Thank you! I actually use pretty cheap gear. I am using the FNIRSI HS-01 soldering iron, Amtech flux, and decent solder wick. The microscope is the game changer in my opinion. But you do need steady hands and patience.
My first GPU! At one point I had two of them linked together. It was strange because all it did was enable 1024x768 resolution instead of the speed boost you would've expected.
Another well done job. 👍 A pro tip from my work and experience: If you desolder ceramic capacitors, be careful not to overheat them. They can change easily their value when the temperature gets to high and result in a wrong measurement. Somewhere I have also read a study about this. 😉
Ferric chloride on a Q-tip will remove the solder, you must move quickly and with purpose using this method, as wiping the ferric chloride too long will eat the gold, and eventually the copper. test on scrap cards, but this method when used properly will leave you with flawless gold fingers again.
Thank you for sharing this information. I have a feeling that it may be very toxic and probably not worth the effort to cleanup those pads. But great that there seems to be a way if the owner ever wants to attempt a cleanup. And then, the card will be back with me to fix 3 missing PCI connector pads 😉
@@bitsundbolts Ferric chloride is widely used to make PCBs at home (because it dissolves metallic copper, thus etching the track). It's not harmless but ok if used safely.
Another priceless card restored to working order, you're doing awesome work my friend. Regarding C77 and C82, there are schematics on Vogons that include the correct values for each component. I wouldn't be surprised if there's even a BoardViewer file floating around by now. You could also have taken measurements from a similar Voodoo 2 to know the correct values with certainty. I know you have at least one of them lying around. 😉 Spoiler: They are indeed 100nF, rated for 25V. Concerning the noisy output, my money's primarily on the loopback cable (since the ones I've come across in my time are super short and super beefy, considerably more so than the one seen in your video), followed by the 2D card. Merry Xmas! 🎄
@@bitsundbolts One thought I forgot to mention the other day: It might be possible to remove the less noble tin from the gold contacts using an acid like nitric acid? Maybe a chemist can chime in on this? The tin shouldn't be an issue though, so better don't bother and risk creating an issue where there currently is none. 😅
ive found soldermasking the adjacent pins prevents bridges and accidently unsoldering adjacent one thats been fixed . actually the solder mask is easy to scrap off the metal legs once ur done and it can be softened with contact cleaner - the soldermask seems to bond solid with board but provide a temp bond with the metal legs. Also a S3 virge legs harvested from a dead card is a perfect replacement even if the length of the foot is shorter - - ive replaced 6 broken pins all in a row with this method but with mine I had to grind back the top of the chip as the legs were snapped off completely flush with the chip - good job well done not snapping off those you had to straighten - nothing worst than making the job twice as hard trying to get it looking like new -
To see if the image quality is due to the pass-through cable (which I bet it is... it looks flimsy), you can just connect the voodoo directly to its own separate monitor.
I think this loopback cable was part of a 6MB Voodoo I got off eBay some time ago. I don't know if this was actually the cable this card came with, or if it is an aftermarket cable. I wish I had a separate CRT monitor, but I only have very old LCD displays. I wouldn't trust their picture output either :)
I'd second the passthrough cable. I have a Canopus Pure3D II that has the goofy DIN connector to VGA pigtail, and it has noticeable image degradation because they didn't use enough shielding in the wire. When I have it in SLi, I use it as a slave card so my reference Voodoo2 card can use a beefier VGA passthrough cable.
@@bitsundbolts probably after-market. My Diamond Monster 3D II came with a very thick and inflexible pass-through cable. Just for testing I'd connect the 2D card to the shitty LCD, just to have a functional desktop, and the CRT to the voodoo to judge the picture quality.
@@GGigabiteM Yeah, I don't like the Canopus cable, and had to make one for my Voodoo 1 card that I picked up a few years ago. Thankfully my diy cable worked perfectly. A bit of a pain to build a cable, but the quality is then dependent on what you build.
@BitsUndBolts @Amy Top shelf soldering work!! Very well done indeed! The poor image quality is very likely the VGA bridge cable being used in this video. Find a higher quality cable(one with thicker shielding) to avoid this problem.
