Differences

This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.

--- toshiba_t-series_support:toshiba_t3200sx [2025-05-14 22:11]
omolini [Troubleshooting]
+++ toshiba_t-series_support:toshiba_t3200sx [2025-05-31 16:35] (current)
omolini [BIOS ROM dumps]
@@ Line 39: / Line 39: @@
 {{ youtube>-CK5ban4tBU?large }}
-===== System Expansion =====
+===== System Upgrades =====
 ==== Hard disk ====
 Toshiba T3200SX comes with either a 40 MB or a 80 MB hard drive. As far as I understand, there was also a T3200SX/120 which was a upgraded model, and comes with a 120 MB hard disk. The system has a standard IDE interface to connect to the supplied Conner CP hard disk.
@@ Line 63: / Line 63: @@
 I'm missing the part number of the 80 MB Conner hard disk. If you know it, please let me know!
-This system can be expanded with an 8-bit and 16-bit ISA expansion cards. Hence, you can purchase an XT-IDE adapter to add a hard drive, such as the XT-CF-MINI or XT-CF-Lite card to add a Compact Flash card as a hard drive. They usually run for $40-$60. You can find them on eBay. Check out [[http://www.malinov.com/Home/sergeys-projects/xt-cf-lite]] and [[https://shop.bluelavasystems.com/products/xt-cf-mini-bootable-8-bit-isa-cf-card-interface-xt-ide]]
+This system can be expanded with an 8-bit and 16-bit ISA expansion cards. Hence, you can purchase an XT-IDE adapter to add a hard drive, such as the XT-CF-MINI or XT-CF-Lite card to add a Compact Flash card as a hard drive. They usually run for $40-$60. You can find them on eBay or [[https://www.texelec.com/|Texelec]].
 Another option is to purchase an XT-IDE adapter for the Toshiba proprietary expansion slot. There is a maker on eBay that sells Toshiba type expansion cards with XT-IDE to allow many different types of IDE and CF cards to be used on the portable computer.
-Please see the following link for the sales article. [[https://ebay.us/GO0Sk2|3inONEder: Toshiba Portables]] (affiliate link)
+Please see the following link for the sales article. [[https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=3inoneder|3inONEder: Toshiba Portables]]
 ==== Audio and ethernet ====
 The same adapter that allows you to use the Toshiba proprietary slot connector for XT-IDE and custom hard disks also optionally allows to add audio (Adlib) and ethernet support (partially NE2000 compatible).
-Please see the following link for the item page. [[https://ebay.us/GO0Sk2|3inONEder: Toshiba Portables]] (affiliate link)
+Please see the following link for the sales article. [[https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=3inoneder|3inONEder: Toshiba Portables]]
 ==== CPU upgrades and overclocking ====
@@ Line 100: / Line 101: @@
 ===== System Maintenance =====
-**Q: How do I replace the computer BIOS battery?**\\
+==== BIOS clock battery replacement ====
-**A: **The BIOS battery header is located on the system board. The battery is traditionally tucked in at the back of the floppy drive. The correct voltage for the battery is 3.6V. To replace the battery,  do the following:\\ \\
+The BIOS battery header is located on the system board. The battery is traditionally tucked in at the back of the floppy drive. The correct voltage for the battery is 3.6V. To replace the battery,  do the following:\\ \\
-Remove the old battery by cutting the leads at the battery terminals, and get a replacement battery ER14505 3.6V lithium, sold new at eBay and other sources. You will also need a 1x AA battery holder. Depending on your computer, your old battery might have included a 330 ohm resistor in line at the negative pole and you will want to leave that in place. Solder the old battery wire to the battery holder and place it where the old battery was, right behind the floppy drive. Alternatively, you can use any 14500 3.6V lithium battery as the clock battery. In any case, your setup will look something like this:
+Remove the old battery by cutting the leads at the battery terminals, and get a replacement battery ER14505 3.6V lithium, sold new at eBay and other sources. You will also need a 1x AA battery holder. If you cut the leads at the battery terminals, you should have been able to preserve the in line 330 ohm resistor at the negative pole and you will want to leave that in place. Solder the old battery wire to the battery holder and place it where the old battery was, right behind the floppy drive. Alternatively, you can use any 14500 3.6V lithium battery as the clock battery. In any case, your setup will look something like this:
 <code>
-[BATT +]----------[+ ER14505 -]----[ 330R ]-----.
