Looking for MTP of VP6-Board fame re:VT82C694XDP

[Hlafordlaes]

Dear MTP (and anyone else who might be able to help):

I must be nuts, but I am "upgrading" to an old classic, the VP6 (PIII dually). After carefully collecting a full range of datasheets on the ApolloPro north- and southbridge chipsets, I have just received my mobo from eBay and find that the NB chip in question is actually the VT82C694XDP, which is not among my collection.

Since PCI header values change quite a lot from one silicon and version to the next in this line, I am rather desperate to secure a copy of the VT82C694XDP datasheet.

Have gotten all I can from VIA, www.rom.by, and other users, and am hoping some former VP6 champs might come to the rescue!

Hlafordlaes

[MTP]

Hlafordlaes -

Ha-Ha, how did you find me
It has been a few years since I ran that site. I know York1 is still gettingthe place up but recently closed the forums.
I am not sure if you have been to the site, but the download page still has the manuals and drivers listed.

However, your question is easier than you would believe. The version VT82C694X is only suitable for single operation, while VT82C694XDP offers dual CPU support. Hence the DP in the name of the chip.

Ask away and I'll see what I remember. There is still a lot of good info on the old website.

Also place very close attention to the pci irq sharing with that board.

[Hlafordlaes]

Hlafordlaes -

Ha-Ha, how did you find me
It has been a few years since I ran that site. I know York1 is still gettingthe place up but recently closed the forums.
I am not sure if you have been to the site, but the download page still has the manuals and drivers listed.

However, your question is easier than you would believe. The version VT82C694X is only suitable for single operation, while VT82C694XDP offers dual CPU support. Hence the DP in the name of the chip.

Ask away and I'll see what I remember. There is still a lot of good info on the old website.

Also place very close attention to the pci irq sharing with that board.

AAArrgggghhh! Been waiting to hear, but pls kind sir give my question another read. I've caught on to the chipset diff, and am searching for the VIA datasheet on this elusive 694XDP version. (Want to, gulp, try my weak hand at writing a boot loader as well as some BIOS hacks... it'll take me years...)

Re the VP6 site, I did download anything and everything, including a bunch of dubious logos (well, two were actually nice) for my upcoming BIOS mods. It was like showing up just after the party, though... No one to have a beer and brag with!

[MTP]

I guess I do not understand what you are looking for then. You want the internal instructional code set for that chipset?
The 694XDP is the NB used generally with the 686A or 686B SB.
The set is called the Appollo Pro 133A.
The working of the 694XDP is the same as the 694X. The chipest family for the 694X was also called the Pro 133A.

Have you tried to request  from one from VIA?

What are you looking to write?  Several of the memebers there used to be big into the bios hacking. I did a few of them but not some of the major ones.

[Hlafordlaes]

You have in fact answered my question. Relief! I do not need any more PCI header register data than I already have. I managed to get the last version and several earlier ones in the 69xx NB series. I did get some of these from VIA, but the key 694X was from another user I found on another site.

What I want to do is learn assembly and C so I can play around on old hardware. I want to start on two VIA boards for the heck of getting the most out of the least, but I also have two old HP150's I want to write a printer driver for (plus other apps). For those I have all the data I could ask for.

From earlier programming experience in a much higher level language, the best teacher is source code. The absolute best thing would be a look at any tweaks, utilities or such stuff as might have circulated among the "anoited" who first worked on latency and other stuff for that chipset. Most was written by early adopters, whose trails were blazed on the earlier versions of the chipset (eg Rx50 and Rx55 are freq. cited as best set to FF, which would overwrite a reserved bit on the 694X). I suspect this is what lies behind the poor performance of these things as they are on my boards, so this is the area of interest.

Mind you, personal/work life will make this a long haul for me, with lots of periods of no activity, but it's a hobby of sorts.