From: ethan+@pitt.edu
Subject: IIsi speaker contacts: the last word!

Greetings all-  

After offering some (apparently mistaken) advice on how to clean up
the speaker contacts on the IIsi, I received the following note from
Mike Strange.  It seems that he knows what he is talking about!  He
gave me permission to publish it here.

Ethan Benatan 
ethan+@pitt.edu                          http://www.pitt.edu/~ethan

============================

Mike Strange's advice on cleaning copper contacts
-------------------------------------------------

From: strange@ping.at (Mike Strange)
Subject: Contacts

Regarding your post about your si speaker contacts, I have a little
experience with a similar contact problem.  And the solution that we found
may help you.

A little background:  I used to work as an engineering contractor to the
Navy and we were forever having problems with board contacts going bad in
the computers.  We tried the logical thing and sanded them every time we
could, but as you know, that is only good for about a week.  Much less in
an ocean environment.

Anyway, we studied it a little and found that the sandpapering was actually
accelerating the corrosion process.  One reason was that there were little
tiny particals of sand that remained imbedded in the surface of the
contact, providing a nucleation point for corrosion.  Second was that the
groves left by the paper itself (600 grit) were great nucleation points
also.  We were actually making it worse (A classic example of Deming's
tampering theory).  In addition, after a couple months of sanding, there
isn't much contact left.

The solution was to just remove the corrosion with something less abrasive.
Namely, a pink pencil eraser.  The white ones aren't agressive enough.  An
old Dixon pencil is your best friend in these situations.  We found that
treating with the eraser was almost as good as having a new board.
Treating with the eraser, after they had been sanded didn't really help
that much because the abrasive sanding particals were still in the contact.
The final trick was to apply just a thin coat of Vaselline (I can't spell
it right, you know what I mean.)  When I mean thin, I mean thin.  That gave
the best performance of all.  Hopefully somewhere some of those boards are
still running.

Good luck.

-Mike


Michael Strange
strange@ping.at

Date: Fri, 23 Jul 1993 02:32:16 -0800 
From: lkchun@heartland.bradley.edu (Lance K. Chun)
Subject: MOTOROLA 68060 FACTS ! 

***** START OF CROSSPOSTED MESSAGE

 From: TOERNE@RHEIN IAM UNI-BONN             Date: 05-24-93 04:33
   To: ALL                                   Msg#: 13975
Subj.: MOTOROLA 68060 FACTS !
 Area: U-LIAMIGA

Here it finally is:

MOTOROLA SEMICONDUCTOR PRODUCT INFORMATION on the MC68060


(a really thing worth reading because this time it's not one's opinion
but pure objective information from a reliable source - ;-))

------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1

Product Brief

Forth-Generation 32-Bit Microprocessor

The  MC 68060 is a  superscalar,  high-performance,  32-bit microprocessor
providing a  low-power mode of operation.  The MC68060 is fully compatible
with all previous members of the M68000 family.  The MC68060 features dual
on-chip caches,  fully independent  demand-paged  memory  management units
(MMUs) for  both instructions and data,  dual integer execution pipelines,
on-chip floating-point unit (FPU),  and branch target cache. A high degree
of instruction execution parallelism is achieved through the use of a full
internal Havard architecture,  multiple internal buses, independent execu-
tion units,  and dual instruction  issue within  the instruction execution
controller.  Power management is also a  key part of the MC68060 architec-
ture.  The MC68060 offers a low-power mode  of operation that  is accessed
through the LPSTOP instruction,  allowing for  full power-down capability.
The MC68060  design is fully static so  that when circuits are not in use,
they do not draw power.  Each unit  can be disabled  so that the  power is
used only when the unit  is enabled and executing an instruction. Figure 1
illustrates a block diagram of the MC68060.

+------------------------------------------+
 +-+
|Integer unit                              |                                  |
 |
|           +----------------------------+ |                                  |
 |
|           |Instruction fetch controller| |                                  |
 |
|           | +------+  +--------+       | |  +----------------------------+  |
 |
|           | |Branch|<-|   IA   |----------->| +----------+  +----------+ |  |
 |
|           | |Cache |  |Generate|       | |  | |Intruction|->|Intruction| |  |
 |
|           | |      |  +--------+       | |  | |   ATC    |  |   Cache  | |  |
 |
|           | |      |->|Intruct.|<-----------| +----------+  +----------+ |  |
 | Intruct.
|           | |      |  | Fetch  |       | |  |      ^              ^      |<-|
 | Address
|           | +------+  +--------+       | |  |      |              |      |  |
 |<------->
|           |           | Early  |       | |  |    +------------------+    |  |
 |
|           |           | Decode |       | |  |    |    Instruction   |    |  |
 |
|           |           +--------+       | |  |    |       Cache      |    |  |
 |
|           |               |            | |  |    |     Controller   |    |  |
 |
|           |               V            | |  |    +------------------+    |  |
 |
|           | +------------------------+ | |  +----------------------------+  |
 |
|           | |       Instruction      | | |
 |B|
|           | |          Buffer        | | |
 |U|
|           | +------------------------+ | |  Diagram scribbled by
 |S|
|           |        |         |         | |  Christian von Toerne            |
 |
|           +--------|---------|---------+ |  toerne@rhein.iam.uni-bonn.de
 |C|
|                    |         |           |
 |O|  Data
| +------------------|---------|---------+ |
 |N| Address
| |                  V         V         | |
 |T|<------->
| |              +--------+--------+     | |
 |R|
| | +----------+ + Decode | Decode |     | |
 |O|
| | | Floating | +--------+--------+     | |  +----------------------------+
 |L|
| | |   Point  | |   EA   |   EA   |     | |<-|    +------------------+    |
 |L|
| | |   Unit   | |Generate|Generate|     | |  |    |       Data       |    |
 |E|
| | | +------+ | +--------+--------+     | |  |    |       Cache      |    |
 |R|
| | | |  EA  | | |   EA   |   EA   |     | |  |    |    Controller    |    |  |
 |
| | | | Fetch| | |  Fetch |  Fetch |     | |  |    +------------------+    |  |
 |
| | | +------+ | +--------+--------+     | |  |      |              |      |<>|
 |
| | | |  FP  | | |   INT  |   INT  |     | |->|      V              V      |  |
 |
| | | | Exec | | | Execute| Execute|     | |  | +----------+  +----------+ |  |
 |
| | | +------+ | +--------+--------+     | |  | |   Data   |->|   Data   | |  |
 |
| | +----|-----+   Instruction           | |  | |    ATC   |  |   Cache  | |  |
 |
| |      |    Execution Controller       | |  | +----------+  +----------+ |  |
 |
| +------|------------|--------|---------+ |  +----------------------------+  |
 | Control
|        V            V        V           |                ^                 |
 |<------->
| +--------------------------------------+ |                |                 |
 |
| |            Data available            | |                |                 |
 |
| +--------------------------------------+ |                |                 |
 |
| |              Write-Back              | |                |                 |
 |
| +--------------------------------------+ |                |                 |
 |
+------------------------------------------+                |
 +-+
                     |           Operand data bus           |
                     +--------------------------------------+

                    Figure 1. MC68060 Simplified Block Diagram


(This document contains information on a product under develoment. Motoro-
la  reserves the right to  change or discontinue  this product without no-
tice.)

------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2

Complete code compatibility with the M68000 family allows the designer to
draw on existing code and past experience to bring products to market
quickly. There is also a broad base of established development tools, in-
cluding real-time kernels, operating systems, languages, and applications,
to assist in product design. The functionality provided by the MC68060
makes is the ideal choice for a range of high-performance computing appli-
cations as well as many portable application that require low power and
high performance. The MC68060's high level of integration results in high
performance while reducing overall system power consumption.

The following is a list of primary features for the MC68060:

- 100% User-Mode Compatible with MC68040

- Three Times the Performance of a 25-MHz MC68040

- Superscalar Implementation of M68000 Architecture

- Dual Integer Instruction Execution Improves Performance

- IEEE-Compatible On-Chip FPU

- Branch Target Cache Minimizes Branch Latency

- Independent Instruction and Data MMUs

- Dual 8-Kbyte On-Chip Caches

  -- Seperate Data and Instruction Caches

  -- Simultaneous Access

- Bus Snooping

- Full 32-Bit Nonmultiplexed Address and Data Bus

  -- 32-Bit Bus Maximizes Data Throughput

  -- Nonmultiplexed Bus Simplifies Design

  -- Four-Deep Write Buffer to Maximize Write Bandwidth

  -- MC68040-Compatible Bus Provides Simple Hardware Migration Path

- Concurrent  Operation of  Integer Unit,  MMUs,  Caches,  Bus Controller,
  Integer Pipelines, an FPU Provides High Performance

- Power Consumption Control

  -- Static HCMOS Technology Reduces Power in Normal Operation

  -- Low-Voltage Operation at 3.3 V

  -- LPSTOP Provides an Idle State for Lowest Standby Current

- 50 MHz and 66 MHz

- Packaging

  -- Ceramic Pin Grid Array (PGA)

  -- Ceramic Quad Flat Pack (CQFP)

------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3
                           MC68060 Signals

                           +-------------+
Processor   ---- _CDIS --> |             | ---- _BR ---->
Control     ---- _MDIS --> |             | <--- _BG -----  Bus Arbitration
                           |             | <--- _BB ---->  Control
Snoop                      |             | <--- _BGR ----
Control     ---- SNOOP --> |             | <--- _BTT --->
                           |             |
            <--- TT0 ----> |             | ---- PST0 --->
            <--- TT1 ----> |             | ---- PST1 --->  Processor
            <--- TM0 ----- |             | ---- PST2 --->  Status
            <--- TM1 ----- |             | ---- PST3 --->
            <--- TM2 ----- |             | ---- PST4 --->
            <--- TLN0 ---- |             |
            <--- TLN1 ---- |             | <--- _IPL0 ---
            <--- UPA0 ---- |             | <--- IPL1 ----
            <--- UPA1 ---- |             | <--- _IPL2 ---  Interrupt
Transfer    <--- R/_W ---- |   MC68060   | ---- _IPEND ->  Control
Attributes  <--- SIZ0 ---- |             | <--- _AVEC ---
            <--- SIZ1 ---- |             |
            <--- _LOCK --- |             | <--- CLK -----  Clock and
            <--- _LOCKE -- |             | <--- _CLKEN --  Control
            <--- _CIOUT -- |             |
            <--- _BS0 ---- |             | ---- _RSTO -->  Reset
            <--- _BS1 ---- |             | <--- _RSTI ---
            <--- _BS2 ---- |             |
            <--- _BS3 ---- |             | // A31      \\  Address Port
                           |             | \\     - A0 //  and Control
Master      <--- _TS ----> |             | <--- _CLA ----
Transfer    <--- _TIP ---- |             |
Control     <--- _SAS ---- |             | // D31      \\  Data Port
                           |             | \\     - D0 //
Slave       ---- _TA ----> |             |
Transfer    ---- _TEA ---> |             | <-/- TEST ----  Test Interface
Control     ---- _TCI ---> |             |
            ---- _TRA ---> |             | <-/- Vcc -----  Power and
                           |             | <-/- GND -----  Ground
                           +-------------+

                   Figure 2. Funtional Signal Groups


                            INTEGER UNIT

The MC68060's integer unit carries out logical  and arithmetic operations.
The integer unit  contains an instruction  fetch controller,  an execution
controller,  and  a branch  target cache.  The superscalar  design  of the
MC68060  provides  dual execution  pipelines in  the intruction  execution
controller, providing simultaneous execution.

The superscalar operation of the integer unit can be disabled in software,
turning off the second executionpipeline for debugging. Disabling the
superscalar operation also lowers power consumption.

------------------------------------------------------------------------ 4
INSTRUCTION FETCH CONTROLLER

The intruction fetch controller contains an instruction fetch pipeline and
the logic that  interfaces to  the branch  target cache.  The  instruction
fetch pipeline consists  of four stages, providing the ability to prefetch
instructions in advance of their actual use  in the instruction cache con-
troller. The continous fetching of  instructions kepps the instruction ex-
excution controller busy for the greatest possible performance.  Every in-
struction  passes through each of the four  stages before entering the in-
struction execution controller.  The four stages in the  instruction fetch
pipeline are:

1.  Instruction Address Calculation -- The virtual address of the instruc-
    tion is determined.

2.  Instruction Fetch -- The instruction is fetched from memory.

3.  Early Decode -- The instruction  is pre-decoded  for pipeline  control
    information.

4.  Instruction Buffer -- The instruction and  its pipeline control infor-
    mation are buffered until the  integer execution pipeline is  ready to
    process the instruction.


BRANCH TARGET CACHE

The branch target cache plays the major role  in achieving the performance
levels of the MC68060.  The concept of  the branch target cache is to pro-
vide a mechanism that allows the instruction  fetch pipeline to detect and
change the instruction stream  before the change of flow  affects the  in-
struction execution controller.

The branch target  cache is examined for a valid  branch entry  after each
instruction fetch address is  generated in the intruction  fetch pipeline.
If a hit does not occur  in the branch target cache, the instruction fetch
pipeline continues to fetch instructions sequentially.  If a hit occurs in
the branch target cache,  indicating a branch taken instruction,  the cur-
rent  instruction  stream is  discarded  and a new  instruction stream  is
fetched starting at the location indicated by the branch target cache.


INSTRUCTION EXECUTION CONTROLLER

The instruction execution controller contains dual integer execution pipe-
lines,  interface logic to the FPU,  and control logic for data written to
the data cache and MMU.  The superscalar design of the dual integer execu-
tion pipeline provide for simultaneous instruction execution, which allows
the processing more than one  instruction during each machine clock cycle.
The net effect of this  is a software  invisible pipeline capable  of sus-
tained execution rates of less than on machine clock cycle per instruction
for the MC68060 instruction set.

