All About the Japanese PC-98: My Epson PC-486GR Experiences (How-To, Beginner's Guide, and Gameplay)
Channel: wyatt8740
Date: 2023-12-16

My blog post/information mega-dump: https://megatokyo.moe/site/blog/011_012.html#pc9801-1
Here's partial video documentation of my Epson PC-486GR and some useful things to know for anyone who is interested in using a PC-98 or compatible machine in the west. Also some gameplay!  Check the table of contents:
06:18 - Very briefly touching on my NEC PC-KD851 CRT monitor
07:08 - My external SCSI hard drive
07:40 - I begin taking the PC-486GR apart (sorry it's quiet) - you can probably skip this unless you want to hear me talk
11:02 - The top comes off
11:08 - Brief discussion of my PC-9801 Keyboard(s) and compatibility issues
13:27 - A look inside the PC-486GR
13:38 - The Expansion Slots (C-Bus)
14:07 - Description of what card(s) the PC-486GR shipped with (High-Res Board)
15:04 - The CPU Card
16:02 - Unexpected surprises I didn't know I was getting inside when I bought the PC
16:18 - My CPU accelerator board (pt. 1)
17:10 - Special RAM sticks
18:20 - Expansion RAM daugherboards (Buffalo ERB-4000 EMS board)
18:51 - CPU Accelerators ("Geta") (pt. 2)
23:45 - Showing my C-Bus Expansion Cards
32:25 - Powering Japanese computers safely (choosing stepdown transformers)
38:18 - Adapting Floppy Drives (Replacing 3.5" floppy drives with Gotek floppy drive emulators)
42:06 - How to use hard drives with the PC-486GR *internally*
42:59 - Identifying the connectors on the back
43:38 - Putting it back together
48:00 - Getting and connecting a mouse (Bus mouse) (and mouse adapter info)
50:14 - Digital RGB vs Analogue RGB (don't use digital if avoidable!)
52:59 - Some safety recommendations (cable marking/labelling ideas to avoid plugging in the wrong voltages)
57:15 - Different SCSI connectors (mentioned)
57:51 - One potential compatibility problem with earlier mechanical PC-98 keyboards (my LHA-301 SCSI controller's bios menu)
01:01:02 - Accessing the Epson/NEC main BIOS menu (if applicable)
01:02:00 - Epson PC-486GR BIOS menu - useful options
01:06:08 - "FDD Terminal mode" (Using the PC-486GR as an external floppy drive for another PC)
01:12:09 - Entering the LHA-301 SCSI controller menu (keyboard incompatibilities)
01:15:35 - More info about LHA-301 SCSI controller card BIOS settings
01:17:50 - Booting into DOS from HDD
01:18:30 - Gotek drive configuration/setup (FF.CFG)
01:25:25 - ==== Game demo: Emerald Dragon (Glodia) ====
01:45:20 - ==== Game demo: Bubblegum Crisis ====
01:51:50 - ==== Sound Demo Disk: Ys ====
02:01:24 - Some information about my blog post and further documentation, todo's
02:04:36 - Identifying unusual Japanese SCSI connectors
02:06:36 - Things to look for when choosing a PC-98 to buy
02:08:48 - Intel i486 and variants: Clock multipliers, and how to pick a good CPU for your needs
02:10:27 - Money pit (how much I've spent so far on this thing, including shipping, power supplies, cables, peripherals, etc.)
02:13:00 - ==== Game demo: Touhou Games ====
02:38:20 - Concluding remarks (on this video)