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Getting back into older PC's with my first 486 Build in almost 30 years

VERAULT

VERAULT

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 30, 2012
Messages
8,482
Location
Connecticut, USA
So I have been on an 8bit kick for years now. I feel like we are so far removed from 8 bit computers they just seem more interesting to me now more than ever. I have plenty of IBM PC's but I still remember using them so I guess I just havent done much with them Sans a few Early IBM 5150s etc repairs.

Well time to get these off the shelf and change all that. This is a continuation from this thread: https://forum.vcfed.org/index.php?t...l-find-a-baby-at-computer-case.1245773/page-3

I pulled a battery damaged early 486 full tower system out of my crawlspace and began to take it apart and see if I cant bring it back. Thanks to @seaken I got a New case for it.

A little backstory to where we are now. I pulled the battery and did a few repairs on the corrosion as well as a new coincell battery holder. I upgraded the cpu from a 486DX 33mhz to a 486DX2 66mhz and added a flat broad heatsink.
IMG_20231201_183920.jpgIMG_20240207_133250.jpg

As you can see the unit only has 30 pin simms. I am down to my last 6 modules with only one 4mb 30 pin simm. Do you think this unit can take 4mb 30pin simms? As is 8MB of ram is not going to cut it for me. I know I have seen brand new 30 pin simms (I think mainly for older macintosh computers but I may be wrong). What do you guys think is there new ram and can I use 4mb modules in here? 12mb is really the minnimum Id like to go on this build.

The unit original came with a full AT sized PSU so I swapped it for a modernish small and quieter AT psu and added a new case speaker as the existing one fell to pieces (explains why no sound... bad glue):
IMG_20240207_145644.jpg

Now I dont have many ISA 8 or 16bit cards left. Dont know where they went. Lost or stolen by movers perhaps, seems that happened to a bunch of our stuff looking back. I dont have any IDE controller boards so for now I have to use the Ultrastor card that came with it.

IMG_20240207_133218.jpg
Turns out its na ESDI controller. I thought it was MFM because of the black faceplated Micropolis 1664-7 344mb 5.25" HDD. It works, but has a bunch of bad sectors. I am stuck with it for now. This is the setup program I got into using Debug. This is where I learned it was ESDI and this card wouldnt work with any of my MFM or RLL drives. It is also connected to a 1.44MB floppy and 1.2mb" 5.25" floppy, and a Qic-80 type tape backup... I think I should have a tape somehwere. Its been forever but Im going to leave it as I want to try it out again.

IMG_20240205_172649.jpg

The first thing I did was install my complete in box 3com etherlink II card and configure the network so I can backup the data on the ESDI drive. Im guess its a fat 16 limitation but I can send to and pull from the machine from my home pc but not from the 486 (running WFW 3.11). Been so long I forget the rules. I copies the Hard drives contents up to the network. I ran the hard drive utilties on the card for almost a whole day. IT already had a bunch of bad sectors but found a couple more. IT was good to work the drive in. I Low level formatted it then setup the partition in FDISK. 326MB is OK but ID really like more storage and a cdrom. So I ordered this card from ebay so I can have IDE and add a cdrom for modern modern storage etc: https://www.ebay.com/itm/285685895932
That new ebay controller will allow me to get rid of this IO card as well:
IMG_20240207_133034.jpg

Here is the Etherlink II. Maybe I can add the XTIDE universal bios onto the rom socket of the Etherlink ii??! What do you think?
IMG_20240207_132952.jpg
 
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Next is the sound card. I really am scraping at the barrel as all I have is this Ensoniq card. Thanks for @Plasma for the Win3.X and DOS drivers\IMG_20240207_133019.jpg
IMG_20240206_072348.jpg

By far the newest device in this computer from 1996. The bios rev on the 486 motherboard is Feb 1991
The card works but all the instruments on the music of games sounds,, like off. Anyway its what I'm going to be using.

So thats where I am now. A nearly maxed out old ESDI hard drive loaded to the hilt with old games. No cdrom. Network throughput on the etherlink ii is about 40 to 42KB a second which is grueling. I am guessing its the ESDI drive being a bottle neck.

Biggest hurdle right now is the RAM i could really use some help getting above the 8MB ram I am at with these Eight 1mb simms.
 
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How about some glamour shots? She stand 25.75" Tall (thats 65.5cm). I scrubbed the metal chassis of grime and dust. Cleaning solutions and various brushes to clean the plastic grates, plastic base, and front bezel, and scotchbrite and rubbing alcohol to buff out the paint on the metal cover. ITs looking night and day different at this point.

IMG_20240207_161050.jpgIMG_20240207_161102.jpgIMG_20240207_161112.jpgIMG_20240207_161123.jpgIMG_20240207_161129.jpgIMG_20240207_161136.jpg

I was toying with adding an 800 mm fan on that empty area on the rear above the psu, I may I may not. I dont know.

