Hello, World! :D - Robert B's PC builds - oogle away freely :) - OLD Hardware Emporium

[Robert B]

Hellow people.

I'll post lots of information about older hardware. Stuff that has marked my PC experience from mid '90 until today.

Lots of this stuff was rescued from the "dumpster" some was bought.

These posts have already been uploaded to vogons.cc but I wanted to not have have all my eggs in one basket. So from today I'll present here my stuff here too.

I posted some stuff in the Techpowerup's Nostalgic Harwdware but it was suggested that I start a thread here.

Maybe some of you will enjoy these posts.

Hellow everybody, my name is Robert, and like you I have a passion for old PC hardware. Over the following weeks, I'll be posting full details about a AMD 5x86 build, AMD K6-2 build, Pentium III Slot 1 build, AMD K7 Classic Athlon build and a few extras. My posts are usually TL;DR and I upload lots of images....I used postimage.cc so that I wont burden your server storage.

The 5x86 Story

What do you do when you first start gathering old hardware?

In my situation the facts were stacked against me. The pieces I was trying to find were, by all means dinosaurs, a foot note into the PC history. Many have already been discarded, buried into landfills, melted, dismembered.....

I entered a couple of IT forums in my country and tried to find the pieces for the 5x86 puzzle, but to no avail.

My first purchase was a complete success. I scored for the sum of around 80 $, a large number of AGP and PCI VGA adapters prior to 2000, an awesome Maxi Gamer 3D Voodoo 2, some socket 7 motherboards, two busted socket 3 motherboard, lots on SIMM, and DIMM RAM and the a gem of a PSU Minebea Electronics 200W AT PSU - the first piece of the 5x86 puzzle

I tried the local flea market but my searches were fruitless....In the end I found a guy who let me buy from him three socket 3 motherboars, two AMD 5x86 133MHz CPU's, one AMD 4x86-DX2 66MHz, one AMD 486-DX4-100MHz and two heatsinks complete with clips for my socket 3 build. This was my second piece of the 5x86 puzzle

I was quite pissed for giving away my first PC back in '98 or '99. I was young and foolish

The motherboard I found was a Jetway J446A v2.0 - chipset SiS 496/497 - 256KB cache/3 PCI/3 ISA/4 RAM SLOTS not a Tomato Board 4DPS SiS 496/497 like I used to have. So this was as good as it gets

So there I was in 2015 with a motherboard, CPU, RAM and a PSU. How the hell was I going to find a case like the one I used to have and an exact HDD? The ODD was not so important....

To my surprise in one of my trips to the local flea market I found an almost exact case. The first time a I saw it I was thunder struck! I just couldn't belive my eyes It was dirty and scratched but it was complete.

The bouns inside was a socket 7 motherboard with a Cyrix 6x86 PR233, Tomato 5STX-J98 motherboard, 32MB RAM, SiS VGA, a Seagate Medalist 3.2GB HDD and a Sony ODD.

With the case I had another piece of the 5x86 puzzle

Through some twist of the fate I found the HDD on a local forum and the moment I held it in my hand I new the PC Gods were smiling down to me from above

The entire adventure took around three months of digging up in the local flea market and local IT forums.

So there I was smiling with all my loot these relics were more valuable to me than the latest GPU, CPU or another IT gizmo

All the parts were prepared for a complete cleaning process using 99.9% isopropyl alcohol and a lot of elbow grease

Steps taken for success

1st STEP - deep cleaning of the motherboard,SIMM and CPU preparation

The first step into my 5x86 (re)build was the cleaning of the motherboard.

Jetway J446A v2.0 - chipset SiS 496/497 - 256KB cache/3 PCI/3 ISA/4 RAM SLOTS

I took my sweet time and after a few hours it came out golden!

All the chips, jumpers and accessories were removed and labeled before cleaning.


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2nd step - THE CASE

The case received a special treatment - full disassembly. A wash with hot water and detergent, followed by a good scrub with CIF Cream. I removed a bit of the yellowing from the plastic but I wanted to keep the "character" and the aging. The stuff that says 'been there done that!

First I used a coarse fabric/felt but in the end a soft sponge was better.


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3rd step - FDD, ODD, Bits and Pieces, a lot of attention do detail!

Next came the turn of the FDD's and ODD's

Full cleaning process too I like my components squeaky clean - It makes the experience all more authentic.

The assembly of the face of the PC case.

The plastics were kept in water with a small quantity of vinegar.

Check the bug in the system

More pics and the compressor used to clean/dry the plastic parts.

LCD display test. In the end I didnt use it for the 5x86 build because my 5x86 didnt have one to beging with.

Test fitting of the motherboard revealed that after all these years the motherboard was little bent out of shape and I had to be very carefull with the RAM sticks touching the metal case. The SIMM problem was solved with carefull bending of the metal By all means do not use a hammer....IBM.....

Some of the motherboard spacers were made from plastic which in time changed its shape. Also the motherboard tray had HUGE fitting holes and I had to compensate this with a little bit of copper wire wrapped around them. Nothing was moving now

I used some soft foam to stop the motherboard tray from making noise. Also the foam was used to cancel the vibration from the ODD, FDD and 3.5" and 5.25 bay covers.

First I didnt have the metal plate which connects the POWER SWITCH to the case and I had make one from a bike spoke. I came out strudy as hell. In the end I found the missing metal plate.....there goes an hour from my life ....The switch had a little play in its internals and I used a zip tie to cancel this.

The PSU was fully stripped and cleaned. I checked it with a light load and it was in awesome shape.

The case was missing some rear covers and I decided to make my own from perforated metal strips.

Back in '96 my PC didnt have a sound card or a CD-ROM. They came later in '98 an ESS1868 ISA sound card and an LG 16X which was crap. It read only silver CD's. Any other colour blue or gold was not read by this crappy unit.

All the cables were also cleaned with a great attention to detail. I matched the colour of the red strips for all the cables as best as I could

The HDD was mounted in a 5.25 slot instead of a 3.5, using metal spacers, for better cooling.

This case didnt have a Turbo switch like my old one, so I added a Turbo Led and used a jumper to set Turbo On or Off.

If you are still hanging in here I hope I dont spam the thread - this work was done in weeks and the build log was full of details written in romanian so for now I cant translate all of it. In the future I'll post simultaneously here and on the lab501 forum, from my country,Romania.

After all this hustle the result came up.....well you can see for yourself

This rebuild of my first PC, in 2015 was like a trip in the past. All the smells of the electronics, the noises were all familiar. It was awesome!

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The 5x86 - Build

Vital statistics

1. CPU: AMD 5X86 133MHz - AMD-X5-133ADZ/Am5X86-P75 3.45V
2. Motherboard: Jetway J446A v2.0 - chipset SiS 496/497 - 256KB cache/3 PCI/3 ISA/4 RAM SLOTS
3. RAM: 2x16=32 MB RAM SIMM FPM
4. VGA: ARK Logic ARK2000PV, 2MB, PCI
5. AUDIO: ESS AudioDrive 1868F ISA
6. HDD: QUANTUM TRAILBLAZER TRB850A -850MB- 4500RPM
7. FDD: SONY
8. CD-ROM: SONY 52x CDU5221 - I couldn't find a period correct CD-ROM so this will have to do...for now
9. PSU: Minebea Electronics 200W AT PSU
10. Cooling: CPU-Noctua NF-4x10FLX 40 mm x 40 mm x 10 mm 4500 rpm/SSO2 SYSTEM: Scythe Mini Kaze 60 mm x 60 mm x 20 mm 2500 rpm/sleeve.
11. CASE: Generic AT Case manufactured 1998.
12. Enthusiasm/Nostalgy/Dedication/Time/Headaches/Money

The RESULT?PRICELESS!!!

This was the AMD 5x86 DX5 133MHz rebuild presented in fast forward speed

More builds have been completed an K6-2 450MHz, a Pentium III 550MHz Slot 1 and an AMD Irongate SLOT A test system.

If there is interest I'll post some later. Also I have an extensive picture collection of other old hardware (mostly '90s) which I can post. All the parts have been cleaned and are kept in boxes.

They were gathered in 2015 and 2016. After this stage I came to a halt. All the stuff fits in about 14+ boxes and I have enough stuff for a lifetime Hoarding is bad for health and the wallet....

Much more later. Enjoy the pics!


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And now some fun and testing. The HDD testing was done using a standard PSU, an ABit Serillel adapter, eSATA ExpressCard and a Acer Aspire 5315 laptop.


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[Robert B]

Here comes the Pentium III - Slot 1 - build. Back in the day I couldn't afford such a system. It was soooo expensive. In end I used a beefier GPU but I guess that cand be forgiven

As usual all the parts were stripped and thoroughly cleaned. This build was much easier than the 5x86.

The case was in mint condition. The HDD was almost new, only the soundcard was a little roughed up, but given its name I decided to use it as is .

The testing of the HDD was done using a standard PC PSU, A-bit - Serillel adapter, and a Express Card eSATA adapter plugged into my Acer Aspire 5315 laptop.

The GPU recived a new cooler: DeepCool V50 becasue the old one was small and the fan was busted.A fresh apply of Arctic MX-4 grease was made

I also tested a STB Systems VooDoo 3 3000 AGP 16MB which was in great condition. I only paid 1.2 EUR for it

I also added thumb screws to the case and an Enermax T.B. Silence 80mm fan.

It came out pretty good if I say so myself. Very easy build. You can see the quality of the case is better than those from the AT era.



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Pentium III - Slot 1 Build

Vital statistics:

1. CPU: Intel Pentium III 550MHz - SL3FJ - Costa Rica 512KB cache / 100MHz bus / 2.0V
2. Motherboard: LuckyStar 6VABX2 VER. 2.0 - Slot 1 - Chipset - VIA VT82C693 & VT82C596A / 1xAGP 2x / 5 PCI (4 bus master 1 slave) / 2 ISA / ATA 33
3. RAM: 384 MB - PC133 @ PC100 speed : 2X128MB PQI / 1x128MB IBM
4. VGA: Inno3D Geforce 2 Ti - 64MB - VGA/TV out
5. AUDIO: Diamond Aureal Vortex 2 Monster Sound MX300 - PCI
6. HDD: QUANTUM FIREBALL PLUS AS40-40GB - 7200RPM
7. FDD: NEC
8. CD-ROM: ASUS QuieTrack 52X CD-S520/A
9. LAN: generic 10/100 Mbps
10. Mobile HDD rack 3.5/5.25
11. PSU: generic JNC Computer Corp. 235W
12. Cooling: Intel stock slot 1 cooler / Inno3D - DeepCool v50 / Enermax T.B Silence 80 mm
13. CASE: Generic ATX Case branded COMRACE ~ 1999
14. Less effort than the 5x86 build.

Enjoy.



