Repairathon 2022: Trying to bring a 286 back to life

In this video I'm continuing my repairathon and will take a closer look at the Acer 286A mainboards. An unusual OEM board with an AMD 286 at 16MHz
Patreon:
/ necroware

[@computerguy096]

It can be tedious, but I managed to fix such angled memory slots by cutting one of those common SIMM socket pairs with a dremel in half and using them in place of the old angled ones. You will have to be patient, because the plastic starts melting quick and stick to the dremel disc, but it can be done.

[@cybercat1531]

Using a benchtop reciprocating saw also works, slow cutting works better since it avoids the melting.

[@computerguy096]

Yeah, provided you own one. The dremel is not the best idea, but it should be a more common tool in households.

[@Quickened1]

He stated exactly this in the video! That said, a good old hack saw blade will do the trick...

[@therealjammit]

I was thinking jewelers saw. There isn't much to cut through and wouldn't take long.

[@aCivilServant]

Although the Dallas DS1287 is a pain when it's batteries go flat, at least it doesn't spill corrosive acid all over the board and ruin it as was the case with so many 386 / 486 boards. Your replacement with a coin cell looks like a pretty neat solution too.

[@SobieRobie]

I remember a repair I done to the PC in my father's office back in the days. It was 286 hanging up randomaly. After ivestigation I found a simm module with a broken latch like yours. I made a repair using... a match. I become a computer hero ;)

[@BrianG61UK]

I repaired a couple by holding the DIMMs in place and squirting hot melt glue around where the clips were broken.

[@hicknopunk]

@@BrianG61UK 😲😲 I guess it worked though

[@BrianG61UK]

@@hicknopunk Yes it worked. It'd be quite hard work changing the DIMMs for different ones, but we didn't ever need to.

[@eletro_doc9529]

Ali stands for Acer laboratories! I'm blown away.

[@rubberduck4966]

The memory count was higher (896kB vs. 768kB) on your first power-up with vga - so i think that one of the memory modules is not recognized any more.

[@necro_ware]

It is, I activated BIOS shadowing in between. If one of the modules wouldn't be recognized, the board wouldn't POST at all, since each module is 8-bit and you need full 16-bit memory bandwidth (2 modules) for a 286.

[@albinklein7680]

The sound of the clean desoldering gun was super satisfying! Good job!

[@ms-dosman7722]

Maybe it's possible to cut those dual slots with a very hot metal wire, melting straight through the plastic? If you can keep it straight, that would create a very clean cut. Anyhow, nice repair job once again :)

[@JesperValentine]

You could also do it with a dremel cutting disc i think

[@SuperDavidEF]

@@JesperValentine That's probably what I would try first, unless OP has a good, precise hot knife that they're comfortable using.

[@nalinux]

@@JesperValentine Dremel tools run way too fast. They will melt plastic, unless you run them into water. done this with my small 3018 CNC. Works, but is a mess. Remember hand tools still exist :) Tiny blades also. You have full control. Much more than with an electric tool.

[@hicknopunk]

@@nalinux what if you freeze the plastic and the disc, then do it in small parts?

[@nalinux]

@@hicknopunk No idea. Someone must try :)

[@mattsword41]

thanks for the bit about maintainace of desoldering gun - it was interesting and not something I'd seen on other retro repair channels

[@timmooney7528]

1/3 of my board repair career was spent replacing the bad all-plastic sim slots with slots with metal clips. The other 2/3 was spent on replacing overheated OPTI controller chips, UARTS, and related serial port related circuits that suffered from lightning strikes.

[@rkurbatov]

Very interesting. I have two Penitum motherboards with such Dallas timers (recharged for sure), so I'm waiting for ordered PCBs with Necrotimers :) Will try to solder them soon.

[@tomekrv942]

Desoldering gun is a great toy. When I bought it I couldn't stop disassembling all old electronic that I found.

[@necro_ware]

LoL 😂 same here, I desoldered for two days as I got it

[@raddaks2039]

I always learn a lot with these videos. I didn't know Acer made chipsets back in the day. Cool stuff! And lots of great tips for desoldering, thanks!

[@kimurajustice]

Yes, I was waiting for it

[@NiTye357]

Love these types of videos & repair tips. Thanks.

[@poorlydrawnstickman1660]

I like the little history section and showing the cleaning of the desoldering iron! Keep up the great content.

