AppleSauce wrote on 2021-09-10, 06:12:

This came in yesterday , really looking forward to seeing if it lives up to the hype. Also very much looking forward to enjoying […]
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This came in yesterday , really looking forward to seeing if it lives up to the hype.
Also very much looking forward to enjoying some demo scene tunes 😁
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and boxed as well, wow, yes it does live up to it's hype... I had to scavange mine from a scrap lot x3

mockingbird wrote on 2021-09-10, 17:37:

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

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...

It's not posting because of the caps, not because of the mismatched RIMMs... All you need is one RIMM and one terminating module.

Thanks! If I have the right caps at home, I'll recap the board...

psychofox wrote on 2021-09-10, 17:31:

It works perfectly on text mode but there are these horisontal lines when windows boots up. Is it repairable?

Is it broken? Looks similar to some cards that "just do that" on LCD monitors in certain modes.

You'll want to boot up a DOS graphics mode test first to confirm for sure it isn't working in text modes. Also test both Windows and DOS 3D applications/games. Try different drivers. Try different refresh rates and resolutions in Windows. Try a different cable and different monitor.

But if it is a hardware failure mode, it appears to be color shifting vertical bars.. this indicates something in the video RAM is not be stored properly within the frame buffer. RAM replacement should solve that. Check all legs of the RAM chips first -- it could be something as simple as a broken solder connection or shorted leg too.

Only thing I can see off in the pic is on RAM chip bottom right of the fan, left row of pins, right in the middle, check that isn't a blob/flake of something conductive.

BitWrangler wrote on 2021-09-10, 19:59:

Only thing I can see off in the pic is on RAM chip bottom right of the fan, left row of pins, right in the middle, check that isn't a blob/flake of something conductive.

Looks to me like that pin is broken away from the pad, shifted downward toward the gold finger side of the card. It is definitely at a different angle than all the rest based on the light reflection.

Should be an easy fix.. bend back gently with a fine sewing needle, then touch it with some flux/solder. Then test the card again.

psychofox wrote on 2021-09-10, 17:31:

This weeks old HW picks arrived: […]
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This weeks old HW picks arrived:

1. Voodoo Banshee I cant find any information about manufacturer or icc code. It works perfectly on text mode but there are these horisontal lines when windows boots up. Is it repairable?
2. This interesting Yamaha 751b-s sound card with radio decoder. Cant find any info or drivers for radio for this baby. Anyone has seen before such card?
3. NEC D5146h MFM hard drive. Powers up, i can hear heads moving, led flashes but BIos gives hdd error.
Great finds at first look but not so lucky at the end 🙁

Yes, Its repairable. I have fixed many Voodoo and Video cards with Artifacting.
Its most likely the RAM chips that have bad solder joint.
The RAM Chips are soldered onto the PCB using solder and baked in a special oven.
When these PCB Boards get HOT the solder joints break and causes these Artifacting and lines issues.
You can re-solder the RAM chips to the PCB board with a process called “reflow”
Get a soldering heat gun and set the temp to the melting point of the solder which is about 200 thru 400 degrees.
So check on what type of solder you are using. place some solder paste on the RAM chip legs and then heat with solder gun.
Let the solder paste do the work of repairing the solder joints. Don’t touch the RAM chips when soldering. Just let the paste
Do all the work. Clean area with solution or soapy water when done.
Let’s dry completely.

This should fix the problem. But the GPU chip is definitely NOT the problem.
When the GPU chip solder joints go bad you get NO video.

Bought a couple of days ago from eBay and received today -

I've been contemplating getting a Dragon 32 for some time, but they've generally been selling for over £100 and many of the cheaper sales are lacking the AC power adapter and it's weird DB-9 connector.

Saw a listing for a Dragon 32 as "Untested" but noted that it had the power adapter so thought I'd take a gamble and got it for quite a reasonable price all things considered. The cherry on the cake of course being that it is actually working and just needs a good cleaning. The case badge is a little faded, but I'm tempted to just leave that as-is rather than replace it, adds to the vintage. 🤣

Now I can investigate on real hardware, the Dragon 32 games library & the Tandy CoCo ports.

PTherapist wrote on 2021-09-11, 11:03:

Bought a couple of days ago from eBay and received today -

There is a happy boy in the house 😀
These and other similar models have a very "nostalgia" appeal.

A couple of socket A KT266A motherboards added to the pile. First a MSI K7T266 Pro2 RU, which I'm mostly excited about as this is the same board I ran through most of my XP years in the 2000s, lots of fond memories of gaming then. Came with a Tbird 1333 MHz CPU. Yes it needs a recap.

Got a decent deal on this Soyo Dragon Plus in box with accessories so I picked it up as well. Looks to be pretty fully featured. I think it's a Duron CPU which I'll replace with a Tbird. Yes it also needs a recap.

Then this guy, brand new in shrink wrap. It'll probably go on the shelf for now. Plenty of other open box 2940s out there to use.

got in a nice lot today, some of the contents, the main prize at the end ^^
after a long and exhausting search, I finally got one ^^

Been given a freebie PC. Robert B, I figure you remember these cases?

