Isa

[caLLous]

Right. Hi.

We use the Enigma lighting desk at work and the PC that controls it has just died.

The card that the lighting desk plugs into is ISA only and because ALS don't make the desk anymore, there is no PCI version available.

What we really need is a motherboard that has an ISA slot on it. Are these still available? If we can get hold of one we can rebuild the system ourselves.

We need this resolved by 9:30 tomorrow evening as we're open then and we'd quite like to be able to use our lights.

HELP!

Thanks.

 

[Vae]

From a bit of googling it appears that there are some modern boards with ISA slots which seem to be a bit specialised though. http://www.avantek.co.uk/acl/mobo/p4_isa_875.htm
http://www.amplicon.co.uk/dr-prod3.cfm/subsecid/10131/secid/5/groupId/11473.htm

For an older board you could just try ebay. Either way I think you'll have difficulty getting it sorted by tomorrow night.

You could try any little local computer shops who might be sitting on some semi-obsolete motherboards.

 

[caLLous]

I've tried 4 different little independent computer shops - 3 of them just gave me a blank look as if they don't even remember ISA and the other one had access to a couple but they won't be able to get hold of them until next week. :<

Anyway, the problem has worsened now - apparently to get the system running we need the original backup disk (the computer has been there for 7 years, we have no clue what our respective predecessors did with it) and a passcode, which we also don't have (we have the runtime passcode, but not the installation one).

To summarise, this thread was pointless because the plot has become considerably thicker since I posted first.

Apparently, somebody who works in Derby can supply us with an image of the backup disk, but that still leaves us trying passwords out until it works.



(Thanks Vae btw )

 

[caLLous]

Right, on my way into work to meet the engineer (who's come from Derby) that is bringing the replacement unit... but then we still need to wait for the guy to bring the backup disk from Gloucester.

And then there's still no guarantee that it'll work. :\

 

[caLLous]

Yay the lights work!

The engineer turned up, brought in some hardware and said "Right, I'll leave you to it". Two hours later we have a fully working Enigma and the upshot is the guy left behind another light-desk so we now have a spare.

I'm quite aware that nobody cares, it's just... closure.

 

[phlash]

very nice

Did you have to guess a password, or did the replacement unit come pre-installed?

Since I'm interested (no honest, i am - used to play with lights) Would this be a DMX controlled lighting desk, as you can get DMX <-> USB dongles these days...

 

[caLLous]

The guy emailed us a little bootdisk creator and a custom setup for our light-rig. There was a default password in this setup that we used. And yes, it's DMX controlled.

All the programs that have been added since the last install (definitely more than 4 years) are lost, unless I can get Windows to see this hard drive that I brought home. I plugged the hard drive into one of the PC's in the office at work and it booted straight into Enigma, but it's not worked at all in every other PC I've tried it in. There are no jumpers on the back so I have no clue what's going on.

Hey-ho, at least we have regained control of the lights - now it's the light-jock's turn to have a busy day tomorrow reprogramming.