Which converter, Techknight - the Mouse one or the ROM One?
With the Mouse one, I'm just saying from what I know that one can wire up a relay to ports and when you insert a mouse/kb to it, it would set the relay to that port and the Mac would see it. No need to manually set jumpers as I see on this configuration.
- - - - -
I like to share information, Uniserver. If somebody is doing a project, within reason I like to share information on what I know. Months ago I asked if the ROM SIMM doable for a Mac Plus or SE, and gave an explanation on how it could bee done, stated exactly that the ROM Space is 1 or more MEGS but the ROM itself is less than 256K, making it possible to put in a bootable system in there like on the Mac Classic. I was told flatly that it is not possible without an entire rewrite of the ROMs and other stated facts that I did not accept.
Excuse the RANT here...
Years before the first Macs came out of the assembly line, I was writing video games and programs which required rewriting ROM Routines of various systems of the time, this includes cartridge systems which redo the systems' ROMs. This taught me long ago that computers are more flexible in their ability to do various tasks. All it requires is a little work, work that I have done before and fully understand.
Right now I do not have the equipment, but I do have the knowledge. And I'm willing to share that with anyone interested in it.
Now, my current idea is adding more RAM to an Old Mac and give it some use somehow. In seeing the memory maps, I have to disagree that the 6522 and other VIAs on the Mac board takes up 1 MEG of memory space when these same exact same chips were on 8bit machines before the Mac and they only took up 1K or less of physical space! 1KB, compared to 1MB is a big difference. So this creates holes in the memory map that can be filled with RAM and have that RAM used by the system as something. Perhaps a RAM Disk without taking up System RAM. This would also require a small system patch or program for its own self standing application. There is about 8MB of free space floating about in the memory map that can be used just for that on the Mac 128K - SE as it is; 4X as much on the Mac II series. All it takes is a little brain power to figure it out, even on paper as a theory. Not to tell others that its not doable or it requires a massive rewrite of the system.
Ideas are great, but they are worthless if no one tests them, even on paper. It if fails at that point (like my last idea on Classic II by doubling its Bus) then its fine with me. Like on the idea with the Classic II, the problem was with hardware deliberately crippling the idea and the system to be 16bit and not its true 32bit, making the idea impossible to do.
But this Plus Boot ROM is a great idea, and it looks like somebody stole that idea. I will say that looks can be deceiving. However, months ago I made the post of doing a Bootable ROM for the 128K - SE like on the Classic and was told that it is not possible without at least a complete system rewrite that knowledgeable people would not want to do. But here is a post of the exact idea mentioned being done. If somebody would have told me long ago that such an idea is in the work by somebody, I would have been very happy with these results. Thing is, I'm not happy with how it happened though I congratulate bbraun on getting it done. In the least he made an idea come true.
https://68kmla.org/forums/index.php?/topic/22324-dougg3-rom-simm-list-of-machines-that-its-electrically-compatible-with/?p=239950
https://68kmla.org/forums/index.php?/topic/22324-dougg3-rom-simm-list-of-machines-that-its-electrically-compatible-with/?p=240000
https://68kmla.org/forums/index.php?/topic/22324-dougg3-rom-simm-list-of-machines-that-its-electrically-compatible-with/?p=240094
Again, I congratulate bbraun on getting it done. The thing that I am feeling is being burnt by this. Almost like a newly elected senator going to congress and finding out that things are not going to get done unless it is in clandestine missions where I join specific circles with secret handshakes, wear funny hats and have moneys passed under the table.
End of Rant.
With the Mouse one, I'm just saying from what I know that one can wire up a relay to ports and when you insert a mouse/kb to it, it would set the relay to that port and the Mac would see it. No need to manually set jumpers as I see on this configuration.
- - - - -
I like to share information, Uniserver. If somebody is doing a project, within reason I like to share information on what I know. Months ago I asked if the ROM SIMM doable for a Mac Plus or SE, and gave an explanation on how it could bee done, stated exactly that the ROM Space is 1 or more MEGS but the ROM itself is less than 256K, making it possible to put in a bootable system in there like on the Mac Classic. I was told flatly that it is not possible without an entire rewrite of the ROMs and other stated facts that I did not accept.
Excuse the RANT here...
Years before the first Macs came out of the assembly line, I was writing video games and programs which required rewriting ROM Routines of various systems of the time, this includes cartridge systems which redo the systems' ROMs. This taught me long ago that computers are more flexible in their ability to do various tasks. All it requires is a little work, work that I have done before and fully understand.
Right now I do not have the equipment, but I do have the knowledge. And I'm willing to share that with anyone interested in it.
Now, my current idea is adding more RAM to an Old Mac and give it some use somehow. In seeing the memory maps, I have to disagree that the 6522 and other VIAs on the Mac board takes up 1 MEG of memory space when these same exact same chips were on 8bit machines before the Mac and they only took up 1K or less of physical space! 1KB, compared to 1MB is a big difference. So this creates holes in the memory map that can be filled with RAM and have that RAM used by the system as something. Perhaps a RAM Disk without taking up System RAM. This would also require a small system patch or program for its own self standing application. There is about 8MB of free space floating about in the memory map that can be used just for that on the Mac 128K - SE as it is; 4X as much on the Mac II series. All it takes is a little brain power to figure it out, even on paper as a theory. Not to tell others that its not doable or it requires a massive rewrite of the system.
Ideas are great, but they are worthless if no one tests them, even on paper. It if fails at that point (like my last idea on Classic II by doubling its Bus) then its fine with me. Like on the idea with the Classic II, the problem was with hardware deliberately crippling the idea and the system to be 16bit and not its true 32bit, making the idea impossible to do.
But this Plus Boot ROM is a great idea, and it looks like somebody stole that idea. I will say that looks can be deceiving. However, months ago I made the post of doing a Bootable ROM for the 128K - SE like on the Classic and was told that it is not possible without at least a complete system rewrite that knowledgeable people would not want to do. But here is a post of the exact idea mentioned being done. If somebody would have told me long ago that such an idea is in the work by somebody, I would have been very happy with these results. Thing is, I'm not happy with how it happened though I congratulate bbraun on getting it done. In the least he made an idea come true.
https://68kmla.org/forums/index.php?/topic/22324-dougg3-rom-simm-list-of-machines-that-its-electrically-compatible-with/?p=239950
Elfen said:
https://68kmla.org/forums/index.php?/topic/22324-dougg3-rom-simm-list-of-machines-that-its-electrically-compatible-with/?p=240000
Paralel said:
https://68kmla.org/forums/index.php?/topic/22324-dougg3-rom-simm-list-of-machines-that-its-electrically-compatible-with/?p=240094
dougg3 said:According to Guide to the Macintosh Family Hardware, the 128k/512k/Plus have a reserved ROM space of $100000 bytes in size (from $400000 to $500000). That's 1 MB. The logic on these old systems is probably dumb enough that if you wired up all the address lines, you could technically make use of all that address space. It's probably technically possible, but I don't know how many of the necessary address lines are actually brought out to the ROM sockets. I'm too lazy to figure it out right now
Keep in mind that even if it's technically possible with hardware, it takes a software hacking genius like bbraun to make it do something. I hope everyone understands that all I did was design the hardware and hack the startup sound. bbraun did all the really cool software stuff with it.
Again, I congratulate bbraun on getting it done. The thing that I am feeling is being burnt by this. Almost like a newly elected senator going to congress and finding out that things are not going to get done unless it is in clandestine missions where I join specific circles with secret handshakes, wear funny hats and have moneys passed under the table.
End of Rant.