BIOS Programming and WTD: 486 bits

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'Show

My question is, my old 486 pc has an EPROM bios chip, and firmware.com do a
replacement EEPROM chip on a daughterboard to make the computer Y2k
compatible etc.

Anyway, would it be possible to get a copy of the new flash bios, and have
someone write it to an EPROM chip therefore doing away with the need for a
daughterboard?

Last question: Where would i find a 27C010 IC (32pin) and someone who has
the means to programme it for me? (I've see the projects for building your
own writer online but it would take up too much time).

Finally, does anyone have any old 486 bits they no longer require? I mean
anything, prefebly in north west england but i do travel quite alot on
little adventures. To be used for an old programming course and nostalgia.
I'd like to collect as much as i can so i don't end up with non working
parts i haven't got spares for when i'm building a new 486 and i can pass
them on to the next person who asks.

Thanks
Paul
 
Check out alt.electronics.

My question is, my old 486 pc has an EPROM bios chip, and firmware.com do a
replacement EEPROM chip on a daughterboard to make the computer Y2k
compatible etc.

Anyway, would it be possible to get a copy of the new flash bios, and have
someone write it to an EPROM chip therefore doing away with the need for a
daughterboard?

Last question: Where would i find a 27C010 IC (32pin) and someone who has
the means to programme it for me? (I've see the projects for building your
own writer online but it would take up too much time).

Finally, does anyone have any old 486 bits they no longer require? I mean
anything, prefebly in north west england but i do travel quite alot on
little adventures. To be used for an old programming course and nostalgia.
I'd like to collect as much as i can so i don't end up with non working
parts i haven't got spares for when i'm building a new 486 and i can pass
them on to the next person who asks.

Thanks
Paul
Click to expand...
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'Show said:
My question is, my old 486 pc has an EPROM bios chip, and firmware.com do a
replacement EEPROM chip on a daughterboard to make the computer Y2k
compatible etc.

Anyway, would it be possible to get a copy of the new flash bios, and have
someone write it to an EPROM chip therefore doing away with the need for a
daughterboard?

Last question: Where would i find a 27C010 IC (32pin) and someone who has
the means to programme it for me? (I've see the projects for building your
own writer online but it would take up too much time).

Finally, does anyone have any old 486 bits they no longer require? I mean
anything, prefebly in north west england but i do travel quite alot on
little adventures. To be used for an old programming course and nostalgia.
I'd like to collect as much as i can so i don't end up with non working
parts i haven't got spares for when i'm building a new 486 and i can pass
them on to the next person who asks.

Thanks
Paul
Click to expand...

seems like a lot of hassle for a 486 -

Pretty much all my 486 stuff came out of skips at commercial premises -
don't seem to get them any more - mostly all P1 stuff getting thrown out
these days. So if you do not mind contravening the Environment Act (theft
from a skip) I would suggest you take a peek inside some skips by office
buildings

Failing that if you are really desperate, I live in the SW of England and I
do have several (4 or 5) working 486 boards with cpus & ram and cards
(including eisa stuff) filling a cupboard (as I upgraded my pretend
enterprise network to P1) - I had this notion that one day I might build a
Beowulf cluster with them - but I probably never will. So I suppose they
are really going spare. I don't like giving out my email - but if you are
interested say so on this thread and I will reply to your address.

Paul
 
I don't suppose you could drop a couple of simms and a cpu in a jiffy bag
for me could you?
Hoping for at least a DX2/66 to go in my all new 486 and 2 x 32mb 72pin
non-parity. Perhaps
a 1mb or 2mb graphics card ISA/VESA?

Thanks
Paul
 
'Show said:
I don't suppose you could drop a couple of simms and a cpu in a jiffy bag
for me could you?
Hoping for at least a DX2/66 to go in my all new 486 and 2 x 32mb 72pin
non-parity. Perhaps
a 1mb or 2mb graphics card ISA/VESA?

