Long-term project #231: Make a portable, GP32-like, 486 machine with a Gravis Ultrasound that runs DOS off a CF card :smt043
My friend (whos a slackware linux weirdo) made a "wearable" 486 jacket (baby AT mobo inside a fannypouch) runs slackware off a CF card, and he made this headset with LCD monitor... he hadn't finished but he was going to make adapt a Palm keyboard to PS/2 for the thing. He wanted to walk around town looking like a total nutcase.
I remember seeing a 386 that fit in a matchbox a few years ago, but I don't know how it was of any use...
I don't think he got that far but he probably would use a laptop supply. This whole crazy idea I suppose was inspired by the cyberhobo from Serial Experiments Lain. He's a pretty weird kid.
everything works at a pretty decent speed running win98se on the 83mhz pentium overdrive ast comp i got. i tried to put in a network card but it froze up the computer at the bios start up screen. right after himem checked the memory. is there 8bit and 16bit pci cards or something equivilant? my pci slots on that computer are on a riser board? does that make them older style? the network card plugs right in, i have a soundblaster16 board in there that works fine. anyone? the pic is the riser board, the netcard is in while the sb16 is removed and setting right above it. looks all good, maybe the card is dead?
Hmm, first I was going to suggest checking for the Boot Rom but the NIC doesnt have one. Are you sure the card isn't EISA, and the card doesnt have any jumpers for I/O, IRQ or DMA settings? There might very well be a resource conflict. And what's the date on the card? Perhaps it is so old that it uses memory mapping in the 16MB area - which was okay when PC's had less than 16 mb of maximum RAM, but nowadays would conflict with your computer's RAM. If all fails, try to get another NIC, its not like they're expensive - somewhere in 1999 I got a whole box full of junked, but working, Ethernet cards for free and I still haven't run out despite my best efforts :smt030
I had some hassle trying to get an NIC (3com Etherlink III) to work in a 486 too - it was some sort of annoying IRQ conflict which didn't seem to let it work with the sound card in as well, but when I changed it it kept changing back or something. New drivers fixed it eventually. Then again your problem seems a bit more serious if it's not even booting...
