VOGONS


First post, by dogchainx

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I'm trying to find a BIOS for a Diamond Speedstar 64 ISA 2MB. FCC ID is FTUISA5434A

Its a Diamond Speedstar 64 ISA 2MB without a BIOS chip, so I need to get the BIOS and find someone to program it for me.

Thanks for any help!

386DX-40MHz-8MB-540MB+428MB+Speedstar64@2MB+SoundBlaster Pro+MT-32/MKII
486DX2-66Mhz-16MB-4.3GB+SpeedStar64 VLB DRAM 2MB+AWE32/SB16+SCB-55
MY BLOG RETRO PC BLOG: https://bitbyted.wordpress.com/

Reply 1 of 22, by keropi

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programming and rom chip are no problems 😉
if we locate the rom data then you are set.

🎵 🎧 PCMIDI MPU , OrpheusII , Action Rewind , Megacard and 🎶GoldLib soundcard website

Reply 2 of 22, by dogchainx

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keropi wrote:

programming and rom chip are no problems 😉
if we locate the rom data then you are set.

Awesome! Think I should message a couple of people on here that I know they used to have in their possession the card? They could dump it via command line, right?

I couldn't find the BIOS file anywhere using google and some very specific searches. The only thing I found was : http://www.vgamuseum.info/index.php/vlasks-co … logic-cl-gd5434 But that references the PCI version. 😒

386DX-40MHz-8MB-540MB+428MB+Speedstar64@2MB+SoundBlaster Pro+MT-32/MKII
486DX2-66Mhz-16MB-4.3GB+SpeedStar64 VLB DRAM 2MB+AWE32/SB16+SCB-55
MY BLOG RETRO PC BLOG: https://bitbyted.wordpress.com/

Reply 3 of 22, by keropi

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I really have no idea if you can safely dump a vga bios with a software tool - can't see why not... Maybe someone else has some insight on that?

🎵 🎧 PCMIDI MPU , OrpheusII , Action Rewind , Megacard and 🎶GoldLib soundcard website

Reply 4 of 22, by ripsaw8080

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You can dump a video BIOS image using DEBUG.EXE included with DOS, just run it and enter these commands:

r cs
c000
r cx
8000
n video.rom
w 0
q

The majority of ISA video cards will have a 32kB video ROM -- some earlier ones might only have 16kB, some later PCI/AGP cards might be more than 32kB, so adjust the 8000 (hex) if needed.

Reply 5 of 22, by Robin4

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ripsaw8080 wrote:
You can dump a video BIOS image using DEBUG.EXE included with DOS, just run it and enter these commands: […]
Show full quote

You can dump a video BIOS image using DEBUG.EXE included with DOS, just run it and enter these commands:

r cs
c000
r cx
8000
n video.rom
w 0
q

The majority of ISA video cards will have a 32kB video ROM -- some earlier ones might only have 16kB, some later PCI/AGP cards might be more than 32kB, so adjust the 8000 (hex) if needed.

Can you explain that debug language?

~ At least it can do black and white~

Reply 6 of 22, by ripsaw8080

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Robin4 wrote:

Can you explain that debug language?

I can, but it's a lot easier for me to let Microsoft explain it to you:
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc722863.aspx

Reply 7 of 22, by dogchainx

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ripsaw8080 wrote:
You can dump a video BIOS image using DEBUG.EXE included with DOS, just run it and enter these commands: […]
Show full quote

You can dump a video BIOS image using DEBUG.EXE included with DOS, just run it and enter these commands:

r cs
c000
r cx
8000
n video.rom
w 0
q

The majority of ISA video cards will have a 32kB video ROM -- some earlier ones might only have 16kB, some later PCI/AGP cards might be more than 32kB, so adjust the 8000 (hex) if needed.

If its 64kb (the size of the rom for the PCI version of the Speedstar 64 2mb, not sure about the ISA version) what would the HEX be? 10000? I'm not sure about start-to-end of the memory mappings.

386DX-40MHz-8MB-540MB+428MB+Speedstar64@2MB+SoundBlaster Pro+MT-32/MKII
486DX2-66Mhz-16MB-4.3GB+SpeedStar64 VLB DRAM 2MB+AWE32/SB16+SCB-55
MY BLOG RETRO PC BLOG: https://bitbyted.wordpress.com/

Reply 8 of 22, by ripsaw8080

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dogchainx wrote:

If its 64kb (the size of the rom for the PCI version of the Speedstar 64 2mb, not sure about the ISA version) what would the HEX be? 10000? I'm not sure about start-to-end of the memory mappings.

Yes, 64kB is 10000 hex, and for that case you would set the BX register to 1 instead of setting the CX register to 8000, because the number of bytes to write is in BX:CX. However, the BIOS may not use all of a 64kB ROM, and you'll have to visually inspect the image to see how much is used.

Reply 9 of 22, by Jolaes76

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I might be able to dump the bios from such a card. No sooner than next weekend, though.

