I Finally Got a Socket 7 Motherboard !

[Ziggy587]

Success! I removed that inductor and shorted the pads, now everything seems to work as it should! Moreover, after booting to Windows 98 for the first time after shorting those pads, the Windows New Hardware Wizard found a bunch of stuff. The mouse, as you would expect, but also two comm ports and a printer port. Which I'm assuming are the two serial and one parallel port that this motherboard has. I guess that inductor was affecting those ports as well, and I just didn't know it yet since I haven't tried using them.

I've had the computer on for at least an hour now, and everything seems fine. I'm going to leave those pads shorted for now. But the next time I order stuff from DigiKey, I'll order a replacement inductor.

By the way, now that I can finally use it, here's the new keyboard...



I actually really like the detail in the top-right corner where the lock indicators are. That was something I couldn't make out in the eBay pictures (the seller didn't remove it from the plastic bag). Overall, I really like this keyboard. I did some typing on it. Mostly, "The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog." But for testing out keyboards, I also like to type, "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." It's OK to type that a few times in a row. At least until someone says, "Stop saying that!"

Here's something else I've noticed... It's been a long time since I've owned a computer that had an AT power supply (and not ATX). With an ATX power supply, when you select the shut down command the computer will automatically power itself off. But this is not true with an AT power supply. So you get this screen...



I haven't seen that screen since my Window 95 days! It really took me back. I was intending to solder in that ATX 20-pin connector so that I can use an ATX PSU without any adapters, but then this motherboard would power itself off automatically and I would miss that screen. So I don't know, I'll have to think about it, I might stick with the AT power connector adapter. It would be the only computer I own that I could see that screen.

[Anapan]

Some good addons in the 98SE Unofficial service pack:
https://www.htasoft.com/w98se.htm

[opa]

cool. glad it's working

[Ziggy587]

OK, so one problem fixed. Now onto a new problem!



I found a Sound Blaster 16 CT1740 on eBay for a decent-ish price (they go for what I would consider is stupid money) so I decided to pick it up. This was JUST before Anapan posted that he has one available (which I might have to get from him). But I'm having an issue with the card, the left channel is broken. It's extremely muffled, you can barely hear it with the volume on max.

So I'm trying to decide what I should do. The seller listed the card as good condition and working. So I have grounds to request a return. But really, I don't mind having to repair it. I'm a little more concerned with it that I was with the motherboard though, if the problem turns out to be something that I can't repair due to the price or availability of replacement parts (for example, if a proprietary Creative IC is blown out). I posted the issue on the Vogons forum to get their opinion on the repair.

I think I already mentioned that I used this motherboard to install Windows 98 SE. Even though I ultimately plan to use DOS with this computer, I'm using 98 right now to make it easier for me to test things with. Getting this card to work in Windows 98 has been a chore, and I'm not even sure I have the card set up to be fully functional. This is an ISA card that isn't plug and play. I tried several different install methods and drivers before I found something that works. Now in Device Manager, the card shows up as a Sound Blaster 16 and a gameport, and I can hear sounds such as the Windows start up sound. I can hear sound effects in games. But I can't hear any music in games. So I don't know if it's set up right or not.

Might be hard to tell in the top-down pic that I took of the card, but there is minor (easily repairable) damage. One jumper and a few caps are bent. Sometimes caps are installed bent, but I suspect that they got bent from a collision or something. There's also a few scratches on the back of the card. So most likely this card was stored in a box with other cards and parts. A pin header or PCI bracket from another card could have caused the scratches on the back. And the weight or collision from other carts bent the jumper and caps. Anyway, caps are cheap and easy to replace. In fact, I was most likely going to replace all of the electrolytic caps anyway. But I don't want to just yet. It's just that if I start messing with this card and then decide to return it, there might be evidence of my work in which case the seller has grounds to refuse my return. For all he knows, it might have been my work that caused the damage.

