I finally got this ThinkPad "iSeries" (Type 2621) after *twelve days* spent mostly lost in transit, can't figure out why it won't POST. The only thing I can think of is that it somehow NEEDS a working CMOS battery to boot? I've already cleaned the RAM and the RAM slots, and since the CPU is soldered I can't really clean that with the equipment I have. The fact that I hear the hard drive kick on but nothing else happens just makes it more confusing.

I know with my 770 a dead cmos makee it throw up about 4 error codes and prevents it from booting

Pierre32 wrote on 2021-09-04, 07:47:

Picked these two up together, as the only bidder. I wanted the ARK, and the Cirrus was just extra weight in the package. When they arrived I took the opportunity to benchmark my small collection of PCI cards, and to my surprise the Cirrus is nipping right at the ARK's heels. So that's the two quickest 2D cards I have now (according to the venerable PierreMark). Pretty happy for a fiver!

cards.jpg

benches.png

Did you popuate empty memory sockets of Cirrus before the test? If I remember correctly, it should significantly boost performance (something with 32/64 bit bus).

EvieSigma wrote on 2021-09-08, 01:33:

I finally got this ThinkPad "iSeries" (Type 2621) after *twelve days* spent mostly lost in transit, can't figure out why it won't POST. The only thing I can think of is that it somehow NEEDS a working CMOS battery to boot? I've already cleaned the RAM and the RAM slots, and since the CPU is soldered I can't really clean that with the equipment I have. The fact that I hear the hard drive kick on but nothing else happens just makes it more confusing.

PXL_20210907_232406165.jpg

From my experience with ThinkPads a flat CMOS battery won't stop it booting to at least the BIOS screen - you'll just get 161 and 163 errors that you may not be able to get past.

I have an iSeries ThinkPad too and it's the worst ThinkPad I own - the plastic is so brittle I dare not touch it!

SteveC wrote on 2021-09-08, 09:53:

EvieSigma wrote on 2021-09-08, 01:33:

I finally got this ThinkPad "iSeries" (Type 2621) after *twelve days* spent mostly lost in transit, can't figure out why it won't POST. The only thing I can think of is that it somehow NEEDS a working CMOS battery to boot? I've already cleaned the RAM and the RAM slots, and since the CPU is soldered I can't really clean that with the equipment I have. The fact that I hear the hard drive kick on but nothing else happens just makes it more confusing.

PXL_20210907_232406165.jpg

From my experience with ThinkPads a flat CMOS battery won't stop it booting to at least the BIOS screen - you'll just get 161 and 163 errors that you may not be able to get past.

I have an iSeries ThinkPad too and it's the worst ThinkPad I own - the plastic is so brittle I dare not touch it!

Yeah, after further testing I think there might be a blown fuse in there somewhere, since there doesn't seem to be 5V coming off the USB port on the back.

So, while building my recent PII PC, I was thinking that maybe the Ensoniq AudioPCI should be replaced with something more decent. Since it already had a Sound Blaster Vibra 16S I thought maybe something different, so I started looking for Yamaha XG cards. Last weekend I found a YMF724F-V for 3 times the price I was willing to pay, BUT as part of a bundle of sound cards. Today they arrived.

Now I don't intend to keep all of them. The YMF724 naturally stays, I'll keep the Audigy 2 as well, but what about the rest?

Which is better? The CT4530 or the SB0060?
The CT5803 seems to be just another rebranded AudioPCI I already have some.
The SB0570 as far as I know is too mutilated to be of any use.
As for the rest, I don't know if any of them worth keeping over the other SB Live!.

The FM801 and ESS Solo-1 cards have DOS support.

The FM801 cards are kind of hit and miss depending on the design. Some have much better output than others.

I would test them all and see which ones you like.

RandomStranger wrote on 2021-09-08, 15:41:

Which is better? The CT4530 or the SB0060?

The SB0060 has 5.1 functionality. I don't think the CT4830 does.

Also, SB0060 has the CD SPDIF header populated, while the CT4830 does not.

Found what was starting to look like a unicorn:

A 16b PCMCIA WiFi adapter with Prism-II/Orinoco chipset, so DOS support. Sealed and unused.

Of course I still need to find an ISA-PCMCIA card (I should have one somewhere deep in a box), and this thing does max 802.11b with WEP, so slow and insecure as hell. But with some good config on my router (VLAN) and AP I can mitigate that and get a DOS system online wirelessly 😀

cyclone3d wrote on 2021-09-08, 16:07:

The FM801 and ESS Solo-1 cards have DOS support.

The FM801 cards are kind of hit and miss depending on the design. Some have much better output than others.

I would test them all and see which ones you like.

I'd be optimistic about the Genius card, it looks like better quality than most FM801.

Also note that the Terratec Solo-1 (the ESS Solo-1 card) has unpopulated wavetable header holes. Solder pins in there and you can add daughterboards (yes, done it on exactly this card, dead easy and nothing more required than those pins).

