Uncreative Labs

Joined: 01 Oct 2006 Posts: 36 Location: USA

I've recently been working on getting my 5160 back in operating condition; it had been in storage for a few years after the only working floppy drive on it failed. I ordered an XT-IDE to install in it along with a 64MB CF card, used a 720k floppy drive to install PC-DOS 3.30 on it, and I've been messing around with it for the last few days. Installed a Paradise PEGA 1A card to replace the IBM MDA card so now I have Hercules graphics support. I also wanted to find a sound card for it for Adlib and SoundBlaster support, and that's where the ESS Audiodrive comes in.

I've used this card for years previously in my 486 with no problems, though it has been sitting in a box for many years. I installed it in the XT, booted it up and ran Monkey Island and sure enough I had sound, but I had no more than started playing when I noticed the familiar, acrid smell of burning electronics. I turned off the PC immediately and started looking for the source which turned out to be the sound card. The amplifier chip was burning hot and a small surface mount resistor connected to pin 4 of the amp was charred to a crisp.

Anyway, to get to the point I was wondering if putting this card in an 8-bit slot could have killed it or could there be some other issue with my PC, or did the card just die due to old capacitors shorting or something? I have many other cards in the computer and it all seems to work fine so I'm guessing it was a problem with the card. I'm kind of bummed about losing it anyway, I've always liked this card.

Joined: 02 Oct 2004 Posts: 594 Location: Western NC

Unlikely that putting it in an 8 bit slot killed it, but you know not to put anything in slot 8 (unless it's compatible), right?

http://www.minuszerodegrees.net/5160/misc/5160_slot_8.htm

Joined: 01 Oct 2006 Posts: 36 Location: USA

Yes, I wasn't using anything in Slot 8. All I can figure is maybe it was an old cap on the card that shorted.

Posted: Sun Dec 20, 2020 5:30 pm

I have an 3272 with a 5272 display with a slot 8 and it has an ethernet cardof some kind. As mentioned in the link about sot 8.
Does it work well with CF ? does it show up as a harddrive ?

Joined: 01 Oct 2006 Posts: 36 Location: USA

I have an XT-IDE card I'm using in my 5160 but mine doesn't have slot 8 support. There is an extra circuit board you need to install on the card for it to work in that slot.
More info here: http://www.glitchwrks.com/2017/02/03/slot-8-support

It does show up as a hard drive, I'm using a 512 MB CF card and adapter but you can use regular IDE hard drives too. I bought my XT-IDE card here: https://www.bluelavasystems.com/xt-ide/