The instruction execution  controller's control logic  pulls an intruction
pair from the instruction buffer every machine clock cycle,  stopping only
if the instruction information is not available or if an integer execution
hold condition exists.  The six stages in the dual integer execution pipe-
lines are:

1.  Instruction decode -- The instruction is fully decoded.

2.  Effective address calculation -- If  the  instruction  calls for  data
    from memory, the location of the data is calculated.

3.  Effective address fetch -- Data is fetched from the memory location.

4.  Integer execution -- The data is manipulated during the execution.

5.  Data available -- The result is available.

6.  Write-Back -- The resulting data  is written back to on-chip caches or
    external memory.

The MC68060 if optimized for most  integer instructions  to execute in one
machine clock cycle.  If during the instruction decode stage, the instruc-
tion  is determined to  be a floating-point instruction, it will be passed
to the  FPU after  the  effective address  fetch stage.  If data  is to be
written to either the on-chip caches or external  memory after instruction

------------------------------------------------------------------------ 5
execution,  the write-back  stage holds the data  until memory is ready to
receive it. Temporarily holding data  in the write-back  stage adds to the
overall  performance of  the  MC68060 by not slowing  down pipeline opera-
tions.


                            FLOATING-POINT UNIT

Floating-point is  distinguished from  integer math, which deals only with
whole  numbers  and fixed  decimal  point locations.  The  IEEE-compatible
MC68060's FPU computes numeric  calculations with a variable decimal point
locationThe MC68060 features a built-in FPU that is MC68040 and MC68881/82
compatible. Consolidating this  important function on-chip speeds up over-
all processing and eliminates interfacing overhead  associated with exter-
nal accelerators.  The MC68060's FPU operates in parallel with the integer
unit.  The FPU performs numeric calculations while the integer unit conti-
nues integer processing.

The FPU has been optimized  for the most frequently  used instructions and
data types to  provide the highest possible performance.  The FPU can also
be disabled in software to reduce system power consumption.


FLOATING POINT EMULATION

The  MC68060 implements the most  frequently  M68000 family floating-point
instructions,  data-types, and  data formats  in hardware  for the highest
performance. T he remaining instructions are emulated in software with the
M68060FPSP  to provide  complete IEEE  compatibility. The MC68060FPSP pro-
vides the following features:

- Arithmetic and Transcendental Instructions

- IEEE-Compliant Exception Handlers

- Unimplemented Data Type and Data Format Handlers


                          MEMORY MANAGEMENT UNITS

The MC68060 contains independent instruction and data MMUs.  Each MMU con-
tains a cache memory called the address translation cache (ATC).  The full
addressing range  of the MC68060 is  4 Gbytes (4,294,967,296 bytes).  Even
though most  MC68060 systems  implement a much smaller physical memory, by
using virtual  memory techniques,  the system can  appear to have a full 4
Gbytes of physical memory  available to each user program.  Each MMU fully
supports demand-paged  virtual-memory  systems  with  either 4- or 8-Kbyte
page sizes.  Each MMU protects supervisor areas from accesses by user pro-
grams and provides write-protection  on a page-by-page basis.  For maximum
efficiency, each MMU operates in parallel with other processor activities.
The MMUs can be disabled for emulator and debugging support.

ADDRESS TRANSLATION

The 64-entry, four-way,  set-associative ATCs store recently used logical-
to-physical  address translation  information as  page descriptors for in-
struction and data accesses.  Each MMU  initiates address  translation  by
searching for a descriptor containing the  address translation information
in the ATC. If the descriptor does not reside in the ATC, the MMU performs
external bus cycles through  the bus controller to  search the translation
tables in  physical memory.  After being located,  the page  descriptor is
loaded  into the ATC,  and the address is correctly translated for the ac-
cess.

------------------------------------------------------------------------ 6
                       INSTRUCTION AND DATA CACHES

Studies have  shown that  typical programs  spend much of their  execution
time in a few main routines of tight loops.  Earlier members of the M68000
family took advantage of  this locality-of-reference phenomenon to varying
degrees.  The MC68060 takes further advantage of cache technology with its
two, independent,  on-chip  physical chaches,  one for instruction and one
for data.  The caches reduce the processor's external bus activity and in-
crease CPU throughput by lowering the effective memory access time.  For a
typical system designm  the large  caches of the MC68060 yield a hery high
hit rate, providing a substantial increase in system performance.

The  autonomous nature  of the  caches allows  intruction-stream  fetches,
data-stream fetches,  and external  accesses to occur  simultaneously with
instruction execution.  For example,  if the MC68060 requires  both an in-
struction access  and an external peripheral access and if the instruction
is resident in the in-chip cache,  the periphal access  proceeds umimpeded
rather than being queued behind the  instruction fetch.  If a data operand
is also  required and it is resident in the data cache, it can be accessed
without hindering  either the instruction  access or the external periphal
access.  The parallelism inherent  on the MC68060 also allows multiple in-
structions  that do not  require any  external accesses to execute concur-
rently while the processor is performing an external access for a previous
instruction.

Each MC68060 cache is 8 Kbytes,  accessed by physical addresses.  The data
can be configured as  write-through or deferred  copyback on a page-basis.
This choice  allows for optimizing the system  design for the high perfor-
mance if deferred copyback is used.

Cachability of data  in each memory page is  controlled by two bits in the
page descriptor.  Cachable pages  can be either write-through or copyback,
with no write-allocate for misses to write-through pages.

The MC68060  implements a  four-entry write buffer  that maximizes  system
performance by  decoupling the  integer pipeline from the  external system
bus.  When needed, the write buffer allows the pipeline to …

Showing first 20,000 characters of 28,377 total. Open the full document →

From: Rick Russell <wrr3118@tamsun.tamu.edu>
Subject: REVIEW: Mirror RM88 Removable Cartridge Drive 
Date: Thu, 17 Sep 92 23:22:00 CDT 


DATE: 9/17/92

REVIEW: The MIRROR RM88 Removable Cartridge Drive

Configuration Tested:

A MIRROR RM88 connected to

1) Mac SE/30 8/80 and System 7.0.1 w/ TuneUp 1.1

2) Mac IIfx with 8/80 and System 7.0 w/ TuneUp 1.1, 8*24 Video Card

3) Mac IIcx with 5/40 and System 7.0.1 w/ TuneUp 1.1, System 6.0.8,
Asante Ethernet and Mac II Video, assorted bizarre and unusual
software.

PRICING

The advertised price for the drive was $647, with one cartridge. I
purchased the drive with an extra cartridge and two-day UPS shipping
for a total of $767.50. MIRROR sells individual 88MB cartridges for
$99 apiece. I seem to recall that standard ground shipping (~6 working
days) cost $12.50, two-day cost $19.50, and next-day cost $36.50 or
so.

These prices were current in February 1992.

PACKING LIST

- the main unit (88MB SQ5110 drive mechanism)

- two cartridges (one came with the drive,
  I purchased the other for $99)

- a SCSI Mac-to-Peripheral cable (25 pin to 50 pin)

- a standard gray terminator

- a standard 3-prong power cord

- installation/operation manual

- two disks with formatting, and backup software

WARRANTY

MIRROR warrants their hard drive mechanisms for two years after date
of purchase. The cartridge media is warranted for 90 days after date
of purchase.

PACKAGING

The drive came on time in a relatively well-padded box. The foam
inserts fit the drive well, although they looked rather flimsy (they
were actually foam glued to cardboard inserts). The extra cartridges
and other paraphernalia were in the box too. There was no shipping
damage of any kind.

PHYSICAL MECHANISM

The main mechanism was a standard zero-foot-print drive with a
push-button SCSI ID setter, two SCSI ports, two three-prong power
outlets, a standard roller-type on-off switch, and a screw-in fuse.
All switches, plugs and outlets were mounted on the rear panel.

The case had large rubber bumpers on the bottom, and was made of metal
on all of four of the 'flat' sides (sides, top and bottom). The front
panel was plastic, with power and access LEDs and the standard Syquest
eject buttons and levers. The drive did have a good (but loud) cooling
fan, with vents on the bottom of the drive.

I placed the drive under an SE/30 and under three other drives (two
HDs and a CD-ROM); it seemed to bear weight placed on top with no
problem. It stands slightly lower than an Apple HD SC hard drive case.
I wouldn't recommend piling several drives *and* a Mac on top of it,
since it didn't look that sturdy.

A MacUser review says that internally, the drive mechanism is shielded
from the power supply by a metal sheet. I had no opportunity (or
desire!) to open the drive and examine the internal construction.

INSTALLATION, SOFTWARE and DOCUMENTATION

Installation was easy, if not well explained. The manual shipped with
the drive was designed for all MIRROR hard drive products; the
'standard' installation instructions had notes and advisories for
removable drive users. Fortunately, installation was trivial. Plug-in
was standard, and the drive exhibited no termination or SCSI ID
problems when installed normally as SCSI device 6.

The MediaManager 2.22 drive software was a bit clunky, but easy to
use. The software used modal dialogs exclusively, and it didn't switch
under Multifinder or System 7 (probably a good thing for a drive
formatter). There was internal help (hold down the option key and move
the cursor to see help for each on-screen region), but it was not as
seamless as balloon help. It seemed to have the full requisite of
features (multiple partitions, password protection, etc); I had no
need for these features. The formatter software and accompanying
utilities seemed to work the same under System 6 and System 7.

Very little information was provided for removable users exclusively;
in particular, there was no information on handling the cartridges and
how to store them. They seemed to respond well to common sense
treatment. Just remember that there's a full blown hard drive platter
in there, and treat it with respect!

The software came with a formatter utility, a backup utility, a
control-panel mounter utility, and an automounting INIT for removable
users. The formatter tried to automatically install the automounter
for me; under System 7 it put the INIT in the System folder, not the
Extensions folder. This was corrected manually, and it probably
doesn't make any difference for the automounter's operation. The
control panel is designed primarily for mounting partitions, but it
can be used to mount dismounted cartridges. I had no occasion to use
the mounter utility or the backup utility; both were pretty modal and
had the same interface as the formatting software. MIRROR claims that
all of its software is VM and 32-bit addressing compatible; I had no
need to try either. Note that you cannot get VM on the catridge drive
unless you put your system folder on the cartridge drive and boot from
it. Of course, this makes your cartridge non-removable!

The first cartridge in the package came with 15 MB of shareware and
demo software. Most of the software (except for Disinfectant and
SCSIProbe) were old versions, and I would not recommend that their
free software be used on most new Macs. I trashed almost all of it,
but then it was free.

GENERAL DRIVE BEHAVIOR

The great thing about the Syquest removables is that they act just
like standard fixed hard drives. When I added the drive, I instantly
had 83MB of storage available (about 10MB more than a standard Quantum
80). In order to use System 7 file sharing with the drive, I had to
make sure the cartridge was in the drive when file sharing was
started, and the cartridge could not be ejected (i.e. put away) until
file sharing was turned off. With file sharing turned off, the
cartridges could be put away and re-mounted just like floppy disks.

The drive was fairly loud while operating; it made frequent noises
during access. It reminded me of the old 20MB internal drives on the
Mac SE. The cooling fan was fairly loud as fans go; it was about as
loud as my SE/30. The noise did not appear to be related to any
mechanical problem; to date the drive has had no mechanical problems.

Drive speed was about the same as a Quantum 80 MB drive (e.g. an Apple
80 MB HD SC). I ran Diskbasher 1.1 on the cartridge drive and an
internal Quantum 80 MB hard drive, both on a Mac IIfx, and the
Diskbasher tests indicated that the cartridge drive was slightly
faster than the 80MB internal. I have no better way of quantifying the
drive speed. In real-world use (games, spreadsheets, word processing,
disk optimizing) the drive seemed to be slightly slower than a Quantum
80, but still fast enough for primary storage use. I set up a system
folder (6.0.5 and 7.0) on the cartridge drive and it worked just fine;
the removable media seems fine for both backup and primary storage.
Perhaps there is a perceived slowness when using the Syquest because
it chirps on every drive access, like the old hard drives in the Mac
SEs.

There were really only two weaknesses in the Syquest mechanism. The
first was the media. The Syquest cartridges are removable hard drive
platters, and they appear to be very fragile. I was very careful with
my cartridges and only stored them in their original padded cases; to
date I have had no problem with the media. Nevertheless, the
cartridges should not be treated like floppy disks or CDs under any
circumstances. Dropping them or stepping on them is probably a
sentence of death for the data on the disk, and it's very likely that
the disk will be rendered totally unusable and unrecoverable. My
policy is that a Syquest disk should always reside in one of two
places: inside the mechanism, or inside its original plastic case in a
closed drawer.

The second weakness in the Syquest design is cartridge insertion and
ejection. When the cartridge is inserted, a lever flips over and a
button pops out, and the cartridge 'spins up' to full speed. There is
no automatic ejection; to eject the disk, one must press the button,
wait for the disk to spin to a stop (~10 secs), and reset the ejection
lever.The lever which ejects the cartridge requires a good bit of
effort to flip over, which came as a surprise the first time I tried
it. The whole process is several steps, and it seems to me that there
is ample opportunity to screw up while messing with the delicate
cartridge. Fortunately, I haven't screwed up yet. The manual warns
that turning off the drive mechanism *before* ejecting the disk is
very bad. With the power off, the disk 'braking' mechanism is
disabled, and the disk could take 60 seconds or more to spin to a
stop. Obviously, if you do not know this important tidbit, you could
eject the disk while it is still spinning, possibly (probably?)
damaging the disk. Also note that inserting a damaged disk into the
mechanism may damage the mechanism. The watchwords seem to be 'take
care'.

