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[DieHard]

More power to you if you can get it to work, darthnVader. They're notoriously hard to revive when this happens, from what I've heard at least. I'd certainly like to know how you did it if you succeed.

I've done it a few times, where the computer won't even boot( Mac or PC ), with the card installed.

Normally, I just, very carefully lift the ground pin of the EEPROM, and solder two wires to it. Boot with the circuit open, then close the circuit, and run nvflash.

"The Force is on steroids with this one..."

[MacOS Plus]

More power to you if you can get it to work, darthnVader. They're notoriously hard to revive when this happens, from what I've heard at least. I'd certainly like to know how you did it if you succeed.

I've done it a few times, where the computer won't even boot( Mac or PC ), with the card installed.

Normally, I just, very carefully lift the ground pin of the EEPROM, and solder two wires to it. Boot with the circuit open, then close the circuit, and run nvflash.
 

  I had an unresponsive OEM Apple GeForce4MX after flashing it with a ROM that turned out to be for another variant.  Even a PC wouldn't post with it present.  In the following photo you can see my method of disabling the flash chip.  I soldered extension wires to the ground and disable pins, and attached a pair of pins to the other ends to take a standard PC jumper.  The jumper is placed on the pins at post/boot and then pulled before writing the new ROM to the flash.  This way I didn't have to risk lifting a pin on the chip - I just soldered on top of them.

[DieHard]

Even a PC wouldn't post with it present.  In the following photo you can see my method of disabling the flash chip.  I soldered extension wires to the ground and disable pins, and attached a pair of pins to the other ends to take a standard PC jumper.  The jumper is placed on the pins at post/boot and then pulled before writing the new ROM to the flash.  This way I didn't have to risk lifting a pin on the chip - I just soldered on top of them.

Thanks for the photo, damn good soldering skills, my gun is old and fat (like me), so I would definitely have to get a newer sleek one. 

But even I can pull this off if I need to, thanks for the heads up

[MacOS Plus]

Even a PC wouldn't post with it present.  In the following photo you can see my method of disabling the flash chip.  I soldered extension wires to the ground and disable pins, and attached a pair of pins to the other ends to take a standard PC jumper.  The jumper is placed on the pins at post/boot and then pulled before writing the new ROM to the flash.  This way I didn't have to risk lifting a pin on the chip - I just soldered on top of them.

Thanks for the photo, damn good soldering skills, my gun is old and fat (like me), so I would definitely have to get a newer sleek one. 

But even I can pull this off if I need to, thanks for the heads up

He, he, thanks for the chuckle!  I'm slim, but I don't think that played any part.   The ironic bit?  It was far harder and more time consuming sourcing NVFlash downloads and finding a version that supported this particular GPU generation than it was researching and performing this soldering mod!  (On that note, we really should compile a proper collection of older PC NVFlash versions and make them available for download.  It was such a PITA finding what I needed.)

  After years of putting up with inferior/crude, cheap irons, I finally caved a few years back and bought a professional digital Weller unit.  This was one of the best investments I ever made.  I still keep a couple other basic irons around though - An 80W 'monster' with a 1/4" tip for difficult heating like those voltage regulators with the entire back bonded to the board, and a tiny 12W needle-point unit with a grounded line cord for the most intricate work.  Both of these are also Weller.  All others have been permanently banished from the workshop!!!

[darthnVader]

I've been trying to track down all the versions of nvflash for PPC, I think I have the OS 9 versions, took some digging, and the version for 10.2, but I seem to recall a later version that worked with cards up to the 7800.

I know there was a version that supported the 5200 Ultra, because we had an Fcode script, that would build the properties in the device tree to let the OS X nVidia drivers load, so you could flash a PC card, with no need for a PC.

[DieHard]

It was far harder and more time consuming sourcing NVFlash downloads and finding a version that supported this particular GPU generation than it was researching and performing this soldering mod!

Yes, not that DarthnVader has Adrive access, we will try at sometime in the future to create an entire board section filled with Flash bin File links and some basic instructions.

Also, we should consider a download board with Modified ROMs and details.  Our ROM genius members can PM me if this sounds like a good idea 

[darthnVader]

It was far harder and more time consuming sourcing NVFlash downloads and finding a version that supported this particular GPU generation than it was researching and performing this soldering mod!

Yes, not that DarthnVader has Adrive access, we will try at sometime in the future to create an entire board section filled with Flash bin File links and some basic instructions.

Also, we should consider a download board with Modified ROMs and details.  Our ROM genius members can PM me if this sounds like a good idea

I'm still waiting on a few things, I've got a PC Radeon 9200 on it's way to me, as well as an old Mac Geforce card. Once I get them, I'll be making in in depth post on how to flash PC cards using only a Mac, how to load Fcode roms from disk in Open Firmware so you can test your edits before you flash, and how to debug an Fcode Rom from Open Firmware, and detok the rom to Forth, when things go bad.

I'm also waiting to upload some nVidia ROM makers, that you just drag and drop a PC nVidia ROM to, and it spits you out a FCode Rom ready to flash, made by Arti Itra.

[DieHard]

NP, do not feel pressured at all.  Most of these threads span years, we are very happy to have you here

We will get there, and as other resources dry up... this community will expand.   The "Code Masters" here are more than hobbyists, they have literally surpassed all of our expectations, many unsupported Macs are running OS 9 without Firmware modifications...a feat, that was said to be "Impossible" when this forum was started.  We have also broke the RAM limit is OS9.  These machines all exist from a time that Steve demanded functionality via Art; not just soldering system RAM to a Mac Mini Logic board (like the POS they are selling today) for the almighty $

[darthnVader]

If you want to send me the card, I'll work on it, and send it back if I can get it working again. Hopefully with a Mac ROM for dual DVI on it.

