When using the original board - I seem to remember that only quite old computer monitors will work. I know I still keep one old monitor in a box for just that reason. CGA, EGA, VGA. Trying to remember what works with the RFM motherboard, I think not VGA, CGA does work, can't remember if an EGA monitor will work or not. Bottom line, unless you have a very old monitor you won't be able to display the video on an external monitor without using a video card.

I had a spare Pin2k computer and I was able to get it to POST and get most of the way installing Win98. I used an IBM 9514 14.1" LCD monitor with the motherboard's integrated video when I was setting it up. This is an older VGA LCD monitor circa 1998.

It always failed the Win98 install process because the hard drive I was using was bad and kept getting read errors. These motherboards only support smaller hard drives (can't remember the limit) and the only small drives I had were bad. But in doing this my main intent was to check that the mobo worked and would POST and at least seemed stable.

There were a few different manufacturers of the Cyrix MediaGX motherboards, mine was a Dataexpert MGX7520. BIOS version was GXM-CX5520-2A433D09C-00, V2.01 1998.12.16

Don't know if any of that helps, but that's all I've got. I've since sold the computer and motherboard assembly to a Pinsider.

I think there should be a MIDI Board with VGA out and on board sound ports.

With the Prism card out, you can hook up any VGA monitor and get to the BIOS screens. If you're not getting video then you either have the MIDI-board (which has the VGA connector and possibly some audio connectors, which are not used) hooked up wrong, or something is blown in the video section.

The first two are for setting the bus speed and clock multiplier for the CPU. The bottom is for clearing the CMOS settings back to default (not a bad idea).

Try this.
http://rec.games.pinball.narkive.com/36vZ4Z5F/tech-rfm-swe1-motherboard-connections

Looks like you did this but??

Yes.

Something else to consider: With the MediaGX processor, the video processing is handled by the CPU. When the CPU overheats due to improper cooling (often a problem if heatsink compound is not used between the CPU and the heatsink) the first thing to go is the video section. So it is possible that a heat-damaged CPU would not output video.
Another possibility is that the motherboard has been damaged (e.g. something fried due to plugging cables in wrong).

If this is an original motherboard as used in RFM, then no. The built in video on that motherboard requires an older monitor (CGA or VGA) which predated LCD monitors. When I once tried to connect a fairly old LCD monitor for troubleshooting it didn't work, instead I had to use an even older VGA monitor from the 80s.

I disagree. With the Prism card removed you are going to get a very standard signal that any monitor with a VGA connection will be able to display. With the Prism card in, that's a completely different story. Then it will output a 15kHz signal that most computer monitors will not handle (you need an old multi-sync monitor from the 80's).

It has been quite a number of years since I had to do that diagnostic. Perhaps I did indeed have the PRISM card installed when hooking up the external monitor, and hence the need at the time for the very old monitor instead of a LCD.

maybe the vga board / cable is bad.

but to test it should be able to install windows with the PCI VGA card to see if the system is stable as a board with bad MB / CPU may not be able to be stable to do a install.

with windows on there you can try the on board video with out the vga card. It may just work but no video till windows loads (new lcd's may not like the low res bios screens that the older systems put out)

WAIT, just saw your previous post and looked at your pics where you are plugging the video header cable into the MIDI header. That won't work, MIDI is digital music. It looks like the video out header pins are the white connector underneath the RAM sockets. Do you have a manual?

No, he's got it right. That's not a standard MIDI connector. That motherboard comes with a special "MIDI board" that plugs in there that has the VGA port on it. I used to have a copy of the manual... maybe I can dig it up.

I keep a old window 95 laptop just to use on SWEP1.

The Prism card has to use the onboard video provided by the MediaGX processor. No way around that.
Have you tried another CPU yet? Which speed do you have in there? Did you verify that your clock multiplier setting is correct?

I did my update with XP, it does work. But you have to select the slowest rate on the software for the update.

This is another reason Nucore has to be an option.

This thread has absolutely nothing to do with updating the software on the Prism card. The OP is trying to fix his P2K motherboard (which is having issues with the onboard video).

I won't try to absorb all of your efforts - seems very frustrating for you? If it was my machine, it would be time to call on an expert. Maybe try Rob Anthony (Borygard) at http://lockwhenlit.com/

ohhhh, he's trying to update the firmware on the bios then?

