8088 PC Online after Much Headache

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  • čas přidán 21. 07. 2022
  • I've been wanting to experiment with getting an original PC online and networked with other systems for a number of reasons. I decided that the work I was doing for my office wiring was as good a reason as any to roll it into my current project for a video...was that ever a mistake.
    3C509 Driver + Config Tool: github.com/hackerb9/3C509B-ne...
    I still don't know what is wrong with the IBM PCs. They are perfectly functional in every other regard. The exact same CF cards in the exact same XT-IDE adapters work flawlessly in the Compaq. I've done full disk wipes on the CF cards and reinstalled, nothing works to reliably get the IBMs booting. I'm probably going to try getting a brand new XT-IDE and CF card to start my diagnostics from scratch.
    I didn't speed test the network connection at all because it doesn't matter in the slightest. Period correct drives for a system would be so small that you could fill them in less than 10 minutes of file transfers at the cards max speed. And any modern drive implementation can just be removed and copied to directly for larger file transfers. This setup is really only useful for adhoc access of a handful of files at once, like accessing a single game's files.
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  • Věda a technologie

Komentáře • 258

  • @branscombe_
    @branscombe_ Před 2 lety +60

    in the early 90s I had in IBMPC Jr. that had a network card and telecommunication disks but i couldn’t get it working. i was also 10 so i just played original kings quest.

    • @paulwratt
      @paulwratt Před rokem +4

      There is a reason why Novell became a multi-million dollar multi-national company, and you learnt that lesson at age 10 without realising it :)

    • @branscombe_
      @branscombe_ Před rokem +4

      @@paulwratt i took Novell Netware 5.0 in my Network Admin course back in 2004

    • @paulwratt
      @paulwratt Před rokem +5

      @@branscombe_ after writing the above I recalled how I had to walk out of my Network Admin course to go fix a network issue, because I was the only one in the company on call at the time (everyone else was sitting in on the course to get certification), thus I failed to get certified - circa 97 & "story of my life" :)

    • @branscombe_
      @branscombe_ Před rokem +1

      @@paulwratt clients using Windows NT?

    • @dieSpinnt
      @dieSpinnt Před rokem +2

      Hehe, nice, JB:) My setup was a obsolete industry 386 PC, 3Com 10BASE2 (BNC-connectors), ISDN-Card (greetings from Germany:) ) which functioned as dial-up router for the following PCs. Over the years from 486DX to dual Pentium II, etc. Never had a problem with that 386 ... well, it ran Linux. The other stuff (where I also played Kings Quest ... but a little older as you, 14-16), OS/2 and of course Windows 95 (later NT) for gaming ... let's not talk about the good old BSOD factory:)
      And all that for GOPHER and IBM's dialup service (AOL was much later;) ), BBS and chatting like a madgirl. You know whats good? The good memories are preserved:)
      Edit: I was just remembering one demonic practice used before networking: "LapLink" over the printer port. In the dark ages ... Hehehe:)

  • @baronvonlimbourgh1716
    @baronvonlimbourgh1716 Před 2 lety +111

    The joys of 80s computing.
    These kinds of things could very easilly take months to get going back in the day. No twitter posting or streaming then, it usually involved talking to loads of people in many different places in the hope somebody was able to get you one step further at a time.

    • @branscombe_
      @branscombe_ Před rokem +1

      🙌🏼💻

    • @the_kombinator
      @the_kombinator Před rokem +4

      It involved reading the manual and contacting the manufacturer, worst case. They did have tech support lines back then as well.

    • @HappyBeezerStudios
      @HappyBeezerStudios Před rokem +4

      @@the_kombinator And manual meant having 3-5 books.

    • @fredytexis1
      @fredytexis1 Před rokem

      💀💀💀

    • @TonyBMan
      @TonyBMan Před rokem +1

      Yeah, really glad tech has evolved into the giant human subconscious known as the internet. No more stone age stuff.

  • @horusfalcon
    @horusfalcon Před 2 lety +27

    I remember doing this kind of stuff routinely back in the day. I kept a notebook (which my employer wanted to keep) of how each machine I configured was set up, because no two systems were ever completely the same. (It was a very heterogenous hardware environment.)
    Well done getting this going.

  • @Inject0r
    @Inject0r Před 2 lety +43

    Yep. Resource management is definitely an issue from the past. It was pretty well documented, but it was often underestimated when building a computer.
    Great to see you’ve managed to figure out what the issue was.
    As for the 8-bit slots, containing 16-bit cards; I’ve got an 8088 clone running here, with a Creative SoundBlaster Vibra, which has a PnP functionality. I needed to disable it on a 16-bit computer too. So, needless to say, it’s quite common for computers with newer hardware to not have 8-bit compatible management software.

