VOGONS


First post, by keropi

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Hiya!

I've been messing with win3.1 and an EGA card:

5NRL1OAl.jpg

I've got two 256kb EGA cards: one with a CHIPS P82C435 controller and the other with a Paradise PEGA2A . To my understanding both can produce resolutions higher than 640x350 , I have found the P82C435 datasheet and it states in the beginning that is supports 640x480 (and 800x600 with some faster optional crystal installed or something) and that there are BIOS/drivers available for that.

Now I don't know if this means windows drivers or program-specific ones as EGA is a new territory for me. Anyone here knows more about it?
TIA for any info/help!

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Reply 2 of 83, by keropi

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thanks but I doubt it will work - the controller IC is different

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Reply 5 of 83, by Jo22

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That's Super EGA, right ?

As EGA was more of an 80s thing, I believe there should be at least some Windows 2.0 (/386) drivers floating around.
If there is, by any chance, also an Windows 3.0 beta driver then you're lucky. 😀
Windows 3.0 drivers usually work to some degree in Windows 3.1, too.

But that's just a wild guess, since my Paradise PVGA1A also came
with Windows 2.0 and Windows /386 drivers on the original 5.25" floppy.
And ADI drivers for AutoSketch, AutoCAD as well as GEM drivers.

Edit: Found some PEGA drivers! http://www.oldskool.org/guides/oldonnew/resources
Edit: Seems the Schneider PC1640 also used a PEGA chipset. Paradise PEGA programming info (Amstrad PC1640)?
Edit: CHIPS P82C435 was used on ATI EGA Wonder 800.. http://www.vcfed.org/forum/showthread.php?264 … i-Wonder-Series
Edit: Seems enhanced EGA by CHIPS was also known as "LEGA" (just imagine they called it SEGA instead, haha ^^)

"Time, it seems, doesn't flow. For some it's fast, for some it's slow.
In what to one race is no time at all, another race can rise and fall..." - The Minstrel

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Reply 6 of 83, by keropi

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thanks Jo22 - I have found the same archive and checked the DOS utils some time ago , I forgot about the windows stuff it has... I wonder if they are suitable for 3x though , I will give it a go later and report back

edit:
there is an EGA driver here: http://toogam.com/software/archive/drivers/vi … rv/videodrv.htm and it seems it's the proper 3.x format - will also give it a go 😎

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Reply 7 of 83, by Jo22

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Cool! Good luck! 😁

"Time, it seems, doesn't flow. For some it's fast, for some it's slow.
In what to one race is no time at all, another race can rise and fall..." - The Minstrel

//My video channel//

Reply 9 of 83, by keropi

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monitor is not a problem I am using an Eizo Flexscan 8060S that does cga/ega/vga and 15khz RGB that can display anything between 15.75 ~ 35khz . The problem is getting the drivers for that 🤣

edit:
the driver I found is the stock 3x one - no change

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Reply 10 of 83, by Predator99

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I am almost sure that my EGA card (also with Chips Chipset) supported the standard VGA 640x480x16 (12h?) mode. So for Windows you just need a driver with that VGA resolution if this is also the case for your card. You can test with different other programs, select 640x480x16 VGA and see if there is a picture. Maybe a BIOS update will also help.

Still have the original driver disk, but the card itself is gone 🙁 Pretty sure it was very similar to your CHIPS P82C435 with additional RCA connectors. I think the included drivers are for Win 3.0 however. Just try it...

IT-EGA-0002r.jpg
Filename
IT-EGA-0002r.jpg
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581.79 KiB
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2193 views
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Filename
it-ega.zip
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118 downloads
File license
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Reply 11 of 83, by keropi

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thanks for the archive Predator99 - the DOS utils are interesting but the windows driver is still a win2x one. I will try it tomorrow though and report back, maybe it will work 😁

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Reply 13 of 83, by keropi

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atm I have installed the Paradise EGA card - Gods and some other games do work in VGA mode with wrong colors but under windows I get no screen, only a pink windows logo loading screen 🤣
I will try with the CHIPS card tomorrow as it is stored in my office.
When I got the CHIPS card I dumped it's BIOS and took this screenshot because of the funny message: it is indeed a Phoenix bios one:

91G9gYTl.png

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Reply 14 of 83, by Predator99

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Hehe, no one confuses us with IBM 😀

I am sure my card introduced as "Phoenix Enhanced Video Bios PLUS", maybe this is required for the feature.

You should be able to test the 12h 640x480 mode with
debug
a
MOV AL, 12
MOV AH, 00
INT 10
INT 20
g

No DOS available here, but will test it later.

If it switches to the 640x480 mode under DOS it should work with Windows as well. You cannot use Gods for testing as it uses 320x200 Video.

I have stored my 2 EGA Monitors in the basement, therefore too much work to test it on my own 😉

Reply 15 of 83, by keropi

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I wonder if a BIOS swap could work... I have tried the debug commands but I am getting an error:

CdstyBJl.jpg

what am I doing wrong?

I am attaching the card's BIOS just in case it helps , thanks predator99!

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  • Filename
    LEGA-BIOS.rar
    File size
    10.95 KiB
    Downloads
    95 downloads
    File comment
    TEVA-2 LEGA CHIPS-P82C435 EGA BIOS
    File license
    Fair use/fair dealing exception

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Reply 17 of 83, by Predator99

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I had monitoring this card in EBAY because BIOS message was - as far as I remember, 20 years ago - the same as for the IT-EGA I provided the drivers for, but was too expensive to buy...

ega2.jpg
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ega2.jpg
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2148 views
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EGA3.jpg
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EGA3.jpg
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2148 views
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Fair use/fair dealing exception

Reply 18 of 83, by keropi

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yes! this time the screen lost sync - but it's a standard EGA monitor not a multi-freq one. I will try later at home with my multisync monitor and report back!

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Reply 19 of 83, by keropi

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that ebay card looks the same as mine:

9gg0Eoem.jpg

now I need that newer BIOS 🤣 🤣 🤣

edit: made a thread about the bios over at VCF , maybe someone there has it

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