Please test whether your card works as is. There are 3 ROM sockets (and the DAC socket) because the "fully equipped" ET4000 design uses an odd/even split for the video BIOS, so the video BIOS can be accessed at a 16 bit bus width, and furthermore, the ET4000 can use hardware translation using a lookup table to emulate the CRTC of CGA or Hercules cards while still generating valid VGA timing. So one socket is for BIOS (low byte), the second socket is for BIOS (high byte) and the third one is for the translation ROM (also called sync rom). Your card has one BIOS chip (possibly meant for 8-bit access) and the DAC installed, and might work perfectly.

mkarcher wrote on 2025-05-28, 21:39:

Please test whether your card works as is. There are 3 ROM sockets (and the DAC socket) because the "fully equipped" ET4000 design uses an odd/even split for the video BIOS, so the video BIOS can be accessed at a 16 bit bus width, and furthermore, the ET4000 can use hardware translation using a lookup table to emulate the CRTC of CGA or Hercules cards while still generating valid VGA timing. So one socket is for BIOS (low byte), the second socket is for BIOS (high byte) and the third one is for the translation ROM (also called sync rom). Your card has one BIOS chip (possibly meant for 8-bit access) and the DAC installed, and might work perfectly.

I forgot to mention that I tested the card in multiple systems, unfortunately it does not work. I also cleaned the sockets and reseated the chips.

Hi, I have this exact video card and I'll try to dump its BIOS image tomorrow via the EPROM programmer as soon as I'm free, just let me know if you are still looking for it.

SSTV2 wrote on 2025-05-29, 20:50:

Hi, I have this exact video card and I'll try to dump its BIOS image tomorrow via the EPROM programmer as soon as I'm free, just let me know if you are still looking for it.

Yes, I'm still looking. That would be awesome.

Here you go, I noticed something interesting about the BIOS - both HIGH and LOW images are identical, I've also included XROM (sync BIOS) for completeness, all chips are mask ROMs of 27C256 EPROMs.

SSTV2 wrote on 2025-05-30, 21:06:

Here you go, I noticed something interesting about the BIOS - both HIGH and LOW images are identical, I've also included XROM (sync BIOS) for completeness, all chips are mask ROMs of 27C256 EPROMs.

Thank you very much. I willl test this as soon as I find the time. It might be a while, because I have a vacation coming up, but I will definitely report back to you. I would love to bring the card back to life.

SSTV2 wrote on 2025-05-30, 21:06:

Here you go, I noticed something interesting about the BIOS - both HIGH and LOW images are identical, I've also included XROM (sync BIOS) for completeness, all chips are mask ROMs of 27C256 EPROMs.

I just had to test this really quick before leaving tomorrow. So this is the result.

At first she was like (actual PCB):

But after flashing all three ROMs and putting them in, this is what I got:

So again, thank you very much @SSTV2 for helping me out. We did it.

Glad it worked out, you could also try BIOS from other vendors that used this chip, I know that ROM pack for 86Box/PCem has newer BIOS versions for ET4000 than the one I provided here, which might support more VESA modes.

I had time to tinker some more with this card and I actually found another BIOS that works in that ROM pack and it provided better VESA compatibility when using TLIVESA.EXE. Now I ran against another wall trying to find drivers for Windows 3.11. Do you have working drivers for your card? I tried eight different sets and only got corrupted graphics at most. I thinks there might be an issue with the specific RAMDAC on my card.

You are right to point out RAMDAC as an issue, because both the BIOS and drivers have to be tailored for the specific RAMDAC. I'm not using this card in any build currently (but plan to repace a TVGA8900 with it in a 386 PC when I get to it), try these drivers with the original BIOS, this is the excerpt from the README.DOC file:

Also, this release includes Tseng/Sierra HiColor drivers for 32768 and 65535 simultaneous colors.

So these drivers supports the Sierra RAMDAC which this card uses, they should work.

By the way, which BIOS was it from the ROM pack that worked with this card? In theory that BIOS is register-compatible with the Sierra SC11486 RAMDACK and those drivers should also work with the non-orignal BIOS.

SSTV2 wrote on 2025-06-17, 20:38:

You are right to point out RAMDAC as an issue, because both the BIOS and drivers have to be tailored for the specific RAMDAC. I'm not using this card in any build currently (but plan to repace a TVGA8900 with it in a 386 PC when I get to it), try these drivers with the original BIOS, this is the excerpt from the README.DOC file:

Also, this release includes Tseng/Sierra HiColor drivers for 32768 and 65535 simultaneous colors.

So these drivers supports the Sierra RAMDAC which this card uses, they should work.

I think I already tried these drivers, but I tested them again (on TFT and CRT) to make sure. Like some others they produce graphics but they are corrupted like this:

I also tested the ET4TURBO option, they don't work either.
This card now really fueled my ambition to make it work. I'm so close.

SSTV2 wrote on 2025-06-17, 20:52:

By the way, which BIOS was it from the ROM pack that worked with this card? In theory that BIOS is register-compatible with the Sierra SC11486 RAMDACK and those drivers should also work with the non-orignal BIOS.

This is the BIOS file that worked. I think it's the latest one of the pack.

With this BIOS and TLIVESA.EXE my card supports quite a few high res/high color modes, so the card itself should be okay.

I just installed this video card in the aforementioned 386 PC and used drivers from the link. Tested 640x480 and 800x600 resolutions at 32k colors - all good, only at 1024x768 resolution with 256 colors monitor went "out of sync". I wasn't able to replicate vertical desktop foldover, like in your case, perhaps it's due to BIOS after all, because I didn't change mine.

Thanks for the info. I have the same issue with both BIOS versions, the one from you and the newer one.

Only the driver is left to blame, it must've become corrupted after being overwritten many times with similar versions, try deleting all related driver files manually.

I'm restoring the whole Windows folder to a fresh install for every driver I try.

SSTV2 wrote on 2025-06-19, 19:17:

I just installed this video card in the aforementioned 386 PC and used drivers from the link. Tested 640x480 and 800x600 resolutions at 32k colors - all good, only at 1024x768 resolution with 256 colors monitor went "out of sync". I wasn't able to replicate vertical desktop foldover, like in your case, perhaps it's due to BIOS after all, because I didn't change mine.

The attachment 800x600_32k.jpg is no longer available

The attachment driver.jpg is no longer available

Maybe the card/RAMDAC defaults to (or is only capable of) interlaced 87Hz at 1024x768 . LCD screens typically do not support that.

chrismes wrote on 2025-06-20, 00:00:

I'm restoring the whole Windows folder to a fresh install for every driver I try.

Very strange, I wonder what is preventing the video card drivers from working then. Here's an extreme case: try to install the english version of Windows 3.1x to a spare drive and leave only the default system drivers (avoid all third-party drivers, even for the mouse). If all that fails, then you have some unique case here.

darry wrote on 2025-06-20, 02:00:

Maybe the card/RAMDAC defaults to (or is only capable of) interlaced 87Hz at 1024x768 . LCD screens typically do not support that.

Thanks for pointing that out, I know for a fact that this monitor doesn't support 1024x768 87Hz interlaced mode and the driver/card indeed defaulted to it. Fortunately, there is an utility called "VMODE" that allows Tseng cards to change refresh rates, I was able to change from 87Hz int. to 60Hz and now the monitor displays a nice 1024x768 resolution image at 256 colors.

Here's a helpful thread for more info about "VMODE" and a direct archived link to Tseng drivers and utils.