Strange PCI Ethernet NIC...

[Bubba]

Greetings to all,

During a standard every year inventory checking, i ran across a IBM Net
Vista with very unusual card. It is an Ethernet NIC with rather uncommon
PCI. Naturally, motherboard has the corresponding slot, and NIC works
properly.

Here is the picture:
http://img80.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pci6yz.gif

At first, nothing crossed my mind what that could be, since this is (i
guess) vanilla NIC, so it does not require any additional bandwidti or
power, and that Net Vista was plain consumers computer.

However, i remembered i saw that on some Gigabyte motherboardt, on 64 bit
PCI slots, though, but unfortunatly, that addition was never clarified in
any manual.

http://snipurl.com/g0o6

That "feature" is also available on GA-8EGXR-C, GA-8EGXRP, GA-8EGXR and
various other boards.

Crosspost set on csiph.networking and csiph.chips, FuT set on
csiph.networking.

TIA!

 

[George Macdonald]

Greetings to all,

During a standard every year inventory checking, i ran across a IBM Net
Vista with very unusual card. It is an Ethernet NIC with rather uncommon
PCI. Naturally, motherboard has the corresponding slot, and NIC works
properly.

Here is the picture:
http://img80.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pci6yz.gif

At first, nothing crossed my mind what that could be, since this is (i
guess) vanilla NIC, so it does not require any additional bandwidti or
power, and that Net Vista was plain consumers computer.

Is this a trick question? That pic is not a NIC it's an AGP video card.

 

[daytripper]

Is this a trick question? That pic is not a NIC it's an AGP video card.

Look closer and you'll see the OP superimposed the outline of his *network
adapter* over an S3 Trio 64 graphics card. Probably thought it would be
helpful, but you rascals totally missed it ;-)

I bet that the nic is a 5V device with a non-standard connector extension
(that last segment to the right) for sideband signals.

It's definitely *not* a 64 bit card...

/daytripper

 

[YKhan]

Look closer and you'll see the OP superimposed the outline of his *network
adapter* over an S3 Trio 64 graphics card. Probably thought it would be
helpful, but you rascals totally missed it ;-)

Oh, I was wondering about that. It looked like he was highlighting
something on the video card.

Yousuf Khan

 

[YKhan]

Can you post a picture of the NIC by itself without the overlayed video
card?

 

[Bubba]

YKhan's log on stardate 05 srp 2005

Can you post a picture of the NIC by itself without the overlayed video
card?

Hi,

http://img222.imageshack.us/my.php?image=strangepci3su.gif

 

[Bubba]

daytripper's log on stardate 05 srp 2005

Look closer and you'll see the OP superimposed the outline of his
*network adapter* over an S3 Trio 64 graphics card. Probably thought
it would be helpful, but you rascals totally missed it ;-)

My bad, i admit it...

I bet that the nic is a 5V device with a non-standard connector
extension (that last segment to the right) for sideband signals.
It's definitely *not* a 64 bit card...

But why? It's a plain network card, i can't imagine why would anyone
bother to do something like that...

 

[daytripper]

daytripper's log on stardate 05 srp 2005


My bad, i admit it...


But why? It's a plain network card, i can't imagine why would anyone
bother to do something like that...

Well, you said it plugged into a dedicated slot, so clearly there was some
reason - however ill conceived.

One guess: as it is a true antique, perhaps the sideband pins provide standby
power and WOL signaling without requiring an internal cable?

/daytripper

 

[Franc Zabkar]

daytripper's log on stardate 05 srp 2005


My bad, i admit it...


But why? It's a plain network card, i can't imagine why would anyone
bother to do something like that...

After I rotated and mirrored the image (why didn't you mirror the
graphics card?), a quick search told me that your board could be a
network riser for a Topsearch TS-M-8VOC PCChips/Elpina/Amptron/Pine
motherboard. The "PCI" part of the slot appears to connect only to the
power pins (+3.3V, +5V, Ground). If I'm right, then the tip must be
the functional part. Perhaps the slot pinout is a proprietary
implementation of the Media Independent Interface (MII) spec??? If so,
then this would allow the board to be used in a variety of PCChips
products.

What is the part number of the 8-pin chip near the small end?

The main chip (64-pin Intel?) should define the function of the board.
Perhaps it is the physical interface IC for a 100BASE-T chipset. What
is its part number?

The Belfuse transformer (S5558-5999-46) is designed for a 100BASE-T
Ethernet NIC.

FWIW, some Google references talk of a "Topsearch TS-M-8VOC" in
conjunction with Compaq.


- Franc Zabkar

 

[Yousuf Khan]

YKhan's log on stardate 05 srp 2005




Hi,

http://img222.imageshack.us/my.php?image=strangepci3su.gif

Yeah, you know, it looks like some kind of old ISA card.

Yousuf Khan