is a great thin client

thanks

I tried Dave 2 but there are graphical issues once you try to load level 1. I noticed the S400 also has intermittent graphical issues after I exit to DOS from Doom and Duke3D, causing me to restart the machine.

thanks for testing, yes sadly, i found many graphics problems with this sis chipset, strange, because sis chipsets (6326/530/620 etc) are good in DOS