I know I used to have a copy, but I can't find it. That one you linked to is very similar (it is a later version that uses the CX5530 chipset rather than the CX5520).

When you install the CPU you need to apply heatsink compound. DO NOT reuse that old pad that was stuck between the heatsink and CPU. Throw that away and apply a thin layer of thermal grease. If you try to use that pad you will not get adequate heat transfer from the CPU to the heatsink, and the CPU will eventually overheat and fail.

You have to set the motherboard jumpers for the CPU you are installing. Check the bus speed jumper first. It should be at 33MHz. Then set the clock multiplier jumpers for the CPU. Your CPU is 233MHz, so you want a multiplier of 7 (or less, but don't go higher).

You don't need the manual. The settings are screened onto the motherboard right next to the jumper block. The one in the photo looks like it's set to 7x.
Do you have more than one CPU to try?

Yes, S is shorted (jumper installed). I believe your bus speed is set to 33MHz in that pic (jumper on JP2 and not on JP3).

Jumpers look right. Did you try another CPU yet? You can also try lowering the clock multiplier and the bus speed. IIRC, most came with 200 MHz CPUs, and some even had 180 MHz.

Maybe it's the wrong satellite board for this model... I am seeing 26 pins on the sat board and only 20 on the motherboard... The pinouts are going to be different... Did you get the cables with that new board?

ST-MGXM_mama.jpg

I believe the 26-pin cable/midi-board is OK (the extra pins are for optional audio outs that his MB doesn't have), but the important thing is that pin 1 on the cable (the red side) is lined up with pin 1 on the header (the left side in his pic). It's hard to tell from his pic, but it doesn't look like it's on there correctly.
And hooking it up wrong may have blown something....

Helicopter was nice enough to scan and email his manual to me, and as I thought, looks like the pin out IS different.

Pin 2K motherboard manual 8.jpg

_{Post edited by mikebetz42: Added Pin 2k ST-MGXm v1.1.pdf}

Pin 2k ST-MGXm v1.1-448.pdf

My new in box motherboard also includes the satellite boards and ribbon cables. I can take pics of them if that will help.

Test cable made, and is working.

20150116_190815_resized.jpg

Video pinout of the 586GXM-AV board.

MB VGA
1 - 9 +5**
2 - 8 BGND
3 - 15 ID0*
4 - NC
5 - 14 VSYNC
6 - 10 GND
7 - 13 HSYNC
8 - 5 GND
9 - 12 ID1*
10 - NC
11 - NC
12 - 3 BLUE
13 - 6 RGND
14 - 2 Green
15 - 7 GGND
16 - 1 RED
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26

* - Not needed
** - Only needed if you are going to use the Ultimarc video amp. (http://www.ultimarc.com/vidamp.html)

20150126_144928_resized.jpg

No problem and you're welcome!!!

I noticed on my NIB motherboard that the square little EEPROM is missing. I thought these came with the mb when new? Maybe mine isn't new in box but it sure looks like it is with the white box and all the peripherals so a little confused or maybe somebody robbed it. You can see it missing in the picture in my post on the page 1. Anybody have an extra one of these? Or, should I just sell it without it? Since I already sold my RFM.

The Chip on my board is a Chrontel CH70038-V. It looks to be part of the video, possibly for the S Video and Composite out. I would test it to make sure you get a VGA signal. I need to find my puller, and I will remove the chip on my board and see if I still have VGA video.

"Chrontel's CH7003 digital PC to TV encoder is a standalone integrated circuit which provides a PC 99 compliant solution for TV output. It provides a universal digital input port to accept a pixel data stream from a compatible VGA controller (or equivalent) and converts this directly into NTSC or PAL TV format, with simultaneous composite and S-Video outputs.

CH7003B integrates a digital NTSC/PAL encoder with 9- bit DAC interface, and new adaptive flicker filter, and high accuracy low-jitter phase locked loop to create outstanding quality video. Through its TrueScaleTM scaling and deflickering engine, the CH7003 supports full vertical and horizontal underscan capability and operates in 5 different resolutions including 640x480 and 800x600."

I pulled the chip and still had on board VGA video, looks like it will be fine without it.

-Mike