VOGONS


First post, by jedie

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I have a Tulip "Vision Line dt 5/100" desktop PC. It contains the "TC-44"-Mainboard with a Pentium I 100Mhz...

I found https://www.tulipgv.nl/leden/tipstrucs.html ... It should also support a Pentium 133 and for Windows 98 a old BIOS may freeze.

Reply 1 of 13, by snufkin

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I've only been able to find some dead links from 2003 that apparently used to point to the jumper settings and bios update, e.g. http://www.motherboards.org/forums/viewtopic. … GzNAjujcnBszQOl

But if you're lucky someone around here will have a copy.

Reply 2 of 13, by Horun

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There are multiple Tulip TC-44 motherboards. Level 1, 2, 3 AND L4 (versions basically) with different built in video chipset.
Found some BIOS and the only BIOS not found is for TC44 Level 1/2/3 with GD5436 video controller.
These are the variants:
TC44 Level 1/2/3 with GD5434 video controller. TC44 Level 1/2/3 with GD5436 video controller. TC44 Level 1/2/3 with GD5440 video controller.
TC44 L4 with GD5434 video controller. TC44 L4 with GD5436 video controller. TC44 L4 with GD5440 video controller.
So which one do you have ?

The Archive pages did not have any jumpers and those above did not archive those scripts, they never do get archived proper back then....

Maybe evasive saved some of that info somewhere, unfortunately is not on elhvb.com or www.win3x.org/uh19/ unless it is like this:
http://www.win3x.org/uh19/motherboards/5080

added: Put the found BIOS files in the Library: http://www.vogonsdrivers.com/getfile.php?file … 4&menustate=0,0

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 3 of 13, by jedie

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Great! Thanks!

http://www.win3x.org/uh19/motherboards/5080 looks very similar. Not 100% the same, but Jumpers seems to be right...

I have run Tlpinf.exe and get the information that my Mainboard is: TC44 rev 2 with Phoenix NUBIOS 4.04.00 06/21/96
I have to run this:

44360621.EXE BIOS upgrade 21-June-96 for TC44 Level 1/2/3 with GD5436 video controller.

But this is the "Not Found/corrupt" in http://www.vogonsdrivers.com/getfile.php?file … 4&menustate=0,0 upload... But it seems that i have these version, because the Date is the same...

I found the origin archive.org page, here: https://web.archive.org/web/20070122114635/ht … rmimm/bios.html and the origin download.tulip.com FTP in archive.org here: https://web.archive.org/web/20070905220958/ht … p/Desktop/Bios/ in this page there are these TC44 files:

...
Thursday, June 27, 2002 12:48 PM 667132 BIOSTC44L434.EXE
Thursday, June 27, 2002 12:43 PM 722250 BIOSTC44L436.EXE
Thursday, June 27, 2002 12:40 PM 723314 BIOSTC44L440.EXE
Thursday, June 27, 2002 12:57 PM 242218 BIOSTC44LX34.EXE
Thursday, June 27, 2002 12:53 PM 242650 BIOSTC44LX36.EXE
Thursday, June 27, 2002 12:50 PM 242476 BIOSTC44LX40.EXE
...

these two seems to be the right one:

... BIOSTC44L436.EXE = Bios update for Tulip Desktop XX_44 systems with a CL-GD5436 video controller ... ​BIOSTC44LX36.EXE […]
Show full quote

...
BIOSTC44L436.EXE = Bios update for Tulip Desktop XX_44 systems with a CL-GD5436 video controller
...
​BIOSTC44LX36.EXE = Bios update for Tulip Desktop XX_44 systems with a CL-GD5436 video controller
...

But BIOSTC44L436.EXE from archive.org seems to be broken... And the question is, for what board revisions these files are...

Think i will capture the current BIOS with GETBIOS.COM

Reply 4 of 13, by jedie

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I have run GETBIOS. I attach the files here.