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[Robert B]

For the socket 7 build I had a lot to chose from

Motherboards

1. ACorp 5ALi61 REV. D - Socket 7 - Chipset ALi M1542-A1/M1543C-A1
2. ZIDA-TOMATO BOARD - 5STXJ-98 REV. 1.02 - Socket 7 - Chipset Intel 430TX - 82439TX System Controller(MTXC) & 82371AB PCI ISA IDE Xcelerator (PIIX4)
3. LuckyStar 5V-1A VER. 2.0 - Socket 7- Chipset - VIA 82C585VPX & 82C586A
4. Epox EP58 MVP3C-M 100MHz Rev. 0.8 - Socket 7 - Chipset - VIA VT82C598MVP & VT82C586B

CPU's

1. AMD K6-2 300MHz - AFR - 1998 -week 41
2. AMD K6-2 350MHz - AFR - 1999- week 21
3. AMD K6-2 400MHz - AFR - 1999- week 50
4. AMD K6-2 450MHz - AFX - 2000- week 02
5. Pentium 100MHz - SX963
6. Pentium 133MHz - SY022
7. Pentium 166MHz - SY037
8. Pentium 166MHz-MMX - SL27K
9. Cyrix 6x86MX PR233 188MHz

In the end I settled on a Super Socket 7 build using an AMD K6-2 CPU coupled with the ACorp 5ALi61 REV. D

What I liked about the socket 7 build was that I could use Intel and AMD CPU's if I wanted. I could use SDRAM or SIMM/EDO an AT or ATX PSU. A very versatile platform.

Upon closer inspection I found that the Epox EP58 MVP3C-M motherboard had a busted tranzistor which was branded 1P. At the moment of the assembly I didnt have a spare tranzistor. Later, just by sheer luck I found a suitable replacement from a ceased fan from a slot A heatsink. I made the transplant and the motherboard works This transitor was separated from its shell by the CPU clamp. Very good placemnt Mr. Engineer! Keep up the GOOD work....yeah right...

The last AT case I had was in bad shape. I had to make from scratch a POWER ON ATX compatible switch to fit into an AT compatible slot in the front bezel. I couldn't find a smaller one localy so I had to improvize All the switches from the local electronics shop were without release, meaning that once pressed they would not return back and after a few seconds the system would power down. All this trouble was also caused by the fact that I wanted to use an ATX PSU because I couldn't find a good AT PSU. To make things worse the prongs on which the switch had to be screwed were ripped off and I had to rebuild them. All in all it was worth the effort. The metal cover of the case was roughed up and I decided to wrap it up instead of painting it.

The V3 3000 received a fan for better cooling and all the parts for the build were cleaned to perfection using 99,9% isopropyl alcohol.


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[Robert B]

For the socket 7 build I had a lot to chose from

Motherboards

1. ACorp 5ALi61 REV. D - Socket 7 - Chipset ALi M1542-A1/M1543C-A1
2. ZIDA-TOMATO BOARD - 5STXJ-98 REV. 1.02 - Socket 7 - Chipset Intel 430TX - 82439TX System Controller(MTXC) & 82371AB PCI ISA IDE Xcelerator (PIIX4)
3. LuckyStar 5V-1A VER. 2.0 - Socket 7- Chipset - VIA 82C585VPX & 82C586A
4. Epox EP58 MVP3C-M 100MHz Rev. 0.8 - Socket 7 - Chipset - VIA VT82C598MVP & VT82C586B

CPU's

1. AMD K6-2 300MHz - AFR - 1998 -week 41
2. AMD K6-2 350MHz - AFR - 1999- week 21
3. AMD K6-2 400MHz - AFR - 1999- week 50
4. AMD K6-2 450MHz - AFX - 2000- week 02
5. Pentium 100MHz - SX963
6. Pentium 133MHz - SY022
7. Pentium 166MHz - SY037
8. Pentium 166MHz-MMX - SL27K
9. Cyrix 6x86MX PR233 188MHz

In the end I settled on a Super Socket 7 build using an AMD K6-2 CPU coupled with the ACorp 5ALi61 REV. D

What I liked about the socket 7 build was that I could use Intel and AMD CPU's if I wanted. I could use SDRAM or SIMM/EDO an AT or ATX PSU. A very versatile platform.

Upon closer inspection I found that the Epox EP58 MVP3C-M motherboard had a busted tranzistor which was branded 1P. At the moment of the assembly I didnt have a spare tranzistor. Later, just by sheer luck I found a suitable replacement from a ceased fan from a slot A heatsink. I made the transplant and the motherboard works This transitor was separated from its shell by the CPU clamp. Very good placemnt Mr. Engineer! Keep up the GOOD work....yeah right...

The last AT case I had was in bad shape. I had to make from scratch a POWER ON ATX compatible switch to fit into an AT compatible slot in the front bezel. I couldn't find a smaller one localy so I had to improvize All the switches from the local electronics shop were without release, meaning that once pressed they would not return back and after a few seconds the system would power down. All this trouble was also caused by the fact that I wanted to use an ATX PSU because I couldn't find a good AT PSU. To make things worse the prongs on which the switch had to be screwed were ripped off and I had to rebuild them. All in all it was worth the effort. The metal cover of the case was roughed up and I decided to wrap it up instead of painting it.

The V3 3000 received a fan for better cooling and all the parts for the build were cleaned to perfection using 99,9% isopropyl alcohol.



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The K6-2 450MHz - Build

Vital statistics:

1. CPU: AMD K6-2 450AFX - 450MHz
2. Motherboard: ACorp 5ALi61 REV. D - Socket 7 -100MHz- Chipset ALi Alladin V - ALi M1542-A1/M1543C-A1 1AGP 2x/ 3 PCI / 3 ISA
3. RAM: : 2X128MB=256 MB - PC133 @ PC100
4. VGA: STB Systems Inc - Voodoo 3 3000 AGP 16MB Rev. C
5. AUDIO: Creative Sound Blaster AWE 64 GOLD ISA - CT 4390
6. HDD: FUJITSU 8.4GB - MPD3084AT - 5400RPM ATA 33 - montat cu distantiere in bay de 5.25"
7. FDD: Sony
8. CD-ROM: TOP-G 50X
9. LAN: TP-Link 10/100Mbps PCI Network Adapter TF-3200 - ip100A
10. PSU: Antec EA-380D Green - 380W 80+ Bronze
12. Cooling: Socket 7 heatsink with Scythe Mini Kaze 50x50x10mm 4500 rpm / V3 3000 - stock heatsink with Scythe Mini Kaze 50x50x10mm 4500 rpm
13. CASE: Generic AT Case branded 2 Net Computers, retrofitted with ATX switch.
14. Medium effort - smaller than the 5x86 build but greater than the Pentium III build



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[Robert B]

All three together AMD 5x86,AMD K6-2 & PIII


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Next will be the K7 slot A test. But for now I'll let you to digest the above photos

A lot more to follow!

Sneak peak

Enter THE ATHLON!

Pentium III feels the train is coming, bullet train that is (Commercial from 1999/2000 for the AMD Athlon Processor)

gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/2v28fonfm/

 

[Robert B]

The K7 slot A - build

1st Step - Slot A Cartridge removal/disassembly/teardown/dismantle

After I managed to find a SLOT A motherboard with the Irongate chipset together with four CPU's my first priority was a complete disassembly and carefull cleaning. Little did I know that this would turn into an adventure

As usual freeing the CPU's from their SECC cartridge, even if we are talking about AMD Slot A or Intel Slot 1, is sometimes a hairy business

In my case I used a pair of flat nosed pliers with a little electrical tape to prevent damage to the catridge and the backplate. Even so, some marks would remain.

I firmly secured one arm of the pliers into a vice and with the other arm I applied force. Even so, the entire process required some convincing. The cartridge was extremely stubborn, it moaned and groaned and squeaked. It was nerve-racking!

The upper part of the cartridge gave up extremely easy with the help of a fine screwdriver.

The bottom part, near the connector was held tight. In the end, only one of the cartidge remained intact, the other three sustained one broken securing hole. No big deal. This problem will be adressed later. The exterior was in pristine condition.

After inspecting closely the cartridges I saw that the small securing hole that broke off, was a different shape from the others. Three were round and one oval. I guess this was some kind of anti-tamper system to prevent opening and voiding warranty. The metal prongs from the heatplate had ca collar like shape that would be retained into the plastic holes of the cartridge.

After almost 17 years the thermal paste/pad was still kind of soft. The only surprise was the thick paste used to fill the gap between the heatplate and the cache chips. It was brittle and it was poorly applied.

Under no circumstance was I to power up these CPU's like this. My gut feeling was right, again

After removing the plastic cartridge the metal heatplate was held with two metal strips. These were under some tension an removing them proved challenging.

You had to press down on the CPU PCB to prevent it from rocking while at the same time you would have to keep a finger on the middle of the metal strip and with the other hand with a fine screwdriver you would have to bend the metal "teeth/hooks" of the metal strips to free them up.

If the PCB would start rocking, damage could occur to the CPU die. A BIG No No!

Over the entire process I got fed up with the smell they were releasing and I was anxious to clean them up reallllllllllyyyyyyy well. It's a distinct smell of old electronics, dust, old paste and God know what else....

To my surprise on the K7 500MHz CPU's die it was written K7900CNRBCA

a) AMD K7500MTR51B C - 500MHz
b) AMD K7550MTR51B C - 550 MHz
c) AMD K7600MTR51B A - 600MHz
d) AMD K7700MTR51B A - 700MHz




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2nd step - Deep cleaning of the CPU's and heatsinks

Also I bought a few 50 mm fans- FRACTAL DESIGN SILENT SERIES 50MM (FD-FAN-50) 3500 rpm - In the end they proved too weak and I reused some of the old fans from the original heatsinks.

In the end REVOLTEC Air Guard RL035 - 4500 rpm 50 mm fans will prove more adequate.

Note the K7 AMD K7500MTR51B C - 500MHz rated CPU with the K7900CNRBCA markings.

One of the heatsinks, the BIG Cooler Master one, came without the metal retaining clips, so I had to get creative and improvize.

I drilled a couple of holes and used a couple that were already in the heatsink and heatplate and with the help of 4 nuts and bolts I tightend the sucker really well

I made a spread test with some ol' Arctic Alumina thermal paste I had around.

For the final assembly I used less paste to prevent bleeding.



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3rd step - Cleaning the motherboard and CPU cartidges, coolers

The motherboard I found It's not exotic or OC friendly, but it is as good as it gets for me. I couldn't find another so, for the time beeing it will have to do.

PC CHIPS/PcCHIPS/PC-CHIPS M800LMR V1.3A - AMD Irongate 750/756 - 1 AGP 2x, 4PCI, onboard Audio and Lan, ATA66, SDRAM - 768MB max

It came out golden, literally

Well here I was with clean slot A CPU's ready to be put back together and a squeaky clean motherboard.