[@RalonsoF1]

Super interesting! Thank you for your work, love it!

[@YarmouthHoops]

Awesome tip about the desoldering filter!! Thank you!!

[@Shmbler]

I used to do the wiggling until I tried Adrian's hot air method: After using the desoldering gun, apply a little bit of hot air for a few seconds (< 180°C even) and the part magicalls slips out without any force. I'm not sure what the physics are behind that phenomenon, but it always works for me.

[@tomasz89g]

Hi, that was a good video; I like the extra time and attention you gave to the process of soldering.

[@theSoundCarddatabase]

This was a nice watch. Thank you.

[@ChrisFredriksson]

Awesome video, long and relaxing, just following along. You got yourself another subscriber! 😃

[@Stratotank3r]

Good job as always!

[@matteoferrara2001]

Nice video, im waiting for the next one

[@RetroPeKar]

Когда послышались щелчки на тесте памяти -- круче любого ASMR ) Как всегда крутой ремонт, крутое видео )

[@dominikschutz6300]

There are SIMM sockets on ebay with metal clips from the US :)

[@ayan.debnath]

You are AWESOME!

[@VarionJimmy]

A tip for drying circuit boards is to dry them in the owen at about 60-70 degree Celsius. (120-160 F.) Leave the door/hatch a bit open and wait at least half an hour. Try a lower temperature if you are uncertain. Compressed air works too. Nice to see a 286 AMD. Never seen one before!

[@dooomer2006]

Thank you.We are waiting for a new video!

[@adamw.8579]

About unfamous Dallas RTC combos - they are obtainable but very expensive. While repairing this type boards (about year 2000) I separate battery from base of chip - upper layer was battery, lower layer is typical DIP IC. On one edge was wires going down to chip - GND was easy to locate with multimeter because is same as GND pin on socket. Next step was soldering wires and seating CR2032 socket on top with epoxy resin. After all soldering socket on PCB and reseat chip on it.

[@necro_ware]

Yes, I made couple of videos about this topic, but since I made my replacement module, I just use that.

[@gamefragments]

@12:11 thanks for mentioning to pay attention to chip orientation. Cool repair!

[@douro20]

The N80L286 is a special low-voltage 286. I added a Tusotek regulated DC-DC converter to my ZD-915 desoldering station to replace the resistor block which is connected to the fan and the vacuum pump. I turned up the current limit on it all the way and adjusted it for 12.6V. Now neither the pump nor the fan bog down when in use. I also upgraded the large capacitors in the power supply to 3300uF@35V Nichicon capacitors which I bought from a reputable seller. I also have a long drill which fits the diameter of the bore of the gun so I can drill out a hard clog if necessary.

[@necro_ware]

Yeah, I made a video about it a year or two ago.

[@osgrov]

Beautiful board, happy you got it working. :) I really like these old "budget" desktop boards. I like how simple they are, and the layout is nice and clean. This would make a lovely little 286 PC for someone, I'm sure! Would love to see a follow-up if you replace those SIMM sockets. That's something I probably wouldn't attempt myself, but if I had a video of you showing how to do it - maybe.. :)

[@WeedPatch71]

Good work!

[@user-zz4to5kq1q]

I work in the PC industry since 1987, I know these boards too!

[@artursmihelsons415]

Another great video and nice job! 👍 I don't use integrated desoldering pump at soldering station, but I'm using multiple soldering stations, wick, hot air and preheater.. Anyway, great tips!

[@winstonsmith478]

On the broken memory slot locking clips, I wonder if someone could come up with some 3D printed work-around which could be used on the broken slots and, thereby, not requiring their removal and replacement.

[@carlc.4714]

Oh I know that slot problem. 😢 Those pesky all-plastic RAM sockets... As a quick repair I soldered in the RAM into the sockets. 😂

[@hicknopunk]

🤣🤣

[@instorm6661]

That dallas chip has some missing legs, those legs are bent upwards connected to a battery.... if you break its plastic case you will find a 1216 battery (i think) inside it and soldered to those bent legs. You can cut it off and solder another battery tray for a 2516 there and use that same dallas chip normally, i've done it many many times.

[@kevin34ct]

With the old solder, you could get a solder pot and melt it in there. When I worked in electronics, we had one and we used it to tin wires. Dip the wire in flux then tin wires. Works great.