+[BATT +]----------[+ ER14505 -]---------.
-[BATT -]----------------------------------------'
+[BATT -]-------------[ 330R ]-----------'
 </code>
-**Q: How do I upgrade the Hard Disk? **\\
+==== Hard Disk upgrade ====
-**A:** It depends on the BIOS version of your Toshiba portable (see below for instructions how to check the BIOS version). Most Toshiba T3200SX BIOSes are restricted to CONNER hard-drives of either 40 or 80 megabytes size (T3200SXC will be either 40 or 120 MB). On boot-up, the BIOS queries the IDE controller for hard-drives, and depending on your BIOS version, one of two things will happen:
+The upgrade method depends on the BIOS version of your Toshiba portable (see below for instructions how to check the BIOS version). Most Toshiba T3200SX BIOSes are restricted to CONNER hard-drives of either 40 or 80 megabytes size (T3200SXC will be either 40 or 120 MB). On boot-up, the BIOS queries the IDE controller for hard-drives, and depending on your BIOS version, one of two things will happen:
   - ** Older Toshiba BIOS (such as 003C) **
@@ Line 131: / Line 132: @@
 **A:** If you have verified the replacement disk is fully working, then your computer must be using a BIOS version that only detects and supports Conner hard disks. See above for details.
-**Q: How do I check the BIOS version? **\\
+==== Check the BIOS version ====
-**A:** You need to open the portable computer. Remove the four screws from the bottom front of the laptop. Open the screen lid. The keyboard should now lift up starting from the front. You may need to pry the keyboard a little. Once the keyboard is off, remove two screws at the rear of the EM shield between the keyboard and the motherboard. Remove the EM shield. You will see three chips. The one at the bottom right corner is the BIOS chip. So far I've seen 003C, 003E, 003F, 003H and 003I out in the wild. If you have a different BIOS version, please take a picture of it and send a BIOS dump over! I will gladly host it on this site.
+You need to open the portable computer. Remove the four screws from the bottom front of the laptop. Open the screen lid. The keyboard should now lift up starting from the front. You may need to pry the keyboard a little. Once the keyboard is off, remove two screws at the rear of the EM shield between the keyboard and the motherboard. Remove the EM shield. You will see three chips. The one at the bottom right corner is the BIOS chip. So far I've seen 003C, 003E, 003F, 003H and 003I out in the wild. If you have a different BIOS version, please take a picture of it and send a BIOS dump over. I will be happy to host it on this site.
-**Q: How do I move the display out of the way? **\\
+==== Moving the display out of the way to access PSU, HDD, FDD ====
-**A:** After opening the laptop, you will find that getting access to other components toward the rear of the system can be tricky, especially to access the hard drive, floppy drive or the power supply unit. If your laptop has never been opened, chances are there is a metal piece fastened to the chassis that will prevent you from pulling the flat panel free as it is holding the flat panel cables down. The latch will be held on by a single screw. You will need a short Philips screw driver with preferably a 90 degree angle at the bit to unscrew the piece and release the flat panel display cable.
+After opening the laptop, you will find that getting access to other components toward the rear of the system can be tricky, especially to access the hard drive, floppy drive or the power supply unit. If your laptop has never been opened, chances are there is a metal piece fastened to the chassis that will prevent you from pulling the flat panel free as it is holding the flat panel cables down. The latch will be held on by a single screw. You will need a short Philips screw driver with preferably a 90 degree angle at the bit to unscrew the piece and release the flat panel display cable.