GPU's I had plenty, RAM plenty, HDD's plenty. The only thing missing was a good PSU with strong 3.3V and 5V rails.

One name came into my mind obsesively - ENERMAX.

After asouring the local OLX site to my susprise a found just what I was looking for - a mint, new in BOX, ENERMAX EG365AX-VE(G) 353W.

It was really cheap and at first I thought that it couldn't be right. After a phone call my doubts were quickly put to rest.

After 24 hours I held in my hands the Holy Grail, a shiny new ENERMAX PSU.



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4th step - Slot A CPU assembly

After I opened up the CPU cartridges I was aware that for the contact between the heatplate and the cache chips I had to use some kind of thermal pad.

I found localy Arctic branded ones of 1.5 mm and 0.5 mm - blue colour. They seemed right, but in the end the 0.5 mm one was too slim and the 1.5 mm too thick.

I tried to determine the exact width I needed and one size came out after a few measurements ~ 1 mm. Because I couldn't find Arctic blue pad of 1 mm width I resorted to buying a Thermal Grizzly Minus 8 - 1 mm pad.

After I received the Grizzly pad I found out that this width wasn't good either. It was too thick, hard and brittle. The Arctic one was way softer.

After a quick and EXPENSIVE lesson in thermal pads..... I counted my options and the solution came out in the form of the Arctic blue pad 1.5 mm which would have to be squeezed to the correct width.

To add to the trouble, the width between the CACHE chips and the heatplate wasn't always the same.

Also the cache chips of the CPU's were sometimes concave some time convex.

For each and every CPU I had to cut a smaller piece of Arctic blue pad, place a small clear plastic film over it and press it down with something flat.

I used the Cooler Master heatsink.

The process was repeated 3 or 4 time for each CPU - very hard work but for me it was very REWARDING.

When I assembled the heatplates and the heatsinks I also filled up with thermal pads the outside square holes of the heatplates which made contact with the cache chips for a better transfer of the heat. From factory there was nothing there.

Also I found out that the retaining clips of the heatsinks were out of shape and required some bending back. Initialy the contact between the heatplate and the heatsink was made through a very thin pad but when I used thermal paste I needed more force. From factory the gap was to big between the heatplate and the heatsink. Totally unacceptable!

Arctic MX-4 thermal paste was used for the CPU die.

Puting back the metal strips that hold down the CPU pcb proved difficult, but in the end I prevailed The trick is to keep the inside tooth of metal strip more inclined while the outside one would have to be more open. Then you would have to use a fine nose plier to bend it into the secured position. A steady hand is required. Damage to to PCB can occur easily, so tread carefully Check the picture bellow. Also avoid rocking the CPU PCB, otherwise you know....cracked, chipped CPU die.

After the opening of the cartridges, the holes of the plastic covers were bigger and three of them missed one of the holes. To prevent them from rattling I used two thin strips of BISON MONTAGEKIT EXTREME GRIP TAPE on the top side. This proved the winning solution. They were held firmly in place.

All the fans were cleaned and oiled. One fan was replaced because the original one was ceased.

The CPUS were once again as the day they were born. HAPPY DAYS.



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5th step - some FUN

In the end I played some games and installed Win 98 SE. To this date this was my best experience with a PC and Windows 98. Delta Force - Land Warrior brought back some memories.

Before even I begun there was a problem. The mouse couldn't be put into the green PS/2. Upon closer inspection I found out that the black prong from a mouse was broken and left inside. I used some double sided tape and a toothpick to fish the part out. The seller forgot to mention this shortcoming .

The only problem was the motherboard. It lacked any OC feature. I couldn't adjust any timing for the memory. No voltage control, absolutely nothing.

To my surprise the K7 500MHz CPU with the K7900CNRBCA markings ran at 700MHz without problems. Some of the other CPU's weren't correctly recongnized. I wanted to update de BIOS but couldn't find a suitable BIOS file and the chance of bricking the motherboard were too great. Even my old Tomato 5x86 Board had more RAM timing options.

Back in the day this was a budget motherboard so there is nothing to do about it.

The CPU's will have to be tested on another motherboard, preferably a high end one.

So in my case this was as good as it gets!

The reward was priceless though. I enjoyed every moment and I have no regrets monetary or otherwise



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K7 - Classic Athlon

Test system:

Motherboard: PC CHIPS/PcCHIPS/PC-CHIPS M800LMR V1.3A
CPU: Athlon Classic K7 500, 550, 600 and 700 MHz
RAM: SDRAM 256MB PC100 DS, 2X128MB PC100 SS = 512MB PC100
ODD: LG DVD-RAM-4163B IDE
GPU: Palit Daytona Geforce 3 Ti 200 - 64MB - DeepCool V50 Cooler
FDD: Alps
HDD: WD Caviar 800JB - 7200rpm IDE 8MB
PSU: ENERMAX EG365AX-VE(G) 353W

 

[Robert B]

The GREAT Voodoo 3 3000 16 MB rescue

Some backround info.

Back in the day I never saw or heard about VooDoo 1 graphic cards or 3dfx for that matter. In '94 I just entered highschool and I was a total greenhorn This stuff was exotic, expensive and hard to come by. Information was scarce and Internet was still a pimple faced teenager ISP's were as common as hens teeth we didnt have internet in our highschool. Some had dial-up internet at home but it was expensive.

Time passed and I started to accumulate a lot about computer hardware. Beeing an informatics highschool all day long you heard about PC's pc PC'S!!!!! Good times indeed.The first time I heard about TBAV - ThunderByte Antivirus, F-Prot, OneHalf or Michelangelo infections. The first time I heard about Pentium when I just bought a mere 5x86. Playing Gorillas (Gorilla.bas) The first time playing DOOM on a friends 4x86 until he threw me out and after that episode I never got to play another game on his PC. Playing Warcraft II multiplayer, Lotus, Grand Prix......

But lets return to the matter at hand

In that period I started hearing about VooDoo 2 and SLI and how great it was. All the information I had came from highschool friends and one IT magazine called CHIP. I used to drool reading about VooDoo 2, Voodoo Banshee, VooDoo Rush. They had such great advertising Owning any VooDoo card in that time was out of the question. Tooooooooooooooooo expensiveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Then came nVidia and my focus changed. When I read about VooDoo 3, I wasnt impressed. Starting from that point onward VooDoo and 3dfx werent very high on my list of interests. TNT, TNT 2 & Geforce were the name of the game.

Funny thing though that in 2015 when I was at the local flea market I saw a green pcb with the letters 3dfx printed on it. I paid 1.2 EUR for it and I was very happy for this purchase, not because of the price but because of the memories it brought back . It turned out it was an STB Systems 3dfx Voodoo 3-3000 - 16MB AGP card Made in Mexico. It had a few scratches but it was in very good condition. I took it home, cleaned it up well and after I tested it later I found out it was flawless

In 2016 I came across another VooDoo card. It was tossed above other components, It look rough and rusty. The seller wanted too much for it and I didnt want to pay the asking price. One week later I haggled with him and bought it cheaper 3 EUR. From that point on I actively started looking for VooDoo cards.

This brings me to the begining of an adventure: The GREAT Voodoo 3 3000 16 MB rescue.

After I bought the roughed up Voodoo card I tried to identify it. Initialy I thought it was a V3 2000 but in the end it was another V3 3000 16MB AGP card. It was looking tired and beat up. Upon looking closely I saw that one tantalum capacitor was missing. Later on I found that another 3 solid capacitors together with other 2 ceramic type ones, were MIA. In total 6 pieces of the V3 puzzle.

I was quite pissed for not seeing the damage and buying a graphics card which was in essence just a dirty paper weight.

Initially I wanted to toss it into my spare parts bin but after so much time inspecting it for other signs of damage the 3dfx letters kept on poping in my head. V-O-O-D-O-O What if I can resurrect it? That will be a story to tell

Lets get on with it shall we?

Stage 1 - Heatsink removal and general cleanup

Voodoo 3 3000 16MB AGP - Chip 355-0024-020 / PCB 210-0364-003 Made in China.

The roughed up V3 stood in my car overnight at temperatures around 0 degrees C. I knew that the heatsink was glued on. I tried to remove the heatsink from the first V3 but it was very well glued and I was afraid of damaging the chip. In the case of the roughed up V3 I had nothing to lose

In the morning I tried to remove the heatsink by moving it gently. NO DICE! it wouldnt budge! I tried to insert a flat screwdriver in a corner of the heatsink while using a credit card to protect the PCB. Again NO DICE!

Very well I'll put you into the freezer! It stood there for 50 minutes in a plastic bag. After this I tried again with the flat screwdriver and the credit card. Again NO DICE!

Back into the freezer it went but to no avail. While still beeing cold I had the inspiration to generously pour isopropyl alcohol on the heatsink and under it. After this I tired again with the flat screwdriver and the credit card. POP! went the heasink and the GRAPHIC CHIP was free. I finally saw the 3dfx markings. It was very rewarding!

Searching for the chip code revealed very few information. This V3 was Made in China not in Mexico. This made me to really want to rescue it.

All the screws and the bracket were cleaned using some auto rust remover: Szuper Evipass I also cleaned some rust covered pins.

Cleaning the glue from the heatsink and graphic chip proved dificult. It required lots of isopropyl alcohol and elbow grease.For large pieces of glue I used a credit card to scrape it off. I had to leave the heatsink with a thin film of isopropyl alcohol to soften the glue. I had to repeat the process numerous times.

In the end the V3 came out clean as a whistle



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/1zm2q5hbs/45867d9a/

Stage 2 - Damage assessment

I cleaned the old solder from the affected areas.

Upon close inspection and comparation with pictures on the internet I came to the folowing conclusion.

Missing capacitors: 1 tanatlum 6V 22uf, 3 solid 16V 10uf and 2 ceramic capacitors.

The capacitor problem wasnt so damaging.I knew I could work with it. The BIG problem were the copper pads missing from the PCB on which the capacitors made contact with the traces. In two places they were completely ripped off. SH&#$((!&(TTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/1s7ml4l4o/d78c23e9/

Stage 3 - Solution

For the ceramic capacitors I already found a donor card: an old MEDION ATI X740XL which was dead. I used a visual size comparison to determine the right capacitors.

For the other capacitors I didnt have replacement parts. I could buy them but they were expensive. So I had to improvize. I used regular electrolytic capacitors. I couldn't find the right tantalum and solid capacitors no matter how hard I tried. They had to be ordered specialy and in big quantity.

The only problem that remained was that of the copper pads. I watched closely the PCB and saw that for each pad there was a tiny hole which made the contact between the pad and the trace in the PCB. BINGO! I used a sharp blade to scrape off the laquer from the tiny holes and I was greeted by a nice copper colour.

