Now here is an early 386 mainboard that I´m unable to connect to any of the better known manufacturers.
Heres the BIOS string:
The BIOS itself seems to be an early AMI version with very little options to set for the user. Basically this is all I can set:
AT-PSU connector and the contacts of the keyboard connector are "gold plated":
Please say it´s not PC-Chips...
The "SCAT" BIOS string would indicate a VLSI design, but the support chips are all Chips & Technologies.
Did they second source / rebrand VLSI designs?
My collection database and technical wiki:
https://www.target-earth.net
megatron-uk wrote on 2021-04-15, 06:57:The "SCAT" BIOS string would indicate a VLSI design, but the support chips are all Chips & Technologies.
Did they second source / rebrand VLSI designs?
It's actually "SC&T" (Chips & Technologies), VLSI used the "286" string. The "S" at the beginning of the string means it's a BIOS with Setup (it can also be "D" for BIOS with diagnostics or "E" for BIOS with extended setup).
However the 1185 manufacturer code is listed as "unknown", so there are chances it's one of those generic taiwanese clone boards.
I recently read in some old PC-magazine that there was a time (around late 80ies / early 90ies) when there were more than 400 mainboard manufacturers in Taiwan.
So it would be no surprise if many of them have remained unknown to us.
Here´s a close up of the chipset - it´s mostly Chips & Technoloies "made in Japan".
There´s no info in the silksreening at all, the SIPP slots and banks are not even numbered. On the backside there´s the usual "Made in Taiwan R.O.C", "88-42" probably meaning the PCB was designed in week 42 in 1988 and "MS-1167" which sounds like a MSI number but I´m sure it isn´t.
Then there´s a little sticker for the QC-stamps that has a small logo:
majestyk wrote on 2021-04-15, 07:29:I recently read in some old PC-magazine that there was a time (around late 80ies / early 90ies) when there were more than 400 ma […]
I recently read in some old PC-magazine that there was a time (around late 80ies / early 90ies) when there were more than 400 mainboard manufacturers in Taiwan.
So it would be no surprise if many of them have remained unknown to us.
Here´s a close up of the chipset - it´s mostly Chips & Technoloies "made in Japan".386Xdet2.JPG
There´s no info in the silksreening at all, the SIPP slots and banks are not even numbered. On the backside there´s the usual "Made in Taiwan R.O.C", "88-42" probably meaning the PCB was designed in week 42 in 1988 and "MS-1167" which sounds like a MSI number but I´m sure it isn´t.
Then there´s a little sticker for the QC-stamps that has a small logo:
386Xdet3.JPG
So you're saying good luck finding bios updates? 🤣
If you're lucky, you might find that it's a relatively generic board design with a bought-in C&T chipset.
Have you had a search through http://www.win3x.org/uh19/motherboard/search for the chipset?
My collection database and technical wiki:
https://www.target-earth.net
It looks like a very close relative to this "Uniron U5911/386"
http://www.win3x.org/uh19/motherboard/show/6733
My collection database and technical wiki:
https://www.target-earth.net
Indeed, this definitively looks like it´s coming from the same company.
I wonder what the "enhanced ISA slot" at the bottom of my board is for. It can also be used for regular 16-bit ISA cards.
Maybe it´s some proprietary graphics bus or for an additional memory card.
The enhanced ISA slot is indeed for a proprietary memory card (that you will never find). The special local bus slots didn't come out until later.
I would guess that Uniron board is earlier since it lacks an 80387 coprocessor socket.
"Will the highways on the internets become more few?" -Gee Dubya
V'Ger XT|Upgraded AT|Ultimate 386|Super VL/EISA 486|SMP VL/EISA Pentium
@majestyk
1185 = Armas. We don't have your board yet.
https://theretroweb.com/motherboards/?manufac … 00&showImages=1
We would like to have higher resolution pictures of the front&back (size <8Mbyte please) and a bios dump. I'm going to make a page for this now.
It has the wrong BIOS. The C&T 82C235 SCAT is a single chip chipset. So we really need the good pictures for any visible markings. And it's not sure it's an Armas either then.
This board is manufactured around mid 1988. Very early. I had purchased a similar 386DX 25 motherboard based on this chipset around 1990 or 91 and was slow and settings is useless that crashes every time I adjust anything better. Did have 387 and 287 sockets, I did remember that, I think guy was selling rip off stuff using low quality stuff, the business creased to exist not too long after. His business was on ground floor of a large apartment.
Cheers,
Great Northern aka Canada.
I took a better picture of this board just recently:
It´s scaled down so I could upload it - if needed I can provide a better quality.