Another piece of pc history restored, congratulations! VGA cables, carrying an analog signal, are very prone to interference. Those ones seem to be on the weak side of shielding.
Both the Virge and pass through cable will be hurting the image quality. My 3D Monster II looks great using its original (well shielded) cable, but only with certain cards. Looks awful with my Fastware TNT2 Vanta, ok with the Viper V550 it was paired with from new, and really good with my 2001 D.O.M Savage4 GT. It is the same with my STB Black Magic. The cable I bought for it has good shielding and is the same length as an original cable.
@@bitsundbolts Just remember, the higher a cards RAMDAC clock is, typically you get a higher image quality especially if it is an integrated RAMDAC. Some cheaply made cards however can still negate any quality advantage (eg. My Vanta which has a worse/far softer than my Creative Graphics Blaster/Riva 128ZX). I recommend using a Matrox card of some type if you are testing a 3D accelerator. From my understanding their cards had the best image quality back in the day, only having the likes of Nvidia and Ati come close in the 2000's. Which is why people would buy say a Matrox G200 to act as a 2D card for their Voodoo2
back in the day I had a voodoo 2 expansion card, which also used a loopback cable. I remember having to make sure it was not pressing against anything or anywhere near anything with high voltage or alot of electromagnetic interference, because otherwise the screen would either go darker or have a bit of "static" in it. Having a slightly damaged loopback cable would probably also cause this
Maybe the loop cable doesn't have separate shield for each of RGB and sync signals. This works but the common screen will introduce crosstalk between the signals.
I like this loopback cable because it doesn't push the cards around (I do not have a proper test bench yet where I can screw the cards properly to a frame). You may be absolutely correct that this cable is introducing a lot of the issues.
About image quality: First; don't use S3 for 2D, it's one of the worst, go for a Matrox (preferably an AGP one). Second; go for a pass-through cable which has ferrite beads. Third; your monitor should have an auto-adjust button - press it!
Yeah, I think I should be more careful and not use S3 cards. I confirm that the S3 does have some picture quality issues when used as a standalone card.
Just as you were saying the microscope was not good, I was reading the video description to try and find what scope you're using because it looks so good!
I added a link to the video description. The only thing I did was to replace the camera with a better one. But the camera that comes with, is quite decent considering the total cost of the microscope. The captured video signal is not comparable to the optical view you get when you work on something - it is a million times better! It's a pleasure working with such a tool!
Oh thank you! My old Chinese solder station died a while ago. I've got a Pinecil and narrow tip set on the way for Xmas, and have been watching videos like yours to get some visual experience beforehand. I have some SNES and PlayStations I want to repair. I can solder fine but never done SMD or anything this small, not successfully anyway haha
Yeah, that would have been an entire different project. Unfortunately, I don't have the card for a long time and it is no my card. That is why I do not really want to overclock it. But I doubt that the faster memory makes much of a difference. The 3Dfx chips will be the same as on many other cards.
Hm, I checked the back of the card thoroughly and couldn't spot any more damaged caps. But it could be that I've missed something. I'd blame my choice if 2D card over any further damage on the Voodoo 2.
I remember scrapping my SLI Voodoo 2s at 12MB each due to the colours being bleached, and weird dithering appearing everywhere, especially in Grim Fandango. I regret that now. ;w;
A lot of people got rid of their Voodoo / 3Dfx hardware back then and regret it now. But it's ok, I'll make more 3Dfx content so you can enjoy and remember those times!
It is not possible to get solder off those gold plated pins. The solder alloys it, so it is impossible to remove it entirely. People claim that soldering doesn't mix the metals of the solder tin with the components and pads but that is false, if that doesn't happen you have a cold joint. The only way I see "Fixing" that is to somehow grind off the solder and then somehow re-plate those contacts.
Amazing micro-soldering as usual! With my capture device, I have noticeable noise on screen when my laptop's power supply is plugged in. It disappears when unplugged. Did you try the card directly connected to a VGA monitor? I'm not sure I can see the issue after TH-cam compression, maybe some lines on the desktop before you got into the voodoo control panel? Thanks for the video!
