SFF S370 Motherboard + WORKING!! IR Keyboard $30 @ Package2You

[sativen]

Originally posted by: diggum
Has anyone else tried using the tv-out? I get a good signal out, but it's not displaying in 640x480 mode even though that's what the display properties are set to. it looks more like 800x600, but not shrunk down to fit the screen, so I'm missing a portion of the bottom and right desktop.

Anyone else run into this? I'm running XP on the system and have installed the SiS video drivers.

Thanks!

Yea, I've got my running thru the s-video, and it looks ok, nothing spectacular.

Did you load the full package driver from SIS ? It allows you to shrink to fit screen. Mine is running at 800 x 600 this way. I am running XP also.

How does your text look? I thought someone mentioned something about turning on the high contrast settings or something in accesibility? I would try this, but damned if XP doesn't want to register itself now (and I don't want to register it on this system). I'll prolly go back to Win2K or 98 when I get back from Christmas break. Maybe 98 and see if I can get the drivers for the keyboard to amp those keys.

 

[diggum]

I thought I did. I have the SiS icon in the task bar, so I'll check that out and see if I can figure it all out. Thanks for the note.

Text looks great. I spent several hours customizing the desktop with a VGA monitor first. Black background, custom icons for everything, huge white text in a very readable format. looks great on the TV.

 

[alm99]

Originally posted by: diggum
I thought I did. I have the SiS icon in the task bar, so I'll check that out and see if I can figure it all out. Thanks for the note.

Text looks great. I spent several hours customizing the desktop with a VGA monitor first. Black background, custom icons for everything, huge white text in a very readable format. looks great on the TV.

Are you using this for the TV Out at all? What settings are you using, I can't even read text unless I up the dpi.

 

[vladgur]

Geez, I think this dinasaur of a thread belongs in Motherboards by now....

THis deal is NAKED MAN IN ANTARCTIC SEA hot

 

[diggum]

hey, come on! This thread has upped my post count considerably!

I've got the desktop pared down to 6 icons, very large, and huge text - white on black. it's very readable.

I used to use win2k with one of the high-contrast fontsets. as long as you keep it pretty simple and clean, and none of those neon ugly ones, it can look pretty good. You just need to do a lot of customization on everything that's displayed.

 

[mindless1]

Did anyone figure out the pinout for the Audio header yet?

On a related note, does anyone know of existence, a source for stacked PCB-mount 2 RCA jack connector module that has same pin-configuration as a motherboard stereo phone jack? Headphone jacks don't seem appropriate for this motherboard, but RCA do.

 

[inCreek]

Are there any desktop programs that can make the desktop more appropriate for TV display. I mean something similar to MSN Explorer where the fonts are bigger, windows are full screen without the system menu, etc. On the TV I just need a few programs available, Audio/Video Player and may be an E-mail reader. I would like a non-computer look with large fonts, bright colors, a menu or programs available on the screen, and an easy way to switch between the programs. Thanks.

 

[kami333]

Showshifter is a nice replacement for explorer, though I'm not sure if you can customize it to open email.

Also the newest version of Opera is supposed to have some optimization for tv-out.

 

[diggum]

I tried a bunch, but ended up just doing it in plain old windows xp. there were some good front ends I tried, though. For the life of me I can't remember the best shell replacement's name (It started with a "T") but I know you can find out a lot of information about these things over at the HTPC forum at www.avsforum.com.

Lots of custom front-ends for media machines, and tons of tips and tricks for maximizing the quality and ease of use.

 

[rramjet]

I purchased an IBM NetVista case on ebay from bargain-liquidation. I paid on 12/4 but have received no shipping confirmation/tracking number. I've tried to email them 3 times without a reply. Has anyone else ordered from them and can share their experiance? Any suggestions on how to proceed?

 

[mountaindewd]

I too ordered from Bargain-liquidation. My netvista case took about a week to get to me in southern Utah from them in Phoenix (500 miles). I was pretty happy with the case an ordered another.

BTW--- how do i get my composite video to work? My S-vid works fine. I installed the updated full drivers and removed the PAL/NTSC jumper. but still no composite video. I hope i did not damage anything when i installed the audio jack.

 

[alm99]

Originally posted by: rramjet
I purchased an IBM NetVista case on ebay from bargain-liquidation. I paid on 12/4 but have received no shipping confirmation/tracking number. I've tried to email them 3 times without a reply. Has anyone else ordered from them and can share their experiance? Any suggestions on how to proceed?

I ordered and paid and also received no shipping confirmation at all. I sent them a few emails when I had ordered a few weeks ago. by the time they got back to me my order was on my doorstep. I won the auction on a Saturday, paid the following day, and received the notification that they accepted my payment on monday. By friday my order was at my door, with no shipping confirmation at all. Its a crappy way of doing business, but hang in there and keep trying to get in touch with them. ONe guy it said it took him up to two weeks to receive his case. I guess I got lucky

 

[Kroffty]

well I got mine yesterday and thanks to you all I got the keyboard and sound working!
I am going to add a dvd drive and maybe a tv tuner and put the whole thing in an old gutted out vcr.
next I have to try out the s-video and see what it looks like.


Does anyone know of software that will give this tivo or replay tv functionality.

