the only instructions i have

sanuich wrote:

Tried to set Audio card OPL3 and VIBLRA16 - no luck
ctcu and OPL set utility don't see cards

Hi, while I can't answer all of your questions at the moment,
I'll recommend you to try installing EMU386. 😀

That's an 386 emulator for 286 machines.
It *sometimes* helps running newer DOS programs on a 286 (example1, example2).
In simple words, it does so by emulating certain real-mode instructions that the 386 got, but the 80286 is missing.

Getting Creative drivers to work was one of the main uses for this program.

Re: Worst cpus and worst computer builds

Edit: Welcome to Vogons! 😀

You will likely need to change the crystal to make it run faster, but the ISA bus and memory are probably on the same clock bus as the CPU, so no guarantee they will work properly if you change to a faster crystal.

Edit: you should also try one of the ESS audiodrive ISA cards. Their configuration utilities do not need 386 instructions to work (had it partially working on an XT class machine with an 8-bit bus)

sanuich wrote:

Is it possible to install Co-processor? Which one will fit?

An 80287 would likely go into the empty DIP socket at bottom-left of your photo, but you might need to solder in additional parts (e.g. a crystal oscillator) in order to get it running.

Stupid question, but how do you plug a soundblaster vibra 16 into this machine. I don't see any 16bit ISA slots?

canthearu wrote:

Stupid question, but how do you plug a soundblaster vibra 16 into this machine. I don't see any 16bit ISA slots?

I have ryzer - ISA extension card with 4 ISA ports
Realtek VGA card works in it

canthearu wrote:

Edit: you should also try one of the ESS audiodrive ISA cards. Their configuration utilities do not need 386 instructions to work (had it partially working on an XT class machine with an 8-bit bus)

Yeah!!! I found 1868f and it works!!!!
Also it has IDE controller for CD! My MB don't want to see CD-ROM ASUS 52x. Hope ESS will help with this also.

😊

Strange, IDE Is pretty simple on these old machines (hard wired to the ISA bus and then just a couple of possible manipulations to set base address and interrupts)

But still, the IDE interface will be more likely to work on the ESS 1868F for cd roms. The ROM bios won't generally poke the IDE interfaces on the 1868F so it is less likely to interfere with it's proper working.

canthearu wrote:

Strange, IDE Is pretty simple on these old machines (hard wired to the ISA bus and then just a couple of possible manipulations to set base address and interrupts)

But still, the IDE interface will be more likely to work on the ESS 1868F for cd roms. The ROM bios won't generally poke the IDE interfaces on the 1868F so it is less likely to interfere with it's proper working.

CD-ROM works only from onboard IDE controller
From ESS IDE controller - not

Old thread, but there probably aren't that many of these boards out there, so one thread here is probably enough to rule them all : )
Apparently, my Canon A-200EX II HD20 has a very similar board to this Acer 915p (N) board.

I'll post a few pictures in case they are useful for someone

epictronics wrote on 2023-01-15, 19:02:

Old thread, but there probably aren't that many of these boards out there, so one thread here is probably enough to rule them all : )
Apparently, my Canon A-200EX II HD20 has a very similar board to this Acer 915p (N) board.

I'll post a few pictures in case they are useful for someone

Well, I have one of those!

I have no idea where it came from, my Dad gave it to me sometime in the 90s and I used it as decoration in my room. Yeah, believe it or not.
Until I saw you video aboit the Canon A-200EX I had forgotten about it. Now I want to see if it still works!!

I am facing a set of interconnected problems here though...
I don't have the ISA riser board so I cannot use a VGA card and no diagnostic board. I have no EGA monitor or converter. And I don't want to buy one until I know it still works.