Thank you Tony! I think the problematic image quality is due to the S3 Virge. Unfortunately, the card is packed already and ready to go back home. The owner will let me know if she can reproduce the problem, but I am confident that the card is working as intended.
I'd keep a close eye on either the 3DFX card or your video card, degrading image quality can be an early sign of failing capacitors. We're seeing this happen on the Wii, where the image gets noticeably darker due to failing filtering caps. Also, were you using that new overhead camera you were talking about a few videos ago? I think I prefer the old one
Yes, I am using the new camera. I usually never zoom all the way in because of degrading light source (darker image), as well as issues getting a sharp video signal. The change in quality is not as significant as I thought - except the 60 fps footage. Surprisingly, the camera that came with the scope is good enough. I wouldn't replace it if I'd known that it makes this little difference. I still need to figure out what else I can do with the camera, but haven't had the time yet.
Yes, it is. It's easier to connect this thinner loopback cable since I don't have a proper test bench yet. Could be that you're right and this cable adds to the bad image quality.
@@bitsundbolts I have a thick loopback cable that I use on my voodoo 2 rig, but also a thinner homemade cable - and the thinner one always looks less sharp for image quality (that was my experience at least)
The Voodoo 1 and 2 are 3D-only cards. The regular Windows desktop and programs will run entirely on your 2D card; the Windows desktop will work perfectly even if the 3dfx chips are completely nonfunctional.
Oh, you can absolutely reach out to me. Go to my TH-cam channel page and the about section. There, you should be able to find my email address. We can take it from there.
I doubt there is a way to completely remove the solder from the pads other than removing the plating entirely. When solder is first applied it forms thin layer of alloy on the contact surface. That's the reason why solder joints are so strong.
I have an SLI setup with two of these cards and they give me exactly the same lines on the desktop. So I think it's unfortunately part of the normal working order of these cards.
Interesting. Maybe there is some sort of an issue with the drivers / refresh rate going on. The driver does change something once the 3Dfx tab opens. I wonder if it is a combination of Monitor + card drivers.
Yes, I noticed that this S3 indeed has bad picture quality. I should be more carful using S3 cards in the future. The card is probably OK. With a better loopback cable and a nicer partner card, this Voodoo 2 may just deliver an acceptable picture as one would expect from a Voodoo 2.
Your description has items you use but what actual solder wire do you use and its diameter? Im trying to souce some that is 0.3mm thick but good. Thanks
I wish I could provide a link to the solder wire I'm using. However, there is none. It is from 1998 😅 - "Balver Zinn", 0.7mm. I'll show it in an upcoming video.
Voodoo 2 cards did not yet reach their original sale value, but we will be there soon. Voodoo 3, 4, and 5 cost already more than they originally went for.
Could you clarify what you mean when you talk about using direct3d when using the s3 virge and then using glide on the Riva? You say 'But I'd prefer to use Glide' like it seems to matter which 2D card you're using. Which is obviously not the case... you can use d3d or glide no matter what 2D card is installed. Don't really understand your comment.
I meant for the Voodoo 2. I only changed the 2D card while also changing the graphics API. The Voodoo 2 can render in Direct3D or Glide. Sorry for the confusion.
7:55 There are two methods how to get solder out of gold (or copper) pad but they are both too complicated. First one is to use Indium or mercury and they will absorb the solder. Second one is to reapply gold coating. In other words, way too much work...
Based on the documentation, it should be possible to increase the texture memory to more than 4MB for each TMU. I think each TMU supports 8MB - which would result in a 20MB Voodoo 2. But I haven't seen any mod like this, nor a pinout of the TMU chips. It will be difficult to figure out how to add the extra memory to the card. I could imagine that a non-connected pin is responsible to address the extra memory. Would be cool to identify it - then the upgrade would be similar to the Voodoo 1.
Contact me using the email in the about page of my TH-cam channel. We can arrange shipping and I will take a look at your cards. If you can't find the email, you can send it to bitsundbolts at gmail dot com
Voodoo 1 and Voodoo 2 cards have two VGA terminals. One VGA port is going to the monitor, the other port is for the loopback cable which passes the signal from your primary graphics card through the 3Dfx card. This is the only way to seamless switch between 2D and 3D mode with those early 3Dfx cards.
