Asus VL/I-486SV2GX4 Rev 2.0 - ps/2 mouse troubleshooting help? \ VOGONS

Asus VL/I-486SV2GX4 Rev 2.0 - ps/2 mouse troubleshooting help?

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First post, by cloverskull

Posted on 2023-06-14, 05:35

cloverskull Offline

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Rank: Newbie
Posts: 98
Joined: 2022-01-30, 05:08

Hey friends,

I have the Asus VL/I-486SV2GX4 Rev 2.0 mainboard and am struggling to get the PS/2 mouse working. I am using a Startech connector which is fairly commonplace for this mainboard. I took the pins out of the connector, traced them with a multimeter, put it back together and plugged it in.

Interestingly, the PS/2 mouse that I'm using is an optical mouse and the red light on the underside of the mouse does power on as expected when the computer is on. However, the mouse is undetected both in DOS and in Windows 3.11.

Considering the light is on, is it safe to assume the +5 and GND are correctly aligned? Would it be unsafe to swap/reverse the other two pins (i.e., not the +5 and GND, the other ones) and give it a go? I'm a bit apprehensive to do anything someone may think could cause an electrical issue 😀

I have the jumper set correctly for the PS/2 mouse to work. There doesn't seem to be anything in BIOS that needs to be enabled for this. I'm kinda stumped. Help appreciated! 😀

Reply 1 of 3, by cloverskull

Posted on 2023-06-15, 03:20

cloverskull Offline

Rank Newbie

Rank: Newbie
Posts: 98
Joined: 2022-01-30, 05:08

I tried a couple of other configurations for the pinout in the adapter. Still no dice. I'm not sure where to go from here. The mouse lights up on the bottom but is not detected in DOS or Windows 3.1. I have the BIOS set correctly (as far as I can tell) and the jumper set to enable the PS/2 mouse.

What other options do I have? Could it be something to do with FSB speed? Some kind of conflict due to one of the two VLB cards?

Thanks for the help, I'm sure folks can imagine not having a mouse sucks 😜

Reply 2 of 3, by cloverskull

Posted on 2023-06-15, 05:12

cloverskull Offline

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Rank: Newbie
Posts: 98
Joined: 2022-01-30, 05:08

Ok, I traced each pin of the PS/2 header back to the AMIKEY-2 chip and know with absolute certainty that the bracket adapter is wired correctly. I still cannot get the PS/2 mouse working. 😒

Is it possible that cutemouse doesn't like this mouse? When I launch it, it can't see the PS/2 mouse at all.

Windows 3.11 at installation also couldn't see the mouse.

I suppose at this point it could be one of three things:

1. my particular mouse doesn't work on this computer (though it /does/ work on another one, for the record)
2. the bios has some setting that's hidden and I need to dump the bios to a file and inspect it (this would be a first for me)
3. the AMIKEY-2 chip with the keyboard and mouse logic needs replaced

I think 1 is simple enough, 3 is something I'm going to look into as I've ordered a replacement. The second option is one I'm not totally familiar with. Any advice there?

Alternatively, any ideas for other things I can try?

Thanks!

Reply 3 of 3, by TheMobRules

Posted on 2023-06-15, 05:56

TheMobRules Offline

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Rank: Oldbie
Posts: 1646
Joined: 2016-01-19, 23:29

Regarding #2, the BIOS does have an option for enabling/disabling PS/2 mouse support, but it's enabled by default (at least on the latest BIOS from 1997):

The attachment Screenshot from 2023-06-15 02-40-09.png is no longer available

I would definitely try another known working PS/2 mouse first, maybe a ball one if you have any. An optical mouse should work fine, but you never know, especially if the one you're using is a more modern one.

Other than that, make sure JP7 is properly set to 1-2 by double checking there is continuity between those pins on the back of the board (the jumper cap may be bad, who knows?).

Also it would be a good idea to check continuity from the PS/2 connector in the bracket to the header if you haven't done that, just to discard any breaks in the cable.

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