[@necro_ware]

I have a pot, I just schowed it on paper for the camera, because it's just looking nice :)

[@drPeidos]

I thought I was the only one to reuse solder :D Although it's a small quantity of solder, it's always good to the planet, I think.

[@hicknopunk]

In jail all you have is salvaged solder off of cd player boards and such. You solder with a pencil, wire and a power bar.

[@drPeidos]

@@hicknopunk Searched for "solder with a pencil, wire and a power bar", and it's possible! I did not know that. Interesting.

[@AsmodeusDeviluke]

I was able to find 1 supplier of the dual angled simm sockets with metal tabs, when repairing an AWE32 simm socket.

[@Bart1260]

Aaaah! Tseng ET4000!! ❤

[@enilenis]

My first computer was something like that. A fast 286 that could run surprisingly well - as fast as my friend's 386. Possibly I had a math co-processor and he didn't. I had the riser board. No sound card, just I/O and parallel port. The PC was extra slim. Smaller than a VCR. Good to know of this Dallas RTC replacement. On my 286 the chip was dead from the get go, and I had to type in BIOS values on every single bootup and soft-reset. Nothing would stay in the memory otherwise, but at least, the comptuer functioned that way. I have some Socket 7 motherboards, that are using the same RTC module. Those are still alive, even after 2 decades, but will need a replacement eventually. I'll go for your option.

[@necro_ware]

386SX (don't mix it with a 386DX) is essentially the same CPU as a 286. It comes with internally 32bit instructions, but still the same 16bit memory bandwidth. The 386SX is even slower clock for clock compared to the 286, because it brings slightly more overhead for some new features, like the full protected mode. So a 286 is a great competitor against a 386SX, but will totally loose against 386DX, which is a real 32bit CPU and is a lot faster.

[@matthewrichardson2467]

Hi Mr Necroware, I always look forward to seeing your name pop up in my subscriptions! I wanted to ask, do you do your voiceovers live or do you record them after? It's so clear sounding I guess post production but then you're in sync with what you're doing so much you have me stumped!

[@necro_ware]

Hi, it's a mix. My camera has no external mic connection, so I record my voice separately and add it later again when I edit the video. Sometimes I decide to explain something more detailed, then I record the voice and add it in post production too. I have to admit, that making the video takes by far more time, than the repair itself :) But I'm still trying to get better.

[@jernejloknar8011]

A well intended suggestion: please wrap your power cable switch into something so it cannot move and short-circuit something.

[@necro_ware]

No risk, no fun ;)

[@arfurmo8844]

You might be able to split the double ram sockets into two single ones using a fine (60 tpi) dovetail razor saw. The blades are very thin and may fit in the existing partial gap between the two sections.

[@JD3Gamer]

A desoldering gun was the best purchase I made for electronics repair.

[@tw11tube]

These low-angle sockets with plastic clips are also a common problem on the AWE32 series Soundblaster cards. For an ISA card to not exceed the distance to the next slot, you need the modules to be laying down that flat, so putting in 45° or 90° instead of the 30° sockets is only an option if you sacrifice the next slot.

[@necro_ware]

I used 90° slots on a AWE32 with some very low memory modules. That is still low enough to fit normally between two slots.

[@vorlonempire6954]

With the desoldering gun keep the trigger pressed for a split second after pulling away from the board. That way all the molten solder "should" be pulled into the glass tube and not be given a chance to solidify in the element section.

[@necro_ware]

Yes, of course, but if the filter and the tube are already clogged, the gun doesn't develop enough underpressure in the tube and then it doesn't play a role anymore what you do, the solder risks to remain in the tip. I usually clean the tube after every desoldering to avoid such problems, but sometimes when I do a lot of rework I have to clean it in between too.

[@MarcoGPUtuber]

Doing God's work.

[@tahustvedt]

Desoldering guns are nice when they work, but man they can be a pain too.

[@ruben_balea]

You can put zip ties around the modules and under the remains of the connectors, it's not the most elegant solution but it works, unless you want to use a transparent case for that motherboard it doesn't matter too much. And if you're not short of SIMM modules you can convert the ones you will use with this board to SIPP, it would be easy to do using a strip of machined male-male pin headers instead of loose pins like the original SIPP's had. To me machined round pins seem to make better contact than square pins, although it may just give me that feeling because they fit tighter ;-)

[@MonochromeWench]

Dallas RTCs may be an annoyance when the battery dies but at least they don't leak and destroy boards

[@AncapDude]

You should really launch a shop for all your awesome drop-in replacements and custom adapters.

