I am having trouble with my BTC-1515C ISA Video Adapter on my IBM 5150 or 5160XT

[thegenerallee86]

I am having trouble with it putting EGA out through the 9pin Video Port I can get the CGA to work fine but I have tried every Dip switch setting shown here: https://stason.org/TULARC/pc/graphics-cards/A-B/BEHAVIOR-TECH-COMPUTER-CORPORATION-VGA-1515C.html to no avail the only thing I get is this:

 

[Timo W.]

but I have tried every Dip switch setting shown here

Why "every"? There is only one correct setting for what you want: SW1 on off on off

(also, both jumpers should be on 2-3, but that does not affect video output)

 

[thegenerallee86]

Why "every"? There is only one correct setting for what you want: SW1 on off on off

(also, both jumpers should be on 2-3, but that does not affect video output)

I tried that and the pic above is what I get but with the J2 Jumper set to 8bit I get nothing at all for either CGA or EGA?

 

[Chuck(G)]

JP2 2-3 is important. Without it, you have a 16 bit card with a "split" BIOS, which cannot be used by an 8 bit ISA bus. Also on a 5160 motherboard, SW1 positions 5 and 6 need to be set "on".

 

[kgober]

Are you trying to display EGA video on a CGA monitor? Because any of the 350-line EGA modes (including the default bootup mode) won't display on a CGA monitor that's limited to only the 200-line modes.

 

[thegenerallee86]

Are you trying to display EGA video on a CGA monitor? Because any of the 350-line EGA modes (including the default bootup mode) won't display on a CGA monitor that's limited to only the 200-line modes.

No I am using an IBM 5154

JP2 2-3 is important. Without it, you have a 16 bit card with a "split" BIOS, which cannot be used by an 8 bit ISA bus. Also on a 5160 motherboard, SW1 positions 5 and 6 need to be set "on".

Mine seems to work in 16bit mode fine I can get CGA but not EGA just gives me the pic above.

 

[Chuck(G)]

If you use CGA and run DEBUG, can you see the extension ROM?

 

[thegenerallee86]

If you use CGA and run DEBUG, can you see the extension ROM?

How would I run Debug to see ext rom?

 

[Chuck(G)]

Okay, let's assume that the ROM appears at the standard location of C000:0000. You then do the following:

>debug
-dc000:0

... and you'll get the following display or something very like it.:

C000:0000  55 AA 01 CB 90 44 4F 53-45 4D 55 20 56 47 41 2F   U....DOSEMU VGA/
C000:0010  56 42 45 20 32 2E 30 20-45 6D 75 6C 61 74 6F 72   VBE 2.0 Emulator
C000:0020  00 44 4F 53 45 4D 55 20-56 47 41 65 6D 75 2E 20   .DOSEMU VGAemu.
C000:0030  28 43 29 20 31 39 39 35-20 31 39 39 36 2C 20 49   (C) 1995 1996, I
C000:0040  2E 41 2E 20 46 69 6C 69-75 73 20 61 6E 64 20 4A   .A. Filius and J
C000:0050  2E 41 2E 4B 2E 20 4D 6F-75 77 00 56 45 53 41 20   .A.K. Mouw.VESA
C000:0060  42 49 4F 53 20 45 78 74-65 6E 73 69 6F 6E 73 20   BIOS Extensions
C000:0070  56 32 2E 30 20 66 6F 72-20 44 4F 53 45 4D 55 2E   V2.0 for DOSEMU.

I'm running DOS on a DOS emulator under Linux, so you get some stuff about it being "emulated". NB: without the BIOS extension code, you'll get squat for EGA.

