VOGONS


First post, by boroda

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8bit ISA VGA card, based on ET3000AX. Make by Princeton Labs
same as this card -
http://ru.pc-history.com/wp-content/uploads/v … 40_isa-8bit.jpg
Visually has no damages. But in the DOS text mode, there is no color on the LCD monitor.
If launch any game - there is color, all ok.
Can card switches affect this? Or is it just for ega mode? Any other ideas?
Thanks.

Reply 1 of 8, by Grzyb

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Yes, the switches/jumpers may be set wrong.

https://stason.org/TULARC/pc/graphics-cards/M … A-DESIGNER.html - this is another card based on ET3000, as you can see there's that JP1 jumper to select monochrome/color monitor

Also, see the attached stuff, notably VMODE.COM - it may come in handy

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Żywotwór planetarny, jego gnijące błoto, jest świtem egzystencji, fazą wstępną, i wyłoni się z krwawych ciastomózgowych miedź miłująca...

Reply 2 of 8, by boroda

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Grzyb wrote:

Yes, the switches/jumpers may be set wrong.

Thanks. OFF-OFF-OFF-OFF and JP1 2-3 - same monochrome screen in motherboard setup and in any dos text mode...
I thing card in half-dead... In vga cable pin 12 was removed before...

Reply 3 of 8, by vlask

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Card might be optimised for monochrome monitor in bios too. Seen few ISA cards that behaved same way.

Not only mine graphics cards collection at http://www.vgamuseum.info

Reply 5 of 8, by Jo22

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boroda wrote:

Visually has no damages. But in the DOS text mode, there is no color on the LCD monitor.

Textmode is provided via BIOS/VGA BIOS routines during post, which do care for the jumper settings.
Perhaps your LCD screen is falsely beeing detected as a monochrome monitor then.
Normally, monochrome mode is activated if pin 12 of the VGA port is grounded.
However, it could also be enabled by mistake if the pin is connected to "something" else,
like that Serial Data feature (used by DDC), which modern VGA monitors have.
Re: Can't get color in Windows 3.1

"Time, it seems, doesn't flow. For some it's fast, for some it's slow.
In what to one race is no time at all, another race can rise and fall..." - The Minstrel

//My video channel//

Reply 7 of 8, by Jo22

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boroda wrote:
Jo22 wrote:
boroda wrote:

Thanks, but pin 12 has been removed(i wrote upper), and any graphic mode
running well, with color.

Hm. I see. Well, as a last resort, maybe changing (or erasing/re-programming) the BIOS chip could help.
Another ET3000 VGA BIOS may work better than the current one. 😐
For example, here's one for the ET3000AX model:
http://www.vgamuseum.info/index.php/cpu/item/ … -tseng-et3000ax

Edit: Since this is a colour issue, maybe the RAMDAC chip is to blame.
I recall older Linux distros having problems with certain RAMDACs, so you were forced to select the right one during installation.
Anyway, that's just an idea. Depending on the pinout, RAMDACs were interchangeable.
So unless the VGA BIOS in question was made for a specific model, you could try a different one and see if the issue persists.

"Time, it seems, doesn't flow. For some it's fast, for some it's slow.
In what to one race is no time at all, another race can rise and fall..." - The Minstrel

//My video channel//

Reply 8 of 8, by Grzyb

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Jo22 wrote:

Edit: Since this is a colour issue, maybe the RAMDAC chip is to blame.
I recall older Linux distros having problems with certain RAMDACs, so you were forced to select the right one during installation.
Anyway, that's just an idea. Depending on the pinout, RAMDACs were interchangeable.

Unlikely.
RAMDAC is only important for modes greater than 8bpp, and for some time there were various cards based on the same chipset, but with different RAMDACs, eg. a basic model with 8bpp RAMDAC, and a premium model with hi-color RAMDAC.
So yes, it was important to know which RAMDAC a given card was using.

But in this case it's irrelevant, ET3000 can't into more than 8bpp anyway.
I still suspect it may be misconfiguration, and 4 DIP switches = 16 combinations, perfectly possible to try them all...

Żywotwór planetarny, jego gnijące błoto, jest świtem egzystencji, fazą wstępną, i wyłoni się z krwawych ciastomózgowych miedź miłująca...