[@necro_ware]

Unfortunately it's economically impossible in Germany. I tried, but after learning the laws I dropped the idea. Small electronic business is made intentionally impossible by the big companies here to kill every possibility for competition from startups. If they are a good idea made for a big market, they forced to cooperate with big companies and, if a startup is not meant to be interesting for a wider range of customers, then it shouldn't even appear. So, this means no shop for me.

[@AncapDude]

@@necro_ware Maybe you need an anarchist reseller like me who doesn't care of laws and sucking big tech. At least I would buy some for my own. Please write me at whk ups gmx ups de. Thanks.

[@necro_ware]

You are of course free to produce and sell all those parts. They are open source and many people sell those on ebay and other platforms already. That RTC module for example was already sold in thousands I guess.

[@AncapDude]

@@necro_ware I am not able to build them.

[@AK-nb6hz]

Those de solder stations are really bad for clogging up. I ended up chucking it with mine when doing a professional job and bought the Hakko. It's way more expensive and a hard cost to stomach but it's night and day by comparison. Main difference is the power of suction when pulling through hole component solder off. It tends to get it in one as opposed to my 'moo' tool which would usually leave an amount left. Less chance of solder pads coming off if you don't need to go over the same bit multiple times. Great video though as always. I usually put yours on in the background while repairing video cards at home :)

[@necro_ware]

Yeah, it is probably not as good as some more expensive stations, but I guess, I'm either lucky, or got used to it. I'm working quite a lot with it, changed countless ICs and slots so far with no issues whatsoever. I made couple of videos about the station in the past with my intermediate reports. Of course, it has some (fixable) flaws, but I'd still buy it, since it already saved me hundreds of hours work :) Still, thank you very much for sharing your experience. If considers to spend more money on a desoldering station, I'd suggest something better hands down. The one I have is surely an entry level device. And thank you for watching! Wish you a lot of fun and success with your repairs too :)

[@Lurklessness]

You could take the rest of the solder from the filter, mix it with alcohol and end up with flux in addition to the solder.

[@hicknopunk]

Where do you get pure alcohol in jail?

[@nalinux]

I like to apply fresh solder before using the desoldering gun. It helps for 2 reasons : - it gives more surface to the tips of te gun to heat deeply - for "newer" boards (read circa after 2002), it provides lead to the solder, so less heat is needed.

[@necro_ware]

Yes, this is basically what I told in the video.

[@nalinux]

@@necro_ware So I missed this point. At least, let's hope it's a reminder for newbies if they read this comment.

[@donkeymedic]

you could use some nichrome wire to melt the sim slots apart. Or a wire saw.

[@victorwidell9751]

Maybe build an adapter board for the paired slots? But that might not be worth the trouble.

[@BrianG61UK]

I guess it's fine to save the sucked solder if you're only soldering old boards that were soldered with leaded solder. But if you mix different kinds of solder you may end up with a mixture that has sub optimal mechanical qualities. Some will say unleaded solder always has sub optimal mechanical qualities, to which I say yes, but they do usually put some effort into this.

[@necro_ware]

Yeah, but I very seldom repair newer boards, so 99,9% of the solder I'm working with is leaded. Otherwise, true, people should keep this in mind.

[@TheWizardHW]

Subscribed!!

[@siliconinsect]

If you'd be willing to pay shipping from US I might have a few Everex 386DX boards with cracked plastic SIMM slots. These things are massive, full AT form factor so you'd need a case to fit. Tested and working using shims to hold RAM. I recall they have a pretty weird BIOS proprietary to Everex. Great vid as usual!

[@necro_ware]

Shipping costs + taxes from the US are unfortunately immense, so it is usually not worth it. I think, I'll be able to find something here in Germany. I also got an advice from one viewer, where I can buy such new slots. Unfortunately in US as well, but it sounds interesting if I'd buy a little bit more of them.

[@MichaelRabeno]

If not already exists, one can design a shallow PCB adapter with the correct pin spacing to accomodate the metal-clips memory slots into the inclined ones (of course it would be in pairs). This, however, will add some height to the board, so it could be challanging if the MB is to be installed in a SFF case.