-If you don't have access to a small angled screw driver, you may be able to bend the latch up and out of the way to release the display cable and extend access to the back of the system.  It is risky as you may damage the display cable near the latch so please be careful. Never pull or twist on the display cable, and always support the display while it is on its side. I've included a picture of the latch in the image gallery section.
+{{ :toshiba_t-series_support:images:t3200sx-latch-holding-display-down.jpg?450 |}}
+If you don't have access to a small angled screw driver, you may be able to bend the latch up and out of the way to release the display cable and extend access to the back of the system.  It is risky as you may damage the display cable near the latch so please be careful. Never pull or twist on the display cable, and always support the display while it is on its side.
 To access the rear half of the system, I have found this arrangement to provide ample access.
-{{ :toshiba_t-series_support:images:t3200sx-rear-access.jpg?600 |}}
+{{ :toshiba_t-series_support:images:t3200sx-rear-access.jpg?450 |}}
-**Q: How can I access the internals of the display panel?**\\
+==== Accessing the internals of the display panel ====
-**A:** The display panel front bezel and rear cover are held together by four screws. Two on the top corners of the display bezel (under a bumper), and two screws under the sticker that covers the power, HDD, FDD and keyboard LEDs. The screws are close to the edge, so you should be able to use a flat shimmy or a dull but flat knife to carefully separate it. You don't need to remove the whole sticker, just enough to reveal the two screws. I've done this to both my T3200SX's, and there is almost no damage if you do it right. Do not pull or bend the sticker at any time to avoid damaging it. Just slip the shimmy under it and push the shimmy toward the middle so it separates.
+The display panel front bezel is fastened by four screws. Two on the top corners of the display bezel (under rubber bumpers), and two screws under the sticker that covers the power, HDD, FDD and keyboard LEDs. The screws are close to the outer edges of the sticker, so you should be able to use a flat shimmy or a dull but flat knife to carefully separate it just enough to access the screws. You don't need to remove the whole sticker, just enough to reveal the two screws. I've done this to both my T3200SX's, and there is almost no damage if you do it right. Do not pull or bend the sticker at any time to avoid bending or damaging it. Just slip the shimmy under it and push the shimmy toward the middle so it separates.
 {{ youtube>n5VqpKXXLeQ?large }}
 In this video you can see the process. Doing it one handed while taking video, the shimmy slipped, but I hope you get the idea. Also, the tool I'm using is [[https://www.ifixit.com/products/jimmy|iFixit Jimmy]]
-Once you remove all four screws, the bezel is ready to come off. Open the screen all the way, and pull on the bezel from the bottom. The bezel should easily separate allowing you to access the rest of the display assembly.
+Once you remove all four screws, the bezel is ready to come off. Open the display lid all the way, and pull on the bezel from the bottom. The bezel should easily separate allowing you to access the rest of the display assembly.
-{{ :toshiba_t-series_support:images:t3200sx-display-bezel-separation.jpg?600 |}}
+{{ :toshiba_t-series_support:images:t3200sx-display-bezel-separation.jpg?450 |}}
-**Q: How can I completely remove the top cover so I can remove and/or replace the motherboard, power supply, etc?**\\
+==== Removing the entire top cover of the computer ====
-**A:** The top cover cannot be removed until the display panel is disconnected from the motherboard. It can only be disconnected from the display panel itself, so you'll need to first disconnect and remove the panel. To remove the panel, first follow instructions under "How can I access the internals of the display panel".
+The top cover cannot be removed until the display panel is disconnected. It can only be disconnected from the display panel itself, so you'll need to first open up, disconnect and remove the panel. To remove the panel, first follow instructions under "Accessing the internals of the display panel".
