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Post by Tom Maneiro on Nov 7, 2006 16:39:30 GMT -5
Already did the flash! (and it was a real NIGHTMARE to find the update, but a real breeze when flashing with Uniflash). Also flashed my DVD drives (reflashing will not fix fried drives), and did a backup of the BIOS of my IBM box. (that was a FLASH day, eh?) Talking about it, i want to change that old dull IBM logo that appears at startup, but i haven't find the tool for do it. It's a old IBM-customized AMIBIOS, but the tools for hack/edit AMI BIOS are not compatible with that old release (a 03/95 BIOS). So i throwed the BIOS into a hexeditor, and looked for any clue... Finally i've found some answers: the word "TEXTLOGO". Then i've opened the BIOS on Tile Molester, and saw some regular shapes used in the IBM logo. After some googling, i've found this: Format of AMI OEM Logo data area: Offset Size Description (Table 00547) 00h 8 BYTEs signature "TEXTLOGO" if text-mode OEM logo 8 DUP (FFh) if unused 08h WORD offset of logo font definition table 0Ah WORD offset of logo data 0Ch WORD size of logo font table in words 0Eh WORD offset of upper left corner of logo in video page 10h WORD width of logo 12h WORD height of logo 14h BYTE reserved??? var var logo font definition (16 bytes per character) var var logo data as character/attribute pairs Note: the attribute for the logo characters specifies which font will be used for that character. If bit 3 is cleared, the normal system font is used; if bit 3 is set, the logo font is used, with screen colors adjusted to match the corresponding non-bright attribute for the system font Checked everything with the hexeditor, and found that the logo is using that format. Here is my BIOS dump: mipagina.cantv.net/mdelvmr/temp/IBMP9075.zipThe "TEXTLOGO" stuff is at offset 28000h.
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Post by Tom Maneiro on Nov 14, 2006 10:58:03 GMT -5
Finally i managed to change the old dull logo on my IBM box! It was a nightmare, but now, here is a tutorial:
I will try to post a photo later...
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Post by Tom Maneiro on Nov 15, 2006 17:46:08 GMT -5
Shoppin' day! While helping to sort the "stash" of golden oldies at our computer organization lab (from Creative infra-dead CD drives to REAL EISA cards!), i got some nice stuff for play on:
- A lot of NICs (two ISA and two PCI, two of them are Realtek-based) - a shitload of RAM modules (70-pin 8Mb SIMMs) - A OAK OTI077 ISA(!) video card (same as the integrated one on my 386 box) - a Trident 9685 video card (no TV-out, sorry) - and the most important thing: the riser card for my IBM box!
More experiments in the way...
On this lab, there are LOTS of cool stuff: 486 boards, a BIG box full of PSUs, dozens of fuxored mouses, a old Seagate double-height HD, lots of Creative dead CDROMs, enough floppy drives to build your own "piracy center", 286 boards, odd riser cards, and NOT A SINGLE DAMN IDE CABLE!!!
UPDATE: I've tested almost all parts, and... - the PCI network cards are in good shape (ISA ones will be tested soon. The RTL8019A is NE2000-compatible) - the Trident ProVidia 9685 show funky colors without a trace of green. UPDATE: i've dechipped that card (i found some shorts in the pins, and while trying to fix it, i screwed the card...) - from the stack of RAM modules, i got some 16MB SIMMs! Almost all were 8MB ones, so these will go back to the lab. - Surprise! The OTI077 is perfectly working, and it has 256K of VRAM (!). However, it can't be used for launch X on Linux (maybe on VGA16 only...)
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Post by Tom Maneiro on Nov 18, 2006 21:22:18 GMT -5
This Thursday was the 386 manteinance day. I used that time to install the NIC, and for return the modem there, but it was the beginning of my worst nightmare: resources conflicts!!! First, the NIC was not detected (i've installed a Realtek RTL8019A), so i had to force the hardware detection. Fine, it was detected as a NE2000 clone, and Windows spent 20 minutes copying files (without a FPU and with low RAM, CAB extraction is damn slow), but after the first reboot, the soundcard TSR started to complain about "resource in use by another device". It still worked, but i wanted to update the drivers of the NIC with the Realtek ones (they STILL provide it in their website), but after the next reboot, both cards (sound card and NIC) were NOT WORKING! On Device Manager, both devices appeared with exclamation symbols, but not complaining about resource conflicts. I've tried changing the cards to another slot, but nothing. Since i got the full Realtek OEM driver disk, i've used their RSET8019 utility to check the card settings, and it was set to "Jumperless" mode (think about virtual jumpers). I changed it to Plug'n'Play, and while the card was initialized OK, the soundcard MIDI device was complaining about "IRQ 9 in use by modem". This was easy to fix, just change the jumpers in the modem, and tell Windows to use the new settings (this Archtek modem is not Plug'n'Pray). After 2 hours of battle, everybody was happy, including me Yup... i was another victim of the Plug'n'Pray syndrome(tm)... My advice: avoid mixing PnP cards with non-PnP cards (or avoid PnP cards on 386 boxes at all!) Now i need to test the Internet connectivity of the system (on Windows, i need the Winsock2 update, on DOS, i have the packet driver and Arachne set to use DHCP). But first, to find a LAN/DSL connection where i can plug my thingy (not difficult, but must wait due to major priorities... like wicked OS/DB projects) The OTI-077 card under Linux has 256K of VRAM... bug or it really has not enough memory? It has 8 SMT RAM chips in a odd format (rectangle 14-pin PLCCs). I will try to post a scan of this card, it's in a really nice shape for a card that was in a stack of junk cards (mixed with LOTS of NICs, some WD Paradise cards, a couple of IBM mwave "winsoundmodems", some Trident cards, and lots of damaged mouses) I got also a Netgear FA-310TX card: it looks fancy (blue with yellow markings, and a drawing of a man with a gear in the back of the card), and seems to be OK. The IBM riser card does not fit under the case of my Acer box (card is too tall for it), so it will used for testing purposes only.
