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I had this old board and didn't even know if it would work. A friend of mine asked me if I had an old computer he could use to play Privateer II, and I went into action.

Link to original Privateer from the-underdogs.org


I've never played Privateer or Privateer II, but they are cousins to my beloved Wing Commander series of games, and I deemed it worthy of a construction project.

If you are searcing for info on this motherboard, you will find these links very useful:

Micronics Manuals
M54Hi Plus .pdf Manual
M54Hi Plus Diagram and Specs

They are links to manuals and diagrams that detail the various options and operating procedures for the M54hi Plus Motherboard.

This weekend I assembled this motherboard with the following specs (pretty much maxed out).

166 Mhz CPU
512 KB Cache Ram (external in this era)
128MB RAM

I find the instructions that usually come with motherboards to be excellent. The steps are simple:

1. Correctly insert the CPU (processor) and set any appropriate jumpers
2. Insert Memory
3. Attach to Case

1. You have to be careful that you put the processor in at the right orientation. Some sockets will only take the CPU one way while on others you need to watch out for a small arrow or dot on one of the corners. That marks PIN 1, and there will be a corresponding mark on the MoBo socket. Put those two marks together or the CPU won't work.

2. Insert Memory - probably the easiest upgrade or computer building step there is. Pretty much the only thing to mention here is don't force it. Be sure the memory you are using fits the slot available. I get the DIMM, SIMM, DRAM, SDRAM designations mixed up. Just be sure that the memory you are using will fit. You can just eyeball it most of the time.

3. There are a couple of tricky things about attaching the MoBo to the case.

a. Be sure that the metal that sticks out of the back of the board doesn't touch the case metal. This will cause the board to ground out (or something) and it just won't work. Don't worry though, if you did this than the board probably isn't broken. Most boards have a "spacer" of some type that prevents this from happening - use it.

b. The screws you use to attach the board to the case can't extend beyond the metal area around the screw hole. This will be obvious if you're looking at a board, and it would be hard to find a screw that big, but this will also cause the board to ground out.

c. You must attach the power supply correctly. Power supplies can only attach to the board in one way. In other words, you can't really screw it up unless you try really hard. Older AT boards can be a bit trickier. When attaching an AT power supply, make sure the black wires are next to each other and you will be fine.


After successfully attaching the M54hi+ to its case, I:

I. Inserted a PCI video card
II. Plugged in a PS/2 keyboard using a small AT to PS/2 adapter (the only connector on the board was a single AT style port)
III. Hooked up all my various storage devices (Drives)
IV. Installed Windows 98

The only problem is that there is no way to attach a mouse (or anything) to this machine right now. This is a major setback to playing Privateer.

I've purchased these items to help with this problem, and they should clear it up.

https://www.cyberguys.com/templates/searchdetail.asp?T1=204+1125&dept=&search=PS2+Adapter&child

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5816050609&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWN%3AIT&rd=1

Then I can move on to another nerd project. I'll keep you updated.