creepingnet
Veteran Member
Logistics
Assembled: December 2012
Last Modified: December 2012
Purchased: Assembled from a huge cache of 80386/80486/Pentium era parts for free!
Nicknames: The 486, The Brat, Problem Child
SPECIFICATIONS
CASE: SongCheer XT Chassis
PSU: 150 WATT Generic XT PSU
MOBO: FIC-486PVT REV2 Socket 3 LIF VLB Motherboard, AWARD BIOS, VLB Local Bux X2, ISA X7
CPU: Intel 80486 DX2/66
RAM: 64MB FPM (16MB X4 72-FP Simms, 60ns)
Floppy: 1.44MB 3.5" TEAC Floppy A:, 1.2MB TEAC 5.25" Floppy B: on DTK VLB I/O Controller
Other: 52X CD-RW Burner
HDD: MAXTOR 40GB HDD EIDE ATA/133 w/ EZ-BIOS DDO - FAT32
GFX: S3 Trio 3C809 1MB VLB SVGA - 800X600 @16-bit Color Max Resolution
SND: CMS SoundBlaster Pro II CT-1600
NET: Linksys PnP 10mbps LAN
Noted Mods: No INteral Speaker, sound is re-routed through the SoundBlaster.
PERIPHERALS
Keyboard: Chicony 8551 AT/XT Switchable Keyboard w/ Alps Keyswitches
Mouse: Microspeed PC-TRAC Serial Trackball
Monitor: HP 1015 15" LCD
Gamepad: PC ProPad 4
OPERATING SYSTEM: MS-DOS 6.22
GUI: Windows 3.11 For Workgroups
Primary Usage: DOS and Windows 3.x games circa 1988-1999.
MY TIDBITS
Once the CAT 486 went belly-up, and hardware failures from it's ridiculously complex setup, and a bad sound card....I replaced it all with a much simpler setup. Also, the visuals of it's old Baby AT case was becoming a pain because this computer was literally bringing stress and strain to my relationship as fixing it was a royal pain in the ass.
So I took note of the things I HATED when it was in the CAT case. FIrst off....too much bloody hardware, I cut the IDE bus down to 2 devices (HDD & CD-ROM), I took out the DX4 CPU and home-made CPU cooler with the super loud but effective fan, and replaced it with a passively cooled 486 DX2/66...which somehow sped things up in some programs. Also, the CAT case was a PAIN to work in, it was small, cramped, so I took my non-functional XT apart and turned it into this 486.
During January 2013, I added a 40GB HDD to it, and now it triple-boots Windows 95 OSR2, Windows For Workgroups 3.11, and MS-DOS 7.10 - all working together to create a really good late-80's/early 90's Retro Environment.
Checklist of stuff to do includes
- Re-populate Windows For Workgroups with all software/apps/programs I had before on the 3GB Fujitsu.
- Fix 32-bit Disk Access in WFWG so it works under FAT-32
- Fix the FLoppy Drive/Controller problem, probably need to add wait states
- Repair the CMOS battery with a new holder for a 9032 coin cell (like a modern PC Uses).
- Upgrade back to the DX4-100 CPU I was using, and add a cooler to it that fits under the drive cage for the HDD, one that is much more quiet.
Assembled: December 2012
Last Modified: December 2012
Purchased: Assembled from a huge cache of 80386/80486/Pentium era parts for free!
Nicknames: The 486, The Brat, Problem Child
SPECIFICATIONS
CASE: SongCheer XT Chassis
PSU: 150 WATT Generic XT PSU
MOBO: FIC-486PVT REV2 Socket 3 LIF VLB Motherboard, AWARD BIOS, VLB Local Bux X2, ISA X7
CPU: Intel 80486 DX2/66
RAM: 64MB FPM (16MB X4 72-FP Simms, 60ns)
Floppy: 1.44MB 3.5" TEAC Floppy A:, 1.2MB TEAC 5.25" Floppy B: on DTK VLB I/O Controller
Other: 52X CD-RW Burner
HDD: MAXTOR 40GB HDD EIDE ATA/133 w/ EZ-BIOS DDO - FAT32
GFX: S3 Trio 3C809 1MB VLB SVGA - 800X600 @16-bit Color Max Resolution
SND: CMS SoundBlaster Pro II CT-1600
NET: Linksys PnP 10mbps LAN
Noted Mods: No INteral Speaker, sound is re-routed through the SoundBlaster.
PERIPHERALS
Keyboard: Chicony 8551 AT/XT Switchable Keyboard w/ Alps Keyswitches
Mouse: Microspeed PC-TRAC Serial Trackball
Monitor: HP 1015 15" LCD
Gamepad: PC ProPad 4
OPERATING SYSTEM: MS-DOS 6.22
GUI: Windows 3.11 For Workgroups
Primary Usage: DOS and Windows 3.x games circa 1988-1999.
MY TIDBITS
Once the CAT 486 went belly-up, and hardware failures from it's ridiculously complex setup, and a bad sound card....I replaced it all with a much simpler setup. Also, the visuals of it's old Baby AT case was becoming a pain because this computer was literally bringing stress and strain to my relationship as fixing it was a royal pain in the ass.
So I took note of the things I HATED when it was in the CAT case. FIrst off....too much bloody hardware, I cut the IDE bus down to 2 devices (HDD & CD-ROM), I took out the DX4 CPU and home-made CPU cooler with the super loud but effective fan, and replaced it with a passively cooled 486 DX2/66...which somehow sped things up in some programs. Also, the CAT case was a PAIN to work in, it was small, cramped, so I took my non-functional XT apart and turned it into this 486.
During January 2013, I added a 40GB HDD to it, and now it triple-boots Windows 95 OSR2, Windows For Workgroups 3.11, and MS-DOS 7.10 - all working together to create a really good late-80's/early 90's Retro Environment.
Checklist of stuff to do includes
- Re-populate Windows For Workgroups with all software/apps/programs I had before on the 3GB Fujitsu.
- Fix 32-bit Disk Access in WFWG so it works under FAT-32
- Fix the FLoppy Drive/Controller problem, probably need to add wait states
- Repair the CMOS battery with a new holder for a 9032 coin cell (like a modern PC Uses).
- Upgrade back to the DX4-100 CPU I was using, and add a cooler to it that fits under the drive cage for the HDD, one that is much more quiet.