Cyrix200+ wrote:

lazibayer wrote:

Install win7 on a P5A-B platform -> move hard drive to a SiS530 platform -> success
Install the same win 7 on the SiS530 platform -> move hard drive to the P5A-B platform -> infinite reboot

I have tried installing standard IDE driver but didn't work.

Windows 7 on P5A-B? Why? Is that useable?

I like to stretch old platforms and see if they can fit new software.
BTW,
Install win7 on a P5A-B platform -> move hard drive to a SiS530 platform -> success -> move back to P5A-B platform -> infinite reboot

lazibayer wrote:

I like to stretch old platforms and see if they can fit new software. BTW, Install win7 on a P5A-B platform -> move hard drive t […]
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Cyrix200+ wrote:

lazibayer wrote:

Install win7 on a P5A-B platform -> move hard drive to a SiS530 platform -> success
Install the same win 7 on the SiS530 platform -> move hard drive to the P5A-B platform -> infinite reboot

I have tried installing standard IDE driver but didn't work.

Windows 7 on P5A-B? Why? Is that useable?

I like to stretch old platforms and see if they can fit new software.
BTW,
Install win7 on a P5A-B platform -> move hard drive to a SiS530 platform -> success -> move back to P5A-B platform -> infinite reboot

Haha, Yes. I did this successfully with my 486, moved the hdd to a pentium, installed directx 8 on it, which you can't do on a 486 cpu, then moved it back. dx8 is completely
useless on a 486, but who cares, it worked!

Ah, I knew there would eventually be a use case for a Pentium overdrive processor. 😁

Pulled apart the non-functional Philips CDD4801 CD writer I got in the Gateway GP-6 system I picked up to clean the lens. Some notes about this early CD writer:
- Many heat vents in the casing (not a good sign) and circuit board (air circulation/overheating issues?).
- Dried out cooling paste between various chips and the outer case.
- Fingerprints on various internal bits 😦 Weird, the warranty sticker was not teared off, so factory-fingerprints? 🤣
- Components with crosses in green and red marker on them 😐 One big cap near the audio out and the connector to which the laser pick-up assembly is attached. Nothing that shows that it actually successfully passed quality control...
- Some minor signs of overheating on the circuit board itself (discoloration...).
- Lens shows signs of delamination of the top layer.

Probable reason of failure:
- When closing the drive door, part of the mechanism has a tendency to jam at the point the disc slips onto the spindle. The reason for this is that the nylon part that serves as a linkage between the drive door motor and gears and the spindle mechanism has an alignment/tolerance issue. Basically that linkage part has pins that hook it to the drive door, which when the door is closed make the linkage part slide against one of the drive door mechanism gears (rack and pinion-style). In about half of the cases, the linkage part does not align properly with the pinion gear and the teeth will hit each other instead of meshing - engineering error. This probably explains why the door immediately opens again after inserting a disc. This means drives of this model will always mechanically fail once the door and spindle mechanism parts start to wear. Furthermore, it's likely that the jamming issue is at least partially responsible for the overheating issue. It's possible to manually slide the linkage part back into position, but that is not feasible with the drive assembled. 😵

Doctor, I think this one is a goner. Birth defect.

yawetaG wrote:

Pulled apart the non-functional Philips CDD4801 CD writer <snip>

I used to sell those back in the day. I think more than 50% came back for RMA within a year.

It's surprising how little useful stuff there's in this drive after taking it apart entirely: 2 motors, some anti-vibration stuff, about 20 Torx screws. Plus probably some components (Nichicon caps, switches, connectors) from the circuit board once I get around to that, but most are SMD.

liqmat wrote:

OldCat wrote:

Still struggling with that Toshiba T3200SX. Put a couple hours into it, mostly experimenting with partition size / CF geometry but no luck just yet.

Toshiba_z_CF.jpg

In that state that either looks like a Voight-Kampff machine or an Esper Photo Analysis machine. Either way, you are now a Blade Runner.

This is the best compliment I've heard in a long time! 😎

Repaired a pair of headphones that lost its jack to some success, but I need better audio cable to sacrifice since the one the cable I'm using isn't working very well (audio increases and decreases volume, gets choppy, and only 1 channel works).

After reorganizing my computing area, I realized I could save a good chunk of desk space and eliminate some nasty magnetic interference on my CRT by changing my speaker setup.

If I'm using an older system or any of my MIDI gear at my workbench, I like to have proper stereo sound there, so this desk has its own tiny amp I built and a pair of ($20 clearance) Pioneer BS21LR speakers. My main PC also has a similar setup with an identical set of speakers (for $20 a pair I couldn't just buy one set...). Its a wonderful sounding setup, but it means a ton of desk space is lost to speakers.

So, since moving my main desk closer to my other desk, to make an L-shape desk setup, I built (cobbled?) an amp switch box for one speaker so that it will be my left speaker at my main PC or my right speaker at my workbench. I had an awesome unused vintage DPDT (ON-OFF-ON) panel mount toggle switch and harvested a little plastic case from some cheap defective chinese-import Lightning USB hub that never worked. I wired the switch up to flip between the two amps and attached the "output" to the speaker. Works perfectly! No pops\clicks or any problems at all. Now I can keep the other speaker as a backup, get it away from my poor CRT and clear up a 7"x8"x13" space from my work surface. 😀

I'm almost ready to post some picture of my computing area in "the thread", but it is always in some state of being a mess and I hate taking pictures of my messy computing area. Looking at old pictures I took as a teenager when I first got a digital camera I can't believe how unkempt everything was. Would drive me insane now. 🤣

OldCat wrote:

liqmat wrote:

OldCat wrote:

Still struggling with that Toshiba T3200SX. Put a couple hours into it, mostly experimenting with partition size / CF geometry but no luck just yet.

Toshiba_z_CF.jpg

In that state that either looks like a Voight-Kampff machine or an Esper Photo Analysis machine. Either way, you are now a Blade Runner.

This is the best compliment I've heard in a long time! 😎

I don't know. Maybe he figures you're really not human. Have any weird unicorn dreams lately?

gdjacobs wrote:

I don't know. Maybe he figures you're really not human. Have any weird unicorn dreams lately?

No, only naked girls. 😀

Back on topic, I did a lot of study on Compact Flash and IDE drives for my Toshiba T3200sx and a small photoshoot with a retro lamp that my brother-in-law made for me and my wife.

That's awfully purty!

Whipped this GIF up

oeuvre wrote:

Whipped this GIF up

Fancy GIF. I had to click on the GIF to see it. I'll be amazed if someone makes a BIOS hack to display that. That'll be so cool to see that.

I think your VGA cable is loose 🤣

Got a game called Area 51 at a thrift store for IBM PC (it's the arcade version), installed it on my Socket 370 computer, and it plays nicely, just doesn't like my Microsoft Sidewinder Precision Pro joystick (doesn't move correctly sometimes).

Native or on dosbox? Been having trouble with most of my usb analog sticks and dosbox, calibrate in windows, all good, calibrate in game all good, start game, full left, gah, sometimes no up down either.

BitWrangler wrote:

Native or on dosbox? Been having trouble with most of my usb analog sticks and dosbox, calibrate in windows, all good, calibrate in game all good, start game, full left, gah, sometimes no up down either.

Native in Windows. I have spares that I can use.

Did a thing last night up until today.

Finished building my project computer that was housed with Windows 98SE that was upgraded to the Socket 370 build since it has AGP 4x.

All hail the model M.

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

Though I swear the damn things are getting bigger as they get older, or modern "full size" keyboards are still shrinking... I'm favoring the M2s now.