Outside of those minor complaints, I have been very pleased with the
MIRROR 88MB removable. It has worked exactly as advertised, by
providing 83MB of formatted, fast, effective storage, at a relatively
good price ($99 per cartridge, about $1.20 per megabyte). Heck, I used
to pay more for high density disk storage back when they were $20 per
box. If I had a more professional drive formatter, like Silverlining
or Disk Manager Mac, I would probably use it, but for now Mirror's own
MediaManager does the job just fine.

MIRROR is a solid company, and while I do not anticipate hardware
problems with the drive (it's worked faultlessly to date), it is good
to know that MIRROR is there if I need them. During the sale, the
MIRROR salespeople seemed knowledgeable, and they were able to answer
all my technical questions (about VM, system 7, reliability, etc).

Having had some experience with Macintoshes in different system
configurations, I think I am qualified to recommend the MIRROR RM88 to
anyone who needs a large amount of storage in medium-sized chunks. For
people who work with data files less than 80MB, and who do not require
lightning-fast storage, the MIRROR (or a similar Syquest-based 88MB
removable drive) should serve well. The closest competition is the
IOMEGA Bernoulli 90MB removable drive, with a base cost about $150
more and a cartridge cost of about $30 more.

Review by William R. Russell, Jr.
          wrr3118@tamsun.tamu.edu

Date: Thu, 14 Jan 1993 10:16:09 -0500
From: tas2@cornell.edu  (Thomas Scott)
Subject: Color LCD Projection Report

About 8 months ago, I requested info about users' experiences with LCD
projection panels.  I got a number of responses, and I was going to post
to sumex, but didn't get a chance to.  Yesterday I got a request from one
of
the Info-Mac readers to send him any info I did get.  It cleared out the
cobwebs, and I realized that there wasn't anything like this currently on
sumex, so I'm posting it now.

However, everything in the technology world changes almost on a daily
basis.
I'm sure there's been many changes, especially with the October rollout of
new Macs, and the never-ending run of 3rd party vendors to introduce new 
peripherals to keep up with Apple's changing line.

If you seen any changes in this field since last May that could enhance
this report, please send them to me at tas2@cornell.edu, and I'll udpate
this report to the archive.

I hope the info helps people out there trying to make a decision in this
field, and I think that new info will make this report even more benefical.
 Thanks!

Please post this in the /report directory.

[Archived as /info-mac/report/Color-LCD-Proj-Panels-10.txt; 35K]
Thomas Scott, Systems Manager, College of Engineering
Cornell University, Carpenter Hall Annex, Ithaca, NY  14853
My original question:

I'm in the processing of looking at LCD panels to be used on an overhead
projector for a few of my offices.  I'm hoping to get a good quality,
reasonably-priced color LCD system which we'll be using to give
presentations with Persuasion-generated "slides".  We're discussing the
possibility of higher-end multimedia productions sometime in the near
future (probably not for at least a year), so the system should be able to
handle video input, without much degradation of quality and such that the
video isn't "choppy".
 
I've seen a couple of opinions on a couple of systems recently in Info-Mac,
but I'd like to get at much more input as possible.  Does anyone have a
source of a review of this type of hardware?  Can you give me info on what
color LCD panel has (or hasn't) worked for you?  I need as much info as
possible.  Please respond directly to me; I disconnected from Mac-L about a
week ago.  If I get enough response, I'll summarize to the list (and
possibly post to sumex).
 
P.S.  I'd also like to provide portability for our presentation system; our
presenters often go out on the road.  I'd like to know how feasible it is
to interface one of these LCD panels with a PowerBook 170.  What other
hardware would I need to allow this setup?  Again, thanks for your help! 
:-))
_________________________________________________________________
From: Dan Lunderville (5/20/92)
Date: Wed, 20 May 1992 09:01 CST
From: Dan Lunderville <Dan.D.Lunderville@uwrf.edu>

I recently had to decide about some b/w and color LCD panels for use with a
portable Mac setup.  We will use a PowerBook 170 connected to a color LCD
panel on a mobile cart for classroom use.  A colleague and I went to a
product show and I made some notes for my own reference afterward.  Someone
else asked about LCD panels on Info-Mac and I sent her a copy of my notes. 
She sent them as part of a message to the Info- Mac Digest, but the message
got truncated, and only the info on the b/w panels got through.  I have
appended my notes here in hopes that they might be useful to you.  I have
not received any of the equipment yet, and it will be mid-summer before I
have had much chance to work with it, but if you want to contact me then, I
would be glad to give you my impressions after using it for a while.  The
real test won't ahppen until next fall when it gets used in a real
classroom situation.

To make the PB 170 drive the LCD panel, you must buy some type of video
adapter.  There are different types available, some use the SCSI port, some
install a board inside the PB 170.  We chose one made by Envisio. It is a
small board that goes inside the PB 170 and provides a standard Mac II
video connector on the outside.  This unit is not cheap though, we paid
about $850, and that was an educational price.  I have not seen reviews of
these adapters, but there was mention of them in MacWorld and MacUser in
the issues that described the PowerBooks when they were first released.

It seems that the choice of an LCD panel is somewhat personal choice, and
so it is hard to choose for someone elses use.  I would strongly suggest
that you see any panels in action before you buy them.

Dan Lunderville                         Internet:  
Dan.D.Lunderville@UWRF.EDU
Academic Computing Center               AppleLink:  U0095
University of Wisconsin - River Falls
River Falls, WI  54022                  Telephone:  (715) 425-3583
U.S.A.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Notes regarding LCD Shootout held by Blumberg Communications, 
4/30/92


Blumberg sponsored an "LCD Shootout" for customers wanting to buy an LCD
projection panel for use with overhead projectors.  They had 16 different
units on display, 4 black and white and 12 color units.  All units were in
the same darkened room and all used the  same overhead projector, a Dukane
model 653, with a rating of 3000 lumens.  A few of the units did not need a
separate projector because the unit had a self-contained projector.

Three black and white units seemed acceptable to us, but they had flaws that caused us to be uneasy about purchasing them.  Two of the units were LCD
panels that required use of a separate overhead projector.  These were the
Sharp QA-75 and the In-Focus 1600GS.  The In-Focus was a little brighter,
and its text mode could be adjusted a bit better, but the differences
between the In-Focus 1600GS and the Sharp QA-75 were not major.  The thing
that really bothered us was that each panel showed ghosting, or streaks at
the ends of graphics boxes, such as scroll bars in a window.  These streaks
extended right through other windows at times.  At first they weren'Ut too
apparent, but after a while they became a real irritant.  The third black
and white unit, the nView nSight, combined an LCD panel with a projector in
one unit.  This unit impressed us, but it was not available until June, so
it was not an option for us.  In the future I would give close
consideration to this unit.

The fourth black and white unit, the Proxima MultiMode II, A482SC used ugly
purplish and yellowish RcolorsS, and we rejected it right away.

The folks from Blumberg told us about a black and white unit that they felt
was quite good, but was not at the show.  It was the nView II + 2.  They
said that it did not have as much of the streaking problem as the other
units.  It was in the same price range as the Sharp QA-75 and the In-Focus
1600GS.

We later viewed a Sharp QA-50 black and white panel in the Physics Dept. at
UWRF.  This panel was not present at the shootout.  We were impressed with
the QA-50.  It was crisp and clear, with even focus in all directions.  Its
controls were clear and easy to use, and its price was about $300-400
cheaper than the Sharp QA-75 and the In-Focus 1600GS.  We decided to buy a
QA-50 unit.

We spent a long time viewing and considering the color LCD panels.  From
previous research, the top contenders were the Sharp QA-1050, the Proxima
Ovation, the In-Focus TVT3000, and the nView SpectraPlus and Media Pro. 
After the first couple of passes around the room, we were drawn to the
nView SpectraPlus because of its brighter, sharper image and even focus
>From top to bottom and left to right.  The image seemed crisper and more
pleasing to the eye than on any of the other units.  The images on some of
the other units were washed out and dim.  On several, such as the Sharp
QA-1050, the image could not be focused evenly from left to right.  Part of
the screen was in focus (no pun intended) and part was fuzzy.  Many of the
units had controls that were overly complex or downright mysterious to
operate.  The controls on the nView SpectraPlus were clear and easy to use.
 We expected the better nView model, the Media Pro, to be the better unit,
but based on what we saw, it was not.  We tried to put the units into
various modes, such as Windows, DOS text, etc., to get a good feel for each
ones capabilities.  In the end the nView SpectraPlus seemed clearly
superior to us.

The choice of an overhead projector for use with an LCD panel is important.
 The projector must be bright enough to display a bright image in a
partially lit room.  Blumberg recommended a projector with a rating of 3000
lumens or more.  The Dukane model 653 mentioned above seemed acceptable,
but we decided to buy 3M projectors instead.  The 3M model 955 has two
intensity settings, one at 3000 lumens and one at 3800 lumens.  The 955 is
more expensive than the Dukane and not quite as portable, but the extra
brightness of the 955 was considered very important, especially for use
with the color LCD panel.  We purchased one 955 unit.  We also purchased
one 3M model 920 overhead projector.  This model has an intensity of 2200
lumens.  Our intended use was with the QA-50 black and white panel.  It was
cheaper than the Dukane 653, and the brightness seemed quite adequate for
the black and white panel.  The Physics Dept. has a model 920 projector and
it was this projector that we used when we tested the Sharp QA-50, and it
performed well.

Bear in mind that these observations were done by two people, Bev Shepherd
and Dan Lunderville, UWRF Academic Computing..  We were considering the purchase of an LCD panel for use with a portable
classroom computer setup.  Other people with different uses may have viewed
the situation differently.

The nView SpectraPlus color LCD panel is designed to drive both the panel
and the monitor on the computer.  You order it with the cable set you want
and the other cables can be ordered as options. If you want to use the
panel with both a Mac II type machine and IBM VGA, order it with the Mac
cable set, and order the IBM VGA cable as an option at about $100.  If you
order it with the VGA cable set and the Mac cable set as an option, it will
cost about $60 more.

The Sharp QA-50 b/w unit is not designed to drive both the panel and the
monitor.  To use both with it you will have to purchase a VGA
splitter/amplifier for about $175.

We paid $956 for the Sharp QA-50 b/w panel, and about $4300 for the nView
SpectraPlus color panel.  Both prices were from a Univ. of Wisc state
contract.  I think the list prices were $1295 and $5995. Most of the panels
in the same categories had prices similar.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
_________________________________________________________________
Date: Tue, 19 May 1992 14:23 CST
From:  pt1811s@ACAD.DRAKE.EDU

Sounds like you would be happy with a MediaShow from nView Corp.  I don't
currently have one, but hopefully will by the end of the summer.  Everyone 
I know that does own one is very happy with it.

I would also recommend you purchase a high end over head projecter that
produces very bright light.  (3M is what I use)  It is about $600 vs $200
but well worth it.  I think the 3M I have produces 3000 lumuns.  

Envisio is the only firm I can think of that has video out of the
powerbook.  Radus has a SCSI adapter for video out, but I haven't heard
good things about it (speed mainly).  If you can wait, the rumor is that
Apple's new "Docking" stations will have video out.  An Apple product will
definately be the best solution.

Opinions of: Paul Thibodeau   Senior Consultant-Drake University
_________________________________________________________________
Date: Tue, 19 May 1992 12:54 PST
From: "GRANT RAMSAY" <GRAMSAY%ewuvms.BITNET@CORNELLC.cit.cornell.edu>

I have purchased 3 Multimedia capable panels over the last year and I am
very satistied with them.  They are the Ovation active matrix, 224,000
color panels from Proxima.  My source for these has been:

Minnesota Western
5828 Vallejo Street
Oakland, CA 94608-2697
(510)428-9000

The last Ovation I purchased from them was for $6200.00.  They come with
every thing you need for Mac II or VGA connection. The panel has direct
connections for RCA and S-Video input and has some rudimentary audio
controls.  It comes with software and cables to give you limited keyboard
control for the included IR remote.  For example, it lets you do frame
forward and reverse functions in MarcoMedia's Director slide shows from the
remote.

The last panel we baught was for a PowerBook 170 for our CIO. He wanted a
very portable presentation system and that is what he got.  It will all fit
into a single Targa case.  If you can get delivery of the Envisio interface
for the PowerBook, do it, and make sure that you buy it loaded with memory.
 There is no room left in the PowerBook once this is installed.  If I were
buying a video interface again I would probably go for the Radius PowerView
SCSI device to be able to use it on the assortment of PowerBooks we have on
campus.

Envisio, Inc.
510 1st Avenue, Suite 303
Minneapolis, MN 55403
(612) 339-1008

And they offer an educational discount!  We baught the NDA030/4 for
$1116.50 but it took about two months to get it they were so heavily back
ordered.

I hope this helps a little.  I haven't had much experience with other
panels other than to go and look at them.  I got lucky on my first buy and
have stuck with them.  The only draw back with the Ovation is that if you
plan to use its audio control feature it is only monophonic and for some
reason is disabled when video from the computer is selected.

Grant M. Ramsay, Eastern Washington University
Client Services, MS #89, Cheney, WA 99004
_________________________________________________________________
Date: Tue, 19 May 92 15:33 CDT
From: Dave Faulkner Academic Computing <DAVEF@UWLAX.EDU>

I would certainly be interested in your feedback on the LCD panels.   I
have recently read a variety of literature on LCD's as we also are  looking
to purchase.  The three highest rated that I found that  handled video and
digital were nView Media Pro ($10K list price), Proxima Ovation ($8,500)
and Sharp QA-1050 ($6500).  These are  ranked from top choice down.  I
suspect that the educational pricing  is considerably less then the list
price, however, I have not yet  obtained that info.  My recommendation is
the Ovation because: capable of displaying live video without an addin
computer video  board or external adapter box; it supports connection of
optional  powered speakers; hand held remote control unit; works with Mac
or  PC platform; supports NTSC and PAL based VCR's video disc and TV; 
capable of 24,389 colors; can have all 4 inputs filled and the LCD  can
automatically detect signal type.

