well i guess you have a spare 386 board now 😀 maybe some bios investigation would help with the fdd/hdd, something for later anyway!

would look cool as a working machine and mmx gives lots of options

Could be broken traces.
I'd give it a fast check (pun intended 😀).

Yeh you can see the battery did cause a very small bit of corrosion around the keyboard connection area, or maybe it's not happy about not having any battery at all.
I'll definably have a longer play with it as it feels like it wants to work again

Looks like my First computer back in 1993
I had this same case it was very popular in California as it was small mini tower and inexpensive
I think it costs about $40 new made in China.

I wanted to build a Multi media computer.

Here were my computer specs:
Intel 486dx-33
4mb fpm ram
ISA motherboard ( China Generic )
Sony 2x CDROM with controller
Floppy drives ( 3.5 and 5.25 )
Sound blaster 16 compatible sound card
Oak video card
ISA controller card
14-inch SVGA monitor

Microsoft Dos 5.0
Windows 3.11
Multimedia games on CDROMs

It cost me about $2,200 back in 1993

It was basically the same specs allot of computer manufactures were using back in 1993
This is what NEW Multi media computers came with but sold for about $3,500 back in 1993 with monitor.

I later upgraded mine with VLB motherboard and VLB video, and VLB controller and 8mb of ram
so I could run Win95
But Windows-95 only needs a 486dx-33 and 8mb of ram to run okay
Windows-95 was designed for the 486dx-33 in mind because these 486 multi media computers were so popular
back in 1993
I think Win-95 is the Best OS for the 486 because it allows you to run allot of software and supports allot of hardware and Networking.

You had the
IBM Ps/1
AST Bravo
Gateway 2000
Dell OptiPlex
HP Vectra
and Millions more

They all basically used this same configuration.

If you don't like the fake 3½ inch floppy cover you can fill it with plastic filler putty or epoxy putty, sand it down and then spray paint it.

dominusprog wrote on 2025-10-10, 10:30:

If you don't like the fake 3½ inch floppy cover you can fill it with plastic filler putty or epoxy putty, sand it down and then spray paint it.

I LOVE the fake floppy drive! I even saved one from a case I was throwing out in the early 2000's when we didn't know any better it was so cool. Still haven't found a case it fits in yet.

So my plan all along with this was to swap out the insides for a Socket 7 system I scored off freecycle UK a few years ago but was missing the case cover.
So when I was moving from the UK to Australia it wasn't a hard decision to just take the CPU/Motherboard with me and sell the rest.
I just wasn't expecting a replacement AT case so soon, let alone complete!

Specs now are

M/B: PC Chips M550
CPU: 200 MMX upgraded to a 233 MMX I've found in my junk box from the early 2000's
RAM 2x 64MB SD sticks from the junk box. Only half is recognised but 32MB is fine for this build and I'm never going to use that RAM anywhere else.
Video: Diamond Multimedia S3 Virge. Stolen from my 486 but that's a bit slow for the S3D games.
3D: Diamond Multimedia Voodoo 1. I managed to buy a pair for £78.94 just at the start of Covid, was a great deal even back then.
Sound: SB AWE 64 Value. I think may have come from the same PC as the 233MMX I parted out all those years ago.
NIC: Intel Pro 100
HDD 6.5GB Maxtor from my parts box
CD-ROM: 40x Diamond Data, slowest I had.

That means apart from the 2 video cards everything else comes from salvaged machines, not bad and proof it pays to horde, maybe.
As after I replaced the CPU the computer no longer booted. Fine I'll put the original back in, no change!

Stupid thing! oh well, I'm out of time now as rest of the family is returning home an my projects get put on hold again till next school holidays.
I still put everything together and even found a 5.25 bay cover that fit to replace the missing one!

Case is a bit rough, top is very rusty

Few screws have had the heads snapped off but still enough to fold the case in place as it is bent a bit

For now it just looks pretty on my shelf, waiting for round 2

From what I remember my case only had one 3.5 external bay with a real floppy drive
But I could be wrong it could have had two floppy drive bays but definitely no fake floppy cover

chinny22 wrote on 2025-10-17, 05:58:

M/B: PC Chips M550 CPU: 200 MMX upgraded to a 233 MMX I've found in my junk box from the early 2000's RAM 2x 64MB SD sticks fr […]
Show full quote

M/B: PC Chips M550
CPU: 200 MMX upgraded to a 233 MMX I've found in my junk box from the early 2000's
RAM 2x 64MB SD sticks from the junk box. Only half is recognised but 32MB is fine for this build and I'm never going to use that RAM anywhere else.
Video: Diamond Multimedia S3 Virge. Stolen from my 486 but that's a bit slow for the S3D games.
3D: Diamond Multimedia Voodoo 1. I managed to buy a pair for £78.94 just at the start of Covid, was a great deal even back then.
Sound: SB AWE 64 Value. I think may have come from the same PC as the 233MMX I parted out all those years ago.
NIC: Intel Pro 100
HDD 6.5GB Maxtor from my parts box
CD-ROM: 40x Diamond Data, slowest I had.
..
Case is a bit rough, top is very rusty
Few screws have had the heads snapped off but still enough to fold the case in place as it is bent a bit

i like that its made up from rescued parts and the state of the case just adds to that. definitely a machine to play POD on, and various other dystopia/apocalyptic games from the 90's

strange the ram isn't fully recognised though... that's the sort of thing i'd spend far too long trying to solve needlessly

chinny22 wrote on 2025-10-17, 05:35:

dominusprog wrote on 2025-10-10, 10:30:

If you don't like the fake 3½ inch floppy cover you can fill it with plastic filler putty or epoxy putty, sand it down and then spray paint it.

I LOVE the fake floppy drive! I even saved one from a case I was throwing out in the early 2000's when we didn't know any better it was so cool. Still haven't found a case it fits in yet.

Haha, fair enough. Glad you like it 🙂.

Thats a good 386 motherboard.
Just cut off the leaking barrel battery and clean up corrosion with vinegar and water solution.
And put the motherboard in storage or sell it.

gerry wrote on 2025-10-17, 10:10:

i like that its made up from rescued parts and the state of the case just adds to that. definitely a machine to play POD on, and various other dystopia/apocalyptic games from the 90's

strange the ram isn't fully recognised though... that's the sort of thing i'd spend far too long trying to solve needlessly

Haha true, didn't really think if it like that, the apocalyptic build.
The RAM does bother me, Probably something really simple like double sided incompatibility but going through my ram collection I thought does it really matter especially if it means realistically it just means these sticks will sit unused till the end of time in the bottom of the box.
If I happen across similar size sticks in the future, I'll no doubt try them just to have a "properly working" system.

Intel486dx33 wrote on Yesterday, 09:30:

Thats a good 386 motherboard.
Just cut off the leaking barrel battery and clean up corrosion with vinegar and water solution.
And put the motherboard in storage or sell it.

That's the idea! Will make a good rainy day project if I ever find myself with nothing to do in the future.