[@necro_ware]

May be s.t. for a future project ;)

[@omegamsx]

I have some individual (not paired) vertical 30 pin simm sockets with metal latches in my stock, if you want some no problem 🙂

[@necro_ware]

Thank you very much, I'll keep it in mind.

[@K10driver]

I watched the video in my Garage and a dragon-fly got lost here. I needed to rescue her (or him) and to stop the video for some minutes. But its an nice video and a nice Board, with or without Interrupt. I saw two empty Sockets there - one for a 287XL and the second one unkown. Will you fill both with Chips?

[@necro_ware]

The one I filled in the video already, that was the BIOS. The FPU will may be filled one day. There is unpopulated jumper on board, which can set the clock divider, may be I will bring this with other topic and you know, what I'm talking about ;)

[@tahustvedt]

I hate those SIMM holders with plastic clips. They are so brittle. I broke one on my Awe32 the other day. I'm thinking about ordering a batch of the double 30 slanted ones and if I do I can send one your way.

[@Ikkepop]

what about using a hot box cutter blad to separate the slots ? Or fabricating a daughter board that adapts the slots ?

[@necro_ware]

I thiught about cutting the slots, but there is a thin shared part, which will be hard to cut properly and I'm afraid, that it will be unstable. Before I ruin the good slots, I'll give it some time and search for a better replacement. If everything else doesn't work, I still can install those single slots, which are not good too, but definitely better, than the broken ones.

[@mattparker9726]

I have my first eve PC a Tandy clone 286 From what I remember from when we put it up in the closet, (around 2005 I think) we had several problems, either with the PSU or the HDD. (you'd have to hit reset multiple times before the drive would spin up.) as a repair for a dead CMOS battery, we added in some alkaline batteries with a holder jumpered into the spot where the soldered battery went. This unfortunately leaked all over everything. I cleaned the board, phisically, but I haven't done much else. I don't have the equiptment that you do, nor the replacement parts. Ideally I would like to clone the existing drive onto Flash storage, and upgrade the machine as far as I can.

[@necro_ware]

I have no special equipment actually. A bottle of vinegar costs 1€ in the supermarket and my soldering iron is a 10€ part from eBay. All the replacement parts are optional and can be obtained from scrap. I try to do my repairs without expensive equipment, so everyone can follow it for the own stuff.

[@mattparker9726]

@@necro_ware awesome! Well I should get back to it then!

[@necro_ware]

@@mattparker9726 good luck 🤞

[@pcclassic9351]

Нашел супер компактный 286 с внешним питанием от Biostar. Разьем 5pin mini DIN, не могу найти распиновку по питанию к нему. Напоминает PS/2 только 5 дырочек... Не встречали такого часом?

[@necro_ware]

Это легко проверить. Найдите распиновку ISA и посмотрите к какому пину в разъёме идёт какой контакт. Там +/-5V и +/-12V

[@pcclassic9351]

@@necro_ware о, совет супер, спасибо!!! Сниму ролик, выложу)

[@Saphykitten]

You ever find replacement SIMM slots for this board?

[@Darkstar2342]

Is there any place where you can get those 30pin SIMM slots anymore?

[@altbeetle1998]

how often do you use such computers in the future and do they have any useful uses other than retro gaming?

[@necro_ware]

The question is what you consider useful. Beside gaming, I find repairs very relaxing, this is already a reason enough. But I am also a software developer and from time to time I'm programming and experiment with the old hardware. Since that hardware is much simpler and slower, than what you get today, it's a nice platform for learning digital electronics. If you want to mine bitcoins with it, then no, it is not useful :)

[@altbeetle1998]

@@necro_ware Thank you. I also have a small collection of old computers, but I'm nowhere near an electronics engineer or a programmer, it's just a hobby at the amateur level. It was just always interesting how this collection could be used to advantage. Of course, if a person is a writer, he can use almost any computer to write a book, but I am not a writer))) I just like to restore to working condition everything that comes into my hands

[@altbeetle1998]

@@necro_ware no, of course we are not talking about any bitcoins. but the thought of how to use a retro computer (not only for the sake of old games) does not leave the mind.

[@k4be.]

You can cut out the RTC internal battery and solder a new one outside. No need to desolder the module. Why waste a good IC with a good crystal?

[@necro_ware]

You must be new to my channel ;) Welcome!