    • @RonJohn63
      @RonJohn63 Před 4 měsíci +1

      "Resource management is definitely an issue from the past." PCI was a dream come true, wasn't it~~

  • @TheXarus
    @TheXarus Před rokem +5

    Just found you from the comments on an LGR video, easily the best retro computing channel. Always wanted to see people network these old machines, and your other videos are just as good! Keep it up man

  • @zsteinkamp
    @zsteinkamp Před 4 měsíci +1

    Thank you for dredging up all the memories around the phrase "NE-2000 compatible". :)

  • @ShadowRune
    @ShadowRune Před 2 lety +9

    Poor Shelby none of your projects ever turn out as simple as they appear at first glance, good work persevering and getting in this working

  • @ipaqmaster
    @ipaqmaster Před rokem +4

    16:07 The joys of interpreting binary data and the occasional 'terminal beep' \x0a (ASCII \x07) lol
    Love these uploads and your extensive use of CAT cables for other formats. It's such a universally good cable.

  • @stevesether
    @stevesether Před 2 lety +9

    One of the great advantages of a network card in a PC is being able to mount a remote filesystem. Today that would likely mean mounting a Samba server setup to support those legacy protocols. There's old DOS software capable of mounting a Samba fileserver mount. Being able to treat the network disk like your local disk is a huge advantage. It's a LOT better than using ancient FTP protocols and the like to copy things back/forth.
    I worked in a computer lab circa in the mid 90s Back then we installed software on the fileserver (though Novell, not SMB), which was pretty handy when you had a lab full of PCs.
    I _think_ this will work on an old machine like this, but I've never tried it. But I'd agree having a network card and FTPing things back/forth is a pain, and a bit of a waste of a network card.

  • @dalehadley3283
    @dalehadley3283 Před 2 měsíci

    Been watching your backlog and as soon as this started I went "Hang on,this looks way different" then you just mentioned you're doing an 80's office space and it just made sense

  • @kpanic23
    @kpanic23 Před 2 lety +26

    So basically, you got your 5150 with D-Link network card running by replacing it with a Compaq Portable with a 3COM network card... 😂
    Well, that's how these projects sometimes end up, been there, done that! 👍

  • @Huntsman6791
    @Huntsman6791 Před 8 měsíci

    I get excited anytime I come across your content

  • @neil2402
    @neil2402 Před 2 lety +7

    That's why it's a good idea to use network cards with DIP switches or jumpers. Sometimes this plug and play stuff just gets in the way!

    • @prophetzarquon1922
      @prophetzarquon1922 Před rokem +2

      Connect devices... nothing happens.
      Look for a toggle... there is none.
      Ask support: "It's automatic!"

  • @glanoe
    @glanoe Před 2 lety +7

    I picked this exact same model machine this week from a local computer shop who were having a clear out. Mine is unused, still got the original carry bag and even the card inserts in the drives and everything it mint and untouched, still the original color with no yellowing or dirt! and the best bit, only cost me £100.

  • @MegaManNeo
    @MegaManNeo Před 2 lety +49

    Put an authentic 80's telephone next to it like LGR Clint did to give your space the extra bit of retro flair 👀
    To BBS with that thing or at least to SSH into your Linux server with the IBM sure feels cool.

    • @KnutBluetooth
      @KnutBluetooth Před 2 lety +1

      I wonder what encryption algorithm you're using on an XT to SSH with lol

    • @prophetzarquon1922
      @prophetzarquon1922 Před rokem

      @@KnutBluetooth AES 128

    • @KnutBluetooth
      @KnutBluetooth Před rokem

      @@prophetzarquon1922 Of course, they just changed the oscillator to overclock the 8086 by a factor of 100 and then placed in a subzero refrigeration chamber.

    • @prophetzarquon1922
      @prophetzarquon1922 Před rokem

      @@KnutBluetooth Nah, it works fine. You can look up DIY videos if you want. Old machines can do modern encyrption; the only *really* hard stuff is arbitrarily hard due to speculation, such as BTC.

    • @KnutBluetooth
      @KnutBluetooth Před rokem

      @@prophetzarquon1922 Old machines, that's a bit vague. Yes, I know a Pentium class machine can encrypt a stream with AES. It's an old machine, from 1996-1997. But an XT? I guess it could encrypt a file with AES for sure, but it would take some time. But fast enough to encrypt a stream of data with AES? I want to see that.

