Nice find!

zuldan wrote on 2024-12-04, 01:19:

acl wrote on 2024-12-03, 22:31:

I also got an A8N32-SLI since my original post but was too lazy to swap the motherboard. Maybe someday

I just had a look at your build and was going to say that the A8N-SLI would be slowing down your Nvidia cards in SLI. Glad you sourced a A8N32-SLI so you get full 16x in each slot. Swapping it out will be a pain 😉 I got a nice boost in 3dMark going from a A8N-SLI to a A8N32-SLI. I have 2x 8600GT's.

I hope it will. I read that at the time of the release the 7800 GTX 512 in SLI was one of the few to benefit from the extra bandwidth.I will definitely benchmark an document that

Well, this was a cool find! I saw these in a lot with some other parts recently. At first I actually only noticed the Kingston SX Now SX/20GDM upgrade card (with AMD 386SXL 20Mhz), but after seeing the other side of it I realized that it was intended for a less common PGA-68 286 socket. Then I realized that one of the motherboards in the lot was from an IBM PC AT 5170 (Type 3 with 8Mhz 286) and it actually uses this same socket, whereas most 286 processors I have come across are PLCC, LCC or PQFP.

Sure enough, it slots right into this board once the CPU is removed.

The pins on the SX Now were mostly okay but one was bent pretty severely. I was super gentle while trying to straighten it and it still broke off, but I'm happy to say that it is one of the few NC (not connected) pins in the PGA-68 socket, so this has no impact on it's functionality. 😌

Just in case it ever becomes important, I attached the pin with a tiny piece of clear tape to the bottom of the SX Now so it doesn't get lost (yes, I have moved it since taking the picture... it was a bit too close to some vias 😮 ). If I ever come across some through-hole pins that match the others, I would prefer to just solder in a new one, though I don't know if it's as easy as it looks to replace it.

I'm not sure why the board had a CPU while the matching upgrade was in the same lot, but it is awesome to find such an uncommon upgrade card. I can't find a single picture of this particular one online.

Cool, seems similar enough to these ones that the tools from there would probably work https://www.ardent-tool.com/CPU/Kingston_SX_Now.html

I have the 33mhz version of that upgrade on a 286 motherboard - the upgrade actually has 16kb cache onboard and that is why you actually have a huge speed boost when using it. You need to run the cache utility in the page linked by BitWrangler to activate it. It is a very solid CPU upgrade card 😀

BitWrangler wrote on 2024-12-06, 04:45:

Cool, seems similar enough to these ones that the tools from there would probably work https://www.ardent-tool.com/CPU/Kingston_SX_Now.html

Yep, that's one of the few pages I found with information about similar devices. I'm guessing this is similar to the "GAM" models, except the card layout is meant to fit the 5170 Type 3 motherboard.

keropi wrote on 2024-12-06, 05:41:

I have the 33mhz version of that upgrade on a 286 motherboard - the upgrade actually has 16kb cache onboard and that is why you actually have a huge speed boost when using it. You need to run the cache utility in the page linked by BitWrangler to activate it. It is a very solid CPU upgrade card 😀

Awesome! I honestly didn't realize this one had cache! I was looking around for cache chips and just saw PALs and some others. It never registered to me that the large Samsung chip was cache, but I see now that it definitely has the appropriate markings for a cache chip, and this page specifies that it is (though mine has the faster 20ns chip).

Part Description: 8K X 16 CACHE SRAM, 25 ns, PQCC52 Package Description: PLASTIC, LCC-52 Series: 78C80 Category: Memory IC Type: […]
Show full quote

Part Description: 8K X 16 CACHE SRAM, 25 ns, PQCC52
Package Description: PLASTIC, LCC-52
Series: 78C80
Category: Memory IC
Type: Static RAM

So yeah, this is really cool. 286-386 upgrade cards like this tend to have pretty eye-watering price tags, so I'm happy to have stumbled upon not only the card but a board it will work in as well.

I will check it for shorts and then hook the motherboard up out in the garage at some point just in case any of the tantalums pop. This is definitely one of the oldest boards I have with tantalums and it has a LOT of them. I'll test it for quite a while with the 286 installed of course. That SX Now won't be going into the board until I know the tantalums are okay.

Indeed, probably best to verify operation to spec with original CPU first, might be a lot of chip wiggling and stuff to get it behaving right and you don't need the extra complication until that's all proven.

Edit: KBC might have lost it's mind, depending on how long the label has been off the window.

BitWrangler wrote on 2024-12-06, 14:22:

Indeed, probably best to verify operation to spec with original CPU first, might be a lot of chip wiggling and stuff to get it behaving right and you don't need the extra complication until that's all proven.

Edit: KBC might have lost it's mind, depending on how long the label has been off the window.

Ah, very true about the keyboard controller. It's too bad it isn't in a socket at least... not that getting a replacement would be an easy task in the first place. I have multiple EEPROM programmers, but none will do that type of chip.

Feels a little like putting a bandaid on a cannonball wound, but I just put some tape over it... who knows, maybe it has spent the last 35 years at the bottom of a parts bin and this is the first light that has hit it. 🤣

I have expanded the production of mounting strips to this range. Tell me, do you also have boards without mounting strips?

Jccwu wrote on 2024-12-06, 15:39:

I have expanded the production of mounting strips to this range. Tell me, do you also have boards without mounting strips?

You crafted these?
Good job!!

Nexxen wrote on 2024-12-06, 15:49:

Jccwu wrote on 2024-12-06, 15:39:

I have expanded the production of mounting strips to this range. Tell me, do you also have boards without mounting strips?

You crafted these?
Good job!!

yeap.
thanks

some photos for example

also

Jccwu wrote on 2024-12-06, 15:39:

I have expanded the production of mounting strips to this range. Tell me, do you also have boards without mounting strips?

Do you have a bracket for the Voodoo 2? I have one that is missing its bracket.

Do you make these?

Kahenraz wrote on 2024-12-06, 16:44:

Jccwu wrote on 2024-12-06, 15:39:

I have expanded the production of mounting strips to this range. Tell me, do you also have boards without mounting strips?

Do you have a bracket for the Voodoo 2? I have one that is missing its bracket.

Do you make these?

Of course there are, these are the most popular brackets.

XT-IDE

Jccwu wrote on 2024-12-06, 15:39:

I have expanded the production of mounting strips to this range. Tell me, do you also have boards without mounting strips?

Very cool. Do you sell the brackets you make somewhere? Asking for a friend... 😀

I have a Snark barker (Sound Blaster 1.5 clone) that could really use a nice metal mounting bracket, it would really finish off a great community project.

https://github.com/schlae/snark-barker

The ISA Card Bracket

The bracket specified in the BOM is a blank Keystone 9200 bracket. You will need to punch or drill holes for the connectors. The KiCad board file has detailed dimensions showing where to make the holes in the bracket.

Jccwu wrote on 2024-12-06, 18:40:

Kahenraz wrote on 2024-12-06, 16:44:

Jccwu wrote on 2024-12-06, 15:39:

I have expanded the production of mounting strips to this range. Tell me, do you also have boards without mounting strips?

Do you have a bracket for the Voodoo 2? I have one that is missing its bracket.

Do you make these?

Of course there are, these are the most popular brackets.

If there is a way to get these, I'm sure most people on this site would like to know how.

@Jccwu Oooooh, have you opened a dedicated topic for those metal card brackets yet? They're definitely worth a topic of its own.

It will make it easy to take orders, determine demand for the various variants you have or might consider making.

I'm sure you'll attract a lot of buyers.

Good work!

🤣. Yeah, these brackets and io plates go missing more than the actual hardware 😁