So what do I do about the case badge? Id like to put something new and nice. The only thing I have is the 486 one which came with this full tower from @seaken and I have the original DATASUM CORP. Badge from the old full tower case... But those are boring!
 
Nice Weitek co-processor. By the time VLB slots rolled around a 486/66 or faster with built in FPU was as fast or faster than a slow 486 with a Weitek co-processor. I have one Weitek equipped 486 ISA board and it is huge with 16 SIMM slots.

Old PCs liked RAM with parity (3 or 9 chip), while old macs worked without parity 2 or 8 chips. Since 486DX's are 32 bit you need multiples of 4 matching SIMMs per bank. 486 SX are stuck with 16MB total RAM. Having said that I never put more then 32MB of RAM in a 386DX or 486 if using apps and 4-16MB is more than enough for games.

I like SCSI HDs in old slow 486's because IDE and other types use up too much CPU time moving data in PIO mode.
 
Unknown_K said:
Nice Weitek co-processor. By the time VLB slots rolled around a 486/66 or faster with built in FPU was as fast or faster than a slow 486 with a Weitek co-processor. I have one Weitek equipped 486 ISA board and it is huge with 16 SIMM slots.

Old PCs liked RAM with parity (3 or 9 chip), while old macs worked without parity 2 or 8 chips. Since 486DX's are 32 bit you need multiples of 4 matching SIMMs per bank. 486 SX are stuck with 16MB total RAM. Having said that I never put more then 32MB of RAM in a 386DX or 486 if using apps and 4-16MB is more than enough for games.

I like SCSI HDs in old slow 486's because IDE and other types use up too much CPU time moving data in PIO mode.
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So that Ram i linked wont work? I dont own anymore 486 SX cpus. Lowest Ihave is the DX33 Is the weitek useleaa in tandem with a dx2 66mhz?
 
486DX25 is what I have in mine I think.

If your motherboard has a parity check disable option in BIOS, you should be fine. Else you need parity RAM and parity is what you should use.

The Weitek is only going to be slower vs a 486DX/2 66 so you're better off with the Weitek assuming any apps you have are configured for it (they must be to use it it's a co-processor not a normal FPU unit and even uses motherboard RAM).
 
Ok here are the adv bios settings screens. It has a Parity check enable/disable so I should be good to buy those 4mb modules than just to clarify?

IMG_20240208_084031.jpgIMG_20240208_084123.jpg
 
VERAULT said:
So same question about the RAM stands.
Click to expand...

I don't think that BIOS setting does anything bar inform or not that the parity is missing.

VERAULT said:
Its just standard AUI, you can adapt it to BNC, RJ45 etc. There are plenty of cheap adapters/tranceivers out there.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that, I did not know the name. I googled DB15 to RJ45.
 
EDO acts the same as FPM on machines that don't support it. EDO was very common on 72 pin SIMMs in the Pentium era and also some DIMMs (all are 5V compared to SDRAM that was 3.3V).
 
Unknown_K said:
EDO acts the same as FPM on machines that don't support it. EDO was very common on 72 pin SIMMs in the Pentium era and also some DIMMs (all are 5V compared to SDRAM that was 3.3V).
Click to expand...
That's not accurate. Many 486 motherboards which expect FPM will not function at all with EDO
 
VERAULT said:
How about some glamour shots? She stand 25.75" Tall (thats 65.5cm). I scrubbed the metal chassis of grime and dust. Cleaning solutions and various brushes to clean the plastic grates, plastic base, and front bezel, and scotchbrite and rubbing alcohol to buff out the paint on the metal cover. ITs looking night and day different at this point.

View attachment 1272940View attachment 1272941View attachment 1272942View attachment 1272943View attachment 1272944View attachment 1272945

I was toying with adding an 800 mm fan on that empty area on the rear above the psu, I may I may not. I dont know.

So what do I do about the case badge? Id like to put something new and nice. The only thing I have is the 486 one which came with this full tower from @seaken and I have the original DATASUM CORP. Badge from the old full tower case... But those are boring!
Click to expand...
Beautiful cabinet. As for a new badge check this guy out:
geekenspiel.com

Collections

Retro-themed stickers and badges for vintage and modern PCs.
geekenspiel.com geekenspiel.com
 
VERAULT said:
Its just standard AUI, you can adapt it to BNC, RJ45 etc. There are plenty of cheap adapters/tranceivers out there.
Click to expand...
I have a 3Com Card that only has AUI and BNC. Do these cards require a transceiver or will a simple adapter work? The transceivers are listed on eBay for more then most NICs which is odd.
 
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