  • @WatchingDude
    @WatchingDude Před 2 lety +10

    I'm digging in my memories from more than 30 years ago and I've got a feeling that the memory address for the hard drive may be clashing with the memory address for the com port. I suggest booting into the BIOS and checking the memory addresses there. I'm pretty sure 3E0h is reserved for the com Port but I can't remember which 1. Also I'm fairly sure that Compaq used to use rather odd memory addresses for the com ports.
    You were previously using 300h memory address for the hard drive.

  • @slopsec2358
    @slopsec2358 Před rokem

    Holy cow... what memories.. First time I played MS Flight Simulator was early 80s on the IBM Portable PC. This is awesome! Great video, Thanks for the memories.

  • @craigschultz4
    @craigschultz4 Před rokem

    My god, that desk setup for the 5150 is friggin awesome. I love it.

  • @trahan625
    @trahan625 Před rokem

    You got the 80's era down man :) Looks just like my uncle's computer room back in the late 80's :)

  • @knightcrusader
    @knightcrusader Před rokem +5

    I love those Etherlink III cards. After I found out about the nestor driver, I made sure I saved every single one of those cards from Computer Reset on my last visit there. There were a bunch, and now they are safe.

  • @T3hBeowulf
    @T3hBeowulf Před 2 lety +9

    I thought getting an old SMC ISA NIC working on a 486 was hard... kudos to your dedication.
    I ended up 3D printing a tray that holds a CF reader on the front and I just sneaker-net files over.
    I would love to circle back and try again though. This looked like fun, despite the issues.

    • @brandonupchurch7628
      @brandonupchurch7628 Před 2 lety +3

      NICs on 486 systems are usually annoying because of t he mishmash of manually configured ISA cards and the horrible excuse for PnP that later ISA cards tried, in with the fact that on 486 era system people tended to have more add-in cards that need there own like sound cards and by the 486 era having a parallel port and two serial ports was pretty common.

  • @vamwolf
    @vamwolf Před 2 lety +2

    Thank God we got standards now for PC. This is why I avoid certain age of computers. Old PC at times are a nightmare to figure out.

  • @Novous
    @Novous Před rokem +1

    You've got my Compaq Portable! I LOVE IT. I bought one for 99 cents when I was a teen and my dad thought I was an idiot for wanting an old relic that took up lots of space. Now it's worth gobbles of money but I'd never part with it. The keyboards have really terrible foam inside that decays over years so I have to get replacement foam or find a way to cut the foam myself. Also the floppy controller has an issue now so I can't boot. HOWEVER, I saw one guy take his apart and a (12v?) rail was missoldered in the PSU and pops out. So its entirely possible that my floppy controller works but it's a power supply issue instead. The poor beast is currently in pieces across like 6+ boxes in my office. A keyboard here, a keyboard cable there, videocard and controller card are wrapped in another box, the motherboard in another box. But that's life! Stuff gets moved around while you deal with "real life" (TM).
    Best wishes!

  • @tighematt
    @tighematt Před 2 lety +11

    Hi Shelby, enjoy all your videos. I had a similar issue with XT IDE in my 5160. Likely the PSU output not being clean enough as you suggest. In my case it only affected a particular SD card adapter though. Powering this through a slightly larger smoothing cap on the XT-IDE worked for now my PSU has been refurbished already (though not by me).

  • @nil2k
    @nil2k Před 3 měsíci

    I used a 3c509 for my first time wired to the internet in 1992. It was fun seeing you eventually landing on the same settings I eventually landed on, but I had progressed to the point of a 32-bit cpu by that point and had to deal with a conflicting sound blaster 16.

  • @mattlward
    @mattlward Před rokem

    I have been doing networking since the early 80's. Back in the day there were no online resources and not many people who understood office level networking. Did a lot of DEC, ARCnet and Novell before anything resembling standards came along. Good job man, I hated those days! I spent a lot of time at a University as a private tech working on this kind of stuff.

  • @Hubris2
    @Hubris2 Před rokem +1

    You remind me of when friends and I used to get together for LAN parties - inevitably someone would have removed the network card (and config software) and we'd have to all work together to troubleshoot and figure out how to get them working again - before we could all play. Those were of course newer machines than you're working with here, we didn't do 10base2 until we had 386s - but remember the joy of configuring everything (and then trying to have enough conventional memory to run things).

  • @VenturiLife
    @VenturiLife Před rokem

    Love your projects. Very cool.

  • @CSHUNT83
    @CSHUNT83 Před 2 lety +1

    Very cool video. I had gone through a similar process with bringing an IBM 5155 online. I first brought it online over serial and slip. I tried esp_slip/zimodem to avoid the wires, they partially worked, i could transfer files to the local network but not access anything outside of the router, packets were being sent out but not directed back to the machine. The most convenient method has been to cheat and mount a raspberrypi zero W on the headers of a serial port card. (connect directly to the 16550 and i have ttl level) The pi share's its internet over slip using the etherslip diver. If I want, i can terminal connect to the pi and treat the 5155 as a serial terminal. The metal shield isn't enough to block wifi to the pi for my router distance. Very tidy to have the mounted inside....