Strings i found in the files:

C000.ROM 32768 Bytes

CL-GD5436 VL/PCI VGA BIOS Version 1.00b "28/11/95"

E000.ROM 65536 Bytes

Novell RPL BootROM  v1.00 (920626)
Ethernet MLID v2.00 (940913)
(C) Copyright 1991 - 1994 AMD
Opti 621, 32 Bit External GD5434 GD5436 GD5440

F000.ROM 65536 Bytes

PhoenixBIOS Version 4.04
Copyright 1985-1995 Phoenix Technologies Ltd.
PATCH0
PATCH1
PATCH2

06/21/96

I compared these Strings with the BIOS update file TC44_V36.FLS from BIOSTC44LX36.EXE and i found the same. So i think i have the last BIOS...

Attachments

Reply 5 of 13, by Horun

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Great ! yes some at download.tulip appear corrupt 🙁

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 7 of 13, by Horun

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Can you take a picture of the motherboard where the front panel connections are ? The Manual for the TC40 has jumpers but no front connection pins, or it would be a starting point.
Long ago got a Unisys 486 board but no documentation and even with calls to Unisys had to figure out some on my self....
Good news: think I got a newer BIOS for it, will attach it later tonight...

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 8 of 13, by jedie

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Here a picture of the mainboard:

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and the "J11 FRONT ASSY":

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Here a picture that i found on the internet here: https://ru.pc-history.com/tulip-visione-line-dt-4100.html with Speaker and Power-LED:

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It's "Tulip Vision Line dt 4/100" and not my "Tulip Vision Line dt 5/100" ... But i think it's similar, because the Case is the same.

Reply 9 of 13, by gex85

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I have a Vision Line dt 5/120 under my desk, so I could probably determine the pinout of the J11 connector with a multimeter, but since my free time is very limited at the moment, you'd probably be faster with trial-and-error.

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Reply 10 of 13, by jedie

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gex85 wrote on 2021-10-06, 11:30:

you'd probably be faster with trial-and-error.

Yes and no... I found Speaker (PIN 9) and HDD-LED (PIN 2):

+S 3V G  ?  G
| | | | |
09 07 05 03 01

10 08 06 04 02
| | | | |
5V 5V G G +H

G == GND

PIN 09: +S == +5V Speaker
PIN 02: +H == (+) HDD LED

PIN 10 and 8 is **not** reset: I tried to short-circuit those. No reset.

Reply 11 of 13, by Horun

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Be careful shorting any pins. I use a pencil lead (the graphite+clay core has some resistance) to short Reset pins if am not sure and even if I am but too lazy to grab a switch.
It will not hurt a board if you briefly short wrong panel pins with pencil lead due to the resistance.
From your Diag so far HD LED goes 1 to 2, Speaker 9 to 10 (speakers are typically pulled high, not grounded) is that same on your board ???
Looking at the ribbon cable in the picture it is not like typical leads where the speaker is a four pin....If it was it would go 9 to 3 which makes no sense based on your voltages.
So Reset could 3 to 4 and Power On LED could be 8 to 7 (2v diff for a LED) or from 8 to 6 if there is a resistor in line on the board.
There is also a Keyboard lock in there somewhere. Maybe that is 8 to 7 ??
added: the Tulip Vision Line dt 5/120 does not have a Reset button but the pins for it may be there...The Flying Dutchman: Tulip Vision Line dt 5/120 (upgraded)
What volts did you measure from 2 to ground ? If 5v that would be because there is a resistor inline but with out a load it shows full 5volts.... just thinking out loud 😀

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 12 of 13, by gex85

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Horun wrote on 2021-10-07, 01:00:

added: the Tulip Vision Line dt 5/120 does not have a Reset button but the pins for it may be there...

Exactly, there is no Reset button on the front panel so I'd stop looking for the pin...
The PWR/HDD indicator on the Tulip is a bi-color LED (green and orange). There are different types of those: With two leads (voltage determines color) and with three leads (one GND, one for each color).
Please try and measure the voltage while idle (green) and while accessing the HDD (orange) on pin 02.

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