 

[thegenerallee86]

Okay, let's assume that the ROM appears at the standard location of C000:0000. You then do the following:

>debug
-dc000:0

... and you'll get the following display or something very like it.:

C000:0000  55 AA 01 CB 90 44 4F 53-45 4D 55 20 56 47 41 2F   U....DOSEMU VGA/
C000:0010  56 42 45 20 32 2E 30 20-45 6D 75 6C 61 74 6F 72   VBE 2.0 Emulator
C000:0020  00 44 4F 53 45 4D 55 20-56 47 41 65 6D 75 2E 20   .DOSEMU VGAemu.
C000:0030  28 43 29 20 31 39 39 35-20 31 39 39 36 2C 20 49   (C) 1995 1996, I
C000:0040  2E 41 2E 20 46 69 6C 69-75 73 20 61 6E 64 20 4A   .A. Filius and J
C000:0050  2E 41 2E 4B 2E 20 4D 6F-75 77 00 56 45 53 41 20   .A.K. Mouw.VESA
C000:0060  42 49 4F 53 20 45 78 74-65 6E 73 69 6F 6E 73 20   BIOS Extensions
C000:0070  56 32 2E 30 20 66 6F 72-20 44 4F 53 45 4D 55 2E   V2.0 for DOSEMU.

I'm running DOS on a DOS emulator under Linux, so you get some stuff about it being "emulated". NB: without the BIOS extension code, you'll get squat for EGA.

This is what I Get:

 

[Chuck(G)]

Looks about right.

 

[thegenerallee86]

Looks about right.

Good what else is there I can look at to figure what could possibly cause this??

 

[Chuck(G)]

Well, you could try initializing the BIOS extension manually from DEBUG; I'm not sure it would work. And there's always the possibility that the BIOS extension contains some 286 instructions--it's happened to me. A V20 might fix that one, however.

 

[thegenerallee86]

Well, you could try initializing the BIOS extension manually from DEBUG; I'm not sure it would work. And there's always the possibility that the BIOS extension contains some 286 instructions--it's happened to me. A V20 might fix that one, however.

How would I initialize the BIOS extension manually? I also wonder if the original software for the card was suppose to do that as well?

 

[jafir]

That looks to me like a problem with the monitor, not the video card.

When you say you get CGA to work, do you mean a CGA monitor connected to the EGA card or do you mean the EGA card set for CGA output and still using the EGA monitor?

When you get the collapsed image, does it change if you type mode co40

 

[thegenerallee86]

That looks to me like a problem with the monitor, not the video card.

When you say you get CGA to work, do you mean a CGA monitor connected to the EGA card or do you mean the EGA card set for CGA output and still using the EGA monitor?

When you get the collapsed image, does it change if you type mode co40

No definitely not a problem with the monitor it is an IBM 5154 and does work with my 5170 AT which has a different EGA card and works fine. The CGA works with the it set to CGA mode but the Monitor is an EGA Monitor. Just CGA Mode from the card through the DB9 pin seems to work on the IBM 5154 Monitor but not the EGA Mode. No I have not tried typing mode co40.

 

[jafir]

80 column in EGA mode uses 350 lines, while 80 column in CGA modes use 200 lines. If I understand correctly, which I might not, the EGA monitor like a 5154 only has two frequencies it runs at and I think this is based on whether it’s a 200 line mode or 350 line mode. So if it is a problem with the card maybe the signal in the 350 line mode isn’t quite right.

I think all of the 40 column modes are 200 line, so that’s why I was asking if you can see anything if you have the switches set for EGA and then type mode co40. If so then you might be able to use something like checkit to send all of the various CGA an EGA tests to it and see if only the 350 line modes have problems.

 

[thegenerallee86]

80 column in EGA mode uses 350 lines, while 80 column in CGA modes use 200 lines. If I understand correctly, which I might not, the EGA monitor like a 5154 only has two frequencies it runs at and I think this is based on whether it’s a 200 line mode or 350 line mode. So if it is a problem with the card maybe the signal in the 350 line mode isn’t quite right.

I think all of the 40 column modes are 200 line, so that’s why I was asking if you can see anything if you have the switches set for EGA and then type mode co40. If so then you might be able to use something like checkit to send all of the various CGA an EGA tests to it and see if only the 350 line modes have problems.

I did mode co40 while in EGA mode and it works.