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Unisys 386 cant get monitor to display

D

Drummer016

Member
Joined
Apr 16, 2012
Messages
28
Location
Richmond, VA USA
Getting ready to list this computer on ebay but need to make sure it works. It powers on but when I hook it to a monitor, no display. Do those tiny switches need to be in some sort of special order 1,2,3,4 up down? I dont even know if I am hooking it up to the correct monitor (IBM 8512)

Trying to learn as much as I can about this system. Any info about getting the monitor to work ir this computer in general is a great help. Thanks!

Any idea on value would be helpful as well. $100? 200? working of course
model # PW 820 COP

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Drummer016 said:
Getting ready to list this computer on ebay but need to make sure it works. It powers on but when I hook it to a monitor, no display. Do those tiny switches need to be in some sort of special order 1,2,3,4 up down? I dont even know if I am hooking it up to the correct monitor (IBM 8512)

Trying to learn as much as I can about this system. Any info about getting the monitor to work ir this computer in general is a great help. Thanks!

Any idea on value would be helpful as well. $100? 200? working of course
model # PW 820 COP

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Looking at the backplane, it's pretty rusty, that does not bode well for internals as rust might have eaten through/corroded through a trace on one of the cards.

As far as the video card goes, It looks like it's either an old OAK Technology or Western Digital Paradise VGA card (PVGA1A perhaps). If we had a picture of the actual card we could tell you what it is and what dip switch settings would work for a regular VGA cable. Looks like you have a SCSI Card and a really old Adlib or SOundblaster card in there as well.

As far as value goes, I really have no idea, not a part of my game as I've not bought another old PC since about 2006.
 
Just hook it up to a standard clean vga lcd or crt or tv if it has a vga input first to see if that works. If that doesn't slap in another ISA vga card. As Mad -Mike mentioned there's no real way of positively iding the cards till they've pulled and shown individually.
 
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That indeed does look like a WD VGA card. I have one of these at home, and can get you the (working for me) dip switch configuration later. Maybe it was down, down, up, down. Keep trying different configurations for the time being.
 
As for value, with the screws and backplane being rusty, most will not see that being worth more than $50 plus shipping... I'd list it for $49.99 starting bid plus shipping. Rust on computers scare a lot of people off. Just a heads up to save you the pain listing it on eBay and not having any buyers.
 
[SUP][/SUP]
DOS lives on!! said:
That indeed does look like a WD VGA card. I have one of these at home, and can get you the (working for me) dip switch configuration later. Maybe it was down, down, up, down. Keep trying different configurations for the time being.
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Thanks that would be awesome. I will continue trying. So I can probably plug up a flat screen VGA and get that working on an old computer like this?

I will pull the card and load up some more pics in the next day or so
 
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I was going to replace the one sound card thats rusted with this one. THink it will work? Are they just plug and play or do I need to upload drivers?

Also replaced all the rusted screws on the back of the system. I think I can get more than $50. I could prob. get that just for those 3 ceramic cpus on the mb. I sell a lot of stuff on ebay. "its_all_about_image" user name

Trying to get this one up and running to list. Next project is a WIN 386 similar system to this one
 
Hmm, the original sound card in that machine is one of the earlier SoundBlaster cards from around 1989 or so, probably a Pro or Pro II. The other card is an ESS (usually xx69 chipset, like 1869 or 1969).

The Video Card, looks like a WD Board, but I"ve never seen one with a Headland chipset. Usually they have a WD PVGA1A or similar chip. Might be SVGA from the look of the RAM on the card.
 
Ok, if i was you, id find a way to take the rust off that mount bracket, unfasten it and take a very find wire brush to the rust, paint silver or find a way to have it re-chromed, that sound card is quite a find i would think. That VGA is a headland tech VRAM II 512kb i believe, i have the VRAM II Ergo 1mb, really solid card, and with a 15-9pin adapter it will do mda on up, it also works in an 8-bit slot
 
k2x4b524[ said:
i have the VRAM II Ergo 1mb, really solid card, and with a 15-9pin adapter it will do mda on up, it also works in an 8-bit slot
Click to expand...

Sorry to raise this thread from the dead. What is the pinout of this adapter? Do you need to run V7VGA.COM to enable it?
 
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