  • @seabass450
    @seabass450 Před 2 lety

    Hell yes! The plastic on the monitor is just magnificent!! I remember those days!!

  • @kodessa
    @kodessa Před 2 lety

    That woodgrain furniture + amber ambient lighting is a *chefs kiss*

  • @waytostoned
    @waytostoned Před 2 lety

    Yet again we are doing the same project at the same time... Just about to finish up my Portable I and get the network card setup with xt-ide on it! Nice!
    Wish I knew you were having issues setting up the 3com 905B. I already plowed through that not 2 months ago, and got XT-IDE working on the cards as well. Could have saved you a ton of time LOL.

  • @fubaralakbar6800
    @fubaralakbar6800 Před rokem

    That Compaq portable is the most beautiful thing ever.

  • @ondrejsedlak4935
    @ondrejsedlak4935 Před rokem

    This is exactly the kind of thing I actualy attempted (and failed miserably at) in 1998.
    I used to work for a small PCB factory in Australia, in the CNC drilling room. The CNC "computer" was connected to an XT system via a custom designed tape drive emulator card, which allowed us to load digital files directly to the CNC computer.
    I should mention the CNC computer was built in 1973 and the size of a wardrobe.
    The only way to get files to this XT PC was 5.25 floppies and networking this PC would have been a real timesaver but alas, I didn't have the patience to work it out so I gave up.
    I am glad it was actually possible.

  • @Uberalles02
    @Uberalles02 Před 2 lety

    Boxes for those network cards loked so cool.

  • @Christopher-N
    @Christopher-N Před rokem

    What a lovely retro computer space; wall is a little bare. It could use just one modest sized framed picture or poster from the era, something not too visually distracting.
    I wish I still had my 8088-1 machine.

  • @psilimit
    @psilimit Před rokem

    I like how the furniture matches the computer. Very peroid accurate. MORE!

  • @Codeaholic1
    @Codeaholic1 Před 2 lety +25

    It's interesting that you call it a patch panel. I've always called those wall jacks or network jacks. And used patch panel to exclusively describe 19" panel punch down termination on a rack that goes to a hub/switch/router. So what is the name for a network port on a regular wall?
    Also get a "toner" it'll make figuring out what port is what way easier.

    • @lasskinn474
      @lasskinn474 Před 2 lety +10

      I'd call it a socket if it was on a wall
      Edit: also instructions incomplete got black powder all over my wall send help

    • @denniswoycheshen
      @denniswoycheshen Před 2 lety +5

      Wall jack for sure. I've only ever heard it called that from techs in the industry. Network ports are specifically on equipment. Patch panels are where the wiring terminates at the switch side.
      You don't really need a toner either, just a switch with enough ports and patch cables, a pen and some legs. The switch will light up when a new device is connected. A toner really helps though. Especially when you have tons of unlabeled ports.

    • @Codeaholic1
      @Codeaholic1 Před 2 lety

      @@denniswoycheshen yeah you can make due without one. What I consider essential though is a thermal printer labeler. Label every wall jack and a corresponding number at the patch panel. I usually do room number - port.

    • @denniswoycheshen
      @denniswoycheshen Před 2 lety

      @@Codeaholic1 in my personal experience the best way is to label everything with D or P for data and phone (if the network requires it) and number them. Room names and numbers suck because that could be changed or maybe someone doesn't understand what "Spare office" really means. At least when you go to the jack and see "D 11" you know what to look for at the patch panel.

    • @Codeaholic1
      @Codeaholic1 Před 2 lety +1

      @@denniswoycheshen I meant room number and port number rather than monotonically increasing number. Makes it easier to find stuff and renumbered or change things without affecting everything assuming the room numbers stay relatively constant.

  • @SnipE_mS
    @SnipE_mS Před rokem

    Dude I love the retro dust covers. We used to have those on our packard bell back in the day

  • @dustylife
    @dustylife Před 9 měsíci

    A lot of the networks back in the days of DOS machines where usually using Novell Netware and or Lantastic. Lantastic made their own cards for some time that used twisted pair wire for the network, the card had a z80 processor and SIO chip and max speed was 2mbs. IBM also had a star topology network i.e. token ring that ran over coax. For the ethernet cards you could use the NCSA packet drivers and software designed for the packet drivers to do telnet, ftp etc.. I dig your channel.

