best cheap/free scores 1.1

[Topcat]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

Im the same way, I can even remember paying like $10 for a I/O shield before I just made them, now with a 3d printer you can make all of them fast and cheap.

3D print...didn't even think of that for an IO shield.... Good idea!

[Dan81]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

More scores today.

HP dv7-1120eo - awfully dirty, surprisingly started working after I left it heat up (it's freezing outside), does enter Windows but I suspect LVDS isn't working as I have nothing on screen. (keyboard is responsive tho.) Came with 2GB of RAM and some random 2012 datecoded 500GB WD Scorpio Blue that, despite being disgustingly dirty, is at 100% health.

Xbox 360 - my first one so appreciate anyone who can give some help on it. 2008 datecode, and has a criminally heavy 160W brick.

WYSE KU-8933 keyboard - nice membrane-based Model M clone w/ Windows keys, and surprisingly clean.

[Dan81]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

Today's dumpster dive (since I couldn't edit previous post) - a Kyocera Mita FS-1018MFP multifunctional Scanner+Printer. Jams a bit but then starts off fine, guess I gotta roll it every now and then?

As for the above scores:

- dv7 works fine and silent after a reflow on both chipset and GPU - surprisingly this one is the only one that didn't give me the "CMOS checksum error" at every boot regardless of the CMOS battery being new or not.

-360 works, need to clean it up and unjam the DVD drive. May RGH or JTAG it, depending on availability.

-WYSE keyboard works and is absolutely splendid for a membrane based Model M clone.

[jons]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

Kyocera Mita FS-1018MFP multifunctional Scanner+Printer. Jams a bit but then starts off fine, guess I gotta roll it every now and then?

Sounds like rollers or roller clutch.
Anyway, on last month got MS-6501 dual socket A board with adaptec sata controller and bodged geforce 6200 on it for agp testing purposes, Dell 27" 2k monitor with random blackouts and fully working Aiwa AM-NX9 netMD player with bunch of disks.

[Topcat]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

^
Nice! Check the caps. Hard to tell from the pic, but there looks like a bloated Rubycon right next to that 4-pin addon plug for the 20 pin ATX connector.

[jons]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

Caps are fine! I was worried also until seen it in flesh.

[Dan81]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

The only thing I would be worried about is that Stinkworld PSU. I wouldn't risk running a dual Athlon machine with that cheap PoS (and yes, I do admit Linkworlds are crap) at all, especially since they're horribly hungry on the 5v rail. Not that the 12v isn't also required to be high, but still.

[MarkS007]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

In the LA area we see a lot of big screen TVs sitting out on curbs for trash pickup. Most of course are junk. Just 3 days ago one caught my eye. Turned out to be a Vizio 55" 4k model from 2016. And I've never had a 4k TV! Thanks to this forum I was able to diagnose the common CPU BGA heat problem. Up and running in a few hours by baking the main board in an oven. 10 min @385f (I was too lazy and eager to wait a day to get a heat gun). Been working great for 3 days now!

[Dan81]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

Another nice score IMO - two early phat Xbox 360s. One is a Xenon (no HDMI) and the other is a Zephyr (HDMI). Came with two rather corroded controllers - one cleaned up and works fine, the other may need some tracework done - as well as a headset, a 203W PSU and a nice Component+Composite official cable.

The irony - the Xenon is pretty banged up (blown KZJs near the DC input) yet no RRoD and runs NXE dash, while the Zephyr was in pristine condition yet it had RRoD, despite being repasted. Reflowed it quickly at 350*C with a paint removing heatgun. Was pleasantly suprised to find out the Zephyr unit had the original Blade dashboard!!! Also the DVD drive on this one worked. For some reason, the TSSTCorp on the Xenon won't do anything, no signs of life. Maybe a mismatched drive?

[jons]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

The only thing I would be worried about is that Stinkworld PSU. I wouldn't risk running a dual Athlon machine with that cheap PoS (and yes, I do admit Linkworlds are crap) at all, especially since they're horribly hungry on the 5v rail. Not that the 12v isn't also required to be high, but still.

Actually that was just temporarily one just to turn it on and test preliminary, already searching for 5V and 12V heavy enough psu. More dissapointment came when I discovered that cheap Radeon 9700 I got earlier has artefacts, and X1950 pro code 10 on one of two gpus in device manager...

[Xenon-Codex]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

Today's visit at the dump resulted: HP pavilion laptop (not tested yet), Abit AB-BX6, Asus P5A with K6-2@500, and a Tyan S1846.

[Topcat]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

Today's visit at the dump resulted: HP pavilion laptop (not tested yet), Abit AB-BX6, Asus P5A with K6-2@500, and a Tyan S1846.

Very nice! The P5A is stellar for a retro build; super7 board (100MHz bus speed) with an AGP; one of the only ones ever made with that combo.

[RJARRRPCGP]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

4k model from 2016.

May be fake 4K! That's a real thing for some TVs! (not monitors, TMK)

If the LED backlight array is RGBW, then it's not real 4K! (white-only pixels)

[Dan81]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

More updates on the 360s:

- Falcon unit received the power button from the Xenon unit
- Xenon unit is probably going to end up for parts - I can't for the life of me get the DVD drive to work, and I'm pretty confident it's the original drive that's in there - I haven't seen Xenons ship with anything else besides Toshiba-Samsung TS-H943 DVD drives - this one seems to be dead, won't do anything when pressing eject - checked all the mechanic side, everything looks fine. That, and KZJ caps galore
- Zephyr unit was reflowed, awaits some fresh MX6 to be applied because I'm fairly sure whatever was used on there is probably the world's worst thermal paste known to day, the kind that can barely cool a Celeron, let alone two 90nm chips.
- one of the controllers has a wrecked PCB, will keep it for parts or until I can find another one that's in rough shape and swap the casing on it. The other one works and currently uses some VARTA Alkaline LR6 batteries (I know, VARTA sucks balls, but tit's the only kind of batteries I could find cheap enough to buy a pack of 4 of.).

Next step is probably getting both units RGH'd. I would have loved to JTAG both of them but I couldn't find anyone to do it, and I don't have the tools necessary to do it currently. (unless I can JTAG a 360 through a LPT port... even if that means waiting a century to write a NAND )

[jons]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

- Xenon unit is probably going to end up for parts - I can't for the life of me get the DVD drive to work, and I'm pretty confident it's the original drive that's in there - I haven't seen Xenons ship with anything else besides Toshiba-Samsung TS-H943 DVD drives - this one seems to be dead, won't do anything when pressing eject - checked all the mechanic side, everything looks fine. That, and KZJ caps galore

Probably stupid question but is there led activity when you press eject? Maybe just dead button? Because that's quite rare when optical is so dead it even don't recognize simple commands.

[Dan81]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

Button flashes but other than that nothing haplens.

[TechGeek]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

Button flashes but other than that nothing haplens.

Could it be a bad tray belt?

[TechGeek]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

Just snagged 64MB (8x 8Mx9) of 30-pin parity SIMMs for $30 off eBay.

[Dan81]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

Could it be a bad tray belt?

Nope. The drive is dead, as far as I can tell. Won't do anything across all three units - Xenon (the mobo it comes from), Zephyr or Falcon. Swapping the semi-broken Lite-On from the Falcon into the Xenon does work - the drive does power up (haven't tried eject as the Falcon's DVD drive has broken eject mechanism). The TSSTCorp drive from the Xenon stays dead (no laser movement, NOTHING) across all three units.

[Xenon-Codex]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

This Sony STR-110 seems to be pretty rare. The three 8V bulbs need to be replaced, and it works. The fuses looked interesting.