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From: wtm@neoucom.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: NEC GB1 vertical retrace - which port to read?
Message-ID: <571@neoucom.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 5-May-87 22:32:56 EDT
Article-I.D.: neoucom.571
Posted: Tue May  5 22:32:56 1987
Date-Received: Thu, 7-May-87 06:14:28 EDT
References: <352@sdics.ucsd.EDU>
Organization: Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine
Lines: 38
Summary: GB1 is really the Tseng Labs Eva-480


I don't have the tek specks to answer the question about which port
to read to find out when you're in the vertical retrace time slot,
but I do know that the GB-1 *IS* an Eva-480.  Well, almost.  I
helped a freind write an article for Info World about the GB-1.  We
called NEC repeatedly, but got just about zero assistance.  They
can tell you how to plug it into the buss slot, and that's about
it.

They referred us grudgingly to Tseng Labs, when we pressured them
about the fact we knew it appeared to be the same as the Eva 480.
We were having trouble with the BIOS ROM on the NEC board.  We
couldn't get the Dr. Halo packaged with the GB-1 to work.  Also we
couldn't get Microsoft Windows to work.  Interestingly, an *older*
dated BIOS chip on an Eva 480 that we have did cause the GB-1 to
fruction correctly in EGA and extended EGA modes.  Tseng happily
provided us with a new ROM for the GB-1. (Wow, talk about service!)
The new ROM provided by Tseng also worked.  We never did get any
sort of hard information about the buggy BIOS from NEC.  NEC also
until very recently would not admit to the real (or is it
accidental) fact that the Multisync can work at 70+ Hz scan rates.
I don't trust NEC.

As a final note, the Hercules emulation mode for the GB-1 and Eva
must be rather limited, as we could get neither to work in Herc
mode with Turbo Reflex (which is the only Herc mode program that we
had on hand to experiment with).  Presumably, Reflex does work
properly with a genuine Herc board.

To sum up, if you've done everything else and you're sure your
doing things correctly, call Tseng to get a different BIOS chip.
Sorry, I don't have the phone #s handy.

Bill Mayhew
Division of Basic Medical Sciences
Northeastern Ohio Universities' College of Medicine
Rootstown, OH  44272  USA    phone:216-325-2511
(wtm@neoucom.UUCP   ...!cbatt!neoucom!wtm)