[@djtongi]

Beim entlöten noch ein paar tropfen Lötfett, dann läufts wie geschmiert ;-)

[@jediknight2350]

hi have you got any tips for repairing a agp gpu fx-5500 mine has no output i changed caps but sill no output what else could i try gets warm when plugged in doesnt get mega hot any tips cheers.

[@Guillermo_XT]

One of the things to do when you're bored and 2000 km away on vacation and miss your retro hardware: watch Necroware repair videos on YT ❤

[@CaptainDangeax]

Hallo Necroware. What temperature do you set your desoldering pump ? I think 450° C is too high for a proper job

[@necro_ware]

Hi! ~375°C

[@CaptainDangeax]

@@necro_ware Thanx

[@douro20]

@@necro_ware I never set mine above 300C/572F. Neither do I do that to my 120W soldering station.

[@necro_ware]

@@douro20 I usually solder leaded at 250°C, unleaded 300°C, but desolder at 375°C

[@Mr_Meowingtons]

I have a Dual P Pro board that had an RTC die... so I got a replacement like you used and now it will not POST :( it was in a socket too :(

[@necro_ware]

I didn't check every board with it and there can be slight differences between the modules. Sometimes you even face problems exchanging the RTC module with the same model, which was produced couple of years later. But at least your board should POST with the old module and if it doesn't, then it has nothing to do with the RTC module and is just a coincident.

[@matthewday7565]

Good sound for a micro squeaker, guess it helps that there is no case in the way

[@necro_ware]

Indeed

[@handlandj]

Could a riser be made to doubled up ram slots? perhaps on a custom PCB?

[@necro_ware]

Theoretically with some multiplexers, but I don't think this is necessary on this machine. You can use 4x1MB SIMM and 1MB DIP memory. 5MB for a 286 is beyond good and evil. I don't even think, that there was 286 compatible software which could use more, than that.

[@handlandj]

@@necro_ware Oh sorry let me be more transparent in my meaning. I mean those better doubled-up RAM slots, to wire them to each of the locations of the old RAM slots, for better security of the RAM sticks. By using a daughterboard soldered to the old ram slot locations, you can use those better slots you showed at @15:30 instead of what is currently there. Still 4 slots, just 4 BETTER slots.

[@SachinKumar-wx3up]

Hi can you explain power sequance of socket 7 mainboard in your vedio.

[@pcclassic9351]

Крутой ролег!!!

[@kpanic23]

You wouldn't want to install anything other than 1MB memory modules anyway, and they are cheap and ubiquitous. I'd say: put 4 1MB SIMMs in and fix them to the sockets with a blob of hot glue on the ends where the broken latches are.

[@necro_ware]

Actually even 2x1MB modules would be more than enough for a 286. I wouldn't even need the broken slots, but I like to have boards which are completely intact in case I want to experiment with it. Let's say try 4x4MB and see if it gets to 17MB of RAM incl. 1MB DIPs

[@glenncaughey5044]

Any chance the memory slots will tolerate 4x4Mb simms?

[@necro_ware]

May be, I'll decided to put all the experiments with this board to another day.

[@Aerobix]

Which kind of solder do you use?

[@necro_ware]

Usually leaded Noname stuff from eBay. Nothing special.

[@Aerobix]

@@necro_ware I now bought leadfree solder from Reichelt. With silver and copper...works like a charm. For newer mainboards I tried Indium wire because I had much trouble recapping boards after 2003 rohs solder regulation.

[@catriona_drummond]

My personal experience with the desoldering gun is that it is awesome up to boards with 3 layers. From 4 upwards, it's rubbish.

[@necro_ware]

Yeah, the more layers there are, the more complicated it gets. Especially where the PCBs with more than 4 layers are newer and used with unleaded solder. That's melting point is much higher and the desoldering station gets in troubles with it. However, there is not much of an option and you can improve the situation by adding leaded solder or even rose metal. Then soak the solder, add leaded solder again, soak, add, soak, couple of times until you are able to remove the parts you want. I also use a heat gun to heat up the PCB before I use the desoldering station. The idea is to reduce the cooling effect on the solder joints, which comes from a lot of copper in the layers around the joints.

[@stathissim]

what is the Volkov Commander??? 😵‍💫

[@necro_ware]

Norton Commander clone. It is very fast and needs just little resources. It was very widely known in eastern Europe, but sometimes also found it's way on western machines. I believe, this was initially developed by Volkov in Ukraine.