  • @dw_2005
    @dw_2005 Před rokem +1

    On the compaq you can force CGA output with ctrl + alt + < or > and the output will change to CGA. (can be done during boot process)

  • @marksmod
    @marksmod Před 2 lety +3

    the nice thing about fiberglass is that you still feel it weeks later

  • @nticompass
    @nticompass Před 2 lety +2

    I love ISA ethernet cards with ROM/EPROM sockets. I use them to boot XTIDE Universal BIOS 🙂 Then you can use the on-board IDE controller (if it exists) to connect a CF card!

  • @edenrose2374
    @edenrose2374 Před 2 lety +1

    @Tech Tangents - Freedos has NE2000 pkt driver package, and pktdriver setup utility(with dhcp client, etc. There is a page dedicated to it), on the disk alongside a auto-setup utility.

  • @Blink_____
    @Blink_____ Před 2 lety +4

    I got a monitor from a friend when I was a kid, that was DB15 on one end and DB9 on the other end (the monitor end ). Didn't recognize it at the time and when I got it home and tried to shove the VGA end into my CGA card, well.. I spent many years looking for a replacement and nobody had even seen a cable like that before. So a perfectly good color monitor ultimately got relegated to being used in it's monochrome (amber/green) mode.. lol.

  • @WSS_the_OG
    @WSS_the_OG Před rokem

    Wow, that was seriously involved. I jumped in a lot later with PCs, around the 486 era, and things were considerably less janky. Hope you got the fibreglass cleaned out of your hands, haha; that stuff's nasty.

  • @oleimann
    @oleimann Před rokem

    The Compaq's Keyboard reminds me of having studied Informatics at the Tech Uni Delft between 1985 and 1992 (took me longer than anticipated ;) using some multi-mode editor (like vi/emacs) and programming in Turbo Pascal 3.01. I just love the look of those split-height keys...

  • @baronvonlimbourgh1716
    @baronvonlimbourgh1716 Před 2 lety +2

    You should use it with one of those modems that still requires the phone horn to be placed on it to make connections.
    Would fit right in with the vintage office feel.

  • @deneb_tm
    @deneb_tm Před 2 lety +2

    Is it at all possible to use standard CGA controllers in the Compaq Portable? With regards to video capture - obviously using the internal CRT isn't going to be an option that way.
    Also, seeing vi running on that system is quite the treat.

  • @Ammo1313
    @Ammo1313 Před rokem

    Welcome to the wonderful world of IRQ and Port conflicts. If you have either one in conflict or assigned to the wrong device it is a headache to work out. Some devices are hard wired for IRQ static, Port static, or worse both.

  • @pinfarmer
    @pinfarmer Před 2 lety

    Yay new content!

  • @sebas_ruel
    @sebas_ruel Před rokem +2

    I remember using Lantastic for simple DOS networking. You could map drive letters. I use Norton commander to copy files a lot :)

  • @skraegorn7317
    @skraegorn7317 Před 2 lety +1

    Oh wow, funny coincidence! This came out literally a few minutes after I found an entire old box at work of ISA networking cards and some Modbus cards.

  • @tantroe-biff696
    @tantroe-biff696 Před rokem

    How fast are the transfers? 😂😂
    It's pretty amazing that you got it working tho. Good Job Man!

  • @davidew98
    @davidew98 Před 2 lety +2

    When I did 88, 286, and 386 networking I loved the 3com cards!!

    • @nticompass
      @nticompass Před 2 lety

      3Com cards always seemed the most compatible to me! EtherLink II (or III) FTW 🙂

    • @paulwratt
      @paulwratt Před rokem

      Dont suppose you can remember that "easy to set up" DOS network "OS" (You could boot it off floppy?) that was a competitor to Novell near the end of their peak?

  • @betamax80
    @betamax80 Před 2 lety

    I was thinking, is it something to do with the sketchy BIOS of that early Compaq (being reverse engineered)? And, I tracked down an SMC card similar to that D-Link if you need to try another card, also 16 bit but also truly 8 bit compatible, driver disk etc.

  • @CanDoo321
    @CanDoo321 Před 2 lety +4

    As a fellow collector, I’ve come up with a method that provides network file access via USB, allowing a network share to appear as a USB storage device.

    • @RetroTechChris
      @RetroTechChris Před 2 lety

      I'd love to hear more about this!

    • @CanDoo321
      @CanDoo321 Před 2 lety +1

      @@RetroTechChris are you on the Tech Tangents discord?

    • @RetroTechChris
      @RetroTechChris Před 2 lety

      @@CanDoo321 I am not, but I can see about joining!

