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Got a replacement for my 486 machine.

TwiggyTwiggy
edited July 2017 in Hardware
For those of you who know how my 486 tower bit the dust. I have just bought a replacement:

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Acer-575DB-Intel ... 2749.l2649

I know it's a Pentium but it's an early Pentium, and all I really want is a multimedia PC, that is from an era where Windows 3.x was still in use.

At this price, If I can find factory drivers for it, that'd be nice. However, if not, I do have a sound and a video card which have drivers for Windows 3.1.

Also, it seems I won't have to mess with this machine more than maybe installing 1 or two cards, so hopefully it won't break on me. :P

Comments

  • altracker9altracker9
    Note that in the ITEM SPECIFICS: "Real Time Clock needs to be replaced".

    Many Acer Acros from that period did not use the typical Coin-Cell battery for CMOS backup power.
    Instead they used the Dallas DS1287 or DS12887 Real Time Clock (RTC) which included an internal battery.
    This is a 24-pin IC that is usually installed in a IC Socket for easy replacement.
    If you do not find a Coin-Cell battery, check for the DALLAS chip. It is usually next to the Bios Chip.
    These are replaceable with the Maxim DS12887+ available from Digikey Electronics for about $10.

    My Acer Acros 9130 (1995, Intel 100 MHz Tower) had a Dallas DS12887 that required replacing in 2015.
    The replacement worked perfectly. These are new chips, not NOS. My replacement was dated 1505.
  • TwiggyTwiggy
    altracker9 wrote:
    Note that in the ITEM SPECIFICS: "Real Time Clock needs to be replaced".

    Many Acer Acros from that period did not use the typical Coin-Cell battery for CMOS backup power.
    Instead they used the Dallas DS1287 or DS12887 Real Time Clock (RTC) which included an internal battery.
    This is a 24-pin IC that is usually installed in a IC Socket for easy replacement.
    If you do not find a Coin-Cell battery, check for the DALLAS chip. It is usually next to the Bios Chip.
    These are replaceable with the Maxim DS12887+ available from Digikey Electronics for about $10.

    My Acer Acros 9130 (1995, Intel 100 MHz Tower) had a Dallas DS12887 that required replacing in 2015.
    The replacement worked perfectly. These are new chips, not NOS. My replacement was dated 1505.

    Yeah,

    I don't mind dead CMOS batteries much, it can be annoying but replacements are usually cheap. Eve n if it takes some time to get a replacement, entering the time and date each boot up is minor inconvenience, nothing more.
  • BigCJBigCJ
    It's good that you can get it to start, but remember that some older machines (especially 486-based and back) cannot boot without a working CMOS battery. My Packard Bell is a prime example of this. The computer can't remember the type of floppy drive or the hard disk geometry. Everything can be reset in the BIOS, but when it restarts after you leave setup it'll forget everything again. Just something to keep in mind when you look to buy more vintage hardware.
  • altracker9altracker9
    BigCJ said:
    "The computer can't remember the type of floppy drive or the hard disk geometry. Everything can be reset in the BIOS, but when it restarts after you leave setup it'll forget everything again."

    Yes, this is the problem on the acer when the RTC fails.
    Along with bad time/date, the floppy and HDD types are wrong or missing (No device).
    What that means is that every time you re-power, you will get a CMOS error.
    This requires to go into Cmos each time and reset the HDD/FDD settings before you can boot the PC.
    And these are just the most obvious. You can lose other settings that can cause problems also.
    As the replacement RTC is only $10, it will save a lot of headache to replace it ASAP.
  • 66659hi66659hi
    I have to agree with the previous posts - this desktop hails from an era before BIOS would automatically detect the size and type of your drives, so a dead CMOS battery is much bigger of a deal in that PC from what you're used to.

    Also, you spent a LOT of money on that desktop. I bought a working Pentium MMX laptop for $25 a few months ago.
  • TwiggyTwiggy
    The computer is supposed to finally come in on Thursday!
  • dreamscapedreamscape
    Looks like a nice machine. That CD ROM brings back memories my first ever PC (Gateway 2000 75Mhz Pentium) had that CD ROM.

    Hope it all goes well for you, looks a nice machine for the money. In the UK these sorts of machines are easily $150 area now.
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