 Once you have access to the internals, remove the four corner screws holding the display panel to the back cover. Be careful removing the last two screws, as the fragile glass panel can fall off easily and be damaged. I recommend holding the panel while removing the final screw. Then disconnect the power, signal, and contrast adjustment connectors from the plasma panel assembly to remove it from the back cover.
@@ Line 162: / Line 165: @@
 ===== Troubleshooting =====
-**Q: Can't boot from floppy, floppy not detected, or can't be read**\\
+**SYMPTOM: Can't boot from floppy, floppy not detected, or can't be read**\\
-**A:** Make sure the PRN-A-B switch is set to PRN (see question about PRN-A-B switch in FAQ above).
+Make sure the PRN-A-B switch is set to PRN (see question about PRN-A-B switch in FAQ above).
-**Q: My computer gives me a configuration error when I turn it on**\\
+**SYMPTOM: My computer gives me a configuration error when I turn it on**\\
-**A:** If the CMOS battery is empty, you will be prompted with the following error when you power on the machine.
+If the CMOS battery is empty, you will be prompted with the following error when you power on the machine.
 <code>
 Invalid configuration information - please run SETUP program
@@ Line 173: / Line 176: @@
 Please refer to instructions here:\\ [[How do I boot my T3200SX with an empty CMOS battery]]
-**Q: How can I access the built-in BIOS ?**\\
+**SYMPTOM: How can I access the built-in BIOS ?**\\
-**A:** Press CTRL + SHIFT + F10 when the computer powers on. If this does not work, you may use the TEST3.EXE utility, a little program by Toshiba which will open up the BIOS settings from a DOS environment. You might want to include this utility in your computer recovery disk. See below for files that apply to this type of machine, or view all files at the [[.:files and resources]] section.
+Press CTRL + SHIFT + F10 when the computer powers on. If this does not work, you may use the TEST3.EXE utility, a little program by Toshiba which will open up the BIOS settings from a DOS environment. You might want to include this utility in your computer recovery disk. See below for files that apply to this type of machine, or view all files at the [[.:files and resources]] section.
-**Q: I am still unable to access the BIOS.**\\
+**SYMPTOM: I am still unable to access the BIOS.**\\
-**A:** When the computer BIOS clock battery runs empty, it will clear all BIOS settings and will prompt you to review the system settings on power-up. This may be used to your advantage to get into BIOS. To force this behavior, disconnect the clock battery entirely. Wait for a few minutes and power up the computer again. The computer will ask the user to review the default settings. Please refer to [[How do I boot my T3200SX with an empty CMOS battery]]
+When the computer BIOS clock battery runs empty, it will clear all BIOS settings and will prompt you to review the system settings on power-up. This may be used to your advantage to get into BIOS. To force this behavior, disconnect the clock battery entirely. Wait for a few minutes and power up the computer again. The computer will ask the user to review the default settings. Please refer to [[How do I boot my T3200SX with an empty CMOS battery]]
-**Q: My computer does not hold settings or time**\\
+**SYMPTOM: My computer does not hold settings or time**\\
-**A:** You probably have an empty BIOS battery. The battery holds volatile information in a CMOS chip like information about your BIOS settings and system time. When the battery runs out, the information will be lost. You can still use your computer by going into BIOS settings and accepting the defaults (see above). See the troubleshooting section to replace your battery.
+You probably have an empty BIOS battery. The battery holds volatile information in a CMOS chip like information about your BIOS settings and system time. When the battery runs out, the information will be lost. You can still use your computer by going into BIOS settings and accepting the defaults (see above). See the troubleshooting section to replace your battery.