![[LIVE] : ONE ลุมพินี 88 | คู่เอก "ป้อมเพชร vs อัสลามจอน"](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/1ZqTVVbMgbo/mqdefault.jpg)
Those are really good soldering skills. The equipment makes a whole difference too, but without the right skills it's useless.
Thank you! I actually use pretty cheap gear. I am using the FNIRSI HS-01 soldering iron, Amtech flux, and decent solder wick. The microscope is the game changer in my opinion. But you do need steady hands and patience.
in 3DFX glide API, that Porsche was yellow by default :)
Watching you repair an old Voodoo2 just warms my heart.
Thank you 😊
Thank you for taking the effort to restore and preserve computer legacy! and thank you for sharing it all with us.
You're very welcome! I enjoy working on those old cards and I am really excited that I can share my work with such a great audience!
My first GPU! At one point I had two of them linked together. It was strange because all it did was enable 1024x768 resolution instead of the speed boost you would've expected.
Man your work looks so clean on that replacement pin. I don't think I could have managed that!
Thank you! A microscope, steady hands, and a lot of patience go a long way though.
Interesting video, like!
Another well done job. 👍
A pro tip from my work and experience: If you desolder ceramic capacitors, be careful not to overheat them. They can change easily their value when the temperature gets to high and result in a wrong measurement. Somewhere I have also read a study about this. 😉
Thanks for letting me know. I wasn't aware of that. I usually try to keep the heat exposure to a minimum.
Ferric chloride on a Q-tip will remove the solder, you must move quickly and with purpose using this method, as wiping the ferric chloride too long will eat the gold, and eventually the copper. test on scrap cards, but this method when used properly will leave you with flawless gold fingers again.
Thank you for sharing this information. I have a feeling that it may be very toxic and probably not worth the effort to cleanup those pads. But great that there seems to be a way if the owner ever wants to attempt a cleanup. And then, the card will be back with me to fix 3 missing PCI connector pads 😉
@@bitsundbolts Ferric chloride is widely used to make PCBs at home (because it dissolves metallic copper, thus etching the track). It's not harmless but ok if used safely.
Another priceless card restored to working order, you're doing awesome work my friend. Regarding C77 and C82, there are schematics on Vogons that include the correct values for each component. I wouldn't be surprised if there's even a BoardViewer file floating around by now. You could also have taken measurements from a similar Voodoo 2 to know the correct values with certainty. I know you have at least one of them lying around. 😉 Spoiler: They are indeed 100nF, rated for 25V. Concerning the noisy output, my money's primarily on the loopback cable (since the ones I've come across in my time are super short and super beefy, considerably more so than the one seen in your video), followed by the 2D card.
Merry Xmas! 🎄
Thanks! Yes, you're right. It's probably the loopback cable, and then the 2D card.
@@bitsundbolts One thought I forgot to mention the other day: It might be possible to remove the less noble tin from the gold contacts using an acid like nitric acid? Maybe a chemist can chime in on this? The tin shouldn't be an issue though, so better don't bother and risk creating an issue where there currently is none. 😅
That's a super tidy job!
Thank you!
ive found soldermasking the adjacent pins prevents bridges and accidently unsoldering adjacent one thats been fixed . actually the solder mask is easy to scrap off the metal legs once ur done and it can be softened with contact cleaner - the soldermask seems to bond solid with board but provide a temp bond with the metal legs. Also a S3 virge legs harvested from a dead card is a perfect replacement even if the length of the foot is shorter - - ive replaced 6 broken pins all in a row with this method but with mine I had to grind back the top of the chip as the legs were snapped off completely flush with the chip - good job well done not snapping off those you had to straighten - nothing worst than making the job twice as hard trying to get it looking like new -
To see if the image quality is due to the pass-through cable (which I bet it is... it looks flimsy), you can just connect the voodoo directly to its own separate monitor.