Thanks
Paul
Click to expand...

In theory I could

cpu not a problem - will see what I have, maybe a dx 80, definitely DX 66's
(which overclock to 80) - still use a 486 dx 100 as a router.
You have no chance on the ram - any big 72pins are in the P1's - have a few
4mb 72 pin sims and millions of 30pin. I was running NT4 on the 486s -
partly coz of the memory size and also hdd size.
Don't know about a video card - most are 256k or maybe 512kb - will have to
have a root about.
Can't do anything till after weekend now anyway

Paul
 
My question is, my old 486 pc has an EPROM bios chip, and firmware.com do a
replacement EEPROM chip on a daughterboard to make the computer Y2k
compatible etc.

Anyway, would it be possible to get a copy of the new flash bios, and have
someone write it to an EPROM chip therefore doing away with the need for a
daughterboard?
Click to expand...

Yes. If you have a BIN file compatible with the EEPROM programmer's
software, or access to an EEPROM with the code you're looking for, you
can transfer it to a new EEPROM easily. There may be legal issues
involved, but there aren't too many technical hurdles as the
hardware's pretty easily to get.
Last question: Where would i find a 27C010 IC (32pin) and someone who has
the means to programme it for me? (I've see the projects for building your
own writer online but it would take up too much time).
Click to expand...

Jameco carries the eeprom burners and the 27C010 eeprom chips.
(www.jameco.com)

I'm sure you can find a similar supplier in Europe if you do your own
search for "electronic components".


As for finding someone who has the means to programme it for you, I
wouldn't know. Off hand, I'd say someone who owns an old style eeprom
programmer (not the smartcard type). You'd also need access to a
strong UV lightsource if you screw up (for erasing it) and I would
recommend you put something opaque over the clear portion of the chip
housing (for obvious reasons). Just don't use electrical tape. It
leaves a residue which is tough to remove if you need to erase the
chip at some point -- you never know.
 
My question is, my old 486 pc has an EPROM bios chip, and firmware.com do a
replacement EEPROM chip on a daughterboard to make the computer Y2k
compatible etc.

Anyway, would it be possible to get a copy of the new flash bios, and have
someone write it to an EPROM chip therefore doing away with the need for a
daughterboard?
Click to expand...

If you are using Win9x, and if your original non-Y2K-compliant BIOS is
one that gets the year wrong but not the day and month (eg Award),
then add the following lines to your autoexec.bat file (watch the
wordwrap in lines 2 and 3):

========================================================================
:: This routine corrects the date on those machines whose BIOS
:: incorrectly reports the year. The correct year, eg 2003,
:: should be entered on line 2.
::
:: - tested in Win95B

@echo off

%comspec% /cfor %%v in (1 2) do prompt call dummy1 $D$H$H$H$H2003$_|
find /v /i "prompt" > dummy2.bat

%comspec% /cfor %%v in (1 2) do prompt echo %%2 %%3 %%4 %%5 %%6$B date
$G nul$_| find /v /i "prompt"> dummy1.bat

call dummy2.bat
del dummy?.bat
echo on
========================================================================


- Franc Zabkar
 
Hi, I'm sorted for CPUs now thanks to Julian Hales of Sheffield. It's hard
drives now, around 300mb - 1gb?
Thanks
Paul
 
'Show said:
Hi, I'm sorted for CPUs now thanks to Julian Hales of Sheffield. It's
hard drives now, around 300mb - 1gb?
Thanks
Paul
Click to expand...

I've got about six of them, God knows why, but I'm in New Zealand.
 
Hi, I'm sorted for CPUs now thanks to Julian Hales of Sheffield. It's hard
drives now, around 300mb - 1gb?
Thanks
Paul
Click to expand...

Usually 540 MB tops (1024 cyls, 64 secs, 17 hds), although one of my
486es has the same version of Award BIOS as on my Pentium I, which
perfectly accepted a 3.2 GB drive.
 
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