To restore the contact with the PCB traces I used tiny strings made from Solder WICK wires.

The revival started to look like it will be a success

In this stage I made a final comparison using my V3 Made in MEXICO and pictures I found on the internet with the V3 Made in China.

http://ohwc.narod.ru/video/3dfx/v3k_agp_china_f.jpg
http://ohwc.narod.ru/video/3dfx/v3k_agp_mexico_f.jpg
http://ohwc.narod.ru/video.html

Both of my V3's had the same part number 210-0364-003, but the value for the tantalum capacitor was different: Made in China 6V 22uf for the Made in Mexico 16v 22uf.

I decided to go for the same capacity (uf) and higher voltage (V).

At shopping I went with high hopes The local electronics shop had a disastrous capacitor selection, and I found only these:

10uf 16v-Yageo
10uf 25V-Huang
10uf 35v-Yageo
22uf 25V-?
47uf 6V - SMD.
All 105C rated.

In the end I used: 3x10uf 35V-Yageo si 1x22uf 25V. All have higher voltage values and the same capacity.




gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/2nlqhm1a0/e34a66fe/

Stage 4 - Reconstruction

I took out the smallest soldering iron I had, some sparkling wine and GOGOGOGOGO!!!!!!!!!

The whole operation went very smoothly. In 30 minutes all the job was done. Pad rebuild and capacitors. I was surprised it went so easy!

The next day I washed again the card with isopropyl alcohol to remove the flux residues and I modified the original heatsink to accept a 50 mm Scythe Mini KAZE fan. It came out pretty good. The sanding on the corners of the heatsink where the screws are poses no problem because the area doesnt touch the graphic chip. Finding the correct length for the screws proved a little difficult and the space underneath them was littered with electronic components.

Attchement of the heatsink was done using push pins.

Also I had to be carefull because the fan had to be flush with the heatsink on the side of the AGP connector otherwise it would touch the neighbouring PCI slot and it wouldnt get all the way into the AGP slot.

On the graphic chip I used Arctic MX-4 thermal paste.



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/ua3l6i9k/e077d612/

Stage 5 - BLISS

The test of the repaired card was done on the the K6-2 450MHz build. Game tests for that build were made with this card. No artifacts were present, overheating or freezes.

I call it a complete success

So in the end VOODOO really lives up to its name V-O-O-D-O-O! I'm still working knee deep in the dead!



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/2ni26m9rs/9589e546/

The lessons learned with the V3 were used for a 3dfx Creative 3D Blaster Banshee 16 MB CT 6760 PCI which also had a missing tantalum capacitor. This time a attached the capacitor on its side. It came out much better. If I find a tantalum capacitor I'll replace the electrolytic one.



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/27dfr58c8/9c60d018/

More stories to follow!

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I'm no electronics engineer. All the repairs were done using common sense, my experience and great attention to details

 

[Robert B]

A not so lucky Asus Geforce 4 4600 Ti

The story of the V8460-600 Asustek Geforce4 Ti 4600 128 MB is like any other dumpster dive/flea market buy First you see it.WOW! then you start digging in the pile of cards lying in a basket or in a cardboard box What is THIS! WOW! (again) this look AMAZING! It's HUGE! A quick search on the internet - Asus GF4 4600Ti 128MB HELL YEAH!!! Trying to hide your excitement you ask soflty Hhhhhhooow muuucccchhh is it? (gasp) 2.27 EUR / 2.5 $ Here you go sir! Then you leave happy with the purchase

Yep buying this GF4 was like that. It looked a little beat up, but whole. The fan was spinning smoothly and there were no signs of overheating.

I took it home and did my magic:

Step 1. Full disassembly

Upon close inspection I found that the heatsink was glued on. Before removing the heatsink from the V3 from the earlier posts the first guinea pig was this GF4 4600 Ti. It stood in the freezer in a bag for around 30 min and then with the help of a flat screwdriver and a credit card to protect the PCB it popped easily on the first try. Removing the yellow thermal glue was another story though and it took some work

Step 2. Isopropyl alcohol 99.9%

Full wash with isopropyl alcohol 99.9% pulverized from and old window cleaner container. Some scrubing with an old brush. Then more isopropyl alcohol 99.9% baths then more brushing..... it came out squeaky clean.

Step 3. Tiny bits

The heatsink was sanded a bit to remove old thermal glue and some blemishes. The fan was cleaned and oiled. The bracket had a little rust which needed to be removed. Other tedious small operations were performed.

Step 4. ASsembly

Smooth sailing. 10 min max



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/2ccm5lb6g/6d63a9f5/



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/ljb2fx42/c962f314/

By this time I was feeling pretty good with my purchase. I didnt have a PC to test it on. Later when I put together the K7 Classic Athlon system I took it for a spin.

On the first startup I got some bad news. It was dying - artifacts and psyhedelic colours all around.



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/2dv3zoqxu/6f1dd4f8/

Nothing else to do.I had high hopes that it would work as I always wanted a GF4 4600 Ti. In the hay days of GF4 I only had a Gainward GF4 MX 460 which was kind of meh, but I had bragging rights as my buddies had only GF4 MX 440's

Well you can't "win them all"

This is why I called this short story "A not so lucky Asus Geforce 4 4600 Ti" In the end it got to a good home but it was too late....let's move one shall we?

 

[Robert B]

The 5,6,7 AGP trio

The story of this trio was a bit of a surprise.

After posting on the forum from my country, the exact stories that I tell you here, a member sent me a PM in which he said that he wanted to give me 3 AGP cards, of which one was completely new. They were free of charge. The status of these cards was unkown. They were only gathering dust in his drawer.

First I wanted some pictures and after seeing the cards I said I WANT THEM, even if they were newer than my "usual" stuff

After a quick discution on the phone he even wanted to pay for shipping despite my arguing that paying for shipping was the least I could do

One day later I received a BORG like package



After I opened the box I was greeted by three gorgeous AGP cards and even some extras: two heatsinks, and IDE cable, a floppy cable, some memory and an old PCI soundcard

The three AGP cards were:

MSI 8948 ver 100 - GeForce FX5700-VTD128 - AGP 128MB
Aopen Aeolus 6800GT-DV256 - AGP 256MB
BFG GeForce 7800GS OC AGP 256MB

The BFG was new and had no signs of usage

The MSI received a new fan connector as it missed one. First I cleaned the golden heatsink until it was shining like diamond in the goats a$$ Then came turn for the PCB and other bits.

The Aopen was trickier to dismantle but nothing complicated. I had to keep track of all the screws. I also didnt want to damage the thermal pads because the problems with the pads for the K7 cache chips was still fresh The VRM heatsink was flimsy. You can clearly see sign of overheating. If dust got to obstruct the main heatsink which cooled the GPU then less air would cool the VRM heatsink. Not good.

Upon closer inspection of the back of the Aopen Aeolus 6800GT I saw that a small ceramic capacitor, found near the AGP connector was crooked. What the!? I was amazed that it didnt fall off. After a quick soldering it was back in its place

I used ARCTIC MX-4 to cool the 5700FX and 6800GT.

The BFG beeing a BIG F...... G..N didnt need anything



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/29wghabiw/b18bbcbd/



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/nvn2f9p4/18fdf90e/

To test these puppies I took out from storage my 4th PC - a Good Ol' Athlon XP + VIA KT333 - I don't have a more potent AGP platform....yet

Hardware and Software used:

1. CPU: AMD Athlon XP 1900+ 1.60GHz - Palomino core - unlocked using Bison conductive paint.
2. MOBO: ECS K7VTA3 V3.0b - VIA KT333
3. RAM: 1.5 GB - DDR1 3X512MB DDR333/DDR400
4. HDD: WD Caviar 800JB 80GB
5. FDD: 1.44MB Alps
6. ODD: LG DVD-RAM 4163B
7. GPU'S:
7.1 MSI 8948 ver 100 - GeForce FX5700-VTD128 - AGP 128MB
7.2 Aopen Aeolus GeForce6800GT-DV256 - AGP 256MB
7.3 BFG GeForce 7800GS OC AGP 256MB
8. PSU: ENERMAX EG365AX-VE(G) 353W
9.Software: Windows XP Home Ed. SP2/Windows XP PRO SP3
10. Misc.



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/1326xsyua/bbc6c481/

Testing wasnt quite what I have hoped for.

First I tested the 6800GT and it worked flawlessly. Clear image. Windows install. Drivers install. GPU-z all ok. The problems started when I wanted to play any game or run other 3D programs(for ex. 3Dmark2001). After some trying I managed to start a furmark test (which completed ok) and one 3dmark2001 test. I tried to play UT but the game would not start.

At this point I decided to use the 5700FX. This card showed clear picture with some drivers and some artifacts with others.....when I found a good driver and started UT it showed more artifacts. I consider this card dead...

Next came the turn of the 7800GS. This puppy was something else. BIG, golden, heavy, and smelling heavenly. It even featured LED lighting . On powerup the fan made a noise like a pack of bats right out of hell I said: I LIKE IT!!! (The fan noise goes down after installing the drivers and ramps up with the temperature). Again clear picture. Drivers install with no problems. I tried to run UT or DOOM 3 - NO DICE!

What the?!?!??! I looked closer at the card and saw that it wasnt fully seated in the AGP slot. The culprit was the white AGP retainer. Now I remembered why I took it out years ago just to put it back before this test, just for the sake of "originality" OUT IT WENT!

I tested again the three cards but the situation didnt change. I couldn't run DOOM 3 on any of the cards...

On the PCB of the 6800GT and 7800GS is a black round buzzer which makes one hell of a racket if you forget to plug the molex connector I found out the hard way at night around 01.00 hours



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/3125lafaa/6342170b/

So this story has an inconclusive ending. I consider the 5700FX dead. About the 6800GT and 7800GS I say that the status is at best uncertain. Until I test them on a proper AGP platform I shall catalogue them as working.

This Athlon XP 1900+ & KT333 runs well with my Palit Geforce 3 Ti 200 - 64MB. I dont know if there is a software or hardware incompatibilty between this platform and the Geforce 5,6 or 7.....

My favourite from this bunch is the Aopen Aeolus GeForce6800GT-DV256 - AGP 256MB. In that time I had a Leadtek 6600GT AGP 128MB which I specially bought for DOOM 3. The 6600GT is also dead...the fan was horrible and ceased a couple of times, despite regular cleaning and the GPU overheated......this is how I got it back from my cousin...



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/33hf9pnfc/54a3d563/

The casualty rate amongst newer generation components it is much greater than in the case of my older ones. I guess smaller fabrication nodes, higher thermal stress operation plus many other variables make them more susceptible to damage.

Next posts will feature more positive stuff

More later.