I think this loopback cable was part of a 6MB Voodoo I got off eBay some time ago. I don't know if this was actually the cable this card came with, or if it is an aftermarket cable. I wish I had a separate CRT monitor, but I only have very old LCD displays. I wouldn't trust their picture output either :)
I'd second the passthrough cable. I have a Canopus Pure3D II that has the goofy DIN connector to VGA pigtail, and it has noticeable image degradation because they didn't use enough shielding in the wire. When I have it in SLi, I use it as a slave card so my reference Voodoo2 card can use a beefier VGA passthrough cable.
@@bitsundbolts probably after-market. My Diamond Monster 3D II came with a very thick and inflexible pass-through cable. Just for testing I'd connect the 2D card to the shitty LCD, just to have a functional desktop, and the CRT to the voodoo to judge the picture quality.
@@GGigabiteM Yeah, I don't like the Canopus cable, and had to make one for my Voodoo 1 card that I picked up a few years ago. Thankfully my diy cable worked perfectly. A bit of a pain to build a cable, but the quality is then dependent on what you build.
This is art!
Thanks!
Awesome job!!
Thank you!
@BitsUndBolts @Amy
Top shelf soldering work!! Very well done indeed! The poor image quality is very likely the VGA bridge cable being used in this video. Find a higher quality cable(one with thicker shielding) to avoid this problem.
Another piece of pc history restored, congratulations!
VGA cables, carrying an analog signal, are very prone to interference. Those ones seem to be on the weak side of shielding.
very impressive!
Thank you!
Good work ! Another 3dfx no loner exist company card saved 🙂
Yes! I am happy for each saved 3Dfx card that is saved!
These Voodoo repair videos really make my day happier ☺️
I am happy to hear that!
Both the Virge and pass through cable will be hurting the image quality. My 3D Monster II looks great using its original (well shielded) cable, but only with certain cards. Looks awful with my Fastware TNT2 Vanta, ok with the Viper V550 it was paired with from new, and really good with my 2001 D.O.M Savage4 GT.
It is the same with my STB Black Magic. The cable I bought for it has good shielding and is the same length as an original cable.
I think you're right. The bad image quality may be due to my choice of 2D card.
@@bitsundbolts Just remember, the higher a cards RAMDAC clock is, typically you get a higher image quality especially if it is an integrated RAMDAC. Some cheaply made cards however can still negate any quality advantage (eg. My Vanta which has a worse/far softer than my Creative Graphics Blaster/Riva 128ZX).
I recommend using a Matrox card of some type if you are testing a 3D accelerator.
From my understanding their cards had the best image quality back in the day, only having the likes of Nvidia and Ati come close in the 2000's.
Which is why people would buy say a Matrox G200 to act as a 2D card for their Voodoo2
back in the day I had a voodoo 2 expansion card, which also used a loopback cable. I remember having to make sure it was not pressing against anything or anywhere near anything with high voltage or alot of electromagnetic interference, because otherwise the screen would either go darker or have a bit of "static" in it. Having a slightly damaged loopback cable would probably also cause this
Maybe the loop cable doesn't have separate shield for each of RGB and sync signals. This works but the common screen will introduce crosstalk between the signals.
I like this loopback cable because it doesn't push the cards around (I do not have a proper test bench yet where I can screw the cards properly to a frame). You may be absolutely correct that this cable is introducing a lot of the issues.
I could watch your videos all day long. And you have a big amount of knowledge and soldering skills!
Thank you!
great work. cheers
Thank you!
Wow that mutilated chip had some ugly pins. Amazing you were able to fixt it. Impressive work.
Thank you!
AWESOME!
Thank you
They make small scale gold plating kits that work well-but the solder needs fully removed
I hated those pass through cables, and usually manually switched the cable from 2d to 3d to remove that from the equation.
That is a possibility to get rid of the loopback cable. Or, if you do not have a loopback cable, you can still enjoy some glide rendered scenes.
Awesome skills
Thank you!
About image quality: First; don't use S3 for 2D, it's one of the worst, go for a Matrox (preferably an AGP one). Second; go for a pass-through cable which has ferrite beads. Third; your monitor should have an auto-adjust button - press it!
