Last Updated on 4 May 2025 by Suffocation
One of arguably the most famous and popular network cards. Simply turn it on, configuration is possible. With this card, Plug and Play finally seemed to be truly possible, and the configuration tool was also usable without problems.
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Facts
| Manufacturer | 3COM | 3COM | 3COM |
|---|---|---|---|
| Designation | Etherlink III – C | Etherlink II / 16 | Etherlink III – F |
| Chip | 3c509B-C | 3C503 | 3C509tp / AT&T 8350-3 |
| Year of manufacture (integrated circuit card) | 1992 | ||
| 10Base2 (BNC) | X | X | |
| 10 Base-T (RJ45)/AUI | X | X | X |
| 10 Base-T (RJ45) | X | X | X |
| 100 Base X (RJ45) | |||
| 1000 Base X (RJ45) | |||
| Other connections | |||
| Configuration | Config Tool | Config Tool | Config Tool |
| ROM Support | X | X | X |
| ROM Type | 8k-64K 27Cxxx | 8k-64K 27Cxxx | 8k-64K 27Cxxx |
| ISA 8-bit | |||
| ISA 16-bit | X | X | X |
| VLB | |||
| PCI | |||
| PCI-E | |||
| Compatible with | |||
| Compatible designation | 3c509 | EtherLink III | 3c509??? |
User manual
Driver
Disk Operating System
REM Autoexec.bat for package driver
c:\driver\3c509\3c509.com 0x60
Windows 3.x
Windows 9.x, XP, NT 3.5, NT 4.0, 2000
The driver should be included in the operating system. (Statement not yet verified)
OS2, Novell
Habe aktuelle keinen Treiber dafür gefunden sind evtl. im Betriebssystem enthalten.
Other
The entire driver package
Miscellaneous
In the XT
The card probably also works with 8-bit ISA, but requires a special driver which is not optimised for 286s. You can find information, drivers and the configuration tool at the following link:
https://github.com/hackerb9/3C509B-nestor?tab=readme-ov-file
For safekeeping, the current drivers have been backed up here.
XT-IDE
I have the map with a XT-IDE ROM equipped, enabled the ROM in the software, set the address (0c800) and it worked straight away.
Network types
https://www.fambach.net/?p=12059
Conclusion
Ist und bleibt eine Tolle Karte und alle Treiber verfügbar das Konfigurationstool funktioniert ausgezeichnet.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Does the card work | Yes |
| How much did it cost? | 20€ im Konvolut |
| Was the price okay? | Ja ein Schnäppchen |
| Is it worth it? | Das Konvolut war nicht so ergiebig aber für die Karte zu dem Preis hat es sich gelohnt. |
| Overall conclusion | Positive |
Problems
No instructions and memory address unknown
If a driver is known, simply specify all addresses from 0x160-0x360 when loading. If the MAC address is not displayed as FF...FF, then the correct memory address should have been found.
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Sources
https://retrocmp.de/transfer/3c509b.htm
https://www.toughdev.com/content/2017/06/setting-up-3com-etherlink-16-isa-network-card
Good places to get drivers
http://vogonsdrivers.com/
https://www.philscomputerlab.com
https://www.fambach.net/?p=12059
Log
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| 03.04.2025 | Post Created |
| 04.04.2025 | Treiber und Bilder hinzugefügt, finalisiert |