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Main Body : PC-9801 DA (NEC)
NEC PC-98 series is Japanese original architecture of computer,
optimized for using Japanese characters.
It is not PC/AT hardware compatible, but MS-Windows software compatible.
I bought it in 1992.
It was a 386DX/20MHz machine then.
I upgraded this old computer so many times.
Now Windows 95 runs on it as fast as on
Pentium 90MHz machine.
It has 4 expantion slots(16bit, not AT-bus but Japanese original bus architecture).
They are all used for
Ethernet + SCSI sub-board,
Graphic,
Sound, and
Serial I/F cards, respectively.
No PCI-bus or VL-bus!
- OS: FreeBSD 3.5.1
I used following operating systems on this computer.
- MS-DOS 5.0 + Windows 3.0
- MS-DOS 6.2 + Windows 3.1
- MS-Windows 95
- FreeBSD 2.2.8
- FreeBSD 3.5.1
Now this is a test machine to use FreeBSD.
A new AT-compatible PC took the place of "main machine".
FreeBSD Kernel Configuration File for this computer
Opening message: Output from "dmesg" command
- CPU: Cyrix 5x86 120MHz
I upgraded the CPU many times.
- Intel 386DX 20MHz(+387DX) : Initial CPU when I bought the PC.
- Cyrix 486DLC 20MHz : Replace CPU, Use cache control software
- Cyrix 486DLC 25MHz : Clock-up
- Intel 486DX2 80MHz : Turbo-486/66MHz CPU on 386-486 adapter & clock doubler daughter board, 20MHz X 4
- Cyrix 5x86 120MHz : Melco EUD-H CPU adapter board, 20MHz X 6
Now 5x86 120MHz CPU on an old PC is working
as fast as Pentium 90MHz.
Both Windows 95 and FreeBSD 2.2.8 can enable the cache
memory in 5x86 CPU (486 compatible) installed on 386-PC motherboard.
- RAM: 62MB
This PC can load 14MB RAM normally, because of 24bit address bus.
But the 5x86 CPU adapter daughter board has 2 RAM expansion slots.
I set a 32MB RAM modules and a 16MB one there.
CPU can read and write the expanded RAM on the adapter board at
40MHz,
twice as fast as the normal RAM on the mother board.
Both Windows 95 and FreeBSD 2.2.8 can use the expanded
RAM at over-16MB address.
- Hard Disk & SCSI Device
I'm using SCSI hard disks, not IDE ones. 2 drives,
1GB [SCSI-ID 1] (IBM DPES-31080) and
2GB [SCSI-ID 0] (nEC DSE2100S) are connected.
1GB drive is for FreeBSD.
Windows 95 in installed on 2GB drive.
CD drive 4X speed [SCSI-ID 3] (Toshiba XM-3501TA)
is used for FreeBSD software installation.
MO drive 128MB (Fujitsu M2511A)
was taken by my New PC.
This PC-9801 uses it through network on Windows 95.
SCSI card is I/O Data SC-98III PSB. Suspended Memory-mapped I/O Transfer (SMIT) method type.
It is an expantion sub-board on ET/T-98 (Ethernet Card) for PC-98 16bit bus.
SMIT type SCSI card is faster than Bus-Master type ones, and
more stable when I use the RAM in the address above 16MB.
- Graphic
Graphic VRAM 2MB, Max. resolution is 1280X1024 256 colors or 1024X768 65536 colors. Full color(16777216) isn't available.
The card is I/O Data GA-1280, on PC98 16bit bus. (Made in Japan)
The graphic chip is made in Japan, too. It is as fast as S3 86C928.
FreeBSD X-Window doesn't support this graphic card.
Monitor : Iiyama(Idek) MF-8217J (17 inch)
fH : 24 - 65 kHz, It can display 1280 X 1024 non-interlace.
It is shared with my new PC/AT K6-2/300 machine.
- Network (LAN & Internet)
Ethernet LAN Card is I/O Data ET/T-98. 10Base-T, on PC98 16bit bus.
This machine is connected to the New Windows 98 Machine through Ethernet cross cable.
Second-bus sub-board SC-98III PSB (SCSI I/F) is expanded on this card.
I join Momotaro Internet Club provider.
When I used Windows 95 on this PC,
I connected it to the Internet through
ISDN Terminal Adapter (NEC ATermIT55 with DSU), and
high-speed (Max. 921.6Kbps) serial I/F card
(I/O Data RSA-98III/S) on PC98 16bit bus.
I'm planning to set up a dial-up router using them with FreeBSD.
I use Netscape Communicator 4.05 and MS Internet Explorer 3.02 .
- Sound Blaster & Wave Blaster
PCM and MIDI sounds are available with only 1 board on PC98 16bit bus.
Compatible to Creative Lab's products for PC/AT bus.
FreeBSD supports PCM and MIDI functions of this sound card.
- If you have a list like this on WWW, It may be convenient for you to report
your computer environment when you consult hard/software makers.
- E-mail :
johnkoji@yahoo.com
- URL :
http://www.ylw.mmtr.or.jp/~johnkoji/