"Ita in vita ut in lusu alae pessima iactura arte corrigenda est."

Reply 10 of 22, by dogchainx

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Jolaes76 wrote:

I might be able to dump the bios from such a card. No sooner than next weekend, though.

Thanks, I'll let you know!

I think I found a way to get a BIOS from someone on Ebay! Stay tuned folks... 😎

386DX-40MHz-8MB-540MB+428MB+Speedstar64@2MB+SoundBlaster Pro+MT-32/MKII
486DX2-66Mhz-16MB-4.3GB+SpeedStar64 VLB DRAM 2MB+AWE32/SB16+SCB-55
MY BLOG RETRO PC BLOG: https://bitbyted.wordpress.com/

Reply 11 of 22, by HighTreason

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VGA BIOS is usually located at C000h.

You can usually check the dump by opening it in a hex editor and looking for something like "IBM COMPATIBLE VGA BIOS" near the start of the file, usually a short way after the "Copyright 199X Whoever Tech Inc.".

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Reply 12 of 22, by Jolaes76

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I think I found a way to get a BIOS from someone on Ebay! Stay tuned folks... 😎

I was also interested in Diodenmann's card, if that is what you meant:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ISA-Grafikkarte-Diamo … =item56715e903f
In fact I was pushing that to 110 when I got outbid.

Now I am happy I did not win this time, I managed to buy another one at half the price 😀 It will take more time to arrive as this one is from the USA:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/221654996665?_trksid= … K%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

"Ita in vita ut in lusu alae pessima iactura arte corrigenda est."

Reply 13 of 22, by buyerninety

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retro games 100 had/has a Diamond Speedstar 64 ISA;
Complete newbie advice on ISA video cards required please
(at the top of that page he is also talking about his Speedstar 24x,
a different card).

You can see the bios chip in his Diamond Speedstar 64 ISA is an
STMicroelectronics chip, almost certainly a UVEPROM 28 pin 27Cxxxn series.
Sometimes you can place your finger tip over the bios sticker and feel the
round ('UV erasure window')hole underneath the sticker, feels almost as if
there were a 'screw hole' underneath the sticker.
Someone might take the time to use a single sided razor to gently peel up
a bios sticker so we could know the EPROM model number for certain (the
9501x you can see is not the model number). If doing so, make sure to
re-tamp back down the sticker, as it covers the window. (I'm not 100%
sure, but I believe that if left uncovered, UV from suns rays, fluorescent
lamps, etc, {although 'weak' in comparison to the harsh UV used to erase
such a chip}, could damage the chip over time - best to re-cover the hole
with the sticker to be sure.)

Reply 14 of 22, by Jolaes76

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Unfortunately, RG100 is not an active member for quite a while. It might be too much to ask him to dump the BIOS if he has already been cured from the retro fever.
Given 2 weeks, I can make a dump of the v2.02 BIOS in my EPROM burner. Maybe someone can do that sooner.

"Ita in vita ut in lusu alae pessima iactura arte corrigenda est."

Reply 15 of 22, by buyerninety

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I didn't mean RG100 to dump his bios (you can see it's an earlier v2.01,
rather than the later v2.02 that dogchainx would want), rather to look at
the chip model number so we were forewarned what chip could be substituted
- however, you say you have an UV burner? - all good then. (I was having
thoughts of having to hack up a 29C series EEPROM with some kind of an
adapter holder to allow use of a 29C series EEPROM instead of a 27C EPROM.)

Last edited by buyerninety on 2015-03-09, 11:45. Edited 2 times in total.

Reply 16 of 22, by Jolaes76

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I am pretty sure that even v2.01 would work fine... The small version jump is a good indicator of a correction of minor issues.

"Ita in vita ut in lusu alae pessima iactura arte corrigenda est."

Reply 17 of 22, by dogchainx

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Thanks all! I have a source for the Speedstar 64 BIOS (Yes it is Diodenmann!) He's shipping the BIOS from Germany to the USA. I'll see if that BIOS works...but it is a V2.02

I was also able to procure TWO other Diamond Speedstar 64's for a steal, and they'll be coming soon. So I'll have three in my possession...

386DX-40MHz-8MB-540MB+428MB+Speedstar64@2MB+SoundBlaster Pro+MT-32/MKII
486DX2-66Mhz-16MB-4.3GB+SpeedStar64 VLB DRAM 2MB+AWE32/SB16+SCB-55
MY BLOG RETRO PC BLOG: https://bitbyted.wordpress.com/

Reply 19 of 22, by jkammueller

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To anyone still looking for firmware of this card, I have a USA version 2.02 bin dump I created using my official MiniPro TL866CS purchased in 2016.

Official website found here:
http://www.autoelectric.cn/en/tl866_main.html

Snag the file from the attachments. The chip was a 32KB ST M27C256B-12F1 DIP28 for anyone curious. This was a USA dump as well.

It's about time I gave back to this community since you all have helped me over the years so thanks to all of you. Enjoy!

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