But it was a decent price. More that I really wanted to spend, but compared to what other SB16's are going for on eBay the price was OK. And sound cards of this age, or any hardware for that matter, I feel like it's just going to be semi-common (and more and more common as time goes on) to find issues like this that will require repairs. So I'm not at all upset by this, you have to sort of expect it. I also have fun troubleshooting and making the repairs. And I might learn a thing or two as well.

[Anapan]

My guess is that it's probably one or more bad caps, but resoldering the output ports is an easy place to attack first. I remember from experience that the volume potentiometers in these are rubbish and easily damaged, tho you're best to use the line out port as the built-in amplifier circuitry in these cards is notoriously noisy.

Also note that it has DSP 4.12 and is afflicted with the Note Hang Bug. It messes with the music in Doom and Duke Nukem 3D. I think it's only when using MIDI, not the built-in Yamaha FM chip, but still. You could emulate a Sound Canvas and feed the audio back in to your sound card to hear Doom with the same instruments Bobby Prince used to compose the soundtrack.

[Ziggy587]

I'm just trying to avoid any evidence of rework right now until I decide if I'm keeping it or trying to return it. But I realized I can at least probe the caps for resistance, if the legs are broken internally then they'll read open. Also got a suggestion on Vogons to test the opamps. There was actually a recent thread for the same card with the same problem and that's what it ended up being.

In regards to the hanging note bug, I've heard of it but admittedly didn't look into it deeply. When I saw this card for the price I decided to jump on it without investigating a lot. I'm planning on getting a DreamBlaster X2GS wave table, will the hanging note bug still exist if I'm using that? I may want to grab your CT1740 no matter what I end up doing.

[Anapan]

You should take any and all cards you might use in your builds. Better to have extras than lack as my collection shows.
The daughterboards will also suffer from the DSP bug. Nobody has a fix, best to just get a new, better card.
The later PCI Creative cards are actually better than their ISA cards - at least the ones with a real Yamaha FM chip. PNP through programs managing levels in dos is a pain, but expected and functional.
I've been strongly considering getting one of the new, better-engineered cards. I already have a couple of Serdashop Midi parts. The OPL3LPT is brilliant - works on even the most ancient luggables..
Orpheus would be so cool, but not necessary, my card is working perfectly...

[Ziggy587]

What do you guys think of this case?





I kind of like the shape of the power and reset buttons, and then how the power and HDD activity LEDs match it. While I like the way the case looks, I'm not 100% on it. I don't mind the yellowing, I can deal with that.

But it's missing all of the drive bay covers. Drive bay covers are specific to the case, they're not universal. And you would think that cheap dummy drive bays would be a thing, but they don't seem to be. I can fill them with drives, of course, but I'd rather not have more drives than what I was wanting to have. It looks like this case has 3x 5.25" and 2x 3.5" front bays. I can fill all but one 5.25" bay. I think I can make a dummy cover myself and have it look legit. So I guess I'm not super concerned about the fact that they're missing.

All of that said... It's not cheap! The seller offered me a discount, but with shipping it's still what I would consider very expensive for a used case. Now that said, cases haven't been exactly easy to find on eBay. And I don't really have much hopes for finding anything local (and I'd still probably have to pay an arm and a leg anyway). I can pass this one up and try and wait it out for something else. But at the same rate, I already let one slip by that I regret not purchases as it would have been near perfect.

So, what do you guys think of this case?

You should take any and all cards you might use in your builds. Better to have extras than lack as my collection shows.

I will definitely be PMing you soon!

[Ziggy587]

OK, now what do you think of THIS case...



Yes, it's black, but I can easily make it beige. And here's the thing, I can get it NEW for less money than the old used beat up case I just posted above. This case is no longer in production, but I can find it on eBay. It used to come in black or beige, but I can only find the black version for sale. But here's some stock photos of what the case looks like in beige...





I think in beige, it can easily pass for an early or mid 90's tower. Right? I just have to loose those front audio and USB ports. I can either get dummy plugs for them, or uninstall them and maybe put a sticker over the holes (like an odd shaped case badge).

Thoughts on this one?

[opa]

I like that one all right. I think having to fashion your own drive bay covers would be lame and a waste of time when you could get a complete case. Less headache.