    • @CanDoo321
      @CanDoo321 Před 2 lety +1

      @@RetroTechChris it’s a bit much to put into a CZcams comment, but I’d love to share how I handle various aspects with my retro collections

  • @loganlentz3069
    @loganlentz3069 Před rokem

    Should I purchase a Compaq Portable or IBM 5155 Luggable? I'm currently trying to get into the early to mid 80's vintage computing and don't quite have a lot of space. I know of the foam and foil issue with the Compaq and the scarcity of the 5155, but I would like an opinion.

  • @LastofAvari
    @LastofAvari Před 2 lety

    Nice 16-ish bit setup!

  • @lloyddavies5587
    @lloyddavies5587 Před 2 lety +2

    Like the small desk.. where did you get it?

  • @timballam3675
    @timballam3675 Před 10 měsíci

    I used to upgrade those Compaq portables, new mother boards etc. After a couple of iterations there was basically nothing left but the screen from the original. They were used for onsite data collection....

  • @dominikschutz6300
    @dominikschutz6300 Před 2 lety +1

    Battleships on a 8088 network would sound fun :)

  • @Codeaholic1
    @Codeaholic1 Před 2 lety +10

    The joys of dos networking. At least you didn't have to deal with ethernet framing types, there were two competing types for a while.
    I wonder if you could setup a mapped drive in dos to a samba share. That might make things enev easier provided you still had enough conventional memory left over.

    • @RetroTechChris
      @RetroTechChris Před 2 lety +6

      Indeed you can, using MS LAN Manager or MS Client. But they are memory hogs. Can also connect up to an NFS share using XFS (though it requires a V20 CPU). It's less of a memory hog. I did some vids on different DOS network methods and wrote some procedures on how to setup using various DOS networking clients.

  • @RobReynolds
    @RobReynolds Před 2 lety +1

    Was the port conflict why the 5150 wouldn’t boot the xt-ide?

  • @Pantymonium
    @Pantymonium Před rokem

    This vintage wooden furniture is also amazing.
    Maybe we are not just only retro-computer nerds, but also vintage hipsters?

  • @SergiuszRoszczyk
    @SergiuszRoszczyk Před 2 lety +1

    I networked by mTCP my 386SX machine but it takes ages to copy data. When I moved to Windows 3.11 it works pretty fast. Maybe my NE2000 card is not compliant enough but as long as it works nearly at 10 Mbps under Windows I'm fine with that.
    Great yourney thou.

  • @bBrain
    @bBrain Před rokem +1

    Was sad when I realized you wouldn't be using BNC and vintage bnc hub for networking, man, that was fun days.

  • @zero_zero2771
    @zero_zero2771 Před rokem +1

    I well remember trying to link a 8088 with a 8086 together using the serial port with a friend of mine, back in the days. Using a 4 wire phone line and homebrew software. It took several months to get it working, but it did well without any external components at about 120 meters or so, speed was I think around 300 bits/sec. But it didn't matter, there were no big files to transmit. Lol

  • @MrDarchangelomni
    @MrDarchangelomni Před rokem

    Bro for future reference: if your wall is 8' and you have an existing cable, pull cover - remove from existing cable - get all new cable runs ready mark 8' and 16' with tape - then tape existing cable end to all new cable ends - go to attic space and pull existing cable until you find the new cables, pull until 16' mark is exposed - now retape existing cable to the 16' mark of new cable - stuff cable bundle back into wall until roughly 8' mark - go back to open box and pull new cables until 16' is exposed with old cable attached - remove old cable from bundle and secure it, you now have 8' worth of new cable runs in the attic that you can easily pull by placing spool on broomstick between two chairs in front of box. If you have no hole or box cut hole for box anywhere you want put a loop of cable into the hole approximately 48" long(picture it like stuffing underwear band back into pants) - in attic drill hole in top plate and fish cable through until it hits 8' pre-mark - goto box and pull 48" cable loop which should pull 16-18 inches worth of cable run out of wall - put cable through tabbed hole on clamp down box - put box in wall and tighten the two clamping screws to secure it in place (no stud needed). I ran RS-232 over cat5 for an interlnk/intersvr connection between two rooms, and even a phone service toggle switch from outside box to bedroom, so no one could pick up the phone and kick me offline as well as a sneaky headphone jack for listening to calls when i was a kid I only plugged the jack in to check the line before dialing ;)

  • @prozacgodretro
    @prozacgodretro Před 2 lety +9

    IIRC at least CGA is TTL level logic, so you could quite easily make a buffered line driver that goes from CGA -> RJ45 & local CGA - I feel like the design of this is almost so simple as to be apparent with some 74 series logic, but ... I don't know much about long-distance signalling so... caveat emptor?