 

[Robert B]

What's left in my stash?

Today the weather was mostly sunny and I had three hours dedicated for taking pictures

Besides the components already posted I present to you the contents of my stash

Enjoy the pictures

CPU'S



AMD

1. AMD 486 DX-2 66MHz - 66NV8T - 1995 week 30
2. AMD 486 DX-4 100MHz - 100NV8T - 1996 week 05
3. AMD 586 133MHz - ADW - 1996 week 42
4. AMD K6-2 300MHz - AFR - 1998 -week 41
5. AMD K6-2 350MHz - AFR - 1998 -week 21
6. AMD K6-2 400MHz - AFQ - 1998 -week 16
7. AMD K6-2 400MHz - AFR - 1998 -week 50



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/12vn0unk2/73d92ac7/


Cyrix

1. Cyrix 6x86MX PR233 188MHz
2. Cyrix GXm-200GP
3. Cyrix MII-300GP



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/3b85dilzs/8d360b74/

Intel

1. Intel 486-SX-25MHz - SX679
2. Pentium 75MHz - SX961
3. Pentium 100MHz - SX963
4. Pentium 133MHz - SY022 - 2 versions
5. Pentium 166MHz - SY037
6. Pentium 166MHz-MMX - SL27K
7. Celeron 300 MHz - SL2X8
8. Celeron A - 366 MHz - SL36C
9. Pentium II - 350MHz - SL2U4
10. Pentium II - 400MHz - SL2U5
11. Pentium III - 450MHz - SL37C
12. Pentium III - 500MHz - SL35E



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/2uy96m2ma/e718e9de/

Slotket Gigabyte-GA-6R7-Rev 1.7



Coolers

Some of them...



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/18r1w1s5e/7d0d523f/

Graphic adapters

AGP

1.Ati Rage 128 PRO
2.ATI Rage IIC AGP - 3D CHARGER 4 MB
3.ACorp - RIVA TnT 2 Vanta - 8MB
4.Inno3D Geforce 2 Ti - 64MB
5.Palit Daytona Geforce 3 Ti 200 - 64MB
6.S3 Trio3D - 4MB
7.S3 Trio3D/2X - 4MB
8.S3 Trio3D/2X - 8MB
9.S3 Savage 4 - 16MB
10.Sapphire Ati 9600PRO - 128MB
11.SiS 6326 8MB
12.STB Systems 3dfx Voodoo 3-3000 - 16MB



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/kmex7zyw/a49b4335/

ISA

1.Oak Technology OTI077 - 1077082003 REV. G - 512KB
2.Trident TVGA9000C - 7133 Rev. B1 - 512KB
3.Trident TVGA9000i-2 - 7210 Rev. H1



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/1txpyxrrs/b132f7fc/

PCI

1.3dfx Creative 3D Blaster Banshee 16 MB CT 6760
2.Ati Rage LT PRO - 8MB
3.Ark Logic ARK2000PV - 2MB
4.Guillemot Maxi Gamer 3D - 3dfx Voodoo 2 - 12MB
5.Matrox MGA-Millenium II - 4MB
6.SiS 6215 - FVGAP-SS6.1A 2MB
7.SiS 6215 - UTD67B - 2MB
8.S3 Trio64V+ - 2MB
9.S3 Trio64V+ Color Max
10.S3 Trio64V2/DX - 2MB
11.Trident TGUI9440-3
12.Tseng Labs Vision Magic ET6000 4 MB MDRAM


gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/2f39w1kua/d1998d57/

HDD's

ATA HDD'S

1.QUANTUM TRAILBLAZER TRB850A -850MB- 4500RPM
2.QUANTUM BIGFOOT 2.1GB -5.25" - CY2160A - 3600RPM
3.QUANTUM FIREBALL PLUS AS40-40GB - 7200RPM
4.SEAGATE MEDALIST ST33232A 3.2GB- 4500RPM
5.IBM 3.6GB - IBM-DCAA-33610 - 5400RPM
6.FUJITSU 8.4GB - MPD3084AT - 5400RPM
7.WESTERN DIGITAL WDC800JB - 80GB - 7200RPM

FUJITSU 8.4GB - MPD3084AT - 5400RPM
http://www.fujitsu.com/downloads/COMP/fcpa/hdd/discontinued/mpd3xxxat_datasheet.pdf
QUANTUM BIGFOOT 2.1GB -5.25" - CY2160A - 3600RPM
http://www.seagate.com/staticfiles/maxtor/en_us/documentation/data_sheets/bigfoot_cy_datasheet.pdf
QUANTUM FIREBALL PLUS AS40-40GB - 7200RPM
http://www.seagate.com/staticfiles/...n/manuals/Fireball_Plus_AS_Product_Manual.pdf
WESTERN DIGITAL WDC800JB - 80GB - 7200RPM
http://www.wdc.com/en/library/sata/2879-001146.pdf
SEAGATE MEDALIST ST33232A - 4500RPM
http://www.seagate.com/support/disc/manuals/ata/4342pmb.pdf



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/j87w5f42/4a0206cc/

Tests



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/2exxgdkns/bfa19d55/

ISA Network adpters

1.IBM Turbo 16/4 Token Ring ISA - 72H3500 (72H3496)
2.Viglen Ethernet card P/N:142640-402 REV: 01 - Chipset UL0020



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/1s42nyu3c/b55eb097/

MOTHERBOARDS

1.Chaintech 486SPM - Socket 3 - Chipset SiS 85C496/85C497
2.Epox EP58 MVP3C-M 100MHz - Socket 7 - Chipset - VIA VT82C598MVP & VT82C586B
3.LuckyStar 5V-1A VER. 2.0 - Socket 7- Chipset - VIA 82C585VPX & 82C586A
4.ZIDA-TOMATO BOARD - 5STXJ-98 REV. 1.02 - Socket 7 - Chipset Intel 430TX - 82439TX System Controller(MTXC) & 82371AB PCI ISA IDE Xcelerator (PIIX4)



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/2dloy3654/95b13fef/

DAMAGED

1.Super - 486IP-B-2-3 -Socket- Chipset SiS 85C496/85C497 - heavy corrosion, broken plastic SIMM slot, might work.
2.Jetway J446A-V2.0 - Socket 3 - Chiset SiS 85C496/85C497 - missing components
3.TK 82C491 - Chipset UMC - LIF(Low Insertion Force) Socket - UM82C491F - missing components
4.Kaimei Electronic Corp KM-S4-1 Ver: 1.1 - damaged CPU trace - check picture



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/16j48xww2/e8d202f7/

Memory

SIMM, FPM, EDO, SDRAM, DDR, DDR2.

Memory for days



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/k504jgt4/7b560ad6/

SOUNDCARDS

ISA

1.CREATIVE SoundBlaster AWE64 GOLD - CT4390
2.Crystal CS4235-JQ
3.Crystal CX4235-XQ3 ICUAUD-GW805
4.ESS AudioDrive ES688F
5.ESS AudioDrive ES1868F



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/1q09v87a0/12fc2936/

PCI

1.CREATIVE SoundBlaster Live! 5.1 - SB0100
2.Diamond Aureal Vortex 2 Monster Sound MX300 - PCI
3.Yamaha XG YMF724-V PCI



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/2c0luej7m/8a4f3e93/

Miscellaneous

Diamond modem XP 561
LED displays
Socket 3 cooler and bracket
Some smaller bits and pieces, coolers, cables, etc...



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/2cjwg4ama/ac3d7fd7/

The componets posted until now were gathered in a period of one year and half (2015-2016). During this period only the first months were of frantic seaching. Afterwards I wasnt actively looking for parts but didnt pass on the stuff I really wanted.Trips to the local flea market were fewer and I wasnt scouring the forums or the local ads sites. I dont even want to know how much I could've gatherered if I really wanted to to .

See you with the next episodes

 

[Robert B]

Little bent PIN

The story of the BENT CPU PIN(ssssssssss) or should I say lots of CPU Pins

Last year I went to the flea market in search of a good AT PSU. My searches returned a BIG FAT "0". I found a couple of them but they were looking like the kind when powered up, they'll make a small indian smoke signal fire and bye bye precious components. So, no way JOSE! I'll need to buy a new one or at least one from a reliable source.

As I was browsing the market I saw a little gipsy boy with a handfull of CPU's all laid out on a piece of cloth Hmmmm let's see what's there! It was the first time I saw in the local flea market CPU's in bulk.

There were many CPU's ceramic, gold cap, etc. but the state they were in was really meeeeeeeeehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh: dirty, scratched, scuffed, with bent pins, smelly, chipped, etc. etc. you know the drill

I searched through the pieces and I chosed the following, which to my eye, had a better chance of survival:

1. Intel SX 80486 4x86 - SX679 - 25 MHz!!! - officially the slowest CPU I own
2. Cyrix GXm-200GP - GX Media Processor - MMX Enhanced - 200MHz bus 33MHz max. temp. 80C
3. Cyrix MII-300GP ~ 225MHz
4. AMD K6-2/350AFR - 350MHz
5. AMD K6-2/400AFR - 400MHz

All in all not bad if I say so myself

Until then I didnt have anything to do with bent pins but there's a first time for everything.

The state of the CPU's wasnt IDEAL and ranged from THE WHAT WERE THEY THINKING! to the HELL YEAH!! It can still play CRYSIS!

I browsed the internet for some pointers and in the end armed with common sense, some skill and an old chinese man patience I took the matter by the horns

First, all of the CPU's received a good preliminary cleaning and a close damage assessment.



4X86/80486/486 - Bent CPU pins repair Aplicable to any PGA socket 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8 etc

Tools:

1. 0.5 mm mechanical pen - you can use a smaller mechanical pen than 0.5 mm, I used what I had.
2. a plastic credit card or other type of card
3. regular scotch tape or electrical tape
4. lots of patience and a steady hand

I didnt use a fine tipped pliers with a smooth interior of the jaws because there was no space available.It was too thick.

STEP 1 - General straightening of the PINS

The aim of this step is to straighten all the pins in a general way. You dont aim for a final position of the pins. This will come later.

Note. If one of the pins is very bent, dont hesitate to bend the surrounding pins to get a better access to it. Be carefull in this case.

a) when straightening a pin you MUST insert the PIN all the way into the tip of mechanical pen, otherwise you'll end up with a pin in the shape of the letter "S"

b) after you insert the pin all the way into the tip of the mechanical pen, with a gentle motion you straighten the pin.

In my case I used a 0.5 mm mechanical pen which has a larger diameter tip than the pin I was straightening. I had to feel the moment when the pin made contact with the inside wall of the tip of the mechanical pen and then start applying force.

OBS. In some cases you can use a medical needle with a larger diamenter which could fit snuggly on the pins.