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Post by jlf65 on Nov 23, 2006 13:12:55 GMT -5
Wow! It is just amazing that you're still using a 386. I'm on a 2.4GHz Athlon64 X2 4600+ with 2GB of RAM. ;D How do you play Quake 4 on that? I tell people, old machines can still be useful. I never throw out a system, and although my main system is modern, I still have (and occasionally use) some quite old systems. Heck, I still use my old Atari 400!
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Post by juan on Nov 23, 2006 17:05:10 GMT -5
Sounds like an issue with the Shrug and Pray. Oh well, you can get more money selling the parts than for the machine as a whole. ;D
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Post by Tom Maneiro on Nov 25, 2006 19:16:07 GMT -5
I use that 386 for office apps (mostly Excel), and my P133 as a general purpose system (save for gaming). I've hooked my PCCHIPS M535 with 64MB of RAM, and loaded Knoppix there. Once you install it to your harddrive (not easy with a scratched CD and a crap DVD drive, but if you get a Samsung drive, it's a breeze, even with scratched discs), it becomes a standard Debian unstable, but it's rock solid, and quite fast. Not bad for a overclocked P200MMX, eh? Now i need a case for mount it, since it will be my main development system until i can get my Core Duo laptop... Quake 4? I still haven't finished Doom I!
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Post by Tom Maneiro on Dec 15, 2006 12:50:21 GMT -5
News! - I got a couple of harddrives to play with: * a Maxtor 90654D3 (or related), a 6GB early DiamondMax. The drive complained about "i'm about to die" in SMART, but it was usable. However, when doing some experiments, drive fall out the table, and died instantly * an IBM Deskstar DALA-3540 (yes, Deskstar, not Deathstar or Deadstar) 540 MB. This old guy was in perfect shape (i had two to choose, an UK-made one, and a Thailand-made one. The UK disk was damn slow, so i choosed the Thai unit). I needed the Samsung drive from my 386 for another project (i was wasting 1.5GB there!), so this drive is the perfect replacement for it. Just remove one jumper to limit to 1024 sectors, and you're done! This disk looks fancy, has a nice aluminium cover, it's very light, and has a REALLY SMALL logic board (too small for a 1995 drive, but there are less chips to damage). - Remember my M535 board? I've setup the following system for a "top-secret" project (details later): * Intel i430VX (Triton II) chipset * Pentium 200 MMX (overclocked to 225MHz, with a MASSIVE fancooler) * 64MB of RAM (4 16MB SIMMs) * Award BIOS 4.51PG * Trident TGUI9440 SVGA (2MB) * Sound Blaster Live! (the key for my project) * Dual NICs: a Netgear FA-310TX and a Realtek RTL-8029AS-based card. I don't have a use for these yet (there are no networks on my base at Puerto Ordaz), but the machine is ready for Internet * Samsung WA32163A (2.16GB) and WN332420? (3.2GB) harddrives (used to have a Maxtor 6gig drive, but i killed it ). The bigger one is doing duty as a boot drive, and the smaller one is the work storage. * Samsung SC-152G 52X CD-ROM * AT generic 150W PSU * One USB port (of two available, had to make an custom "bracket") * (almost) Legacy-free (no floppy, no ISA cards) * PS/2 keyboard and mouse * Everything working very well under Knoppix 5.0.1 (kernel 2.6.17) * and everything is naked: this thing has no case! It's a mess of cables and cards on a table. However, i have some problems with this board: - Sometimes, it refuses to boot... i must play with the cards and cables until i get a sucessfull boot - Serial ports do not work! (even those ones in port cards). Someone told me in a PCCHIPS support forum that my PSU may not be supplying the -5V needed for serial ports. I have no way for check this, so i had to connect a PS/2 mouse. - This board don't like IBM and Conner HD's
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Post by paulpsomiadis on Dec 27, 2006 20:05:07 GMT -5
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Post by Tom Maneiro on Dec 28, 2006 10:48:37 GMT -5
Once i return to my base (it will be in Jan. 8), i will send the address. First need to figure the house number. Good news! Finally i got my Core 2 Duo! Fueled with an ATi Mobility Radeon X1400 (with a WORKING TV-Out and Linux drivers), running Windows XP and Fedora Core 6_64. So i will now be able to test networking in my crashboxes. Mail was a nightmare, but here is it, direct from Dell... on Malaysia! Also got a Kyocera camera phone - expect photos soon of my recent experiments. BONUS SHOTS: My new Dell My ol' HP nx9010 My first computer ever: it was born as a P200MMX, and died with a Celeron 700... The burner and hard drives are in other machines now.