[@stathissim]

@@necro_ware I live in Greece so I should have known about it :). I would like to try it is it still maintained?

[@necro_ware]

@@stathissim I don't think so, I just continue to use it, because it works well even on slow ATs and even XTs with just a little memory. See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkov_Commander

[@XaeroTheYoutuber]

Have you ever thought about repairing CRT's? I think it'd be interesting to see!

[@GamePlayShare]

Its troublesome due to high voltage.

[@necro_ware]

No, I haven't. I'm a software engineer and I'm more into digital electronics. I'm not good at analog stuff at all, but Adrian's Digital Basement is a superb channel if you like such repairs. He is looking into CRTs quite often, I don't have even one because of the small space. kzbin.info kzbin.info/door/btwi4wK1YXd9AyV_4UcE6g

[@LuxorVan]

Peconnectors HWS9229.

[@ArtemAleksashkin]

9:09 где купить такой? на али они каких-то нереальных денег стоят

[@necro_ware]

Я уже давно покупал, тогда что-то около 80€, если я правильно помню. С тех пор он пригодился многим и, видимо, цены выросли.

[@hicknopunk]

I always hated 286s 🤣 a 386 is just much better for gaming. It's nuts people still care about this stuff, but I am glad someone does. I work on system 7 and lower macs though, up to the iici. 🤣

[@necro_ware]

Well, 286 is the last 16-bit x86 CPU without a full protected mode. It totally looses against a real 32-bit 386DX, but is slightly faster clock for clock, than a 386SX, due to lower overhead. So from historical and experimental point of view it is quite interesting actually. But you are right, when talking about the games, too many of them needed a 32-bit CPU and didn't run on a 286 at all, even if we don't take a lower speed into account.

[@hicknopunk]

@@necro_ware my 386 was a dx 25 with external math co, 2 megs of dram, 2 40MB hdds, etc 😁 i bloody loved that pc more than any other I have owned. Thanks for getting that I wasn't insulting your hobby.

[@necro_ware]

@@hicknopunk Everything's fine, I didn't even think about to feel insulted about it. Everything you said makes absolutely sense, I just wanted to point out, that a 286 can be an interesting machine from a historical point of view. The last 16-bit CPU, the first AT, such stuff. You had a nice machine back then. My first PC was a 386SX-25 with 1MB of RAM. I still have it here in my office on the shelf under a glass dome. May be I'll do a video about it one day ;) Kind of special for some round number.

[@hicknopunk]

@@necro_ware oh cool. I wish I still had my 386 or 486. I kept my pentium 133mmx and my pentium 3 650mhz though. I have my old mac iici I got in 1991 or 1992 though. I'm so glad I kept those machines. My machine before my 286 was a Kaypro II 🤣 I like to skip generations. I went from an Atom dual core 1.33mhz to a i5 10400 which I currently use. I am going to have to binge watch your channel when I can't sleep.

[@simontay4851]

If you're not going to be changing the memory, why not just put a blob of hot glue where the broken clips were to hold the memory in place. Or maybe you could make a metal clip from a piece of wire.

[@necro_ware]

I still want to change it, otherwise sure.

[@johnsenchak1428]

Hoarder !

[@necro_ware]

I'm not, I just repair the boards. I have some, which I like and keep for my needs and everything else I don't keep.

[@JVAmorim]

Try to run Wolfenstein 3d!

[@necro_ware]

Works just fine on a 286-16

[@nticompass]

Crappy solution, but couldn't you just use some tape to hold the RAM in place?

[@necro_ware]

Of course, I could use some hot glue or something else, but I would like to make it right if possible.

[@thedungeondelver]

Know why ULI got bought by nVidia? Because they clean-room reverse engineered SLI. At that time, nVidia ONLY wanted nVidia chipset motherboards or partners with them (e.g., people paying $$$ to them) to utilize SLi which was a big deal for PCIe graphics cards. I had an Epox motherboard that used the ULI chipset, but when Nvidia bought ULI they ended SLI support in ULI chipsets in their drivers. Assholes.

[@Serpicoitalia]

what is the meaning of this video?🤔

[@necro_ware]

42

[@OidHunter]

Went to watch this with excitement but then I saw the soap and water wash... 🤦‍♂️

[@necro_ware]

I assume, that as you saw it you were even more excited and just had to watch all the videos on the channel, right? ;)