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/1xec9e0w2/7cfe2530/

STEP 2 - The use of a template to straighten the PINS

On the internet the general recomandation is to use a credit card or a metalic ruller to straighten the bent pins.

BUT what do you do when all the pins are bent and twisted? Your eyes can do only so much.

EASY! You dismantle a CPU socket from a donor motherboard OF COURSE

By luck I had a beaten up socket 3 motherboard which already had a broken sliding plastic socket cover and I put it to good use.

NOTE. After the general straightening of the pins in STEP 1, dont rush to press the CPU into the socket cover or into a good CPU socket. Use the mechanical pen to straighten the pins some more and starting from one side, try to GENTLY insert the CPU into all the holes. You may repeat several times the procedure of straightening the pins and trying to insert the CPU into the socket cover/ socket. BE GENTLE or you'll damage something.

NOTE. If you have a good motherboard, be VERY carefull when you try to remove the plastic socket cover because the plastic is OLD and brittle. Common sense and the use of appropriate tools will guard you from problems See the K6-2 bent PINS straightening guide below



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/1nvsn4byw/0d41faec/

STEP 3 - THE USE OF THE CREDIT CARD (or equivalents)

In the case of the 4x86 socket 3 bent pins problems I estimated by eye that the width between the pins is three times the width of a credit card.

So I cut three pieces from the card and taped them together.

After the CPU was inserted into the plastic socket cover I used this tool to straighten the pins some more. I started slow with a gentle lateral movement and moved it into a rectangular pattern row by row, column by column.

NOTE.Ideally the rounded edges of the card are the leading edge, as they will slide easily between pins.

In the end I saw that this tool I used was slightly wider than the width of the pins, but because the pins are elastic it allowed me to better bend them into shape.



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/1bin5jes8/48dfef07/

STEP 4 - FINE TUNING

If you have followed the instructions underlined into the steps above you'll see that your CPU will fit into a CPU socket even if you'll have to use a little bit of force.

Start gently from one side and try to fit the CPU into the socket. Sometimes it will drop in like a rock on the first try but usually it wont, so if you dont succede then it is TIME FOR FINE TUNING. DONT USE FORCE!

FINE TUNING means using your eyes and the mechanical pen to align the pins really well.

I recommend this step called FINE TUNING regardlessly because it will ensure you'll have a proper CPU ready to be inserted in any socket.



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/2q912eubm/8190e5e8/

OBS:

a) There are diferences between socket 3 motherboards. In some, your "repaired" CPU will fit and in other it wont. DONT USE GORILLA POWER use FINE TUNING instead and straighten the pins some more. It will only hurt your eyes Trust me...

b) Some old CPU's have a collar like bump on some CPU pins. Dont get alarmed that your CPU wont fit all the way into the socket. It is NORMAL. Please dont use a hammer
Some socket 3 motherboards have a number of bigger holes into the CPU socket that will allow the CPU to be inserted all the way in. Some dont have these bigger holes.

c) When I compared a CPU with pins straightened by me with one of my GOOD CPU's, I was amazed to see that my GOOD CPU was in much worse shape than the one I fine tuned

d) In the case of the pins which are bent into the shape of the letter "S" try to straighten them as much as possible. In some circumstances you wont be able to make them very straight but if the CPU will fit into the socket, leave them be, or you might break them. In some cases I used a fine tipped pliers with smooth interior of the jaws to straighten this kind of bent pins but it was a little nerve-racking. Especially if the pins are finer.

e) CPU sockets are pretty permisive and will allow the insertion of CPU's which arent in an IDEAL condition

The PINS proved pretty resistant and in the end I obtained the RESULT I was looking for

I managed with 168 pins, WILL I succede with 321?!??!!?

AMD K6-2 - Bent CPU pins repair

In essence you have to apply the same steps like in the case of the 4x86 CPU but with some recommendations

1. The width of the credit card was enough to straighten the pins once I put the CPU into the plastic socket cover.

2. The socket 7 plastic cover is more flexible that the socket 3 one, so the danger of breakage is greater.

3. GREAT CARE MUST BE TAKEN when removing the socket 7 CPU plastic cover. Use something narrow and strong like the blade in the picture.BE CAREFULL NOT TO CUT THE PLASTIC! After you have gently inserted the blade into one side of the plastic socket cover, apply a gentle force and once you see the cover moving away from the retaining hook STOP and go to the next position. When you finished one side, use a fine screwdriver and again GENTLY try to lift the cover. Now it will separate easily.

In my case I didnt have the luxury of a broken socket 7 motherboard and I had to canibalize a GOOD one My LuckyStar 5V-1A VER. 2.0 was really LUCKY! It received a good socket cleaning too

4. FINE TUNING FINE TUNING AND A LOT OF PATIENCE.

5. In the case of the socket 7 CPU's I could also straighten the pins without the help of the plastic CPU socket cover. I used only the credit card. The DOWNSIDE is that the pins are more than the socket 3 ones and it's not soo easy to see the lines. This puts more stress on the eyes.

In the end all the CPU's survived



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/1ejkcr9nc/73f01eba/



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/2sozdad20/785c793d/



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/1vqnya7eq/8b3bf0aa/



Later I saved more CPU's: a couple K6-2 CPU's, a Cyrix and a Pentium 133 MHz After this experience I never found older CPU's in the local flea market. So I'll catalogue this period into the section of SPECIAL ENCOUNTERS - Fallout style

Slowly but surely we are nearing the end of my adventures. There is one episode left and maybe I'll put some pics with my current system which for sure will be a keeper and a LANDMARK of the GOOD OLD DAYS!!!

Enjoy!

Because the last post was about restoring components to their former glory or at least to functioning order, when I found in my picture collection these images of the Matrox MGA-Millenium II - 4MB I wanted to upload them.

The first time I first saw the Matrox MGA-Millenium II - 4MB , which I bought during a bulk sale, I new I liked it a lot It was complete with the add-on card and it looked pretty awesome for the year 1995

I inspected the patient and it showed lots of rust on the video connectors but to add assault to injury I saw that the graphic chip had a few twisted and bent PCB connectors. Good thing I didn't test it this way.

First I used some 1000 grit sandpaper to remove much of the rust and in some areas I had to scrape it off with a fine screwdriver as it was real deep. In the end after a good bath with isopropyl alcohol 99% it came out gorgeous Later when I dealt with rust on other graphic cards I used an auto liquid rust remover with a small rag or I immersed in the solution the rusted metal parts.

For the PCB connectors of the graphic chip I used a small needle and I managed to pull a little to the exterior two of the connectors and then straighten them as much as possible. Afterwards I spread the connectors until there was no contact between them. They were soft and the chances to damage them further was pretty high so in the end I decided that I did as much as I could. They survived the ordeal

When you buy older cards be very careful and look closely for missing components(capacitors, small PCB components, etc) or any other visual damage because the cards might have been stacked or tossed in a container by the previous owner/owners or were stored incorrectly. Don't get fooled by the good looks of the card as they can be deceiving

After I washed really well the card with isopropyl alcohol 99% even if it was spotless I wanted to make a test. I used a white rag with some isopropyl alcohol 99% and rubbed really well the PCI connector. To my surprise it was still dirty If you think your S**T is clean THINK AGAIN!

I tested this card last year on the 5x86 build and it ran flawlessly



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/36vixmcd4/4f27df7c/

 

[lagginswag]

Awesome. I have a pentium 3 550 (as well as think a 366) on a abit bx6 256mb ram, creative awe64 ISA soundcard, diamond stealth iii s540 as well as an old celeron 466mhz emachines etower, lol. Gave the geforce2 mx 400 to a friend that i used in both of these old systems. Still have mad love and respect for the classic 90s computers

 

[Robert B]

How I clean and store my stuff

Cleaning and caring for my parts is a very involved process. The moment I aquire something and IT'S MINE I want it to bee in as good as possible shape. This means that if there are issues with the part these will most certainly be addressed before beeing placed in a clean container

All parts will be cleaned thoroughly. Damaged pieces will be rebuilt or replaced. Missing components will be found and mounted.

1. Cleaning my parts.

Until last year when I didnt have such a big collection, cleaning my parts was a very straight forward job. I used a regular,SOFT, animal hairs,painting brush or cotton earbuds with a mild alcohol solution and I just cleaned as well as I could the surface dirt or dust. Mind though that these parts were not the result of dumpster diving or buying from the internet.

After my first bulk buy when I was confronted with at least 20+ pieces in various states of dirtiness I KNEW I HAD TO DO SOMETHING.

I searched the internet and got a few pointers To them I added my personal touch (as allways)...

In general cleaning of the parts presented in the posts above went thorough these steps:

a) full or partial disassembly
b) dry cleaning and/or using some kind of liquid
c) final assembly

Sometimes each of these principal steps was comprised from other smaller steps depending of the situation. For example final assembly couldnt be completed before some of the cleaned parts werent rebuilt or restored to their original state.

Dry cleaning my parts meant the use of the following tools:

1. Brushes of varying sizes and composition - regular painting brushes made from animal hairs, used toothbrushes - I prefer the Colgate SlimSoft toothbrush. Sometimes I had to trim the brush at an angle to get better access. Sometimes I had to bend the head of a toothbrush for easier usage.
2. Cotton earbuds
3. If available, a small air compressor - luckily, my father bought years ago a 1.5HP air compressor, which I took out of storage and put it to good use

When I had to resort to deep cleaning my components I used:

Isopropyl Alcohol 99% - THE BEST THERE IS. The first time I used this alcohol I was put away by the strong smell. I had to use it in well ventilated areas and after some time I really started to enjoy the smell NO I'm not addicted it's just that I know that after this step my parts will be SPARKLING.

In my point of view, you simply should use isopropyl alcohol because its safer for your parts speaking in terms of home usage.

When I first started thinking about washing my components I even EXPERIMENTED with regular water and distiled water, together with some mild dishwasher detergent (Fairy) or strong detergent (Ariel). At first the results were promising BUT after drying you could see small traces of some kind or mineral deposits on the surface of the solder. These mineral deposits could be removed with a cotton earbud. On the local forum where I posted my stuff one guy said that in some given circumstances these mineral deposits can lead to a short and PUFF bye bye sweet PC component. The problem is that these mineral traces can be formed under the surface mounted chips and they cannot be seen.

I DO NOT RECOMEND USING WATER IN ANY FORM TO WASH YOUR ELECTRONIC PC COMPONENTS! - this is a fair warning. You can find on youtube videos with people washing motherboards from old arcade machines and they still work, BUT I just wouldnt feel safe, based on my personal experience, to wash my parts using water, EVEN IF you leave them to dry a long time afterwards.

In two instances I used water with Ariel detergent to clean well some of the ceramic CPU I found at the local flea market. They were YUCKY and NASTY. The results were very good.