Mine came in PRISTINE condition (the PSU only has some very very early and slight rust spots) with the following parts:

- PCChips M726MRT mobo - looks promising, quite unusually packed knowing PCChips is notorious for being cheap. ALI Aladdin Pro chipset, has both Slot1 and Socket 370.

- about 192MB of RAM? (the sticks don't tell much besides one PQI stick that's surprisingly heatsinked which reads 128MB unbuffered)

- Celeron 533 Mendocino - prolly the best CPU that could be paired with the mobo. Shame it doesn't support Coppermines probably

- ATI Rage IIC AGP 8MB

- VIA VT6212L USB card

- ASIC LC200C "gutless wonder" PSU (which is in dire need of a overhaul.)

-generic JNC case - I'm still searching the model but one thing I know for sure is both our AGER cases and this beige generic case are made by JNC (a L&C/Deer Computer Co. LTD subsidiary, also known for those cheapo cases.)

- Quantum LCT10 HDD that I left to the owner (he had some rather special apps that I couldn't source, and besides I have enough IDE HDDs of various sizes, including a LCT15 that's more silent that that LCT10.). Had a broken XP install.

- some broken Toshiba and LG CD-RW drives that went straight in the bin in favour of an ASUS DVDRW and a LG DVDROM-CDRW drive

- no NIC

- Genius AT keyboard + DB9 mouse with ball inside

- some Belinea LCD that I had no use for and sent to the bin, not before saving its 12v 2.5A charger and the monitor type AC cable that would go on the back of the PSU normally.

Will probably make a nice "exotic" retro machine, paired with a GF2 MX400, the onboard CMI8738 the mobo provides through bracket, and some better RAM, and of course the Mendocino 533.

Nice stuff above peeps, congrats on those scores.

Now "they" say that if you can touch it it's hardware... I can touch the templates, and they're used to make software, gotta be hardware no? Then retro, book is published 1965 so figure they and the Hollerith coded punch card are dated between there and 1970, retro enough? Well these were all tucked in the book I thought was interesting, was practically free in a fill a bag sale. May use the templates, I've been meaning for a long time to design this control system that has multiple inputs and control outputs, and I do it kinda sketchy and get tangled up. So, maybe I'll try the bondage and discipline IBM way. Got out my secret decoder ring and figured out the card is just basically an ID, probably what the books owner had to put on top of the deck/stack/batch of cards they hammered out on the cardpunch machine and submitted to run on the machine.

Edit: Just noticed that the card has square corners, IBM introduced round cornered cards in 1964, so the card must be from early 1964 stock or earlier. It is therefore probable that the institution had a large stock of the old style cards to use up, or at least enough to last into '65 when the textbook was published. Possibly they got them donated from commercial users who wanted the uninterrupted high speed running that might be promised by the lack of snagging corners, so therefore retired their stock as soon as they could get the round cornered ones.

imi wrote on 2021-09-11, 16:09:

got in a nice lot today, some of the contents, the main prize at the end ^^ after a long and exhausting search, I finally got on […]
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got in a nice lot today, some of the contents, the main prize at the end ^^
after a long and exhausting search, I finally got one ^^

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That SB 2.0 card is cool. I have one that has the CMS upgrade installed and it works well in my XT luggable.

imi wrote on 2021-09-11, 16:09:

got in a nice lot today, some of the contents, the main prize at the end ^^
after a long and exhausting search, I finally got one ^^

The ARK1000VL? If so I just joined the club - same card but with empty DRAM sockets on far left. Seems a great fast card.

Byrd wrote on 2021-09-12, 00:56:

imi wrote on 2021-09-11, 16:09:

got in a nice lot today, some of the contents, the main prize at the end ^^
after a long and exhausting search, I finally got one ^^

The ARK1000VL? If so I just joined the club - same card but with empty DRAM sockets on far left. Seems a great fast card.

yup ^^ it's an elusive beast... and they sell for way way too much money

psychofox wrote on 2021-09-10, 17:31:

Is it repairable?

It always gives me shivers seeing MOS electronics lying on highly-electrostatic bubble foil.

Usually I avoid purchasing hardware which I see presented this way. Got too many shot stuff and stuff with strange problems delivered in such packaging.

retardware wrote on 2021-09-12, 01:08:

psychofox wrote on 2021-09-10, 17:31:

Is it repairable?

It always gives me shivers seeing MOS electronics lying on highly-electrostatic bubble foil.

Usually I avoid purchasing hardware which I see presented this way. Got too many shot stuff and stuff with strange problems delivered in such packaging.

Even if it is not pictured that way a ton of people ship stuff in only bubble wrap.

Yah need the stuff that's colored pink by the protective fairy dust in it.

BitWrangler wrote on 2021-09-12, 01:50:

Yah need the stuff that's colored pink by the protective fairy dust in it.

Afaiu, this pink stuff is non-conductive and not antistatic e.g. conductive like carbon or aluminium-vapor coated bags.
I read that it only tends to not develop strong static potentials and attract dust like untreated plastic stuff.

Personally I don't think that this pink color is really sufficient to avoid zapping the electronics.
I believe it is more sort of (questionable) risk reduction than elimination, only for saving a few cents.

However, there is pink stuff with additional (often only partial) ESD coating you often see in electronics packaging which probably is better than the uncoated variant.