Media Pro - nView Corp. - (804) 873-1354
Ovation   - Proxima Corp. - (619) 457-5500
QA        - Sharp Elec. Corp - (201) 529-8731

If you are looking for cheaper, but less capabilities, checkout  InFocus. 
They have color LCD's for under $4500 which are decent.  (800) 327-7231.

Sorry, no experience with Powerbooks, however, my reading tells me  that
they need a third party adapter to use external monitors or  projection. 
Rumor mill suggests that Apple will include this output  port on the new
Powerbooks.
_________________________________________________________________
Date: Wed, 20 May 1992 09:05:49 -2300
From: cl7841s@ACAD.DRAKE.EDU

We use 1-bit N-VU projection panels here at Drake, but I have see the full
color Media Pro model in action (our local Apple corporate folks showed the
SuperBowl on it this year).  It looks great!!  the only downside I know of
is the price - rather steep.  But they do look great!

Colin Lamb - MacMeister 8-)>  -  Drake University  -  Des Moines
_________________________________________________________________
From: siochi@pcs.cnc.edu (Antonio Siochi)
Date: Wed, 20 May 92 11:46:46 EDT

Read your post in imac re: lcd panels. I've been collecting info for some
time on them, but haven't had time to DIGEST/summarize. Here's what info I
have at the moment. Each item is preceeded by a line of
================.
Hope this helps.

-Anton (siochi@pcs.cnc.edu)

p.s. If you find anything else, please let me know. thanks!

=========================
>From elman@crl.ucsd.edu Wed Mar  4 10:56:55 1992

I've also been interested in this, and would appreciate any information you
get.

I've been told that you need to buy an adapter card for the PB that will
produce the right output signal to drive an LCD projection panel. There's a
company called Envisio that makes such a device.  It retails for between
$500-$1000, depending on whether you buy extra memory for the PB at the
same time.  (Their board sits in the extra meory slots, so if you want or
have extra memory, you have to put it on their board.  The memory remains
available even when their board is not in use.)   Then you also need to get
a separate LCD projection system. 

Someone else said they thought it ought to be possible to get an LCD that
didn't require this.  I don't see how, th ough, since the PB has no video
out.

i can send you the information from Envisio if you want (I just sent them a
FAX inquiry yesterday and am expecting to get a reply today). I'd
appreciate getting copies of any replies you get.  Thanks,

Jeff Elman, UCSD
============================
>From Les.Ferch@mtsg.ubc.ca Thu Mar  5 14:58:53 1992

Well, the old Mac Portable had a video out connection but the new
PowerBooks require a third party modification to get video output. That
aside, my conclusion after looking at numerous panels and having had
experience with several brands is that the Proxima panels are the best. We
have a 3M 2080 (which is a Proxima with 3M's name on it and one feature we didn't need removed) and it is
superb with Mac, VGA, and Hercules video. It is a monochrome (actually grey
scale) panel with a pleasing blue coloured LCD. The Proxima active matrix
colour LCD is just amazing (but also very expensive).
 
With any of these panels, a really good overhead projector with a cool
stage is important. 3M or Proxima will be happy to sell you one to match
the panel.
 
Also, consider the new all in one LCD projection systems that are a
complete projector (light source and LCD) in one box. If you're on the
road, these systems relieve you of the worry of counting on someone else to
provide a good projector. I can't remember which brands are good, but I
recall seeing at least two good units at MacWorld Expo.
 
Note that active matrix is not required for computer displays, but makes a
difference especially if your displays have motion. It is essential if you
intend to connect a video source such as a VCR or laserdisc with
full-motion scenes. Of course, conventional three beam projectors are also
an option but are not very portable.
============================
From: Carol Taylor <ctaylor%diana.cair.du.edu@OHSTVMA.ACS.OHIO-STATE.EDU>

I used an older Electrohome monochrome unit at a previous job.  It was a
real pain in the neck.  It always seemed to be broken.  I would not be very
interested in another one of their products.

We currently have GE Imagers (1-2 years old, models no longer available) in
two classrooms.  They are hooked to a Mac IIcx and an IBM PS/2 (VGA).  The
provide us with very nice large screen output. We have them ceiling mounted
but our building shimmies and shakes a lot and they do seem to require a
certain amount of adjustment to keep them properly focussed.  Our media
services staff handles this easily -- it's not a technical adjustment.  In
general they have been reliable and we have been pleased.  I think a
high-reflectance screen is probably worth the extra bucks.

If portability is an issue you might want to consider looking at some of
the newer generation of projection panels that sit on top of an overhead
projector.  This technology, although not yet of the quality of the ceiling
mount stuff, has improved by leaps and bounds lately. Als…

Showing first 20,000 characters of 35,556 total. Open the full document →

From: ace@tidbits.com (Adam C. Engst)
Subject: [*] minimal-midi-interface.txt
Date: Sat, 22 May 93 08:24:20 PDT

(Oops, I specifically wanted this stored in a /report type directory
so that I could refer to it in the final installment of the TidBITS
MIDI series. Thanks! :-)  -ace)

Here's a schematic for creating a simple MIDI interface for the
Mac. It's a bit old, from what I gather from the person who
sent it to me, and the address may not be valid for the author
any more. Of course, I have no idea if these plans work. :-)

cheers ... Adam C. Engst, TidBITS Editor


                        MINIMAL MAC--MIDI INTERFACE
                        ===========================


Well, here it is all you MIDI fans.  THE ultimate in simplicity!!
This is a simple schematic for a serial to MIDI converter.

There are two functions performed here.  One is the conversion from
current loop to RS-422.  The second function is supplying the 1 MHz
signal for the serial chip to sync up with the 31.5K baud rate of MIDI.


Macintosh                                       MIDI
Serial port                                     5 pin DIN
DB9 pin numbers                                 pin numbers

         +-------+     +------+
   4   10|26LS32 |     |7407  |
  >------+       |11  1|      |2    220 ohm     5
   5    9|       +-----+      +------/\/\/-------< \
  >------+       |     |      |                     \
         |       |     |      |                      | MIDI OUT
         +-------+     +------+                     /
                                    220 ohm     4  /
          390 ohm        +5 volts ---/\/\/-------<
+5 volts --/\/\/----+
                    |
         +-------+  |  +------+1    220 ohm     4
   8    6|26LS31 |  |  |MCT2  +------/\/\/-------< \
  >------+       |11| 5|      |                     \
   9    5|       +--+--+      |                      | MIDI IN
  >------+       |    4|      |2                5   /
         |       |   +-+      +------------------< /
         +-------+   | +------+
                     |
                     v
                   Ground

         +-------+     +------+
   7   10|26LS31 |     |1 MHZ |
  >------+       |9   8| OSC  |
   3   11|       +-----+      |
  >-------       |     |      |
         |       |     |      |
         +-------+     +------+

        Power connections:

                        GROUND  +5
                        -----   --
          7407          7       14
          26LS31        8,12    4,16
          26LS32        8,12    4,16
          OSCILLATOR    7       14

Notes:

The optical isolator MCT-2 above can probably be any relatively
fast optical coupler.  Note that the 390 ohm resistor may need to
be adjusted to make sure the output does not saturate.  Using a
scope while feeding a MIDI signal in should show you whether the
signal looks clean.

The diagram has been drawn to show MAC signals on the left and MIDI
signals on the right.  Also note that the MAC pin numbers are for
the DB9 connector **NOT** the 8 pin mini-DIN connector!!

The age old question of where to get power for this always remains.
On the pre-MAC-PLUSs, there was power available from the serial
port connector.  I solved this problem by finding a 7 VDC AC adapter
at a parts store and using a 5 volt voltage regulator IC to bring
it down to 5 volts.  This is left as an exercise for the student.....

The 26LS31 and 26LS32 are the same type of chips which are used in
the MAC for RS-422 conversion.  I got them from a store in Santa
Clara California (Anchor Electronics  (408) 727-3693).  They also
have 1 Mhz Oscillators as well.

I have built several variations of this over the last two years
and have had good success using a variety of music software with
them.


John Hengesbach
(205)772-1669

uunet!ingr!henges
Intergraph Corporation
Huntsville, AL 35807

Date: Fri, 21 Aug 92 18:31 BST 
From: bcek1@cus.cam.ac.uk (B.C.E. Khoo)
Subject: [*] Collected PowerBook tips 

Once again the PowerBook tip sheet!
This version
  - corrects some errors
  - adds comments about some PowerBook-specific utilities.
  - includes a discussion on the so-called 'memory effect'

Please replace /info-mac/report/powerbook-tips.txt.

Thanks are due to:
   John Livesey (livesey@radonc.washington.edu)
   Murph Sewall (SEWALL@uconnvm.uconn.edu)
   David Tillinghast (David.M.Tillinghast@dartmouth.edu)
   Shannon Spires (SVSPIRE@sandia.gov)
   Thomas Rothenfluh (rothen@cis.ohio-state.edu)
   Alan Hewat (hewat@frill.bitnet)
   Norton Chia (norton@au.oz.su.ucc.extro)
   Dave Platt (dplatt@ntg.com)
   

Bernard Khoo
University of Cambridge Medical School, UK.
BCEK1@phx.cam.ac.uk or @cus.cam.ac.uk (World order, reverse for UK order)

=============================

PowerBook Tips v.2.50 (21 August 1992)          copyright Bernard Khoo (c) 1992

Notes
-----

1.  Many of these tips are common to all the PowerBook range. I have noted
differences where I know of any.

2.  Many of these tips are referred to in the manual. I cannot emphasize how
important it is that you read the manual thoroughly and carefully. In my 7
years of Mac ownership I've managed to escape reading many manuals, but not this
time!

3.  Thanks are due to the following:
     * John Livesey (livesey@radonc.washington.edu)
     * Murph Sewall (SEWALL@uconnvm.uconn.edu)
     * David Tillinghast (David.M.Tillinghast@dartmouth.edu)
     * Shannon Spires (SVSPIRE@sandia.gov)
     * Thomas Rothenfluh (rothen@cis.ohio-state.edu)
     * Alan Hewat (hewat@frill.bitnet)
     * Norton Chia (norton@au.oz.su.ucc.extro)
     * Dave Platt (dplatt@ntg.com)

4.  A similar document in SUMEX-AIM, /info-mac/report/powerbook-faq.txt, has
some additional tips and technical data that you may find interesting.

DISCLAIMERS and WARNING:
    I have not tested all of these tips yet. Whilst I have taken care to make
sure that they are correct, I disclaim responsibility for any mishaps/
accidents/disasters that may ensue from the use of these tips. Please be
careful when using them.
    I have no affiliation with any company producing any commercial products
mentioned below, except as a user of their product.
    This document solely expresses my personal opinions.


Things to buy/download
----------------------

1.  Buy more RAM.
    The PBs contain 2MB installed on the motherboard and an expansion slot. Add
a 2MB card to get 4MB total, a 4MB card to get 6MB, and a 6MB card to get 8MB.
PBs with 4MB come with a 2MB card already installed, so a 4MB -> 8MB upgrade,
for example, means that you have to buy a 6MB card and pull out the 2MB card.
    4MB will allow you to run System 7 and one or two fair-sized applications.
However, you will probably run up against the wall at one time or the other, so
it's probably best to grit your teeth and save for an upgrade to 6 or even 8MB.
    It's important to buy pseudo-static RAM rather than the cheaper dynamic RAM
-- dynamic RAM will drain battery power faster. Don't forget to ask for a
rebate on the 2MB card, if available -- the 2MB RAM card is just about as
saleable as a 256K SIMM, i.e. not very!

2.  Download the PB Sleep FKEY (freeware).
    On SUMEX-AIM this is at /info-mac/fkey/powerbook-sleep-10.hqx. This is an
extremely useful and small FKEY which switches off AppleTalk then puts the PB
to sleep, bypassing the annoying dialog which pops up when you use the Finder
Sleep command with AppleTalk on.

3.  Get AutoDoubler/SpaceSaver/SuperDisk.
    These save you hard drive space by compressing files on the disk and
decompressing them on the fly. I have AutoDoubler installed: at most times
there is an acceptably small performance hit, files are compressed to about 1/2
size, and I have yet to experience any major problems with the program.
However, I have only gained about 16MB of virtual space -- due to the large
size of my System Folder, which is kept uncompressed.

4.  Download SuperClock! 3.9.1 (freeware).
    On SUMEX-AIM, this is at /info-mac/cp/superclock-391.hqx. The battery gauge
that appears on the menu bar is incredibly useful, more so than the Battery DA.
However, the battery icon only indicates half-full on PB170s (and probably on
PB140s as well) when your battery is actually almost completely discharged --
this is a property of NiCad batteries, whose voltage declines with discharge in
a non-linear fashion. The icon works properly on a PB100, whose lead-acid
batteries discharge more predictably.
    Trivial hint: control-clicking on SuperClock puts the machine to sleep.
Unfortunately this does not switch off AppleTalk and brings up the annoying
Sleep dialog. You'd probably be well advised to use PB Sleep (see above). 

5.  Buy a multimodule application.
    e.g. ClarisWorks, MS Works, BeagleWorks, GreatWorks etc.
    These are OK for most use on the field, take up little drive space and
memory, and can be installed in a RAMdisk (see below).