When I found that the heatspreader on the K6-2 CPU's was not glued on the entire circumference I knew that I should STOP using water. In the end the two AMD K6-2 CPU's I washed with water survived. As a precaution I used a syringe with isopropyl alcohol 99% to drip a small amount in the places I could see an opening when I put the CPU against a source of light. This way I could see the alcohol going though one side and coming through the other LIVE AND LEARN!

When I cleaned my cables I had one nasty 40 PIN cable which I wanted to dump. It even had a missing connector. I said to my self I have nothing to lose and left it over night in water with detergent. It came out sparkling

I used water and detergent to wash the dirty and nasty heatsinks.

I even used medical alcohol but i didnt like the results. After drying there were many spots on the surfaces.



So we've established that you should use ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL 99%(for better results).

Steps after you have partially or totaly disassembled the parts you want to clean:

1. Place your component at an angle - sometimes you have to protect the part using a piece of cardboard or a piece of cloth to prevent scratches or other kind of damage. Sometimes I used a mosquito mesh.
2. Spray the isopropyl alcohol using a window washing liquid container or other similar tool. The finer the mist the better. Also this way you use less isopropyl alcohol. Before spraying the alcohol I experimented using a brush and a cup with isopropyl alcohol. This was a disaster because each time you dipped the brush in the cup you would contaminate the alcohol and in the end you would return the dirt back to its place. So SPRAY THE ALCOHOL.
3. After soaking the component and leave some of the isopropyl alcohol drain use a brush and SOFLTY clean the entire board. BE GENTLE!
4. Another HEAVY SPRAY of isopropyl alcohol with the part placed at an angle.
5. Let it drain. To speed the process first I used an air compressor(be carefull with the distance from which you use it) but afterwards I SIMPLY took the component in my hand an shook it against a wall until I didnt see any drops forming. DONT HIT THE WALL (I NEVER hit a wall this way) BE CAREFULL!
6. Let it dry completely.

OBS. Sometimes you have to repeat more times the process of brushing and washing with isopropyl alcohol until you get the desired results



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/2tg07ztvs/f9045df2/

SAFETY GEAR USED

When I first started cleaning my parts I was a little bit paranoid and used safety glasses, gloves and a breathing mask.
Later, I only used gloves when I had to deal with a lot of isopropyl alcohol.
As I used less and less the air compressor there was no need for a breathing mask.
All the cleaning took part outside in spring or summer.

Now you have a very clean PC component.



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/31zzqr4lu/732122f8/

If you really want to get even better results use a cotton earbud dipped in isopropyl alcohol and clean even better all the nook and crannies then wash again the part with a heavy spray of isopropyl alcohol.

Sometimes the component connector: ISA, PCI, AGP, etc must be thoroughly cleaned even after repeated washes with isopropyl alcohol. Use a soft pieces of cotton cloth.

Warning!

Labels based on paper will be damaged by isopropyl alcohol.

Sometimes ink stamped marking will be removed.
Writing on the labels of some RAM sticks was removed.
NOTE. Labels on newer components werent affected.

OBS.
In some instances I used vinegar 9% alcohol made from grapes, to clean some heatsinks and plastic PC case componets. In some instances I immersed the parts in water with a part of vinegar.
I used CIF cream to clean the surface of some dirty PC cases. BE CAREFULL as the plastic particles CAN remove decals or screenprinted logos!
REMOVING RUST: I used fine sandpaper for heavy corrosion or auto rust remover.



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/1fyo4z9ci/0416e548/

All in all I used under 5L of isopropyl alcohol to wash my parts. Motherboards took greater quantities. After I resorted to the sparying of isopropyl alcohol the consumption went down. I didnt keep track of how many liters I bought but under 5L for sure. Anyway I wasnt beening stingy with the stuff

2. Storing my stuff

When I saw that my collection is getting bigger I new I had to do something regarding storage.

I wanted to keep the footprint as small as possible.

For the storage of PC components I resorted to:

1. Retail boxes - IF AVAILABLE
2. Antistatic bags
3. Cardboard boxes

Given the fact that much part of my collection is comprised from graphic adapters and because I didnt have so many antistatic bags I resorted to storage in cardboard boxes, but with a twist. I used a thick cardboard sheet to stack the parts on top of each other while at the same time I wanted to keep them as level as possible. Due to their age some older parts were already warped but with patience I managed to stack them nicely.

HDD's are kept only in plastic containers or antistatic bags.

RAM stick are sorted in antistatic bags.

All cables are catalogued and kept in ONE big BOX.

CPU's are kept in a small box carefully stacked - pins between pins or in plastic containers.

The soundcards are few and I keep them in a box with a sheet of A4 paper between them.

Misc stuff is stored in boxes too. Mice, floppy disks, USB FDD's, ODD, HDD PCB's, etc.

All the parts are in the boxes you see in the pictures and they occupy a small area which is covered by a piece of cloth. Rougly 1m/0.6m.

Completed builds are kept in plastic bags with small holes made underneath for ventilation, and are covered by a piece of cloth.



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/1twbtl1xu/c30fb0cc/

This way the parts are destined for LONG TERM STORAGE or as they say kept in SUSPENDED ANIMATION

This was a HELL OF A RIDE and I hope you enjoyed these stories.

I still have some stuff to post, my current PC, built in 2011 , a troublesome Enermax PSU, etc......but that's later.

 

[Robert B]

After all the builds and cleanup of various components I remained without something to do. Soooooo today I went to the local flea market. This was one of the few visits made this year. Something was pulling me out of the house. Follow me said a wisper to my brain. Join ussssssssssssss...............

Before leaving the house I set my mind to FIND A RIVA 128ZX and a TNT2.

I spent about one hour there and I found something nice - each piece was about 1.2 EUR - MEGA CHEAP!

1. Elsa Victory ERAZOR/LT 8SD - AGP nVidia RIVA 128ZX 8MB
2. Elsa ERAZOR II-A16 - AGP nVidia TNT 16 MB some ceramic capacitors missing but nothing that I CAN'T FIX
3. Matrox G4+M4A16DG - AGP Matrox G400 16MB

Next week full disassembly, cleanup and other misc stuff I'm still debating if I will remove the glued heatsinks. We'll see....

So in the end I found a RIVA 128ZX and a TNT - not bad at all The G400 was bought because of the Matrox name

Next on my list are a proper TNT2 and a V1.

More later.



gallery : https://postimg.cc/gallery/2mduz39z8/

I made one attempt to unglue the heatsinks using the freezer method followed by a good dose of isopropyl alcohol but NO DICE! There was a ton of thermal glue used so for the time beeing they will stay in place. I'll try other method at a later date.Maybe the canned spray method suggested by the Jade Falcon.



All in all it was smooth sailing. The only problem was the Elsa ERAZOR II-A16 - AGP nVidia TNT 16 MB. Upon close inspection, I saw that there were four missing ceramic capacitors and one memory chip was damaged. The SMD took a masive hit with something sharp. Probably beeing tossed around with other of her sisters. The hit took out a neighbouring ceramic capacitor too. While soldering new ceramic capacitors isnt a big deal I also found that the solder pads on the PCB were broken and the pins cannot be straightened without desoldering the memory chip. At the moment I dont have a hot air SMD rework station and I put the card into my spare parts box. The good news is that half of the solder pad on the pcb isnt detached and I might revive the card at a later date. The bracket was put to good use and completed the Elsa Victory ERAZOR/LT 8SD - AGP nVidia RIVA 128ZX 8MB. In the last picture there are the two pads that broke off.



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/dqnc5rba/788d2b6f/

When i bought the card I didnt see the damaged memory chip, only the missing ceramic capacitors.....let's move along.

Next on my list was a deep cleaning with 99% isopropyl alcohol.



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/1bjxtqt04/39433d50/

The ELSA bracket was rusty and the Matrox one was dull and lost its shine. In the past I used to remove rust by sanding with fine grit sandpaper and a liquid auto rust remover. This time I wanted to try something new and buffed the brackets using a felt wheel and a fine buffing compound. They came out SHINY LIKE NEW!




gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/nbb4rqci/bcc10711/

All squaky clean ready to be added into my collection

1. Elsa Victory ERAZOR/LT 8SD - AGP nVidia RIVA 128ZX 8MB



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/2ix2ku7ri/39cdea76/

2. Matrox G4+M4A16DG - AGP Matrox G400 16MB



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/u9r8bey4/19edea20/

Shining...



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/12q5gfu8e/fdb61e91/

 

[Robert B]

I didnt buy something hardware related for some time and I didnt feel the "urge" to go so often to the flea market as I used to, either.

The few visits to the flea market were disappointing and they only strengthened my resolve to not buy parts that were tossed in non descript boxes together with God knows what, including the kitchen sink! . The effort needed to restore them to their initial glory would be too great and besides, my stash has plenty of pieces that can take me on a trip down on memory lane....

Last sunday though, I felt the bug bitting my "computer geek" (or spider) senses .

Early in the morning I went to buy some bread and some beer and I was planning to go afterwards to the flea market. So first I went shopping On the return trip home I slipped on the ice and for the first time in years and years I was lying on the sidewalk on my back with all my 1.83 m height spreaded nicely The fall wasnt hard because I felt I was falling and left myself fall. The shopping bag though had taken a hit and I registered a casualty of two combatants aka rwo beers plus a fresh bread!

I heard some passer-by saying: look the beer bottles have broken, like that was more important than my well beeing ...

I "collected" myself from the ground and went home with MINUS two beers and a bread the I gave away to some gypsies.

After a second trip to buy more beer and another bread , I took the car and went to the flea market. It was almost closing time.

I payed the entrance fee that goes to charity about 0.25 EUR and started browsing the merchandise

First I found an Asus K8N socket 754 nforce 3 250 motherboard with a Sempron 64 CPU which I didnt buy because it was tossed in a crate with other stuff and I really didnt want to inspect all that PCB only to find out that it misses some components. Besided I dont buy newer parts unless I know they are working. Newer parts are always more sensible than pre 2000 stuff.

I was ready to leave the flea market but I saw a good looking motherboard on a piece o cloth. The first thing that attracted me was the shinning gold heatsink complete with the retaining clips. For me it was obvious that the heatsink was destined for a regular ceramic type CPU and it was the reason that I wanted to buy the motherboard. Such clips are hard to find.

Upon closer inspection I was surprised to see that laying on the ground was an almost complete socket 7 PC!

Hmmmm....good stuff, good stuff indeed!

