Figured I should update y'all on the BP6. Fixed the power button issue - Q23 was chipped on the base pin. Replacing it and patching a few traces on the bottom got it to power on from the front panel just fine.

Now, onto the recap. I already swapped the odd angled caps @weedeewee pointed out with 820uF 2.5v Lelon OCR polymers off a Xbox 360S "Trinity" mainboard that has a bad XCGPU.

Nice work. Got the very same problem with an Asus CUBX-E, got to look for small missing or damaged components.

Thanks. I still have quite a long way to go.
The fans look rather grimey, the fans cables need some routing as they're long as heck, and finally, a BIOS update is in order.
Still can't understand why did the original owner decide to go for those chonky 462 coolers considering the chips are 333MHz Celerons. They're huge!

Today I've received an Ensoniq SoundscapeVIVO sound card, that I bought recently:

I'll have to clean it, as it is a bit dirty.

DW12 wrote on 2023-12-29, 20:53:

Today I've received an Ensoniq SoundscapeVIVO sound card, that I bought recently:
IMG_20231229_204208_HDR.jpg
I'll have to clean it, as it is a bit dirty.

Nice. Looks dusty indeed. Stick it in the dishwasher (no soap) and rise with distilled water and then IPA.

That cap in the top left corner looks wonky...

PcBytes wrote on 2023-12-29, 18:26:

Still can't understand why did the original owner decide to go for those chonky 462 coolers considering the chips are 333MHz Celerons. They're huge!

Slow the fans right down, and run it quiet?

What else could it be? It isn't like people in that era bought Abit boards (with vast ranges of CPU options in the BIOS), and put cheap CPUs on them, to save buying high-end chips because they could overclock them. That would be like stealing from Intel! 😀

DW12 wrote on 2023-12-29, 20:53:

Today I've received an Ensoniq SoundscapeVIVO sound card, that I bought recently:
IMG_20231229_204208_HDR.jpg
I'll have to clean it, as it is a bit dirty.

You have to try the FM emulation of this card.
Please report back how it sounds for you.

progman.exe wrote on 2023-12-30, 00:45:

Slow the fans right down, and run it quiet?

What else could it be? It isn't like people in that era bought Abit boards (with vast ranges of CPU options in the BIOS), and put cheap CPUs on them, to save buying high-end chips because they could overclock them. That would be like stealing from Intel! 😀

For what they're worth, they're from the Athlon XP era, and have a thermal diode attached on the fan wiring. They start out rather slow (something like 500-1000RPM) and then gradually go faster as the heatsinks warm up.

IDE ISA Cache Controller BusLogic

PcBytes wrote on 2023-12-30, 04:52:

progman.exe wrote on 2023-12-30, 00:45:

Slow the fans right down, and run it quiet?

What else could it be? It isn't like people in that era bought Abit boards (with vast ranges of CPU options in the BIOS), and put cheap CPUs on them, to save buying high-end chips because they could overclock them. That would be like stealing from Intel! 😀

For what they're worth, they're from the Athlon XP era, and have a thermal diode attached on the fan wiring. They start out rather slow (something like 500-1000RPM) and then gradually go faster as the heatsinks warm up.

Someone's missing some sarcasm. Could very well be me, I've skimmed some of the discussion. I have seen mention of overclocking, and maybe you are just being super understated about what I might now embarrass myself explaining 😀

The huuuuuge heatsinks are because that board and CPU combo was a dream overclocking set up. Stick the FSBs to 100, maybe a bit more voltage to the CPUs to get them stable, and boom, dual 500MHz: a 50% overclock.

I had a celeron 300A on an Abit BH6. 100MHz FSB and IIRC one extra notch of volts (up 0.05 perhaps), and I had a middling chip out performing a PII 450 in most tasks. The PII450 was the top of the range CPU at the time. 50 quid versus ~450, from what I remember of prices.

I killed that Abit board, BIOS hacking (well, I found a program that did stuff, and....). Next board, an Abit BE6 I think, was upgraded to a Celeron 533 that I ran at 850MHz. I don't remember it being as stable as the 300A at 450, I think it needed more power and the heat was a bit much. With hindsight, I bet the PSU wasn't good enough.

There was a golden age for overclocking (or maybe I am confusing the colour of my rose-tinted glasses? 😀 ), cheap celeries, over-spec'd boards and PC100 RAM.