6.  Download InUse 2.0 (freeware).
    On SUMEX-AIM as /info-mac/cp/in-use-20.hqx. This flashes an icon on the
menu bar every time the drive is accessed, and is slightly more practical than
listening carefully to the computer to determine whether the hard drive is
being used.

7.  Download PB Tools 1.2 (freeware).
    On SUMEX-AIM as /info-mac/util/power-book-tools-12.hqx. This package by Bill
Steinberg includes SpinD FKEY, another small FKEY which spins down the hard
drive, and SafeSleep, a simple INIT which asks for a password before waking the
computer from Sleep.

8.  SCSI operation with the HDI-30 SCSI Disk Adaptor cable (PB100).
    If you have a desktop Mac and a PB100 this cable allows you to operate the
PB100 as a SCSI drive from the desktop Mac. This is especially convenient for
installing systems and copying files between the two. Unfortunately this works
only with the PB100 and not with the other models.
    For instructions, read the manual. Please note that the SCSI Disk Adaptor
cable used here is different from the SCSI System cable used to connect all the
PB models to SCSI devices, although they look similar.


Getting the most from your hard disk
------------------------------------

1.  Use the space you never knew you had.
    If you received the computer with System 7 pre-installed, chances are that
the drive was formatted using a standard Macintosh volume partition to 40MB.
[Trivial fact: according to MacUser this was because the Apple Tape Drive could
only take 40MB of data.] There is usually another 1.6MB free space on the
drive. To exploit this:
a)  Backup your hard disk completely.
b)  Boot up with the Disk Tools floppy (from the System Disks package).
c)  Fire up HD SC Setup.
d)  Initialize your hard disk.
e)  Select Partition. You should see a rectangle representing your hard drive,
    subdivided into: (from the top) Mac Driver, <your hard disk volume> and a
    grey area (the free space).
f)  Select your 40MB hard drive partition and click Remove, then OK to confirm.
g)  Click in the now-larger grey area.
h)  Select 'Macintosh Volume' in the dialog that pops up and type in the
    maximum size of the partition (the dialog will tell you what the maximum
    size is -- usually 41600).
i)  Click OK and quit HD SC Setup.
j)  Restore your hard disk from the backup.

2.  Get AutoDoubler etc. (see above)

3.  Consider an upgrade to a larger hard disk.
    There is an official Apple upgrade, although there are also cheaper
third-party upgrades (up to 120MB at the time of writing). However, these
upgrades may be noisier and consume more power than the 40MB Conner.

4.  As always, take a long hard look at the files on your drive.
    Are all those extensions and control panels really necessary? Removing them
will save you drive and memory space, and can only decrease your chances of an
INIT conflict.
    Do you really need all the help files that came with your application?
(Claris Help Files are especially large!) Or even the tutorial files?
    Fonts (outline and _especially_ bitmapped) should be cut down to the minimum
-- if you're doing DTP, you've probably got the wrong machine! Alternatively,
MasterJuggler and Suitcase II both come with font compression utilities.
    Rationalise the files stored on your hard disk: include only those files
and programs which you will use most often on the road, and archive less-used
items on floppies or an external hard disk. You can leave aliases, which only
take 1K each, to these files in the appropriate places on the hard disk.
Double-clicking these aliases will bring up a prompt for the appropriate floppy
to be inserted.
    A screen saver is unnecessary on a PB. Actually it seems to me that they
are generally unnecessary anyway! 8-) It is true that a sort of 'burn-in'
effect can occur if the screen is left on for prolonged periods, but you can
always put the computer to Sleep. (If you are a victim of this effect it can be
reversed by simply switching off the screen for a few hours.)


Power issues -- or how to save, save, save
------------

1.  Creating a RAMdisk to use as a startup disk.
    Requires 8MB to be practicable with System 7. Steps i) to iv) to be done
once only, a) to d) when you are preparing to go out.

i)   Create a 4+MB RAMdisk using the control in the Memory control panel.
     Restart. The computer will ask you if you want to initialize the RAMdisk
     -- answer yes.
ii)  Install a System Folder (SF) on the RAMdisk using the System disks that
     came with the computer. Install any applications, control panels,
     extensions, fonts and ancillary files on the RAMdisk. Compress a copy of
     the RAMdisk onto your hard drive using Stuffit, DiskDoubler, Compact Pro
     etc.
iii) Set the RAMdisk to be the startup disk and restart. The computer should
     now run faster and use less power in this configuration.
iv)  Copy the compressed copy of the RAMdisk to floppies and take this with you
     in case of emergencies.

a)   Set up the RAMdisk using the Memory control panel.
b)   Decompress the compressed archive onto the RAMdisk. To convince the PB
     that this is actually a viable SF, drag the System from inside the
     RAMdisk's SF to the open SF icon.
c)   Using the Startup DIsk control panel, set the RAMdisk to be the startup
     disk.
d)   Restart. The PB should boot from the RAMdisk.

Note that Shut Down erases the RAMdisk on PB140s and 170s, so use Sleep to
switch off the computer when it is not being used.
    On the PB100 it is possible to create a 1MB RAMdisk containing a very
minimal System 6.0.8, ClarisWorks (only the application is needed) and some
small documents. This means that it is possible to run ClarisWorks on a PB100
off a RAMdisk with only 2MB!
    Incidentally, the RAMdisk on the PB100 is more robust than the one on the
PB140/170: it survives Shut Downs.

2.  Hard drive discipline.
    Apple has implemented this by allowing you to set a delay time after which
the drive will stop spinning (find this in the Portable control panel). I'm
afraid only trial and error will allow you to find a suitable setting to your
liking. Also, Bill Steinberg's SpinD FKEY (see above) allows you to stop the
hard disk electively.
    If you require access to the drive, once the drive is still, the PB will do
a very good imitation of a system freeze whilst the hard drive spins up.
Frequent stopping/starting wastes power and also annoys. It only takes a little
foresight and discipline to minimize this:
    a) Open up any DAs, control panels, or applications which you are likely to
need in a work session beforehand.
    b) If you have any font or style selections to make, try to leave them till
the end, just before you save. More often than not, the PB will load a font
from the drive when you make a change. Learn to spell as you go, instead of
using a disk-intensive spellchecker!
    c) Try to go for long stretches before saving. In this case, auto-savers
may be a waste of power. Of course, you have to balance this with the need to
save often to protect against crashes!
    d) Choose your work applications and DAs carefully. Many of the mainstream
packages are very disk-intensive -- the worst culprits being DTP programs. I
personally find that ClarisWorks is quite well behaved in this respect.
Consider loading MS Word (v4.0) completely into memory.
    e) Load your work applications into a RAMdisk. This saves having to start
up the disk every time the application wants to redraw a window, load a dialog
box etc. A good program for this purpose I have seen is AppDisk 1.5 by Mark
Adams ($15 shareware). This program uses application memory as a RAMdisk, which
gets over the inconvenience of having to restart time and time again to reclaim
memory back from the RAMdisk -- the built-in RAMdisk sequesters memory in the
System Heap and requires rebooting before its size can be changed. AppDisk does
not survive restarts (again, unlike the built-in RAMdisk), but can be set to
auto-save its contents onto hard disk. You can create multiple copies of
AppDisk: one containing (say) MacWrite II, another containing FileMaker Pro and
so on. Launching one of these sets up a RAMdisk containing that application.
Find this program on SUMEX-AIM at /info-mac/util/app-disk-15.hqx.
     f) An alternative to loading applications into a RAMdisk is to set up a
large disk cache of about 2MB (the control for this is in the Memory control
panel). Launch your set of work applications: this will load them into the
cache. Then switch off the hard disk with the Sleep command or the SpinD FKEY.
Any disk accesses made by the applications should be obtained from the cache,
and the disk should now not be spun up by the PB. [This tip from the
documentation to SpinD FKEY.]

3.  Backlighting.
    The backlight consumes a lot of power (some 40% of the power consumption).
Most times, 50% or less intensity is fine, and saves some power. Alternatively,
find a bright place to work and switch off the backlight. (Not so easy in the
midst of a British winter!)
    Backlight Control, a fine control panel by Ricardo Batista, allows you to
set a period of inactivity after which the backlight is switched off. (Apply to
me for copies.)

4.  Power-saver mode (only in the PB170).
    The power-saver mode in the Battery DA (accessed by clicking on the toggle
switch to the right of the gauge) slows the processor down to 16MHz to save
power. This is acceptable for most use, and makes a large difference to power
consumption, adding an extra 30 minutes (Apple estimate).

5.  Rest mode.
    This mode cuts the speed of the computer to 1/20 when it detects no
activity on the keyboard or trackball for a set period, to save power. Rest
mode may interfere with some programs which are processor-dependent. If Rest
mode interferes with the operation of your program, open the Portable control
panel and option-click the 'Minutes until automatic sleep' text. A dialog box
will pop up allowing you to choose between Rest/Don't Rest modes.
    An alternative is to download the Powerbook OK to Rest and Powerbook Don't
Rest utilities (SUMEX-AIM: /info-mac/util/powerbook-rest-norest.hqx). These are
small applications written by Insignia Software which set the PB to the
appropriate mode. For ease of access, leave aliases to these programs in the
Apple Menu Items folder.
    The effect of Rest mode is most noticeable with the text cursor: after a few
seconds of inactivity the cursor will suddenly flash much more slowly. This is
a feature, not a bug (as they say) -- some posters to comp.sys.mac have been
surprised by this phenomenon!

6.  Batteries.
    The manual advises you to discharge the NiCad batteries in the PB140/170
fully every 90 days, to maximize its life. This procedure involves using the
computer until it goes into Sleep mode automatically after the third low-power
warning dialog: "No battery reserve power remains.  The Macintosh will go to
sleep within 10 seconds to preserve the contents of memory.  Good Night."
    There are battery charger/conditioners (sold commercially) which supposedly
discharge the battery even more and maximise its life. However, from a recent
post to INFO-MAC, the following advice was given:

> Date: Fri, 7 Aug 92 13:40:36 PDT
> From: dplatt@ntg.com (Dave Platt)
> Subject: battery cyclers for PowerBook
>
> The "memory effect" is almost never observed in NiCd batteries used in
> consumer applications.  It occurs only when a NiCd battery is repeatedly
> discharged to _exactly_ the same level and then recharged, many times in
> a row.  This can happen in some very specialised applications, but won't
> occur in a typical consumer application such as in a PowerBook.  The
> "virtually random cycling and use" that you are giving your batteries is
> exactly the sort of use which ensures that the memory effect won't occur.
>
> There is an effect in NiCd batteries known as "voltage depression",
> which occurs if you overcharge the battery (if you leave it cooking in a
> high-rate charger for too long).  This effect lowers the output voltage
> slightly, and it can make the battery _appear_ to lose capacity (because
> its voltage drops to the 1.1-volt threshold sooner than it would
> otherwise).  Voltage depression can be reversed by completely
> discharging each cell in the battery, and then recharging it.
> 
> It's safe to discharge individual NiCd cells (1.2 volts each) all the
> way to zero.  It is NOT safe to discharge a NiCd battery all the way to
> zero - the first cell to be exhausted will be damaged by the continuing
> flow of current through it.  So... don't try to discharge your PowerBook
> battery by hooking it to a flashlight bulb or a resistor.
>
> The PowerBook has a low-voltage detector, which detects the fact that
> the battery voltage has dropped to near-exhaustion (usually 1.1 volts
> per cell) and shuts down the machine.  It's a bad idea to try to use any
> NiCd battery beyond this point -- you risk damage to the battery, and
> there's only about 1% of the useable power left anyhow.
>
> So... the best way to exercise your PowerBook battery (to eliminate the
> effects of voltage depression) is to use it until the PowerBook warns
> you that low-power shutdown is about to occur... then, sleep the
> machine, take out the battery, and recharge it for the recommended
> length of time (but not for longer than that). This should bring the
> battery back up to full charge, without overcharging it.
>
> Dave Platt                                             VOICE: (415) 813-8917
> Domain: dplatt@ntg.com                          UUCP: ...netcomsv!ntg!dplatt
> USMAIL: New Technologies Group Inc. 2468 Embarcardero Way, Palo Alto 
>         CA 94303

    For the PB100, an IMPORTANT NOTE: the PB100's lead-acid batteries are
easily DAMAGED by total discharge, as can happen if the computer is left in
storage for more than about two weeks without disconnecting the battery using
the storage switch on the back (p.225, manual). The manual also advises not
using the PB100 until the third low-power warning dialog -- occasional use to
this point is OK, but repeated discharge may damage the battery. There is
_no_need_ to discharge them before recharging.
    For tech-heads -- Volt (/info-mac/util/pb-battery-voltage.hqx at SUMEX-AIM)
gives you a reading of the voltage being supplied by your battery.
    Consider buying a spare or two for trips, in which case a battery charger
is also useful for charging two packs at a time -- both of these are Apple
accessories.
    Apple has announced that the terminals of PB140/170 batteries are
vulnerable to shorting, a situation that can be dangerous. They supply battery
cases for free to protect the terminals.
    Remember -- once the batteries are dead, send them back to your nearest
Apple authorised dealer for recycling.

7.  Sleep.
    If you have the Powerbook Sleep FKEY (see above) there should be no excuse
not to s…

Showing first 20,000 characters of 31,205 total. Open the full document →

Date: Wed, 22 Apr 92 07:59:18 +0200 
From: Christian Steffen Ove Franz <cfranz@iiic.ethz.ch>
Subject: Appletalk Substitute for $2 

Dear Moderators,

  enclosed please find an article I found on the usenet some time ago. It
describes how you can build your own appletalk compatible network connector
using only two or three condensers. Very easy, very cheap and works like a 
charm.