-**Q: The computer turns on, power LED lights up, but I have no picture or a noisy picture**\\
+**SYMPTOM: The computer turns on, power LED lights up, but I have no picture or a noisy picture**\\
-**A:** This could be caused by many things, but the most common issue is that the laptop lid open/close switch is just stuck in the on position. The switch, which is located under the cover, next to the floppy drive uses a rather low-quality plastic piece that latched with the screen hinge and is designed to detect when the lid is closed, and will cut the power to the display accordingly. It engages whenever the lid is closed, and since it is near the power supply, a plastic piece inside the switch may slowly deform over time and may get stuck inside the switch. The symptom you will see is a screen that will never seem to turn on when you open the lid, or will have a noisy picture, due to the switch stuck half-on. If you cannot repair the switch manually, the easiest workaround is to just disable it by removing the plastic piece entirely. This will make the screen then stay on regardless if the screen lid is open. Please see the gallery section for an image of the switch.
+This could be caused by many things, but the most common issue is that the laptop lid open/close switch is just stuck in the on position. The switch, which is located under the cover, next to the floppy drive uses a rather low-quality plastic piece that latched with the screen hinge and is designed to detect when the lid is closed, and will cut the power to the display accordingly. It engages whenever the lid is closed, and since it is near the power supply, a plastic piece inside the switch may slowly deform over time and may get stuck inside the switch. The symptom you will see is a screen that will never seem to turn on when you open the lid, or will have a noisy picture, due to the switch stuck half-on. If you cannot repair the switch manually, the easiest workaround is to just disable it by removing the plastic piece entirely. This will make the screen then stay on regardless if the screen lid is open. Please see the gallery section for an image of the switch.
-**Q: The computer doesn't turn on. When I flip the switch, the power light flashes briefly and then turns off.**\\
+**SYMPTOM: The computer doesn't turn on. When I flip the switch, the power light flashes briefly and then turns off.**\\
-**A:** Out of the three T3200SX's that I own, I've noticed two of them have started exhibiting this behavior. After investigating both computers, the issue was found in the power supply, specifically some of it's capacitors. I found, that four of the capacitors were leaking electrolyte and had failed (at the time failure, they were 36 years old parts, so I can't fault them!).
+Out of the three T3200SX's that I own, I've noticed two of them have started exhibiting this behavior. After investigating both computers, the issue was found in the power supply, specifically some of it's capacitors. I found, that four of the capacitors were leaking electrolyte and had failed (at the time failure, they were 36 years old parts, so I can't fault them!).
 To fix this issue, you'll need to do some soldering on the power supply board. Word of caution: This is a somewhat dangerous procedure since the power supply can hold high voltages in its capacitors (while powered, over 200V DC for the plasma panel), so work on the power supply at your own risk!
@@ Line 212: / Line 215: @@
 </code>
-**Q: Plasma screen is faded or does not show shades, even with the contrast knob turned all the way up**\\
+**SYMPTOM: Plasma screen is faded or does not show shades, even with the contrast knob turned all the way up**\\
-**A:** This might be an indicator that the capacitors on the display panel controller board have failed. Follow the steps under the heading "How can I access the internals of the display panel?" in the [[#system_maintenance|System Maintenance]] section to access the internals of the plasma panel.
+This might be an indicator that the capacitors on the display panel controller board have failed. Follow the steps under the heading "How can I access the internals of the display panel?" in the [[#system_maintenance|System Maintenance]] section to access the internals of the plasma panel.
 Once you have removed the bezel, remove the four corner screws securing the display panel to the back cover of the display. Be careful removing the last two screws, as the fragile glass panel can fall off easily and be damaged. I recommend holding the panel while removing the final screw. Then disconnect the power, signal, and contrast adjustment connectors from the plasma panel assembly to remove it from the back cover.
-Check the plasma controller board's capacitors for any leakage or evidence of grime. In one of my T3200SX computers I replaced the following capacitors on the board which resolved the issue. After removing the capacitors, only the 47uf 16V capacitors (C1, C9, C15) measured too low capacitance, but I went ahead and replaced all capacitors that appeared to be from the same manufacturer anyway.
+Check the plasma controller board's capacitors for any leakage or evidence of grime. In one of my T3200SX computers I replaced the following capacitors on the board which resolved the issue. After removing the capacitors, only the 47uf 16V capacitors (C1, C9, C15) measured too low capacitance, but I went ahead and replaced all capacitors that appeared to have leaked electrolyte around them.
