rec.autos.simulators

I'm trying to get an ISA PDPI L4 gameport to work with a BE6-II.

The first problem is I cannot locate the revision # for the board.  I
do know it's a non-RAID with a BIOS version of RV according to
instructions in the manual.

As far as getting the card to work, I'm stumped.  The POST stops just
after identifying my CPU.  So, I have to pull the card to access the
BIOS.  Once in the BIOS, there appears to be a myriad of settings
relating to the dreaded ISA issue.

I've changed the settings for:

Memory Hole at 15M-16M
Passive Release
Delayed Transaction
PnP OS Installed
Force Update ESCD
Resources Controlled By:  (Disabled Com2 & assigned its' IRQ to Legacy
ISA & PCI/ISA PnP but later learned this card doesn't use an IRQ ).

I've stopped fiddling with these settings as there's too many
permutations available & I lack the clues as to what all these
settings mean.

Other specs:

PII 450 ( not overclocked )
SB Live in Slot 2 ( Dos driver disabled )
Kingston NIC in Slot 3
Win98 SE

Anybody in r.a.s. land using this moboard & a PDPI??

TIA

--
" Why bother..." - R. Crumb

You can find the rev. number by holding a mirror along side the isa slot and
look for a sticker.  I don't know about your specific gameport but in the
past I've used a thrustmaster acm card (isa) with my be6-II rev. 1.
Regarding the various bios switches you might want to turn the PNP-OS option
OFF and let the bios do the irq's.  I know you said the isa card doesn't
need an irq but it does sound like an irq conflict to me.  I believe slot 2
(your SBLive) shares an irq with slot 5 which I think IS the isa slot (which
in turn could be the source of the conflict).  Try moving the SBlive to slot
1 (shares with agp) or slot4 (shares with usb), though SBlive cards have
been known not to share irq's well.  If that doesn't work move the NIC card
to slot 1 or 4 (which may or may not share better).  Also, I think there
might be an updated bios available (I think I'm at UH or something like
that).  And, of course, you want to disable the gameport in SBlive.  I think
serial ports use irq's too which you can disable in the bios.  My hunch is
though your answer is probably in moving the cards around (I'd start with
the SBLive) and not the bios settings.
Don

..or use an upside-down CD.

[...]

Jeez, they don't make it easy, huh?

Ver. 1.1.

I had an old an old ACM laying around & decided to try it.  Slapped it
in & the system was able to POST.  Perhaps my PDPI is dead (R.I.P.).

I installed the BE6 because my old Asus P2B-F died (R.I.P.) & I
couldn't find a replacement.  Perhaps the PDPI got fried when the
moboard passed away.

I've tried that but no go.

Yeah, it does sound like an IRQ conflict but I'm fairly certain the L4
doesn't require an IRQ.  You're correct in that Slot 2 & 5 share an
IRQ but Slot 5 is PCI.  I looked thru the Abit manual to see if the
ISA slot shares resources with other slots but didn't find any info.

OK.  I had to do some card shuffling to get the NIC & SB Live to work
together in their present config so I may re-shuffle.

Yes, the latest BIOS update available is UH.  

Initially, I tried to install the PDPI *before* installing the SB
Live.  That always worked with my Asus as the L4 would grab its'
required I/O.  The, once the SB Live was installed, it would use
another I/O range.  With the Asus, I never had to disable the Live's
gameport.  With the Abit, I can't even the get the L4 installed.

Yes, I disabled Com2 to free up an IRQ ( which I don't think the L4
needs ) but that didn't work either.  I may re-shuffle my PCI cards
but since the ACM card allowed my rig to POST, I feel the L4 may be
dead.

Anyway, thanx very much for the reply.  I'm having a new rig built,
but in the meantime, I need this old system to race online.  I've used
the L4 for a long time & if the thing is dead, I may have to hold some
kind of ceremony for it...:-)

--
" Why bother..." - R. Crumb

Or reference his BIOS version of RV at Abit's website where you download
their BIOS updates.  It indicates a version 1.0.