-------------------------- CUT HERE -----------------------------------

Here is the info on CapNet
  
By Nate Hawthorn  (Mr. 6502)      7/20/90
  
Updated 8/21/90
  
Please upload this to other systems! It's under 15K, and
takes less than a minute to upload at 2400 baud.
INCLUDE THIS TEXT when uploading & describing the file:
If you have a Mac, you have AppleTalk ! (it's built in)
  
You can set up a VERY good and low cost network without
buying much. (You know, the kind IBM'ers pay big bucks for).
  
This is a text file containing instructions and a schematic
(yes in a text file) on how to make this low cost
AppleTalk connector.
  
CapNet costs about $1 a node! You can build two in about
1/2 hour.
  
Apple sells their's for $80 ea., even with the cheaper Phone
Net connectors, it will still cost you $40 to set up two nodes.
  
Please upload this to other systems, it's under 15K
  
If you are on AOL, see "News ideas and resources" section of
"Communications & Networks" section for more usefull information.
  
Originals are kept on the Space Sciences BBS and America
On Line, SSci BBS's number is (805) 259-6407
(end upload description text)
   
The challenge here was to make a schematic that anyone could
read without needing any drawing programs to read it. Also
to keep it within the 65 character limit some systems have
and include spaces for blank lines (this could be a first).
  
The schematic is included in this text!
  
CapNet is a simple low cost network for AppleTalk.
  
CapNet was designed because network connectors are too
simple to cost so much. You can spend $20 to $70 for each
connector, and you need at least two. That's min $40! You
could have a nice couple of nights out for that!
  
CapNet was designed for small local networks of up to 10
nodes (further testing may up that number). I have tested
it to about 400 ft ! (and it still looks good on the scope)
  
CapNet costs about $1 in parts (depending on what you may
have on hand and what swap meet you go to). Two connectors
can be assembled in about a 1/2 hour.
  
It's so simple and cheap that you'll never see it retailed.
  
CapNet has a few limitations;
  
You must use CapNet only where the GROUNDS of all the
computers are the same (within reason). Like a single
office, building or home. It is not designed to connect to
the other office across the street, or your neighbor's house.
(it doesn't actually use the ground, and is isolated)
  
There is built in protection that can isolate you from
possible damage.
  
WARNING: YOU WILL ONLY BE TOLD THIS ONCE... DO NOT USE THIS
IF YOU ARE RUNNING IT TO OTHER BUILDINGS THAT USE A
DIFFERENT GROUND. CHECK WITH A QUALIFIED ELECTRICIAN IF
YOU ARE NOT SURE, THEY WILL PROBABLY NOT CHARGE FOR THIS.
READJALL THE TEXT HERE.
  
Disclaimer: USE OF THIS DEVICE IS STRICTLY UP TO YOU, IT IS
FOR EXPERIMENTAL PURPOSES ONLY. BY IT'S USE YOU AGREE NOT
TO HOLD ANYONE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGE FROM THE USE OF THIS
DEVICE.
  
You may also notice RF interference on your portable phone
or radio. Use shielded cable wherever possible and make
sure you are using TWISTED PAIR wires, some phone wire is
not twisted inside. If you get interference on your phone
line, use a separate twisted pair cable.
  
However, you can read the reports of people who have used
this to their delightJ!
  
  >> TESTING CapNet
  
Once you have built two units (and I don't have to tell
you how) set your ohm meter to about 20K and measure
across J2, it should show nothing. Measure across RCV(-)
and RCV(+), it should show about 2K. Measure across TX(-)
and TX(+), it should show about 2K. Measure between any
pin and GND, it shouldn't show any less than 1K. If any
of these tests fail, simply look for shorts.
  
To test, connect up two Macs (go borrow one) via a short
two wire cable. AppleTalk uses the "Printer" port.
Install the "Public Folder" program into the system
folder, it should be available on this BBS (I try to
upload it wherever possible, it's free to Claris users).
Make a new folder in the main directory called "Public"
and put some files in it. Restart both Macs and select
"Chooser" in the Apple menu. Turn on AppleTalk and select
the Public Icon.
  
You should then be able to copy files from one computer
to the other. You can even do it while the other computer
is downloading a file from a BBS !
  
If it doesn't work go back and check for shorts (above).
The polarity of the two wire connection doesn't mater.
  
  >> QUICK HOW IT WORKS
  
The original AppleTalk connector uses a transformer for
isolation and has some RFI circuits built in. This is
great for networks to other buildings.
  
CapNet uses capacitors (hence the name "Cap") to isolate
small surges and isolate the cable.
  
AppleTalk turns off it's IC drivers when it's not sending,
this allows data to come into the receivers.
  
The problem with just hooking the ports up straight is that
two computers can "collide" and transmit at the same time.
Since the burst time is short (3 to 4 uS) and since several
feet of wire has resistance, this would really not be a
problem. However, CapNet includes resistors just incase the
real world sneaks up on it. The resistors to ground keep
static from building up on the twisted pair cable.
  
Pretty simple huh ?
  
  >> CREDITS
  
You can build as many as you want, as long as you don't sell
them retail (you can charge your friends a small fee).
  
This text can be distributed far and wide, and as with all
things like this, give credit where credit is due (include
my name). KEEP ALL PARTS OF THIS TEXT TOGETHER
  
Please take a little bit of time and tell me how you used
CapNet and what you connected it to. I would like to know
how many people I helped. I can be reached on America On
Line or the Space Sciences BBS Calif.
  
  >> STUFF
  
Also, can anyone take the nice idea that Claris came up
with ("Public Folder") and make it act more like "Tops".
So that you don't have go to chooser to access another
computers folder ? If that was put in the public domain,
networking would be very reasonable indeed !
  
Can you imagine all Mac owners having a network for near
nothing, and all the IBM'ers having to pay $200 for some
board (they always say the Mac is too expensive).
  
Nuf sed, here's the details;
  
YOU WILL NEED A MONO SPACED FONT TO VIEW THIS, LIKE
MONACO 9.
  
  
A "O" means a connection
  
PIN NUMBERS ARE FOR MAC DB-9.
NUMBERS IN () ARE FOR MINI DIN 8 (MAC PLUS)
  
          CapNet Connector  (last update 8/21/90)
  
 J1                                                  J2
       9 (5)                               C1 .1 uF
RCV(-) ----------------------------O----------][------O
                                   !
       8 (8)                       !       C2 .1 uF
RCV(+) --------------------------------O------][------O
                                   !   !            ^
                                   !   !           TO
       5 (3)                10 ohm !   !         "PHONE"
TX(-)  -----------O-----------R3----   !          LINES
                  !                    !
       4 (6)      !         10 ohm     !
TX(+)  -----------------O-----R4--------
                  !     !
             1K   R     R  1K
                  1     2
                  !     !
       3 (4)      !     !
GND    -----------O------
  
  
PARTS LIST:
  
QTY    DES      ITEM
2    R1,2      1K 1/8W RESISTORS
2    R3,4      10 OHM 1/8W RESISTORS
2    C1,2      .1 uF THREE LAYER CERAMIC CAPS
1    J1        DB-9 MALE OR MINI DIN 8 CONNECTOR
1    J2        2 PIN BERG OR RJ-11 PHONE CONNECTOR
5    WIRE      (NOT SHOWN) 22 GAUGE STRANDED WIRE 6"
  
  
NOTES:
  
C1,2 can be disk type but ceramic is more stable.
The entire unit can be mounted on a 1" X 1" .100 ctr
bread board or smaller. No printed circuit is needed.
Connect all componets lead to lead and connect cable
wires to leads on bottom of board.
Use heat shrink tubing over entire board as a cover
or dip in RTV sealer or put in a old 35MM film case.
  
  >> CONNECTORS
  
DB-9 (female, looking at the rear of the Mac)
  
       5   4   3   2   1
      --------------------
      \O   O   O   O   O/
       \ O   O   O   O /
         -------------
         9   8   7   6
  
  
MINI DIN - 8 (female looking at the rear of the Mac)
  
            -------   INSIDE NOTCH ("N")
          (    N    )
        (  O   O   O  )
       (   8   7   6   )
       (  O     O   O  )
        ( 5     4   3 )
      2  (   O   O   )  1
            --------
               N      OUTSIDE NOTCH
  
  
----------------------
UPDATE
  
Glad you are interested in CapNet... Here's some more info/ideas 8/6/90
  
I wouldn't worry too much about people SMOKING their Mac. The connector's
resistors would burn first in most cases. The Mac drivers are made to
handle power surges, the 26LS30 is spec'ed to handle 150 MA shorts and the
26LS30 handles +/- 25V inputs.
  
Besides, most people use networks within one building.
  
I Changed the resistor specs to 1/8 W instead of 1/4 W. That will make them
blow faster if something is wrong.
  
Maybe I could come up with a way to "link" CapNet through a isolation
transformer so you could isolate when you had to.
  
I purchased an OLD "LocalTalk" (AppleTalk) connector for $5 at a local swap
meet and some other "LocalTalk" type connectors. I am going to test it with
CapNet and see if it's compatable.
  
I have a few friends that are going to be getting together with me in a
temporary "network" across a living room and try about 4 Mac's and a
Laserwriter. We will try both CapNet and "LocalTalk" connectors to see how
compatable they are. The scope will be there also, and a spool of wire. I
wouldn't want dirty signals flying around a network !
  
I bet some universities would be interested, they have large networks and
like to save money. Besides, a small electronics class could build 'em in a
short time.
  
Another advantage of the connector is that it doesn't need terminating
resistors like standard "LocalTalk". On "LocalTalk" connectors, there is a
small switch that connects a terminating resistor when no other cable is
plugged in.
  
Some people say AppleTalk is too slow, AppleTalk transmits at about 200K
per second. With system overhead (disk access, system stuff) you can
transfer at about 8.5 K per second (Mac Plus). You think WHAT?, but it's
true. When you do a normal copy of a file from your hard disk to another
folder on the same hard disk, it's about the same speed! You can move about
100K in 12 seconds through AppleTalk, that's not too bad.
  
AppleTalk gets slow when you put too many users on it. It's that simple.
That's why this connector is perfect for a "local" net. AppleTalk performs
great. And it beats "sneaker net".
  
We still need someone to write a public domain program like TOPS that
allows easy access to folders (not public folder 1.0).
  
I shouldn't be that hard, it's only a driver....
  
Nuf sed.... ENJOY !   Mr. 6502  Nate...
  
8/2/90
  
GOOD NEWS !
  
CapNet works with AppleTalk connectors !
  
I tested it with a laser writer and it worked OK. However, I didn't have
access to my scope at the time and the cable run was about 6 ft.
  
Other tests will be run when I get a chance.
  
TRY IT OUT !, and leave a message....
  
People are asking where I can be reached:
America On Line, NateA
Space Sciences BBS, Mr. 6502
Please, no US Mail ! (electronic is so much better!)
  
--- CUT HERE --- 
  


-- 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Christian S. O. Franz                 |                   cfranz@iiic.ethz.ch
ETH Zuerich, Swizerland               |                     vismgr@rz.ethz.ch

From: jbthoo@ucdavis.edu ( John Thoo )
Date: Tue, 4 Feb 92 21:23:59 PST 
Subject: SE/30 and color monitor: report 


I recently posted the following questions on IMD:
>I have an SE/30, and was considering buying a full-page or two-page
>monochrome monitor. Recently, however, I've been more interested in
>getting an 8-bit color or grey-scale monitor. Am I being stupid?
>What I mean is, will hooking up an 8-bit color or grey-scale
>monitor to my SE/30 make it sooooo sssllllooooowwwwwww that I'd be,
>well, STUPID for doing so? Should I consider only 1-bit monitors?
>
>Are there any accelerator/8-bit combo cards for an SE/30 out there?
>Or will I have to choose between speeding up my Mac or looking at
>a color screen?
 
 
I received quite a few responses to my queries (a couple of people
actually responded *twice*), and I'd like to thank each and everyone who
responded, especially:
alex judkins <JUDKINSA@uno.cc.geneseo.edu>; 
David Herren <@mitvma.mit.edu:HERREN@MIDD.BITNET>;
Greg Alton <grega@550sherb.lan.mcgill.ca>;
Derek Fong <thewho@leland.Stanford.EDU>;
Andy Francke <AFRANCKE@HMCVAX.CLAREMONT.EDU>;
Wade Williams <wadew@ducvax.auburn.edu>;
unsigned <@BUACCA.BU.EDU:ccmlh@buacca.BITNET>.
 
(I hope I didn't mix up anyone's name and e-mail address  :-)
 
 
SUMMARY OF RESPONSES:
Quite simply, almost everyone who responded to my query said that
using a color monitor DOES NOT slow down an SE/30; everyone said
to "go for the color"! The RasterOps board was recommended most
often, each time with the caveat that it is quite expensive; no
particular monitor was recommended a notable number of times.
Unfortunately, no one had any specific info re the availability of an
accelerator/8-bit combo card for the SE/30, but in light of the fact
that using a color monitor doesn't slow down the SE/30 appreciably, I
guess that not learning about such a card doesn't really matter.
 
 
The following is a compilation of all the responses I received, sans their
e-mail headers. I suspect that the info-mac moderators will snip off this
section and archive it in /info-mac/report.
 
Again, thanks to all who took the time to respond to my query.
I hope that this summary will prove useful to someone.
 
--John.
 
 
===============================cut here==================================
I saw your question on info-mac.  I'll tell you about my particular 
experience, with the standard disclaimers.
 
I have an SE/30 with a RasterOps 264 (24bit color) board and the Apple
13" monitor.  The RO board is not accelerated.  Regarding speed: I find
that the SE/30 with color is noticebly faster than a IIcx or IIsi,
depending on the particular memory config. on the latter machine.
 
