• Please review our updated Terms and Rules here
  • From now on we will require that a prefix is set for any items in the sales area. We have created regions and locations for this. We also require that you select a delivery option before posting your listing. This will hopefully help us streamline the things that get listed for sales here and help local people better advertise their items, especially for local only sales. New sales rules are also coming, so stay tuned.

Vintage 1995 Pionex 486 DX2 66 Mhz Computer

I'll go check. The RAM is hard to remove since it has these tight metal clips around them that are hard to pry off, so I'll remove the video card and let you know.
 
If it's relevant my monitor it is hooked up to has built in speakers, so I can't test it without the video card installed until I get my old computer speakers out tomorrow.
 
Last edited:
You don't need external speakers at all and they wouldn't help anyway. The mobo should be already hooked up to the one inside the case in the front. Common practice at the time.

You can see it in one of the pictures you posted earlier.
 

Attachments

  • Pionex 9.jpg
    Pionex 9.jpg
    92.4 KB · Views: 1
Last edited:
Sorry I had forgotten about the internal speaker.

I took out the video card and tested it without it and it gave this beep code in the video : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=annxmNtWKbQ

After reinstalling the card and powering it on again I found it still does these beeps. Do the beeps mean the motherboard isn't dead then?

I couldn't uninstall the RAM to test it without RAM. I've been accustomed to the little clips you pull and they eject themselves out so I'm not entirely sure how to get these out easily.
 

Attachments

  • RAM 1.jpg
    RAM 1.jpg
    91.2 KB · Views: 1
  • RAM 2.jpg
    RAM 2.jpg
    89.8 KB · Views: 1
1 long 8 short are video error beeps, so indicates problem there. So that is a good sign, but you're not out of the woods yet. Double check the video card is in firmly. Remove and replace the card a few times and try it in another slot. Do you have a spare known good ISA video card handy?

The clicking noise you hear after the beeps sounds like a hard drive "click of death" as well, so there may be multiple issues. Its not that uncommon on old disk drives. I've had a few go over the years.

There a list of various Bios peep codes on this page http://www.computerhope.com/beep.htm Your machine has an AMI bios.
 
Last edited:
I removed the video card and reinstalled it a few other times to find the make of it and to make sure it was in well before, but I'll do it again tomorrow. I made sure to press it firmly in so perhaps the gold contacts are dirty resulting in an inconsistent connection? I have some Brasso handy if I should try cleaning any grime off those pins that could be causing a problem. I don't have many spare computer parts handy. I just like to tinker with things and learn how to fix stuff, but I go to garage sales and auctions and pick up components I hold onto when I come across them. I know one sale tomorrow advertised old PC components and desktops with the hard drives removed so I might just get lucky and find a tower I could get one out of. Only tower I recognized was a Dell Dimension.
 
Yeah could be just dirty contacts/corrosion. That may well be the only real issue. The other cards slots may just need a clean. Give them a clean with a cotton squab and IPA. Try not to use anything too abrasive if at all possible.

Good luck wrt finding some useful parts. Spares are always handy.
 
vintageestatefinds said:
Sorry I had forgotten about the internal speaker.

I took out the video card and tested it without it and it gave this beep code in the video : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=annxmNtWKbQ

After reinstalling the card and powering it on again I found it still does these beeps. Do the beeps mean the motherboard isn't dead then?

I couldn't uninstall the RAM to test it without RAM. I've been accustomed to the little clips you pull and they eject themselves out so I'm not entirely sure how to get these out easily.
Click to expand...

Oh, for that type of ram, you pry the metal clips out and then tilt the ram forward to pull it out of its slot.

The beeps are a VERY good sign that the motherboard and CPU are probably in good shape, although since it's still beeping when you're reinstalling the video card, you might have a problem there. You mentioned cleaning the contacts with Brasso in your other post; that is something you can do to remove grime and corrosion, although I've seen it recommended before that you follow it up with rubbing alcohol.
 
Don't use Brasso on any internal parts! Use the rubber eraser on the end of a pencil to clean the edge connectors on the ram or cards. Brasso may leave an unwanted residue.
 
I just got back from the test and I had used Brasso to clean the contacts (it's not a serious problem is it?). If it matters I always go over the pins with a dry rag multiple times after application.