So with the astronomical sum of around 7 EUR I bought these goddies:

1. Acorp 5VX32 Rev 1.1 Motherboard
2. Intel Pentium MMX 200MHz SL26J CPU
3. Some SDRAM
4. IDE Cable, 5.25,3.5 Floppy cable, paralel and PS/2 cable, Serial cables
5. CPU heatsink
6. Goldstar CRD-8240B (CP1) - CDROM
7. Sony MP-F17W-59D - FDD
8. S3 Virge PCI - VGA - Sparkle SP-325A Rev. A
9. Acorp-970 PCI LAN card

The seller even wanted to give me free of charge a Samsung IDE DVD writer and three mice, but I said no because the DVD unit was rusty and the mice needed to much work to restore.

The parts seem to have come from a '97-ish Compaq system.



Next on my list was detailed cleaning. I presented above how I clean my stuff so no mysteries here

I took apart all the components and washed them with 99% isopropyl alcohol. GOOD STUFF!

Its winter where I live so the washing outside was more challenging. Also I was blessed with a little sun so my pictures came out nice.

The motherboard came out GREEN like in EVERGREEN or ENVY GREEN




gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/2tnpdkv36/

The CD-ROM unit was dirty and I washed all the metal and plastic parts with water an detergent. The PCB was washed with isopropyl alcohol and the inside mecanism was cleaned with a brush. Surprisingly it wasnt so dirty like the outside.

NOTE the loose ball bearing centering mechanism. I didnt see something like this until now




gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/1t5so41ku/

The FDD wasnt so dirty on the outside. The inside was another story. I tried to take it all apart but I gave up and just stripped some parts and washed the entire thing with isopropyl alcohol. Next came some fine cleaning with a brush and cotton sticks. In the end it came out pretty well.





gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/1p4ix3p6c/

All the moving parts from the CD-ROM unit and FDD drive that were washed will be lubed with Liquy Molly silicone grease . Especially the CD-ROM tray, gears and moving parts of the FDD. I will use a small quantity of grease.



The cables were also dirty and after a test I made last year with a IDE cable that washed in hot water with detergent came out sparkling, I decided to wash them also. Only the PS/2 connector-cable was removed and all other cables were washed with hot water and detergent. Some rinsing required They came out like new! The connectors will also be washed with isopropyl alcohol.




gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/2eo0qc9b4/

The PS/2 connector-cable was washed with isopropyl alcohol.

A few weeks ago I stumbled on a Geforce 4 4200 Ti - Leadtek Winfast A250 64MB LE Its state is unknown. I changed four capacitors and a Conexant component was damaged so I removed it. I'll test this puppy later but my gut feeling says its just decoration. Anyway I dig the heatsink





gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/3ai3rhxlu/

Next episode will be with pictures of all the pieces plus a test of the CD ROM unit and FDD.

More later...BEER ASSISTANT!!!!! time for a refreshing cold one!

Highlits: Steaming hot and ripple in the izopropil alcohol lake



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/2142pnk50/

Wicked track:

 

[Robert B]

This post is not about a very old PC component or peripheral but we're getting there

My trusty Logitech MX518 mouse was suffering from the peeling of the rubberized lateral surfaces and the wear of the top cover.

Because it's still going strong even if it was purchased in 2008 or 2009 I wanted to prolong his life/agony

This post is not about a very old PC component or peripheral but we're getting there

My trusty Logitech MX518 mouse was suffering from the peeling of the rubberized lateral surfaces and the wear of the top cover.

Because it's still going strong even if it was purchased in 2008 or 2009 I wanted to prolong his life/agony

Full disassmebly.

Dry and wet sanding with 400 and 1000 grit paper.

The removal of the rubberized surface took a lot of elbow grease. The top coat gave up easily but the undercoat took sanding, hot water, isopropyl alcohol and a small dose of paint stripper to remove (dont use much a it can damage the plastic). It was a PITA

Three layers of auto silver flake paint SINTO brand.

Three layers of clear coat KOBER brand.

I didnt use primer even if I had it, for fear that the primer+paint+clear coat would make the parts too thick to put back together.

Buffing of the aluminium Logitech Logo until it was like glass Originally it was held by a thin double sided tape but I didnt have the correct thickness in stock so I used a two parts transparent glue from BISON.

It came out pretty well for my first try

One of the most tedious jobs was to remove the skates. I managed to damage one but I glued back the adhesive part with the teflon part

Home I use a Logitech G400 and at work I use the MX518 I LOVE THE SHAPE. Too bad I cant find it in stock now...

No I'm not gaming at work, at least not usually

Today I took some pictures for the last episode: How I clean and store my stuff. As soon as I can I'll post the story

I searched through my picture collection and I'll post some stuff after the last episode.

More later.



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/1tpzogwle/84a35ebc/

So this about covers it - the thread will be updated when I find/restore/buy more stuff

 

[Robert B]

Ladieeeessssss and geneeeeeeeeeeetlemen (announcer type shout),

I present to you the finished results

1. The complete socket 7 cooler

When I was at the flea market, this puppy was the main reason that made me to take a look at the motherboard and the other pieces of hardware. It was shining like a diamond in the goats ass .

The first thing I did after I bought the heatsink and fan combo was to test it. I didnt like the sound of the fan because it was making a little noise, so with herculean power I ripped the wires off and dumped the smelly rotten fan into the trash bin. BIG MISTAKE!!!! A few days later I started to clean the parts thoroughly and I took a fresh 50 mm fan from my stash and tried to assemble the now clean gold heatsink. ?!?!?!??!?^#*^!^#*!^ the damn thing wouldnt FIT!!!

What could be wrong??? I tried to enlarge the holes of the 50 mm fan but NO DICE!!!

Without the fan, the four retaining clips simply fell off.

It became obvious that the fan was an odd size.

Hastily I calculated what day it was because on Thursadys the garbage truck comes and takes out the trash and THANK GOD it wasnt a trash day (literaly).

So with a pair of long gloves a big piece of cardboard here I was sifting the trash. There were three possible bins....

Luck was with me and in a matter of minutes I was rewared with the smelly rotten fan that I dumped a few days earlier YAY!!!!

I cleaned the fan really well and soldered the wires back. I made a concotion of a very small bead of silicone grease and thin oil and I greased the fan.

I tested again the fan and it was silent. Why did I dumped it in the first place? Hmmmm I have no explanation

This heatsink was used on the black plastic Intel Pentium MMX 200MHz SL26J CPU from the pictures bellow but I think it was destined for flat ceramic CPU and not for plastic ones. I tested it with a ceramic Intel Pentium CPU and it fit like a glove.

I also measured the fan and it was 45 mm x 45 mm. So not a common size fan. The quirks of ancient electronics



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/1l2uqbxnu/

2. Acorp 5VX32 Rev 1.1 Motherboard

The motherboard was in great shape. I simply did my magic and I was rewarded with something bling bling I'm such an offensive thing You MUST see me!

I really like the green colour.

After I cleaned it, I saw that at some point it was repaired and a FET transistor was replaced. The repair was pretty well done. Some marks remained on the PCB but the sodler job was pretty professional.

The motherboard was without jumpers. Why do people take away these jumpers I really dont know. You cannot use them for something else ... the mysteries of the human mind Maybe the one that took them was jumper starved and he really needed some iron and some plastic to supplement his diet....

I didnt find a manual for this motherboard. The one that can be found online it is for another model or revision. On ebay I found another ACorp 5VX32 motherboard with an Intel 166 MMX CPU and from the pictures I determined the jumper locations/settings.







gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/2hsx02xaw/

3. Intel Pentium MMX 200MHz SL26J CPU

It reminds me of my Celeron 366A black plastic my first Intel CPU.



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/3ehf5wkym/

4. S3 Virge PCI - VGA - Sparkle SP-325A Rev. A

In great shape.

It begs for a VooDoo setup



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/wekb0kyg/

5. Acorp-970 PCI LAN card

Nothing fancy but it's nice it has the same name as the motherboard.



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/cy9ukycg/

6. Goldstar CRD-8240B (CP1) - CD-ROM

The unit had a few plastic pieces broken and I took my time and glued them back together.

This CD-ROM completed the 5x86 build , the one that started all this madness . Back in 1998 two years after I received the 5x86, I bought an LG/Goldstar CRD-8160B CD-ROM, so this Goldstar CRD-8240B is as close as it gets, for the recreation of my first PC. The Sony 52x was kind of new from the other components.

I still havent fully tested the unit, but the led lights up and the tray opens and closes nicely.

I had to replace the rubber belt with another that I had in my box of spare parts. I also cleaned the belt well to prevent slipping. With the original belt sometimes the door didnt open.

I have to buy fresh rubber belts just in case


gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/mzzczq5w/

7. Sony MP-F17W-59D - FDD

Super clean but untested. I'm sure that it will work.

*** X-RAY PICTURES **** for your viewing pleasure



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/xy72tuzc/

MORE LATER....

 

[Robert B]

L.E. - even if in my posts, some pictures appear with a RED X or just IMG, they are still clickable and available.

Enjoy.

 

[phanbuey]

this is awesome....

 

[Steevo]

That Acorp-970 also has twinax, and all of this is freaking awesome!!!!

http://www.dansdata.com/thunderbird.htm

Also, any plans to overclock?

 

[Robert B]

I also like the Acorp-970. The only one I have in my stash.

I've seen the dansdata site. Pretty awesome stuff back in the day

I had thought of OC'ing the K7's but I dont have Goldfinger device and a suitable motherboard. The motherboard I have is bare bones literally No OC featurea at all.

The CPU-s are ready for OC'ing I made sure of that

 

[t_ski]

No VESA Local Bus video cards?

I had a ISA video card back in the day that had socketed ram chips on it. Every now and then I would turn on the PC, only to get the "bad video ram" beeps (IIRC, one long, eight short). I would cuss, shut off the PC, pull out the video card and squeeze all the ram chips back into the sockets, then pop it back in the rig and try again. Eventually I think I started giving them a squeeze whenever I was in the PC for any kind of maintenance. Good times...

 

[Robert B]

No VESA Local Bus cards at all. But who knows maybe that will change in the future My first contact with anything PC related was with a 4x86 DX2 66MHz playinf DOOM at a friends house, so normally older stuff is just a curiosity for me.

The only motherboard with VESA slots I have it's unfortunately damaged and incomplete. The seller who gave it to me as a bonus said he had 40 KG+ of motherboards that he took to the recycling center for gold recovery........that made me quite angry.....

I've only seen one VESA graphic card on the local OLX site and it was in rough shape. Just a long, crusty, banged up, paper weight

Old computing = Fun times indeed all the possible quirks and problems. Anyway back then it was as good as it gets we didnt know anything better. Looking back today I think we were in the middle ages of computing. In high school we saw tape drives and perforated cards, ancient times indeed.....

I still rember the FUN I had when I took a game on 12 floppies only to find one bad, or I received a good ol' CRC error $&!#&!&~!!!!!! damn

 

[AhokZYashA]

amazing

 

[Robert B]

Glad you like it!

More will be available as I get more stuff. I really am trying not to save every piece I find. You really cant save them all...