I believe it is so fast because the external display boards are designed
for the SE/30's PDS slot, which I understand is significantly faster than
the NuBus.  
 
Take home message: Definitely buy the external video card for the SE/30.
There are several on the market and you wont be disappointed.  The machine
will be quite fast, and having the 9" BW internal screen is an added 
advantage.  Also, if you find yourself doing some boring application that
doesn't require color and needs to run really fast, you can just switch
down to 1bit depth on the external display and the whole system is just as
fast as the normal SE/30.
 
p.s. the SE/30 is, in my opinion, the best machine in the Mac line that
apple will ever make.  After adding color last year I think I am set for
the next few years.
*******
 
>I have an SE/30, and was considering buying a full-page or two-page
>monochrome monitor. Recently, however, I've been more interested in
>getting an 8-bit color or grey-scale monitor. Am I being stupid?
>What I mean is, will hooking up an 8-bit color or grey-scale
>monitor to my SE/30 make it sooooo sssllllooooowwwwwww that I'd be,
>well, STUPID for doing so? Should I consider only 1-bit monitors?
 
I use the Apple 13" color monitor with a Micron card in my SE/30 and
love it. Most applications don't suffer, speedwise, and on those rare
occasions when there is a significant speed impact (like when I'm using
Word with a 256 point TrueType font, which slows down scrolling
considerably) I just use "PixelFlipper" to drop down to 1-bit color.
 
>Are there any accelerator/8-bit combo cards for an SE/30 out there?
>Or will I have to choose between speeding up my Mac or looking at
>a color screen?
 
This I don't know, but I know that some types of cards do provide a slot
so that you aren't left without one.
*******
 
I am using the RasterOps 264 card for the SE/30 which is a 24 bit card. I also
use a RasterOps MediaTime card on my IIx, also a 24bit color card. while the
SE/30 and the IIx are basically the same box, the SE/30-RasterOps card is still
faster when running in 256 colors or in millions of colors since there is no
slow nubus. I would say go for any color card for the SE/30 and the RasterOps
is nice, though pricey.
*******
 
I think the most relevant question is "how slow is your se/30 now?"  I've
found with an LC that only programs that run real slow or use graphics
tons are that much slower at 8-bit.  Using a depth-switcher (I think depth
gauge is the best, unless it's depth charge) makes this process easy and
it speeds things up.  Games are the only things that have been real
significant for me, with sound also being a factor.
 
I'd suggest you go for the colour - the difference is amazing.  Cost is a
factor, but going for something with at least the option for later is a
real good idea.
 
Just an opinion.
*******
 
To quickly answer your question: NO, having colro does not slow down your SE/30
cpu performance.  I don't know where this myth came from, but they are certainly
untrue from my experience.
 
In any case, let me attach a summary I made up of my experiences in choosing
a color setup last November.  Hopefully, this will give you another option
in the color setup for the SE/30.
 
Let me know if you have any further questions.
 
(this is going to be long, but hopefully informative)
 
Fellow netters!
 
Many people have posted inquiries about color solutions on the 
SE/30, and I have sent many individual responses to people.  I 
have decided that it would be in the best interest of the net for 
me to post a summary of what I decided on:
 
The Sony 1304 and the Lapis Colorserver PDS30-17.
 
Before I begin, I would like to thank all of the people who helped 
me make my decision last November, especially Meric Ozcan who 
introduced me to the Lapis card.  Also, all of these opinions are 
wholly my own; Stanford doesn't pay me enough to have rights to my 
opinions.  In the same spirit, I have no association with Sony and 
Lapis except being a satisfied customer.
 
PRICE:
This is what I paid, your mileage may vary:
$579 Sony 1304 monitor
$400 Lapis Colorserver PDS30-17 with an academic discount
(if I goof and say 14 instead of 17 later in this posting, please 
excuse me.  I mean the same thing.  Lapis recently changed the 
name of the card since it now supports the  16"/17" 
monitors...more on that later)
 
Currently, I have seen the Sony for as low as $568 (Fry's 
Electronics in the SF Bay area) and the Lapis for $379 at MacLand 
(They advertise in MacWorld, but I don't know how reputable they 
are...)
 
THE SONY 1304 
I think there has been a lot said about this monitor so I will 
keep my comments to the minimum.  I think the Sony has a good 
picture and is a very nice combination with the Lapis card since 
it can be used at three different resolutions.  I would have 
to agree that the blacks aren't as "sharp" as those on the Apple 
RGB , but I think this  is due to the built-in anti-glare filter 
which I think is a nice feature.  The dot pitch is .25 mm like the 
Apple RGB, and has the Trinitron tube.  For me, I chose it over 
the Apple because of: price, multi-synching ability of the Sony, 
1" greater diagonal image, built-in tilt and swivel stand.)  I 
think the picture is very close the quality of the Apple's and 
this again, is probably due to the anti-glare filter.
 
THE LAPIS COLORSERVER PDS30/17
I chose this card over the Micron Xceed 30 at the very last moment 
after talking to Meric and seeing his setup (also with a Sony 
1304).  The advantages of this card over the Micron is that it can 
run in different modes (resolutions) and was available for 
purchase immediately (the Micron was backorder about 8 weeks when 
I was ordering in November...does anyone know what it is now?).  I 
think the advantages of the Micron are its price ($279 from many 
mail order houses) and it ranks about 7% faster than the Lapis 
according to the Speedometer 3.05 program...whether this is 
a good indication of video performance, I will let you 
judge...oh,the overall score for the Lapis was 1.45 running System 
7 on my SE/30 versus the 1.55 stated for an SE/30 with the Micron 
Xceed card.
 
I think the major motivation for buying the Lapis card is its 
versatility.  Not only can it be used with a wide variety of 
monitors, but also with in a number of modes, as is the case with 
my Sony.
 
The setup works in that the Lapis card has a programmable ROMwhich 
gets written too each time the machine is restarted.  (another 
small drawback: because the ROM must be written to by a INIT, the 
external monitor cannot serve as the "startup screen" (ie, Welcome 
to Macintosh, smiley mac, and color startup screen).  The way 
one changes modes is that they go the monitors cdev which is 
"piggybacked" by the Colorserver INIT/control panel.
 
When one clicks on the options button, they can choose from the 
following:
 
Apple RGB (640x480)
Apple Portrait (640x872)
VGA (640x480) at 60,68,77, and 86 hz
SVGA (800x600) at 56,62,70 hz
16/17" monitor (832x624)
 
I have found that all VGA and SVGA modes work on my monitor, so I 
just choose  the highest refresh rates.  These modes allow the 
card to work with a number of monitors from the IBM world.
One thing I would like to point out is that there is 
no 72 hz SVGA mode.  If I understand correctly, VESA (some video 
standard group) has agreed that Super VGA (800x600) is supposed to 
be at 72 hz.  Why Lapis does not give this as an option, I don't 
know.  I have written them to check into this, so there might be a 
future software update to allow this refresh rate as an option.  
The reasonI mention this is that, some SVGA monitors only synch at 
72 hz, and therefore, won't work with the Lapis card at this time.
 
In any case, the Sony 1304 does just fine with these rates sinceit 
can vertically synch from 50 hz up to 87 hz.
 
Also, after getting a new EPROM from them (sent absolutely 
free),my Sony also can be fooled into thinking that it is a 
16"/17" monitor (like the E Machine monitors and the New Apple 
monitor); hence, I can also run in 832x624 mode.  I don't know 
what the synch rate on this one is, but on the Sony, it works, and 
there is not flicker whatsoever.
 
Some of you might be wondering what kind of dot density is 
achieved at these modes, so here they are from my experience with 
the Sony 1304:
 
640x480 at 64 dpi
800x600 at 78 dpi
832x624 at 85 dpi
 
None of these are WYSIWYG resolutions, but 72 dpi can be achieved 
by playing with the potentiometers on the side of the Sony (change 
vertical and horizontal image size and position) to achieve this 
in 640x480 mode.
 
SETTING IT UP:
	Lapis does a nice job at making connection with different 
monitors easy.  The card comes with two "pin-out cables" (ie, 
cables that connect to the card and are passed out the back of the 
SE/30): one for the Apple type connector, and one for VGA type 
connectors.  So, I chose the VGA one, and it hooks directly to the 
Cable that came with the 1304...no adaptors necessary!  
Installation was simple, and the set-up in the manual was very 
clear.  It doesn't require any removal of the mother 
board or anything.  Just plug it in, connect the cable, bunch out 
the plastic on the back of your SE/30, secure the card with the 
provided plastic rivets, and your are 
done within 15 minutes.
 
TECHNICAL SUPPORT:
	This is a smaller company than SuperMac or Rasterops, but the 
guy I have dealt with, Jeff Marks, is a wonderful help.  The first 
card they sent me didn't seem to work in 2-bit (4 color mode).  I 
called him, and he sent me a new card.  Yes, I didn't have to 
return the "almost-working" card until I had received the new one.  
Nice service.  The new one worked fine.
	As mentioned above, I also got a new EPROM from him.  I had 
heard that the card was capable of supporting 16/17" monitors. and 
thought that I might be able to drive the Sony in the 832x624 
mode.  Well, I called him, and he said that he would 
send me the latest software, and that my EPROM might need 
replacing.  Well, he was right, and sent me the EPROM, free of 
charge.
 
SYSTEM 7 COMPATIBLE
	The card is fully system 7 compatible and the latest driver 
is 32-bit clean (version 3.0: again, Jeff Marks gladly sent me 
this for free).  I have run it with many applications and it has 
worked flawlessly.  As I mentioned before, the only bummer 
is not making the external the "startup screen," but that is worth 
the abilities of the programmable ROM.
 
I think the only complain I had with Lapis is that it took them a 
few days to ship my card out once my order was filled.  I think 
this is due to them being a small company with a not very 
sophisticated shipping department.  Then again, if you order from 
MacLand, you might encounter something different.
 
Okay, I guess that is about it.  I know this was long, but 
hopefully it will be of use to some of you.  I think the Lapis 
card and Sony 1304 make a very nice color setup on 
an SE/30 and recommend it highly.
 
If something is unclear in my discussion, or there are any 
individual questions, feel free to send me email.
 
----Derek Fong
fong@cive.stanford.edu
thewho@leland.stanford.edu
*******
 
I helped my roommate upgrade his SE/30 with a Micron XCEED 8-bit color card
last semester, and he was worried about the same thing: speed. The color card
is generally somewhat faster in displaying black and white than the stock
SE/30, and is much faster than a IIsi at displaying color. I'd rank its color
performance about neck and neck with a IIci, in fact. In some special cases,
it's faster than 1-bit, because the Mac doesn't have to dither color images to
black and white. In short: this card is terrific, and I won't hesitate in
recommending it to anyone, if they have the money to spend on color. We bought
the card for about 300, and a Mirror/Goldstar monitor for 420 or so. The Mirror
isn't as bright as the Apple 13" or equivalent Trinitron types, but it still
looks great.
*******
 
Glad to be of help.  Good luck with your search for color.  All I can say is
that when it comes to the very end when you end up getting it, you are going
to LOVE it.
 
Oh, one more note on speed of things having the monitor attached:
Speedometer says cpu performance is same with and without screen.  1 bit
mode on the external monitor is 2+ times faster than it is on the internal.
(1.46 accordin to Speedometer)...I think as it works out, the speed on the 
internal monitor is about the same in drawing as 4-bit mode on my Lapis
card (like scrolling through a document)...
 
Again, good luck...let me know what you end up deciding on.
*******
 
>I have an SE/30, and was considering buying a full-page or two-page
>monochrome monitor. Recently, however, I've been more interested in
>getting an 8-bit color or grey-scale monitor. Am I being stupid?
>What I mean is, will hooking up an 8-bit color or grey-scale
>monitor to my SE/30 make it sooooo sssllllooooowwwwwww that I'd be,
>well, STUPID for doing so? Should I consider only 1-bit monitors?
 
 
Color works quite well on an SE/30.  I recommend the RasterOps Colorboard
264.  The Apple monitor is the best available, but the most expensive.
*******
 
>Thanks very much for taking the time to respond to my query. And I'll
>remember not to use 256 point TT fonts too often ;)
 
Glad to help. By the way, my color SE/30 system performs wonderfully
with stuff like 256-color arcade games, After Dark modules, etc.
 
One thing you might want to consider, but this is just a general
consideration for anyone thinking of getting a color monitor:
if you're mainly going to be using it for B&W applications like
word processing or whatever, you might want to consider getting
either a monochrome or grey-scale monitor. B&W stuff looks a bit
better on a non-color tube.
*******
THE END
*******

Date: Fri, 4 Dec 1992 20:10:31 -0800 
From: Justin D. Bukowski <jdb@ocf.Berkeley.EDU>
Subject: [*] Fax modem answers 

I received several responses to my questions about Fax modems
for the Macintosh. I've compiled them in the following report,
and I've included another report written by Mark Scrivener, a
poster on comp.dcom.modems, about a poll he took between the Supra
V.32bis and the ZyXEL U-1496 (also V.32bis). Mark, in turn, included
a report from Paul E. Platt on a modem "shootout" between the Supra,
ZyXEL, Gateway Telepath, and Zoom. Also discussed in Paul's report are
the Practical Peripherals, Courier HST Dual, AT&T and Motorola modems,
though he didn't test them. Thanks to Yoshio Turner for sending me
Mark's report.