My results after I reinserted the video card and retested it were that again it no longer beeps at all on startup, so it seems the machine is recognizing the video card. I'm going to take it out and reinsert it again tomorrow. My monitor still doesn't come out of sleep mode when it's hooked up to it though. Does this mean it's likely my monitor is simply incompatible with the card? If not do I still need to uninstall all the RAM for a test tomorrow?
 
Last edited:
vintageestatefinds said:
I just got back from the test and I had used Brasso to clean the contacts (it's not a serious problem is it?). If it matters I always go over the pins with a dry rag multiple times after application.

My results after I reinserted the video card and retested it were that again it no longer beeps at all on startup, so it seems the machine is recognizing the video card. I'm going to take it out and reinsert it again tomorrow. My monitor still doesn't come out of sleep mode when it's hooked up to it though. Does this mean it's likely my monitor is simply incompatible with the card? If not do I still need to uninstall all the RAM for a test tomorrow?
Click to expand...

It could be. I'd definitely try an older monitor before messing with anything else if I were you. You mentioned having a CRT in storage, so that might be a good thing to start with.
 
It will probably be a few weeks before I go to storage so I'll update when I test with the old monitor. Today I reseated the video card though and it gave a new beep code shown here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJovBrYAZXE. I also noticed after I had reseated it that a 2-pin jumper had come off it somewhere on the card.

The computer has AMIBIOS, and apparently 1 long beep followed by two short states "An error was encountered in the video BIOS ROM, or a horizontal retracing failure has been encountered. It says it's a non-fatal error.
 
Last edited:
vintageestatefinds said:
It will probably be a few weeks before I go to storage so I'll update when I test with the old monitor. Today I reseated the video card though and it gave a new beep code shown here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJovBrYAZXE. I also noticed after I had reseated it that a 2-pin jumper had come off it somewhere on the card.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that jumper might be the cause of that. I found a listing of AMI BIOS beep codes and two short beeps is either a video adapter error or an error in the first 64k of RAM.

EDIT: May have misread that. It might be an error in the first 64k of RAM that's causing no video output.

EDIT 2: This is a better list than the one I found at first. It might help you out: http://www.bioscentral.com/beepcodes/amibeep.htm

If it's not a video card issue, it sounds like it's time to start testing RAM.
 
Last edited:
So that first long drone doesn't count as a long beep? Also, I found where the jumper went so I'll try to take out the ram again and see what happens when I power it on.

Taken out the RAM and there are 4 1MB KO-13N sticks and 4 Itausa ICMM4M409 sticks. I can't find online how much memory these sticks are, but they are twice the size of the 1MB so I would guess 2 MB per stick. Means the system would have 12 MB total memory. Will have an update sometime soon.
 
Last edited:
vintageestatefinds said:
So that first long drone doesn't count as a long beep? Also, I found where the jumper went so I'll try to take out the ram again and see what happens when I power it on.
Click to expand...

The first long drone doesn't sound like something that comes from the PC speaker. Could be stuck heads on the hard drive, although I might be mistaken.
 
That drone was the first time I've heard that and it didn't replicate in this test. No beeps with no RAM and no video card, but I could hear faint sounds from some components trying to work : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JR4p_hVx7aY

Don't think the video picked it up.

After I installed a stick of RAM, still no beeps but same sounds from components trying to work. I think this test requires all cards to be removed but I only removed the RAM and video card.
 
Last edited:
vintageestatefinds said:
So that first long drone doesn't count as a long beep? Also, I found where the jumper went so I'll try to take out the ram again and see what happens when I power it on.

Taken out the RAM and there are 4 1MB KO-13N sticks and 4 Itausa ICMM4M409 sticks. I can't find online how much memory these sticks are, but they are twice the size of the 1MB so I would guess 2 MB per stick. Means the system would have 12 MB total memory. Will have an update sometime soon.
Click to expand...
I don't hear any long drone unless you're calling the memory tick sound a drone. I hear the two beeps which indicate a memory parity failure.

FWIW, clones don't use 2MB memory sticks -- so they are either 1MB or 4MB sticks and my guess is that they are 4MB.
 
Alright thanks for the info on the memory sticks.

So I should continue installing RAM until I find one that causes beeps in the system, indicating it is one that has failed? If not what should I try next?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top