Yeah, I think I should be more careful and not use S3 cards. I confirm that the S3 does have some picture quality issues when used as a standalone card.
finally a repair, awesome video! :)
Thank you!
Another great job =D
Thank you!
Just as you were saying the microscope was not good, I was reading the video description to try and find what scope you're using because it looks so good!
I added a link to the video description. The only thing I did was to replace the camera with a better one. But the camera that comes with, is quite decent considering the total cost of the microscope. The captured video signal is not comparable to the optical view you get when you work on something - it is a million times better! It's a pleasure working with such a tool!
Oh thank you! My old Chinese solder station died a while ago. I've got a Pinecil and narrow tip set on the way for Xmas, and have been watching videos like yours to get some visual experience beforehand. I have some SNES and PlayStations I want to repair. I can solder fine but never done SMD or anything this small, not successfully anyway haha
This is certainly a clean job. Unfortunately, the question of how high the card can be overclocked remained unanswered.
Yeah, that would have been an entire different project. Unfortunately, I don't have the card for a long time and it is no my card. That is why I do not really want to overclock it. But I doubt that the faster memory makes much of a difference. The 3Dfx chips will be the same as on many other cards.
Regarding why the image quality is lacking. You found some visibly cracked caps. But I bet there were more that were damaged.
Hm, I checked the back of the card thoroughly and couldn't spot any more damaged caps. But it could be that I've missed something. I'd blame my choice if 2D card over any further damage on the Voodoo 2.
I remember scrapping my SLI Voodoo 2s at 12MB each due to the colours being bleached, and weird dithering appearing everywhere, especially in Grim Fandango. I regret that now. ;w;
A lot of people got rid of their Voodoo / 3Dfx hardware back then and regret it now. But it's ok, I'll make more 3Dfx content so you can enjoy and remember those times!
Great! :D
nice
It is not possible to get solder off those gold plated pins. The solder alloys it, so it is impossible to remove it entirely. People claim that soldering doesn't mix the metals of the solder tin with the components and pads but that is false, if that doesn't happen you have a cold joint. The only way I see "Fixing" that is to somehow grind off the solder and then somehow re-plate those contacts.
That's ok. Then this card will have those three connector pads always covered in solder.
Amazing micro-soldering as usual! With my capture device, I have noticeable noise on screen when my laptop's power supply is plugged in. It disappears when unplugged. Did you try the card directly connected to a VGA monitor? I'm not sure I can see the issue after TH-cam compression, maybe some lines on the desktop before you got into the voodoo control panel?
Thanks for the video!
Thank you Tony! I think the problematic image quality is due to the S3 Virge. Unfortunately, the card is packed already and ready to go back home. The owner will let me know if she can reproduce the problem, but I am confident that the card is working as intended.
I'd keep a close eye on either the 3DFX card or your video card, degrading image quality can be an early sign of failing capacitors. We're seeing this happen on the Wii, where the image gets noticeably darker due to failing filtering caps.
Also, were you using that new overhead camera you were talking about a few videos ago? I think I prefer the old one
Yes, I am using the new camera. I usually never zoom all the way in because of degrading light source (darker image), as well as issues getting a sharp video signal. The change in quality is not as significant as I thought - except the 60 fps footage. Surprisingly, the camera that came with the scope is good enough. I wouldn't replace it if I'd known that it makes this little difference. I still need to figure out what else I can do with the camera, but haven't had the time yet.
Your loopback cable looks somewhat thinner than the period correct ones, this can sometimes cause image interference
Yes, it is. It's easier to connect this thinner loopback cable since I don't have a proper test bench yet. Could be that you're right and this cable adds to the bad image quality.
@@bitsundbolts I have a thick loopback cable that I use on my voodoo 2 rig, but also a thinner homemade cable - and the thinner one always looks less sharp for image quality (that was my experience at least)
I have the same card, but with corrupt texture issue... However, it don't have any problem with image quality under windows or with 2D rendering...
Maybe a memory issue or a loose pin on one of the TMU chips.