I want to say 50% more performance because of the 50% more MHz, but I fear that could be me trying to recycle the megahertz myth that Intel were starting to push back then...... I bet overclockers helped create a climate where that marketing line could even be used.

Your Abit board is now (ahem) a bit elderly, going straight for a sprint is a bit (again!) harsh. But as long at the system works well at 333, then it'd be rude to not try 500MHz 😀

No worries, if anything I should be the one ashamed as I know zero overclocking yet I own at least 4 ABIT boards 🤣 (BE6-II rev1.2, BP6, IS7-E, IP35 ProXE)

I'll be sure to check up some guides on how to run the Celerons at 500.
They run fine at 333 with default settings for now and I made sure to bump up some of the capacitance during the recap.

I do have the BE6-II that I absolutely NEED to torture with a slotket.
I recently got hold of a proper Coppermine compatible AA370TS slotket (no idea who made it, but it came with a Coppermine 700MHz/100FSB P3, which tells me enough about it) so the BE6-II will also get its run along the BP6.

PcBytes wrote on 2023-12-30, 17:05:

No worries, if anything I should be the one ashamed as I know zero overclocking yet I own at least 4 ABIT boards lol (BE6-II rev […]
Show full quote

No worries, if anything I should be the one ashamed as I know zero overclocking yet I own at least 4 ABIT boards 🤣 (BE6-II rev1.2, BP6, IS7-E, IP35 ProXE)

I'll be sure to check up some guides on how to run the Celerons at 500.
They run fine at 333 with default settings for now and I made sure to bump up some of the capacitance during the recap.

I do have the BE6-II that I absolutely NEED to torture with a slotket.
I recently got hold of a proper Coppermine compatible AA370TS slotket (no idea who made it, but it came with a Coppermine 700MHz/100FSB P3, which tells me enough about it) so the BE6-II will also get its run along the BP6.

The BE6-II Rev 2 and BX133-Raid are two of the greatest boards from that era, they are almost the same board aside from the socket and raid parts, that BE6-II you have will certainly be a fun board to torture !

lolo799 wrote on 2023-11-24, 13:53:

florian3 wrote on 2023-11-22, 23:37:

Today I received a Mac Wave Maker sound card from Morning Star Solutions that I bought in a Japanese auction. I know pretty much […]
Show full quote

Today I received a Mac Wave Maker sound card from Morning Star Solutions that I bought in a Japanese auction.
I know pretty much nothing about this card and I also don't have a Mac with NuBus. It comes with a manual in Japanese, driver and MIDI breakout cable.
According to the box it is General MIDI compatible and also has MT32/CM32L modes. Some of the chips on the card are similar to an AVM Summit or a Kurzweil PC88 VGM board ("Marge" and "Homer").
I haven't decided yet if I should try to get a Mac that's compatible or if I should try to get sound out of it by just applying power and MIDI via MIDI-IN. If anyone knows more about this card, please let me know.

You should get a NuBus Mac, obviously!
Is there a manual in the box? Any mention of a website? Could you dump the floppy and upload it somewhere?

I recently acquired a Mac IIci for this card.
Some versions of OMS (a popular Mac MIDI framework, IIRC I used version 2.3.😎 included drivers.
Here are recordings of Doom E1M1 from the card.
https://www.os2museum.com/wp/making-the-simpsons-sing/ has recordings of the AVM Summit and the Kurzweil VGM.
I also made another recording of the TurtleBeach Multisound Pinnacle's Kurzweil synth as a comparison, which sounds very different.

florian3 wrote on 2023-12-30, 23:58:

I recently acquired a Mac IIci for this card. Some versions of OMS (a popular Mac MIDI framework, IIRC I used version 2.3.8) inc […]
Show full quote

I recently acquired a Mac IIci for this card.
Some versions of OMS (a popular Mac MIDI framework, IIRC I used version 2.3.😎 included drivers.
Here are recordings of Doom E1M1 from the card.
Os2world.com has recordings of the AVM Summit and the Kurzweil VGM.
I also made another recording of the TurtleBeach Multisound Pinnacle's Kurzweil synth as a comparison, which sounds very different.

It sounds nice!

