A failing Diamond Monster 3D has prompted Bits und Bolts to build MOJO2, a new diagnostic utility for first-generation 3dfx Voodoo cards. In a 32-minute repair video published on 29 October, the creator uses the tool to narrow an elusive graphics fault to the card’s FBI (frame-buffer interface) chip.
The original Mojo utility reported a dead-end 0xDEAD error. MOJO2 adds memory tests, a live frame-buffer error monitor and a way to record repairs already attempted, so its diagnosis can account for replaced DRAM or reflowed pins. Replacing the board’s frame-buffer memory did not cure the fault; the new tests instead made the FBI chip the leading suspect.
That diagnosis gets a practical check in the video: after the creator swaps the FBI chip for a donor, MOJO2’s tests pass and the card runs Tomb Raider. It is a useful demonstration of diagnostic software evolving alongside a difficult hardware repair, rather than a claim that every Voodoo fault is now solved. The creator says MOJO2 is still being developed and may gain tests as other faulty cards become available.
Watch the full repair: The Diamond Monster 3D That Forced Me to Build a New Tool: MOJO2.