My GM collection is getting bigger. SC88, MU50 and GMega arrived today. Hooray for testing 😀

Picked up a new old stock IBM ThinkPad expansion bay for Ultraslimbay devices off eBay - works a treat! Simple and rather inexpensive way of getting a CD ROM drive onto a laptop that doesn't have one.

Did a quick video - https://youtu.be/Yaki_m_3N8c

Dell QuietKey ps/2 keyboard that looks brand new for $5. Should pair up with my P4 machine really well with a beige ps/2 MS mouse 😁

Wolfus wrote on 2021-09-08, 09:28:

Pierre32 wrote on 2021-09-04, 07:47:

Picked these two up together, as the only bidder. I wanted the ARK, and the Cirrus was just extra weight in the package. When they arrived I took the opportunity to benchmark my small collection of PCI cards, and to my surprise the Cirrus is nipping right at the ARK's heels. So that's the two quickest 2D cards I have now (according to the venerable PierreMark). Pretty happy for a fiver!

cards.jpg

benches.png

Did you popuate empty memory sockets of Cirrus before the test? If I remember correctly, it should significantly boost performance (something with 32/64 bit bus).

Nope, I haven't filled the slots in any of my cards. The reading I'd done suggested there wasn't much benefit for DOS VGA gaming, and it was more of a benefit for higher resolutions in Windows.

Still kinda keen to do it though. I just need to learn which memory to get.

Pierre32 wrote on 2021-09-08, 22:22:

Wolfus wrote on 2021-09-08, 09:28:

Pierre32 wrote on 2021-09-04, 07:47:

Picked these two up together, as the only bidder. I wanted the ARK, and the Cirrus was just extra weight in the package. When they arrived I took the opportunity to benchmark my small collection of PCI cards, and to my surprise the Cirrus is nipping right at the ARK's heels. So that's the two quickest 2D cards I have now (according to the venerable PierreMark). Pretty happy for a fiver!

cards.jpg

benches.png

Did you popuate empty memory sockets of Cirrus before the test? If I remember correctly, it should significantly boost performance (something with 32/64 bit bus).

Nope, I haven't filled the slots in any of my cards. The reading I'd done suggested there wasn't much benefit for DOS VGA gaming, and it was more of a benefit for higher resolutions in Windows.

Still kinda keen to do it though. I just need to learn which memory to get.

Re: What vga is best: S3 trio 64v+ or Cirrus Logic 5436

Also:
Ram chips for S3 virge\trio

These are suitable also for CL and I think for Legend too.

Wolfus wrote on 2021-09-08, 22:32:

Re: What vga is best: S3 trio 64v+ or Cirrus Logic 5436 […]
Show full quote

Re: What vga is best: S3 trio 64v+ or Cirrus Logic 5436

Also:
Ram chips for S3 virge\trio

These are suitable also for CL and I think for Legend too.

Good links, cheers 😀

Wolfus wrote on 2021-09-08, 22:32:

Also:
Ram chips for S3 virge\trio

These are suitable also for CL and I think for Legend too.

Bookmarked the SOJ chips in that link, thanks. I see they still have loads, so will buy a few lots next time I'm on a spending spree (got lots of cards needing a few different memory types, and it'll be good to upgrade them all before I thin out my collection).

Got this combo locally yesterday for a fair price

Gigabyte GA-8TX-C rev 1.0 with a Pentium 4 SL57V @1.7GHz

Unfortunately I couldn't test the board, probably because of the RIMM modules I used. In every configuration I tried, the board wouldn't POST, just gives me three long beeps... I'll try to source 4 identical RIMM modules, but it won't be easy 🙁
Also, I don't have a dedicated P4 power supply, so I used the Antec pictured below. It doesn't have the auxiliary AT style power connector. Maybe I could DIY a cable if necessary.
Also I will need to recap the board, the 3300 microFarad caps are bad...

bearking wrote on 2021-09-09, 07:08:

Got this combo locally yesterday for a fair price […]
Show full quote

Got this combo locally yesterday for a fair price

Gigabyte GA-8TX-C rev 1.0 with a Pentium 4 SL57V @1.7GHz
20210908_221919.jpg
20210908_194958.jpg

Unfortunately I couldn't test the board, probably because of the RIMM modules I used. In every configuration I tried, the board wouldn't POST, just gives me three long beeps... I'll try to source 4 identical RIMM modules, but it won't be easy 🙁
Also, I don't have a dedicated P4 power supply, so I used the Antec pictured below. It doesn't have the auxiliary AT style power connector. Maybe I could DIY a cable if necessary.
Also I will need to recap the board, the 3300 microFarad caps are bad...

looks like the makings of a nice windows xp setup or similar, if you have a place to put it plus other components etc

gerry wrote on 2021-09-09, 07:45:

looks like the makings of a nice windows xp setup or similar, if you have a place to put it plus other components etc

Components I have, with space I have a serious issue 😀

bearking wrote on 2021-09-09, 07:08:

It doesn't have the auxiliary AT style power connector.

I have a few boards with one and none of them require it. A socket 423 board among them too. Works with current ATX PSUs just fine.