 

[rramjet]

I received my NetVista case from bargainland today via Fedex. Nice they used fedex saturday delivery.
The case was very dirty. Note that the NetVista case I got was set for 220 V and you have to slide a red switch to set it for 110 V.

I installed my SFF motherboard in it and the system is not coming up. I briefly shorted the power switch header pins in order to try to start it up. The NetVista power supply has 5V on one of the connectors but no fan runs. Don't know if the power supply is good or not. Any suggestions from those of you with the NetVista case?

 

[mountaindewd]

I still cannot get my composite video to work. I've tried everything I can think of. Can someone point me in the right direction??

Thanks

 

[rramjet]

My MB was jumpered for PAL (Euro standard) instead of NTSC (US standard) video output. You need to remove a jumper. Check the manual.

 

[mindless1]

Originally posted by: mountaindewd
I still cannot get my composite video to work. I've tried everything I can think of. Can someone point me in the right direction??

Thanks

IIRC, after removing that NTSC/PAL jumper next to the DIMM slots, I immediately had NTSC video as soon as the system was powered on, POSTed. This composite out would turn off once windows had loaded, until I downloaded/installed SIs "full package" drivers, went into Display Properties and changed the setting to again use the TV-Out.

I assume your TV is also set to use composite-in.

 

[rk83]

Mindless1,

J7 analog audio pin assignment:

According to ECS FAQ page for this motherboard (http://www.ecsusa.com/support/p6stp_fn.html)

1-ground
2-reserved ?
3-mic in
4-mic out
5-right speaker out
6-right speaker return
7-left speaker out
8-left speaker return

I just received my motherboard, but don?t have a spare CPU to test the header wiring. My assumption based on the pin assignment: if you connected pins 1,5,6,7 & 8 to a Radio Shack 1/8 panel jack (#274-246) you could support both a front panel and rear panel audio-out jack. When the front jack is empty, pins 5 and 6 (and 7 and 8) are shunted by the jack and the rear jack will be active. When headphones are plugged into the front jack it will switch off the speakers connected in the rear.

If you are only looking for one audio-out connector only, you might be able to wire a simple 1/8? headphone jack connected to J7 pins 1,5,7.

 

[mindless1]

Originally posted by: rk83

J7 analog audio pin assignment:

According to ECS FAQ page for this motherboard (http://www.ecsusa.com/support/p6stp_fn.html)

1-ground
2-reserved ?
3-mic in
4-mic out
5-right speaker out
6-right speaker return
7-left speaker out
8-left speaker return

I just received my motherboard, but don?t have a spare CPU to test the header wiring. My assumption based on the pin assignment: if you connected pins 1,5,6,7 & 8 to a Radio Shack 1/8 panel jack (#274-246) you could support both a front panel and rear panel audio-out jack. When the front jack is empty, pins 5 and 6 (and 7 and 8) are shunted by the jack and the rear jack will be active. When headphones are plugged into the front jack it will switch off the speakers connected in the rear.

If you are only looking for one audio-out connector only, you might be able to wire a simple 1/8? headphone jack connected to J7 pins 1,5,7.

Thanks for the link. I can't help but wonder how one of the largest motherboard manufacturers on earth can manage to !@#$ up a simple pinout when every other motherboard manufacturer can manage something usable without translation.

I'll get something more intelligible made of those pinouts, throw it all into a nice image and Link It Here. This pinout has NOT been confirmed yet by any testing, use at your own risk. Note the USB pins at the bottom of J2, might come in handy for someone with Netvista or <other> case front USB ports.

 

[fxsts]

mindless1

Have you tried the Tualatin adaptor you bought from Compgeeks? I just got back from my trip today and tried the Powerleap adaptor w/o any success.

 

[mindless1]

Tualatin Adapter must've been shipped by boat, still isn't here. ETA today or tomorrow.


When you tried the adapter, did you first reset CMOS to default?

 

[MamBo]

NetVista power supply has 5V on one of the connectors but no fan runs. Don't know if the power supply is good or not. Any suggestions from those of you with the NetVista case?

fans usualy runs from 12V, not 5v, and in order to test PS you need to hook up your mainboard (or shorten some pins in the PS mainboard connector (don't remeber with ones) and put some load (say fan

 

[fxsts]

Originally posted by: mindless1
Tualatin Adapter must've been shipped by boat, still isn't here. ETA today or tomorrow.


When you tried the adapter, did you first reset CMOS to default?

Yes, I cleared the CMOS. I am going to try the adapter on other motherboards to check if it's not dead.

 

[rramjet]

I've troubleshooted my system problem down to the MB. We'll see how package2you handles this issue.

One question I haven't seen answered - although the P2 connector was determined as the right place for the IR receiver, the orientation of the cable pluged into the MB has not been described AFAIK. I oriented pin one on the IR receiver to the red stripe on the cable. On the other end of the cable, the red stripe is near the center of the connector. Which way should the cable plug into the MB???

 

[diggum]

Here's what I posted middle of page 7:

it is the J2 header, right behind the video socket and the audio ports that aren't there.

When you plug it in, the arrow needs to be facing the RAM and the big orange heatsink. There are two sides of the connector - the one that the ribbon comes out of and the side that the ribbon is cut flush to. You need the flush end to be facing the back of the motherboard, towards the VGA connector and audio ports.

hope it helps!