--

Fester

...or you could excessively polish the bottom of the inside of your case
until it was shiny enough to reflect :)

Hi Mark,

I use the same combo as you with no problems. You do have to ues the
L4Setup.exe or the M/B wont see the card.  I dont know if the PDPI site is
still avail for the file if you need it. E-Mail me if you still need help.

George Sandman

Install the SBLive.... disable the gameport... shutdown.... install the
L4.... boot up.... run the install for L4.... see if you still have a prob.

If you don't "disable" the SB gameport... the L4 cannot assume the proper
I/O (since the SB occupies it, and is VERY intrusive and particular). Dunno
if this would cause a boot error.... but just make sure the SB GP is
disabled... before you install the L4.

Then.... make sure you "calibrate your wheel/stick/pad" before you reboot
again. Then its set in stone.

Hope it works...

Cheers,

Schumi

Or use a *clean* putty knife...:-)

--
" Why bother..." - R. Crumb

Mark,
Well you're obviously working the problem hard and inevitably the computer
will finally give up and do what you want it to do.  You've used a couple
terms I'm not familiar with, PDPI and L4.  What are they?  Though we both
evidently own acm cards I read somewhere once that the SBLive card gameport
is fine and it obviously doesn't bring the isa into play at all.  So is this
PDPI that good?  I'm curious.  Sorry about the bad call on number of pci
slots, guess I was number challenged.

You're not out anything except your time by flipping the cards around, but I
think your're right that the isa card sounds dead (especially if the acm
works in the isa slot).

So what's this PDPI thingy...People Drive Purilli Italia ?

Don

[...]

I thought it was best to install the L4 *before* installing the SB
Live card.  That way, the L4 was assured of grabbing its' required
I/O.  That always worked with my old Asus but not with the Abit.

But, since the Asus died, perhaps it killed the L4 too...:-(

Yes, that was always the case before my moboard croaked.  I used the
PDPI / TSW combo for about 18 months without calibrating once after
the initial calibration.

Thanx for the help.

--
" Why bother..." - R. Crumb

Here's the latest flash:
ftp://ftp.abit.com.tw/pub/utilities/award_flash/awdflash.exe
Here's the latest bios:
ftp://66.40.22.130/download/bios/be6-II/behxu.exe

Pull out all your cards except the video and see if the PDPI works then. If
not, load bios setup defaults using the F key and try again. If the PDPI
card still doesn't work, it's probably dead. If it does, you'll probably
still have to disable the SBLive gameport as Shumi suggests.

--
Slot

Tweaks & Reviews
www.slottweak.com

[...ISA woes...]

Hmmm....this is interesting, George.

I don't understand how drivers would affect a machine that won't POST
but you've obviously got yours working.  

The PDPI site is a goner but I've got the L4 CD.  I'll run the setup &
see what happens.  If this works, I'll email you a case of your
favorite beverage...:-)

Thanx for the help!

--
" Why bother..." - R. Crumb

PDPI - Pacific Digital Peripherals, Inc. - They designed the L4.
Bought out by Act-Labs about a year ago.

L4 - Lightning 4 - A digital gamecard.  Similar to the ACM, but
considerably more efficient.  

Still being sold by Act-Labs:

http://www.actlab.com/pdpi_l4.htm

The SB Live is fine.  However, the L4 has plenty of features that
equate to rock solid performance.  This site explains it better than I
ever could:

http://www.gplonline.com/Tech-Talk/L4-Gamecard/L4-Gamecard.htm

Speaking subjectively, I'm convinced the L4 helps with lap times.  

There's *no* jitter in any calibration screens & the thing is very
tweakable via Registry settings.  For instance, I installed a new
high-grade steering pot in my TSW.  I wasn't getting enough range with
it so I changed the numbers in the Registry & found a sweet spot.

Hey, no problem.  I've been reading some much stuff lately about this
new moboard, my brain needs an upgrade...:-)

Yeah, I think it may be dead.  However, George Sandman's post
indicates I should install the drivers before the card.  This is
opposite of my routine with an Asus moboard but evidently, it worked
for George.

Close, but I think it might be....

Peripherals Drive People Insane...:-))

--
" Why bother..." - R. Crumb

Any chance the L4 will work in Windows 2000?