    • @richfiles
      @richfiles Před 2 lety

      I think buffering the TTL CGA and then feeding that buffered output to a resistor ladder could simulate the analog onto VGA.

    • @prozacgodretro
      @prozacgodretro Před 2 lety

      @@richfiles I wondered that but it would run at 15 kilohertz, at the very least you could multiplex it over the lines if you're running out of the high frequency cable pairs.

  • @hieyeque1
    @hieyeque1 Před rokem +1

    You time and effort pretty much confirms all my memories of doing these things......I remember working for hours and even days on stuff - only to reach my goal....and then be like.....ok.....that was anti-climactic. I will say one of my fondest triumphs was realizing my Pentium MMX 233 was on a motherboard that could run at 75Mhz (default was 66mhz). I realized that this would overclock the motherboard, the bus, the northbridge / southbridge, ram, and CPU......what a performance gain! I loved that so much, felt like a new computer -for free!

  • @the_kombinator
    @the_kombinator Před rokem

    I wonder if you put the XTIDE ROM into a NIC and configure it using the NICs software - This is what I did to use ATIDE, just stuck it in an old 3COM card. I can still use the network card as well.

  • @Menaiya
    @Menaiya Před 2 lety +1

    Praise the day PlugNPlay came out.

  • @xpepos
    @xpepos Před 2 lety +7

    I think you could try switch the Compaq Portable to low-res text mode and see if it outputs CGA video. There is a key combination for that. CTRL + ALT + < selects the CGA-compatible mode

    • @paulwratt
      @paulwratt Před rokem +2

      yeah, isn't that thing booting up in MDA/HERC mode? 72Hz or some such?

  • @GianniFP809
    @GianniFP809 Před rokem

    Amazing.... question... what is the laptop running for OS? I can recognize is linux based, but unsure on what distro. Thanks!

  • @prozacgodretro
    @prozacgodretro Před 2 lety

    I wonder if you have a ground loop or some amount of current is being drawn through the CGA card, killing the IDE device? Does it boot when directly connected to the CGA?

  • @idahofur
    @idahofur Před 2 lety

    Take your pick. Novell netware, NWlite, nwpersonal, Artisoft lantastic, Winderz (WFW or AKA peer to peer) Apple talk. Oh, and you got to have a NE2000 or compatible card. Old Serial cables with cards. I forget. To many years ago.

  • @cdub5033
    @cdub5033 Před rokem

    Trained Installer's for a Low Voltage & Networks Contractor in SoCal. Did a lot of work for Universities. Wall Fishing was always a lot of fun. Sys. Config's were always hit & miss.

  • @Blurredman
    @Blurredman Před 2 lety

    My 8086 also doesn't boot via XTIDE anymore- It hangs on C. I have to interupt it to boot from the floppy where it then references back to C to be able to use the PC as it was... Wonder why.
    As far as 16 bit card in an 8bit slot. Also use an SMC 8416 works nicely.

  • @LondenTower
    @LondenTower Před rokem

    when i used freedos the packet driver was literally not working. (and i tried that very recently so i'm very curious how you made it work)

  • @kylewilson4097
    @kylewilson4097 Před rokem

    I do wonder what could be done with a custom card containing a pi zero w and an ISA interface. I expect the PI card could run the interface with minimal help (might need a small CPLD for the fast twitch stuff) but then the heavy lifting for the network stuff could be handled by the PI and some very simple custom drivers on the PC side could connect the legacy hardware to the networking front end. Might make a lot of this sort of stuff very easy without impacting the rest of the legacy hardware involved.

  • @herauthon
    @herauthon Před rokem

    i found a quadram memory card 8 bit in my collection - how does it serve us well ?

  • @damouze
    @damouze Před 2 lety +2

    Great work! I have a question though: is there any reason that you left full duplex turned-off on the 3COM card? Not that it would probably matter much on an PC/XT class system, but just about all modern switches support full duplex operation.

    • @Cooprocks123e
      @Cooprocks123e Před rokem +1

      I was trying to find someone commenting about this. I would highly recommend turning on full-duplex unless you have a reason not to (e.g. it doesn't work). Half-duplex is kinda jank and reduces performance without gaining anything in my view.

  • @martinjh999
    @martinjh999 Před rokem

    Is that a Star printer?? I had LC-10 back in the day... Wasn't as wide as that one is though.

  • @Pickle136
    @Pickle136 Před 2 lety

    Oldest machine i have is a 386, but i went the route of putting the xt-ide on the network card rom socket. Dont know if you would need the 16 bit capability, but you would need an ide interface.