Picked this very nice PC up. Never saw the case,never heard of the brand 😀
It was working before I bought it,came home with it and no go. Turns out the problem was: Tantalums on the 12V line,what else...
It's a 286-12 with an undocumented board (very nice blue PCB) made by Essex. It's posted on the Retro Web now 😀
https://theretroweb.com/motherboards/s/essex- … tric-mb286ve_12

Sadly,the full height MFM/RLL Toshiba drive seems not to work. It sounds healthy but the LED stays on,it's not detected and does not respond to the controller card. Replaced it with an XT-IDE which is much quieter haha. Slapped in a CT1600 and replaced the 3,5" drive. Will take another look at the hard drive later on.

That is a very handsome little tower. A 286 will be very compatible with old games that are speed sensitive as well. Great find.

Kahenraz wrote on 2023-12-31, 14:59:

That is a very handsome little tower. A 286 will be very compatible with old games that are speed sensitive as well. Great find.

Thanks!
I immediately fell in love the moment it was offered to me. It took some tinkering but it's fully working now. This one is a keeper 😀

Trashbytes wrote on 2023-12-30, 23:12:

PcBytes wrote on 2023-12-30, 17:05:

No worries, if anything I should be the one ashamed as I know zero overclocking yet I own at least 4 ABIT boards lol (BE6-II rev […]
Show full quote

No worries, if anything I should be the one ashamed as I know zero overclocking yet I own at least 4 ABIT boards 🤣 (BE6-II rev1.2, BP6, IS7-E, IP35 ProXE)

I'll be sure to check up some guides on how to run the Celerons at 500.
They run fine at 333 with default settings for now and I made sure to bump up some of the capacitance during the recap.

I do have the BE6-II that I absolutely NEED to torture with a slotket.
I recently got hold of a proper Coppermine compatible AA370TS slotket (no idea who made it, but it came with a Coppermine 700MHz/100FSB P3, which tells me enough about it) so the BE6-II will also get its run along the BP6.

The BE6-II Rev 2 and BX133-Raid are two of the greatest boards from that era, they are almost the same board aside from the socket and raid parts, that BE6-II you have will certainly be a fun board to torture !

Just dropped a 800EB. It no longer crashes and burns like the Hindenburg but for whatever reason it's snail slow. Methinks there's something to do with the In Queue Depth thingy ABIT has in the BIOS.

Nevermind, got that fixed quick and slick. Sporting a 1000B SL5DV 133FSB chip in there with no issues. It took the In Queue Depth changed from 1 to 8 - for whatever reason ABIT sticks it to 1 for all the 133FSB settings.

Murugan wrote on 2023-12-31, 14:56:

Picked this very nice PC up.

Really nice tower. The brand sounds familiar to me.

PcBytes wrote on 2023-12-31, 15:24:

Trashbytes wrote on 2023-12-30, 23:12:

PcBytes wrote on 2023-12-30, 17:05:

No worries, if anything I should be the one ashamed as I know zero overclocking yet I own at least 4 ABIT boards lol (BE6-II rev […]
Show full quote

No worries, if anything I should be the one ashamed as I know zero overclocking yet I own at least 4 ABIT boards 🤣 (BE6-II rev1.2, BP6, IS7-E, IP35 ProXE)

I'll be sure to check up some guides on how to run the Celerons at 500.
They run fine at 333 with default settings for now and I made sure to bump up some of the capacitance during the recap.

I do have the BE6-II that I absolutely NEED to torture with a slotket.
I recently got hold of a proper Coppermine compatible AA370TS slotket (no idea who made it, but it came with a Coppermine 700MHz/100FSB P3, which tells me enough about it) so the BE6-II will also get its run along the BP6.

The BE6-II Rev 2 and BX133-Raid are two of the greatest boards from that era, they are almost the same board aside from the socket and raid parts, that BE6-II you have will certainly be a fun board to torture !

Just dropped a 800EB. It no longer crashes and burns like the Hindenburg but for whatever reason it's snail slow. Methinks there's something to do with the In Queue Depth thingy ABIT has in the BIOS.

Nevermind, got that fixed quick and slick. Sporting a 1000B SL5DV 133FSB chip in there with no issues. It took the In Queue Depth changed from 1 to 8 - for whatever reason ABIT sticks it to 1 for all the 133FSB settings.

Thats a Rev 1 board right ..they made a few changes for the Rev 2 version, better bios being one of them and a faster IDE controller, hmm perhaps someone here has the Rev 2 board around to test the queue depth thing.

Apparently your 1.2 revision can be turned into a 2.0 just by flashing the BE6-II Rev 2.0 Raid bios onto it, you may want to try that out and see if it fixes the queue depth bug. (2.0 has the updated Abit Softmenu III)