Re: Can a GS with dead slots run a Zip or TWGS?

[Rubywand <rubywand@swbell.net>]

Supertimer writes ...
> 
> I have a GS motherboard with dead slots.  The GS can't access
> cards in them. ....


     Actually, there is a test procedure which can help you zero-in on
the source of your Dead Slots problem. First you make very sure that +5V
and +12V are available via a load test at the Slot pins. (You clip a 50
Ohm or so 2-Watt resistor across your meter leads and check each voltage
from the correct Slot voltage contact to the Slot Ground contact. Make
sure the Ground contact is, really, the Ground contact.)

     If voltages check out okay, you run a short looping program which
attempts to R/W to each Slot and use an oscilloscope, digital frequency
meter, or digital probe to check for the presence of signals at the Slot
pins. If any signals show up missing, you have a good clue which could
lead to a fix.

     The fix could be repairing a broken trace on the motherboard,
removing a short, or replacing the IC. If the fix is to replace the
74HCT245, it is doable via a direct replacement or subbing a full-size
IC connected via wire-wrap wire. (Still, as you observed earlier, that
IC is pretty tiny! It is not an especially easy fix.)  If everything
points to the Slotmaker IC or the Mega2 IC, your best move may be to
forget it.


     As to whether or not a "Dead Slots" GS can run a Zip or TWGS, it
depends upon how dead "Dead" is.

     You are, of course, correct about the fun of the challenges
involved. One way to find out if a ZipGS or TWGS will work with the
board is to plug one in and see what happens. Note that we are _not_
talking about a risk-free try-out. You would want to, at least, test for
the presence of correct +5V, etc. voltages. 

     If power supply voltages look okay at the Slot then, _IF_ plugging
the other cards into the Dead Slots did not kill them, plugging in the
accelerator card should be safe. >>> "Should" <<< means I'd try it.
There are NO Guarantees. It is Your stuff on the line and Your decision.
Good Luck!  


Rubywand