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Post by paulpsomiadis on Dec 28, 2006 13:34:27 GMT -5
Umm...so what exactly 'killed' your 1st PC? Also (drumroll) the final specs of my ULTRA souped up 386sx... #SNB-M019 mini-386 mainboard #TI486SXLC2-50 Processor (snap on upgrade for 386sx made by EVERGREEN Tech. called "REVto486". It has a T.I. manufactured Cyrix 486 with 8kb cache. I have to run it in single speed mode [25MHz when not clock doubled] due to the MPU being there too...and the fact that it won't run stable any faster! #IIT 3C87SX-33 @25mhz (must run at same speed as CPU - although my board 'does' have Asynch. option for CPU and MPU, I prefer Synch.) #2MB ATI Mach64 GFX (the only part that I could still upgrade, but finding a 4MB ISA GFX card is like winning the lottery in terms of odds against you) #16MB RAM (4x 4MB) #Goldstar IDE controller & I/O Ports card #250MB Maxtor IDE HDD (Boot Drive) #2.5" 1.44MB FDD #Adaptec AHA-1510a SCSI card #Pioneer Slot load SCSI CDROM #Quantum Fireball 3GB SCSI (Data Drive) #D-Link Network card #Sound Blaster AWE32 (inc. 512K RAM - anyone know the max RAM these things could handle?) #200W PSU The only thing that's left to upgrade is 'maybe' getting a 4MB ISA GFX card...but finding these on eBay is HARD! Also, what was the max RAM an AWE32 could handle?
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Post by Tom Maneiro on Dec 28, 2006 19:55:11 GMT -5
Bad caps on motherboard... yep, it's one of several million bugged boards with "pirated" Low-ESR caps. Also it suffered several power spikes So your 386 do SCSI, eh? I could find an Adaptec ISA SCSI card, but i have NO WAY to find SCSI devices. Anyway, with that "perfect-fit" IBM DALA-3540, everything works fine. Are there 4MB ISA videocards? I barely got an Oak RVGA... with only 256K, and no expansion sockets Next target: 4MB SIMMs! PS: About your AWE32, Wikipedia has your answer
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Post by Tom Maneiro on Dec 29, 2006 18:22:15 GMT -5
Ever dreamed to read Slashdot while you do laundry, but your washing machine lacks an embedded router? Thanks to some moron neighbor that has their Wi-Fi router WIDE OPEN, i can now do it! And in Linux! Pictures: Look, Ma', no wires!. The laundry room in my house is the only place where i can connect, in my room (in a 2nd floor) i can see the network, but the signal is too weak. I hope to have access in my base, because there are a LOT of cybercafes with Wi-Fi routers (and they may be WIDE OPEN). Then, this new box will do as a router for all of my test boxes, and finally, i will do the most important experiment that nobody cared to do EVER on a 386: Can i read Slashdot on a 386?
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Post by paulpsomiadis on Dec 29, 2006 18:56:58 GMT -5
Hmm...but where the HECK can I find two 16MB 30 pin SIMMs...
UGH, that sucks!
All on eBay - at least if you're willing to wait long enough...
(like REALLY long...)
Hahahaha - surfing slashdot while you put SURF detergent in the washer...
I'd assume so, just REEEEEALY slowly...LOL!
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Post by GiGaBiTe on Dec 31, 2006 4:01:42 GMT -5
- Another CD drive for the collection: a Toshiba XM-5302 (4X, not 2X as suggested by the model name), dated June 95, seems to be OK. Needs cleanup and tesing. This drive is odd: just see a pic, and notice the shape of the back side, where the IDE connector is located. This one is pretty easy to take apart, although the insides are very weird . - A Maxtor 2B020H1 20GB HD (bad sectors): - a "faulty" ATX PSU: i've read that you must short green wire with one of the black ones (PS_ON->GND) by a very short while to turn on the PSU, or it will fry. This one need the bridge to keep it on (it behaves more like an AT PSU). Fault or feature? I have no experience with ATX PSUs... Toshiba XM drives are pure trash, I've had nothing but horrendous problems with them. For the hard drive, goto the maxtor site and get a low level formatting utility. If you low level format the drive, do a full zero out also and it should fix any bad sectors on the drive. And don't worry about it being noisy, most maxtor drives are. To power up an ATX power supply without a motherboard, get a small piece of wire or a paperclip and short the green wire to a black ground wire on either side of it to turn it on. You must keep it shorted for the PSU to stay on.
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