  • @monophe
    @monophe Před 2 lety +1

    @Tech Tangents I have a question. What version of Linux are you using? I'm just curious

  • @bororidley4769
    @bororidley4769 Před rokem

    I used Dos 6 and a cross over cable and interlink & intersrv to transfer files, between my XT and my newer PC. But I haven't tried doing it again in a long time.

  • @coltonmiller7984
    @coltonmiller7984 Před 2 lety

    Some cable pull string would make your cable runs SO much easier. Do the work once and tie the additional cable on to the pull string and pull.

  • @FavoritoHJS
    @FavoritoHJS Před 2 lety +3

    You say that the XTIDE is freaking out due to a bad power supply... I wonder how hard it would be to debug potential transients with a oscilloscope. Wouldn't be surpriced if even a small drop (such as from floppy disk access or some other heavy-ish load) could stun the CF card but leave the rest of the system intact, causing a boot failure.
    For outputting video from a Compaq Portable, I wonder if you can set it to output video all the time, then deal with the mixed MDA/CGA signals externally. How does it determine when to output video, anyways?
    If all else fails, hook the signal going to the internal CRT, or modify the card so it skips the signal disabler thingy.

    • @FavoritoHJS
      @FavoritoHJS Před 2 lety

      for **** sake can _one_ channel be immune from the scam adverts!?

  • @BladeRunner21577
    @BladeRunner21577 Před 11 měsíci

    So this still doesnt have that new out of the box experience network?

  • @Helladamnleet
    @Helladamnleet Před rokem

    I'm actually surprised how snappy it was

  • @ernestmccollum2397
    @ernestmccollum2397 Před 2 lety +1

    Such a nerd. Love it!!🤓

  • @frugalprepper
    @frugalprepper Před rokem

    I used to do this stuff. I first came into Networking when Novell version 3.11 came out. I remember getting my CNE in Netware 4.11, and I had to take TCP/IP as an elective. I was like I just have to pass this to get my CNE no one is ever going to use that TCP/IP crap. Then started using a client with a 3270 in windows 3.11 and it involve loading tcp/ip on the network card and using a program called trumpet winsock. Then the internet got popular. In Early 2000's I started going out an moving one server after another from Novell to Windows, and one day I looked up and Novell was done for.

  • @DanielAirthNelson
    @DanielAirthNelson Před rokem

    Why not use Lynx for Dos to browse the web with Dos Winsock?

  • @genethebean7597
    @genethebean7597 Před 2 lety

    If you're trying to use port 60, why are you entering hex 96? That would be port 150. I don't typically work in hex, but I learned in school how to convert bin/hex/dec on the fly, and I'm just trying to figure out if that conversion is right or wrong...

  • @AWalYT
    @AWalYT Před 2 lety +3

    Literally just had some headaches getting a SoundBlaster card working alongside XT-IDE the other day, and it ended up being that I was setting the MIDI port to 300h. If reconfiguring the NE2000 compatible card is difficult without dragging out a whole other system to work on it, maybe dumping the ROM on the XT-IDE then using the configuration tool (with DOSBOX/PCem if need-be) would be a more sane option: If your dip switch settings aren't fixed on your model of XT-IDE card you can change it's base address...It just has to be done in both ROM and on jumpers...

    • @paulwratt
      @paulwratt Před rokem

      I'm surprised the XTIDE I/O port is _sooo close_ to the sound card, "back in the day" that was just _asking_ (begging?) for trouble. There were I/O Port Lists you could download off BBS that would let you know the _common_ ranges for specific card type. I woul;d have expect the XTIDE to be up around 0x380 hex at least, or at least in the same range as other HD/CD adapters

  • @tarkhan15
    @tarkhan15 Před 8 měsíci

    Something very enjoyable about the Compaq portable running next to a modern RTX laptop

  • @Ramdileo_sys
    @Ramdileo_sys Před 2 lety +1

    Ok.. Shelby I know my Comment may suck now after 3 hours of work 😶​....... but at 4:07.. you have 2 blue wires.. so you "TEMPORARILY" join one of them with the red one (covering the joint with tape or heat shrink so the joint does not get stuck on something) 😑​..
    You go to the other end of the blue cable.. and pull it all the way until the red one pass through .👈​..
    then with the red one.. you bring back (guide) the 2 or 4 or 5 cables 👉👉👉​you need to run through the wall..
    Similar to (The wolf, goat and cabbage problem is a river crossing puzzle) 🤭​

  • @infinitecanadian
    @infinitecanadian Před 2 lety

    What is 'Vet' that you mentioned at 10:55?

  • @jb2590
    @jb2590 Před rokem

    @Tech Tangents: Have you considered installing an XTIDE rom into the available boot rom socket on the network card? @Necroware did a great video on this.