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IBM 5170 Questions - 1985 version

SpidersWeb

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So with the help of an angle grinder, I managed to build my 5170.

Some questions though:

Question 1)
1.44 floppy drive will not work. Setup as a 720K, then I tried using DRIVPARM and DRIVER.SYS to set it to 1.44 but I keep getting "Parameters not supported" etc - is there anyway to get an internal 1.44 drive working on the 1985 BIOS? (I gave up and installed a Syquest SQ-555 in the bay instead - but still curious).

Question 2)
Does the 5170 support extended memory, or does it need expanded beyond 1024KB? I can't get my XMS card to work - Everex EV-135 RevC. The memory error is immediately on the 10000 boundary (1024). I've configured the card for 3Mb Extended starting at 1024Kb and have an AST SIxPakPlus installed which fills from 512-640Kb (its slow, but all I could find)
 
Don't you also need to fill from 640K to 1024K? Can't you set the Everex to fill from 512K - 1024K and have 2.5MB extended?
 
Not when it's on the ISA bus, because it conflicts with expansion ROMs etc.
The 5170 searches for memory up to 640Kb, then jumps to 1024Kb (10000h) to look for 'expansion memory'. I checked the tech ref, and the memory test error confirms it jumps from 640 to 1024K as it gives the address (10000h).

The Everex can backfill - here is the full story on that card:

- had the card ages ago in a 386, 3072KB extended with a start address of 1024
- moved into another machine, I did not take notes, but I remember having trouble with switches, eventually got the start address to 2048 (new motherboard had 2Mb RAM)
- card got put in storage for 6 months, in a static bag
- I pull it out, and using the settings in TULARC - configured it for 512Kb-640KB + 2.5MB extended. Didn't work at all.
- Reconfigured it back to how it was, but using the TULARC guide set it to 3Mb with 1Mb start and no-conventional and it still didn't work in the 5170 (which now had the AST card filling 512-640)

So now I have to attack the card. I'm fairly sure the settings in TULARC are incorrect for DRAM size and that extended config and DRAM size are mixed up as well (looking at photos of other EV-135 V2 cards and comparing). But I just wanted to make sure the 5170 supports extended and didn't need a LIM card or something unique.

If anyone has the EV-135 (AT 3000 RAM DELUXE) manual (especially if it's for a Rev C) manual, I'd love to hear from them, otherwise I'll keep poking around until I get it working.
 
Last edited:
SpidersWeb,

I have a feeling you are having a simple config issue. I ran into the same problems w/ an Intel Above Board AT. You can read about it in this thread. My guess is the settings in the 5170 Setup memory setup is incorrect.
 
SpidersWeb,

I have a feeling you are having a simple config issue. I ran into the same problems w/ an Intel Above Board AT. You can read about it in this thread. My guess is the settings in the 5170 Setup memory setup is incorrect.

In theory it's setup correctly, 1024KB start etc and I used the 5170 AT Diagnostics to configure the AT for extra memory, however I'm fairly confident the EV-135 settings on the net are incorrect, at least for my revision. I'll play around with it tonight and see if I can get a handle on it.

I got a photo off the net, another card identical to mine, 3Mb loaded and the conventional memory jumpers disabled (in the 0KB position), I'll copy those switch settings and see if I get any life - ( I'm about 50% confident that particular card is configured for 3072Kb starting at 1024Kb - if it is then TULARC is incorrect or I have a version of the same card that looks identical but different settings)

Cheers for the thread link, got a bit of clarification from that and minuszerodegrees (from Stone). Certainly is extended and my card should be working in it fine if configured correctly.

Going to need to find a 128KB card as well (even if I get the EV-135 running, I can't rely on the TULARC settings). The AST is just too slow and I should have it in an XT, not an AT :S
 
Success. As indicated by links, 5170 takes normal extended memory, I just had my card configured wrong.

The TH99/TULARC settings were correct BUT the starting address is an offset from 1024K, not 0K, so to get the card to start at 1024Kb you need to use the 0Kb option. Once I got that working, I then followed the options and got it to fill the 512-640K range as well - although I selected 2.5Mb of extended when I could have selected 2.75Mb but I'm not fussed - total 3200KB OK on start up now - should be more than enough.

Specs of the little Frankenstein:

- 5170 type 2 motherboard (512K) (ebay)
- WD MFM HDC/FDC (Stone - brilliant parts as always)
- NEC D5126 20Mb 5.25" MFM hard drive (trademe)
- YE Data 1.2Mb floppy (trademe)
- Adaptec 1542 SCSI controller (ROM version) (trademe)
- Syquest SQ-555 44Mb removable cartridge drive (trademe)
- Everex EV-135 3000 AT deluxe RAM card (trademe, found in a 386SX)
- Creative Labs Sound Blaster Pro 2 (no idea)
- Trident 8900 series VGA with 1024Kb of 32bit DRAM (I may downgrade that to a 512K or 256K card) (trademe)
- 5170 case lid + clone case base + modern PSU mounted inside a full sized Seasonic case with part of it cut out so the motherboard could slide under (exhaust fan added, due to the problem of creating a hole in the PSU with air flow - it's internal and silent so you don't even notice) (case lid,base,dead PSU donated by Jay @ NEC, PSU board I stole from a Pentium)

Has been fun. Even installed MS-DOS 5 using original disks. To finish all I need to do is add serial/parallel and get the PSU/case lid screwed on. From the outside, the only indicator that it's not a complete original AT, is the LED panel - which has cute little pictures and a turbo light :S
 
1.44 floppy drive will not work. Setup as a 720K, then I tried using DRIVPARM and DRIVER.SYS to set it to 1.44 but I keep getting "Parameters not supported" etc - is there anyway to get an internal 1.44 drive working on the 1985 BIOS? (I gave up and installed a Syquest SQ-555 in the bay instead - but still curious).

You don't use both DRIVPARM and DRIVER.SYS. It's just one or the other. And note that DRIVPARM was not officially supported until DOS 3.3.
 
You don't use both DRIVPARM and DRIVER.SYS. It's just one or the other. And note that DRIVPARM was not officially supported until DOS 3.3.

Yep I used them separately in testing, same result for each though. Was using MS-DOS 5.0, DRIVER.SYS mounted the floppy drive as D but I was unable to read 1.44 disks, and when I tried "FORMAT D:" it'd try and format 1.44 but come up "Parameters not supported by drive". This drive isn't installed anymore though, put the Syquest in it's place.
 
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