The Voodoo 1 and 2 are 3D-only cards. The regular Windows desktop and programs will run entirely on your 2D card; the Windows desktop will work perfectly even if the 3dfx chips are completely nonfunctional.
Hey! I was told on one of the FB retro groups to get in contact with about fixing a voodoo2. Now sure if you would like to take a look at it.
Oh, you can absolutely reach out to me. Go to my TH-cam channel page and the about section. There, you should be able to find my email address. We can take it from there.
If you can't find the email address on my channel page, you can send it to bitsundbolts at gmail dot com
I doubt there is a way to completely remove the solder from the pads other than removing the plating entirely. When solder is first applied it forms thin layer of alloy on the contact surface. That's the reason why solder joints are so strong.
Then this card will have three silver contact pads on the PCI connector. I doubt it to be an issue apart from being a visual flaw.
I have an SLI setup with two of these cards and they give me exactly the same lines on the desktop. So I think it's unfortunately part of the normal working order of these cards.
Interesting. Maybe there is some sort of an issue with the drivers / refresh rate going on. The driver does change something once the 3Dfx tab opens. I wonder if it is a combination of Monitor + card drivers.
my s3 virge has always had a somewhat fuzzy picture, there's probably some way to improve it. bet they just used cheap parts.
Yes, I noticed that this S3 indeed has bad picture quality. I should be more carful using S3 cards in the future. The card is probably OK. With a better loopback cable and a nicer partner card, this Voodoo 2 may just deliver an acceptable picture as one would expect from a Voodoo 2.
Your description has items you use but what actual solder wire do you use and its diameter? Im trying to souce some that is 0.3mm thick but good. Thanks
I wish I could provide a link to the solder wire I'm using. However, there is none. It is from 1998 😅 - "Balver Zinn", 0.7mm. I'll show it in an upcoming video.
In 10 years time this cards become rare znd more desirable
Voodoo 2 cards did not yet reach their original sale value, but we will be there soon. Voodoo 3, 4, and 5 cost already more than they originally went for.
Could you clarify what you mean when you talk about using direct3d when using the s3 virge and then using glide on the Riva? You say 'But I'd prefer to use Glide' like it seems to matter which 2D card you're using. Which is obviously not the case... you can use d3d or glide no matter what 2D card is installed. Don't really understand your comment.
I meant for the Voodoo 2. I only changed the 2D card while also changing the graphics API. The Voodoo 2 can render in Direct3D or Glide. Sorry for the confusion.
Would you be able to provide a link to the tweezers you used here? I definitely need some.
I added a link to the video description.
7:55 There are two methods how to get solder out of gold (or copper) pad but they are both too complicated. First one is to use Indium or mercury and they will absorb the solder. Second one is to reapply gold coating. In other words, way too much work...
I agree - it is too much work for very little benefit.
can you make a video upgrading the video memory to 24mb or 16mb in case you use a 8mb V2 ? if u want i can supply one voodoo2 to you for that project
Based on the documentation, it should be possible to increase the texture memory to more than 4MB for each TMU. I think each TMU supports 8MB - which would result in a 20MB Voodoo 2. But I haven't seen any mod like this, nor a pinout of the TMU chips. It will be difficult to figure out how to add the extra memory to the card. I could imagine that a non-connected pin is responsible to address the extra memory. Would be cool to identify it - then the upgrade would be similar to the Voodoo 1.
I would love to to be able to send you few of mine cards so that you could try to repair them. Have brojem Voodoo 2 and Voodoo 1 also.
Contact me using the email in the about page of my TH-cam channel. We can arrange shipping and I will take a look at your cards.
If you can't find the email, you can send it to bitsundbolts at gmail dot com
Bro what does the black VGA port mean? Is it for secondary display?
Voodoo 1 and Voodoo 2 cards have two VGA terminals. One VGA port is going to the monitor, the other port is for the loopback cable which passes the signal from your primary graphics card through the 3Dfx card. This is the only way to seamless switch between 2D and 3D mode with those early 3Dfx cards.
shouldn't the title be MAIL-in repair instead of MAIN-in repair?
You are absolutely correct. Typo - and it is fixed. Thank you!