 <code>
@@ Line 229: / Line 232: @@
 </code>
-{{ :toshiba_t-series_support:images:t3200sx-plasma-panel-controller-board-caps-annotated.jpg?600 |}}
+{{ :toshiba_t-series_support:images:t3200sx-plasma-panel-controller-board-caps-annotated.jpg?450 |}}
-Note the grime around the failed larger capacitors.
+Note the grime around the failed black capacitors.
 **Q: What is the pinout and voltages of the cable going from the power supply to the plasma screen?**\\
@@ Line 284: / Line 288: @@
 | {{toshiba_t-series_support:utils:t3200sx_bios_003ch.zip}}       | 47 KB   | **T3200SX** | **003CH HYBRID BIOS**. This Hybrid BIOS ROM has the BIOS from 003C, but the VGA-BIOS from 003I. This Hybrid BIOS will accept any disk installed and VGA graphics are accelerated. It contains the upgraded (and faster) 003I VGA-BIOS. You will only need an overlay program installed such as Anydrive to set/override the BIOS HDD parameters (see ANYDRIVE.ZIP in the [[:toshiba_t-series_support:Files and Resources|Files section]]). Use a TL866 Minipro programmer or similar to program this on a compatible BIOS chip. Courtesy of **[[http://www.mirror3dr.com/|High Treason]]**. |
 | {{toshiba_t-series_support:utils:t3200sx_bios_pack_1-0.zip}}    | 312 KB  | **T3200SX** | **Custom Award BIOS ROM for the T3200SX which includes a patched version of XT-IDE ROM** 8-). This ROM will have no trouble identifying and booting any IDE hard disk, no overlay program is required. Courtesy of [[https://www.vogons.org/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=57998|IanB at Vogons forum]]. Feel free to visit the forum for the latest version, as the forum is updated more often. |
-| {{toshiba_t-series_support:utils:t3200sx_bios_003c.zip}}        | 46 KB   | **T3200SX** | **003C** BIOS ROM. This BIOS version does not have a programmed BIOS hard drive exclusion and will accept any hard disk. You will only need an overlay program installed such as Anydrive to set/override the BIOS HDD parameters (see ANYDRIVE.ZIP in the [[:toshiba_t-series_support:Files and Resources|Files section]]). Use a TL866 Minipro programmer or similar to program this on a compatible BIOS chip. |
+| {{toshiba_t-series_support:utils:t3200sx_bios_003c.zip}}        | 46 KB   | **T3200SX** | **003C** BIOS ROM from my personal T3200SX. This BIOS version does not have a hard drive exclusion and will accept any hard disk regardless of it's part number. You will only need an overlay program installed such as Anydrive to set/override the BIOS HDD parameters (see ANYDRIVE.ZIP in the [[:toshiba_t-series_support:Files and Resources|Files section]]). Use a TL866 Minipro programmer or similar to program this on a compatible BIOS chip. |
 | {{toshiba_t-series_support:utils:t3200sx_bios_003e.zip}}        | 402 KB  | **T3200SX** | **003E** BIOS ROM. This BIOS version will **only** accept Conner CP-**** series hard disks. Curiously this BIOS has the text "T3200SX V3.10 TOSHIBA [..] Copyright (C) 1985-1989 Phoenix Technologies Ltd.[..] FOR EVALUATION ONLY". Courtesy of **RemyV**. |
 | {{toshiba_t-series_support:utils:t3200sx_bios_003f.zip}}        | 44 KB   | **T3200SX/120** | **003F** BIOS ROM from a T3200SX/120 with a Conner 120MB HDD. This BIOS version will **only** accept Conner CP-**** series hard disks, and has preset options for 40 MB and 120 MB hard disks. |

steptail.com

User Tools

Site Tools

Differences

Page Tools