PM me.

MSG sent.

Keep us informed and thanks for your work. 

Gianwood card working well;-)

I only have a DVI to HDMI cable to test DVI with right now, but I tested booth outputs on two HD TV's and it seem to work very well on both of them.

DVI to HDMI and DVI to VGA tested under OS 9 in extended desktop mode, and it seems to work fine, meaning perfect.

I need to update to the last nVidia drivers for OS 9 and make sure they work ok.

2D acceleration is snappy fast, 3D tested with Quake3 seem to work as we would expect, meaning perfect.

I'll have to order a DVI cable to test both digital outputs at the same time, but I have no reason to assume they won't both work at the same time. These Dual External TMDS cards have never given me any trouble, so long as we do the proper edits to the Monitor Definitions section of the FCode Rom.

I was unable to flash the card using only my Quicksilver, tho I have an fcode file I've used before to flash PC nVidia cards using only a Mac. Those were GeForce5/6 cards, I never tried a Geforce 4 that way.

Next up is the Quadro 900, it's giving me trouble, nvflash on my NOS AGP PC doesn't see the EEPROM tho it does see and correctly identify the card.

I already have a rom for it that I think will work, so I'll have to check your resister repair and see it that is what is giving the trouble, or if it's the FCode ROM you flashed to it.

Shouldn't be a big deal to get it working.

These are great old cards, with the Dual DVI on them, not sure how you ran across them, I've been unable to find any Dual DVI GF4 cards for sale anywhere.

Once I'm done testing I'll be sure to return them to you.

P.S. The hardest part so far was finding a version 4.xx of nvflash for these old cards, took me about an hour of hard searching, so that and the GF4Ti ROM maker, as well as the premade roms for these two cards will be going up here and on the Mac Elite so people can enjoy these old, but useful cards themselves.

[darthnVader]

The Quadro card looks like a no go, I carefully lifted PIN 16 and did the old wire trick, then booted my PC and confirmed that nvflash couldn't read the man.ID of the eeprom, then connected the wires, but it just gives me a bad ID for the eeprom( FF FF ).

I also reflowed the solder around the C1512 resister, I'm pretty sure everything is ok, so I think we maybe dealing with a bad eeprom.

That's not really something I can fix, my eyes are old, and my hands shake, so maybe LightBulbFun will want to try and add a new eeprom to it. I think he managed to do an SMD rework of a 7400 G4 onto a iBook G3, so he would have the skills to do this.

Last hope is I'm just using the wrong version of nvflash( 4.41 ), but I don't think so, it should support this eeprom.

Anyone finding any links to nvflash v4.xx, please post them.

MacTron, see if you can still find the version you used to flash the card in the first place.

 

[darthnVader]

The flash chip on the Quadro 900 is a AT49LV001NT-12JC, seem to be a 128k flash chip, however the data sheet say it doesn't support the reset pin.

http://datasheet.octopart.com/AT49LV001NT-12JC-Atmel-datasheet-6197.pdf

RESET: A RESET input pin is provided to ease some system applications. When RESET is at
a logic high level, the device is in its standard operating mode. A low level on the RESET input
halts the present device operation and puts the outputs of the device in a high impedance
state. If the RESET pin makes a high-to-low transition during a program or erase operation,
the operation may not be successfully completed and the operation will have to be repeated
after a high level is applied to the RESET pin. When a high level is reasserted on the RESET
pin, the device returns to the read or standby mode, depending upon the state of the control
inputs. By applying a 12V ± 0.5V input signal to the RESET pin, the boot block array can be
reprogrammed even if the boot block lockout feature has been enabled (see Boot Block Pro-
gramming Lockout Override section). The RESET feature is not available on the
AT49BV/LV001N(T).

I think the flash chip is just dead, it always returns FF,FF for the man ID, and it should return 1F,xx, as 1F should be the Atmel vendor ID.

[MacTron]

Awesome! great job

These are great old cards, with the Dual DVI on them, not sure how you ran across them, I've been unable to find any Dual DVI GF4 cards for sale anywhere.

Once I'm done testing I'll be sure to return them to you.

You can keep both cards for you. May be some day I could find another one ... and now we have a good Mac Rom to flash it 

Anyone finding any links to nvflash v4.xx, please post them.

MacTron, see if you can still find the version you used to flash the card in the first place.

Attached is the NVFlash I had used originally. Its the 4.46 version.

[macStuff]

so?
the GF4 ti4600 from Gainward has been confirmed working?
can u post the working ROM + flasher?
 

great news.

[macStuff]

so what was the problem BEFORE? mactron had used the wrong flasher?

is the quadro 900 XGL going to work now?
has any quadro card been tested/ confirmed to work?

[darthnVader]

I haven't been able to confirm the Quadro 900, eeprom is dead and I'm having trouble sourcing a new one at a reasonable price.

One page on the mac elite says the card works, but even under OS X there was no driver support.

With the Rom maker you should be able to get a working ROM for the card, driver support is something that would have to be worked out.

I've known for many year how to hack the OS X drivers, it's not just a matter of adding the Device ID to the info.plist files, there are a set of tables in the NVDA,ResMan that have to be edited as well.

The Resource Manager exists for OS 9 too, it's in the Nvidia Driver, right after the 'NDRV', but I've been unable to find the Device ID table in it the way I have for the OS X drivers, and the OS 9 ATI drivers.