My original post to the digest follows:

>Date: Sun, 15 Nov 1992 23:45:53 -0800
>From: Justin D. Bukowski <jdb@ocf.Berkeley.EDU>
>Subject: Fax modem info/reviews wanted
>
>I've become interested in purchasing a modem with at least
>send fax capability. Receiving might be nice, too. I'd like a
>source of information and/or reviews on what's available. I've
>looked in the archives and found some recommendations but I'd like
>to know more. Some specific questions:
>
>How are fax modems different from normal modems? Software only or
>do they have special hardware? (ROMs, etc?)
>Are they reliable for transmission? What about receiving?
>How does speed compare to a stand-alone fax machine?
>What software is available? Recommendations?
>Can a modem be set up to pick up on incoming calls, scan for a fax
>transmission signal, and if none, let the call through to an
>answering machine? If so, what software and hardware is required?
>
>Please reply through e-mail or to the digest. Pointers to discussions
>on the net or in the Mac magazines would be appreciated. If I get
>a decent amount of information I'll compile a report for the archives.
>
>Thanks.
>Justin Bukowski   jdb@ocf.berkeley.edu

I was really looking for answers to my questions and not recommendations
on what to buy, since there are already some reports in the archives
on just that (/info-mac/report/fax-modems.txt, /info-mac/report/
inexpensive-modems.txt, also a nice report on modems in general is
/info-mac/report/modem-guide-10.txt) but it seems that the offerings
change rapidly so I'm grateful to those who included their opinions.

First, the six responses to my post:

(begin replies)
********************

>From: i6bk@odin.cc.pdx.edu (Brian Korver)

> How are fax modems different from normal modems? Software only or
> do they have special hardware? (ROMs, etc?)

Both.  That is, you need the firmware to communicate in the FAX modem format.
Plus you need the software to print/receive faxes.

> Are they reliable for transmission? What about receiving?

Some people have no trouble, some people have lots of trouble.  Whatever, you
can get a FAX modem now as cheap as non-FAX modems so it doesn't make much
sense to not buy one.  The computer modem part of them should be just as
reliable.

> How does speed compare to a stand-alone fax machine?

Slower, as fast, or faster, depending on the modem you get.  The SupraFAX
V32.bis goes at 14,400 (or whatever it is), which is much, much faster than
most current stand-along FAX machines.

> What software is available? Recommendations?

A couple.  I've only read bad reviews.  I have FAXstf and I wouldn't recommend
it except that it came with my modem (SupraFAX V32) and it was reviewed more
favorably than others (lousy, as opposed to really, really bad).

> Can a modem be set up to pick up on incoming calls, scan for a fax
> transmission signal, and if none, let the call through to an
> answering machine? If so, what software and hardware is required?

Yes.  In fact, Supra's next ROM upgrade will give you the ability to digitize
_voice_ via phone so that you could drive one of those obnoxous "automated
answering" things ("For the president, type 1... For the Vice President ....").
Okay, I realize this is totally in the bells & whistles category, but it shoes
that Supra is on the ball at least.  BTW, these ROM upgrades are free from
Supra.

**********

>From: Rick Gore <GORER@carleton.edu>

I have been using a Zoom 2400 baud modem with 9600 baud send/receive FAX since
this past summer.

To answer your questions -  yes, a FAX modem is a combination of special
hardware and special software.  My fax modem came with FAX stf software.  (I
had to upgrade the software for about $8 so that I could do manual sends)
Since then I have been quite pleased with it.

If you create most of the documents that you would be faxing on your Mac, then
a fax modem is very useful.  One really nice feature of fax modems is that they
eliminate the scanning portion of the fax -- so that the faxes come out on
maximum resolution on the receiving end and look really nice.

Sending FAXes is pretty simple with my system -- you switch drivers, as if you
were switching from a StyleWriter to a LaserWriter, and then your menus
magically change from "Print..." to "Fax...".  When you select that, you get a
fairly complex dialog box that allows you to add to a phone list of where you
want to FAX to.  You can change from fine to regular resolutions, and select
from a variety of cover pages.  You can then immediately transmit the fax, or
you can have it create a FAX file that you can manually send later.  If you
tell it to immediately transmit, the FAX modem does everything -- picks up the
phone, dials the number, establishes the connection, sends the FAX, confirms
that the other machine got the FAX, and then hangs up the phone again.
(I need to send international FAXes charged to an AT&T credit number from an
on-campus phone line, so I usually end up sending my faxes manually -- First I
create the FAX file, then I do my dialing shenanigans by hand to get the
receiving faxes tone, then I tell the computer to connect and start sending my
fax.  Works very well)

Receiving Faxes is somewhat more complex, especially if you don't have a
dedicated phone line.  However, my software allows you to manually receive a
fax as well, so if you get a phone call and instead of a human you hear a
bunch of beeps, if the computer is up and running and the fax modem turned on,
you can select the FAX DA and tell it to "manually receive."  That means it
will pick up the line and make the appropriate connection noises.  Voila.
Received fax.

Be advised that received faxes are graphic documents -- if you want to be able
to manipulate them like a word processing document, then you will have to run
them through OCR software.  They print out legibly enough though, even on an
ImageWriter I, (which I used over the summer) but much better on a StyleWriter
or LaserWriter.

Considering that a FAX modem doesn't cost very much more than a regular modem,
I would say go for it.  If you only have one phone line, and don't anticipate
receiving faxes, you might want to look into one of the send-only FAX modems
out there.

**********

>From: hallofjustice!bursik@uunet.UU.NET (Dave Bursik)

My recommendation is to buy a Supra.  I have bought 3 of them and
have been very satisfied.  To get the complete setup, you'd want
to order the "Mac pack" that includes the hardware-handshake modem
cable, FAX software, and terminal emulator (Microphone 1.x).  The
Microphone software is nearly worthless as far as I'm concerned[*]
but the FAX software (FAXstf) is pretty good (even though it lacks
one or two features I would like to have [**]).

The FAX/data modems have different hardware from a data-only modem,
but most of the ones on the market use a common chipset from Rockwell.
Supra has been doing some programming enhancements to the basic
Rockwell software, and is apparently selling/giving their improve-
ments back to Rockwell.  The Supra modems are very small, have a
"normal" (rectangular) shape, sturdy metal cases (dissipate heat),
and have been highly rated.  They are also much less expensive
than comparable data modems from Hayes, Telebit, and UDS (Motorola),
but are somewhat more expensive than the "cheapie" FAX/data modems
(Zoom, Quicktel).  I currently use my 2 V.32bis Supra's to dial up
my Sun (office) from my Mac (home) at 38400 bps.

My first FAX/data modem was a "cheese wedge" Quicktel, and I ended
up returning it.  The software didn't work right with my Mac (they
have since changed to the same package Supra sells) and the modem
itself didn't work right (problems setting registers, etc.).  Also,
the general construction of the Quicktel's is poor (all plastic)
and I found the cute little icon indicators on the front panel far
less useful than the letter abbreviations/dynamic matrix display
on the Supras.  Whatever you decide to do, I would _not_ recommend
buying a Quicktel (full name: Logicode Quicktel Xeba) modem.

As for speed, FAX modems are at least as fast as stand-alone FAX
machines since there is no mechanical paper scanning involved (if
you are FAXing from an application).  Also, since the incoming
FAXes are saved to disk, you can print as many copies as you
want (without resorting to a photocopier).  If you want to be
able to FAX hardcopy documents, however, you will need some sort
of scanner.

[*] I bought the (discounted) Microphone II upgrade and didn't like
it, either.  Both versions of MP are very slow (i.e., unresponsive)
when compared to VersaTerm.

[**] It doesn't have a way to "bundle" multiple documents into a
single file for transmission (but there is a workaround for this)
and it doesn't have a way to convert existing documents to FAX
format -- you have to print from an application.

**********

>From: ekeller@ul9000.unil.ch (Eric Keller)

For a year, I used an Interfax modem. I was reasonably happy with its send
fax capacity. The only problem was faxing printed material which occured
more often than was originally foreseen.

I was *not* happy with its receive capacity. Originally I had reserved an
old MacPlus for this, but it turned out to be too slow and it missed many
incoming faxes. When I put the modem on the IIcx, things improved, but
there were still too many missed faxes for my taste. I also tried different
phone lines and different exchanges around town (this was in Montreal), but
I still had communication difficulties with a fairly large number of fax
machines.

I then got a standalone fax machine: what a relief! It meant I could turn
off the computer again at nights, which was much better on the ears. It was
surprising how much one got to dislike the continuous hum of the
ventilator. Also, the communication difficulties were distinctly fewer. Of
course, sending printed material is much easier.

Recently I got a PowerBook fax modem. I like this addition to the
standalone. It lets you send with better quality print, and you don't have
to print something out if you don't want to. I don't like the address book
facility that comes with it, though. It won't let you distinguish between
frequently used and rarely used numbers and it gives you a teeny selection
box.

In general I've found that a lot of people found the incoming capacities of
fax modems very much lacking, no matter what manufacturer you use or which
type of computer it runs on (Mac, IBM-compatible).

**********

>From: kkirksey@world.std.com (Ken B Kirksey)

JB> I've become interested in purchasing a modem with at least send fax
JB> capability. Receiving might be nice, too. I'd like a source of
JB> information and/or reviews on what's available. I've looked in the
JB> archives and found some recommendations but I'd like to know more.

Well, I'll try to give you more. :)  My experiences are with the old
AppleFax modem and the new Supra v.32bis/Fax  modem.

JB> Some specific questions:
JB>
JB> How are fax modems different from normal modems? Software only or
JB> do they have special hardware? (ROMs, etc?)

All the Fax is handled in hardware.  A number of new modems, including
the Supras, use the Rockewell ASYNC144 modem chipset which handles
all modem modulation, compression, error correction, and fax functions.

JB> Are they reliable for
JB> transmission?

My supra v.32bis Fax has proven reliable in both transmission and recieving.

JB> What about receiving? How does speed compare to a
JB> stand-alone fax machine?

Well, on the sending side, if you're just sending a memo or letter you
typed in your word processor for instance, it's faster.  Most fax software
will let you "print" the document to your fax modem just as you would
send it to the printer.

On the recieveing side it can be a little slower, especially if you have a
slow machine.  The software must convert from the Fax format to a format
that can be displayed or printed.  On a slower machine, this can take a while.
The speed is quite acceptable on my SE/30 however.

JB> What software is available?
JB> Recommendations?

I don't know if BackFax is still available, but if it is, don't get it!
FaxSTF come bundled with the Supra modems, and is the best fax software
I've seen.  My recommendation would be to get the Supra v.32bis Fax with
software and cable.  I've seen it advertised for as low as $350.

JB> Can a modem be set up to pick up on incoming
JB> calls, scan for a fax transmission signal, and if none, let the
JB> call through to an answering machine? If so, what software and
JB> hardware is required?

Supra just sent out a ROM upgrade for their modems that addresses this issue.
The modem answers if it detects fax carrier tones, but doesn't pick up
if it doesn't, passing the call to your answering machine.

JB> Please reply through e-mail or to the digest. Pointers to
JB> discussions on the net or in the Mac magazines would be
JB> appreciated. If I get a decent amount of information I'll compile a
JB> report for the archives.

A recent MacUser (october or november I beleive) had a roundup of High Speed
fax modems.  You might want to check it out.

Again, my recommendation is going with the Supra.  According to MacUser, it's
the best modem value for the buck.  I've owned Supras for over 3 years now,
and have yet to have any problems with them.  All my friends that own supras
have had similar experiences.  Hope that helps.

**********

From: morgio@loop.ausom.oz.au (Moreno Giovannoni)

Netcomm in Australia make a nice Fax Modem, the Auto FaxModem 24. Comes
bundled with Microphone and FaxSTF software. Both very good and work
excellently in Australia. Fax side is excellent for sending. If you intend
to receive a lot of faxes consider a machine. Printing the fax is a pain and
slow and holds up the Mac.

*******************
(end replies)

I posted a quick summary of the first five replies, saying that the
Supra seemed to be favored (although the sample size is small).
I received a letter from yoshio@CS.UCLA.EDU (Yoshio Turner)
who wanted to know why I hadn't considered the ZyXEL U-1496E
and the honest answer is that I hadn't ever heard of it.

It seems that comp.dcom.modems has seen tons of traffic on modem
comparisons and Yoshio forwarded the results of a poll conducted
by Mark Scrivener on the Supra V.32bis and the ZyXEL U-1496 (also V.32bis).
Mark's article follows, including the results of a modem "shootout"
between the Supra, ZyXEL, Gateway Telepath, and Zoom conducted by
Paul E. Platt.

The long and short of it is that the ZyXEL is great but somewhat more
expensive than the Supra. One of these two should fit your budget, but
go with the ZyXEL if you can afford it. Many people on comp.dcom.modems
complain that the Supra has trouble making and keeping connections on
noisy lines where the ZyXEL has no problems. This is especially true
for those using the modem to receive calls (running a BBS and so forth)
so the Supra may be OK if you're only dialing out.

(begin Mark's article)
********************

From: scriv@angmar.llnl.gov (Mark Scrivener)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.modems
Subject: RE: Straw Poll of Supra and ZyXEL
Keywords: Straw Poll, Supra, ZyXEL
Message-ID: <140718@lll-winken.LLNL.GOV>
Date: 5 Nov 92 19:30:18 GMT
Sender: usenet@lll-winken.LLNL.GOV
Organization: UC LLNL
Lines: 349
Nntp-Posting-Host: angmar.llnl.gov


Well the results are in! I'd like to thank everyone who took time to
respond. In my initial post, I asked people to rate the Supra and the
ZyXEL modems on a scale of -10 (worst) to +10 (best). Here are the results:

        Total responses: 40
        Total Supra:     27
        Total ZyXEL:     13     (Note: some people scored both modems,
                                       for purposes of the total I counted
                                       this as 2 responses.)

        Supra average:   +5.8
        Supra SDev        4.1

        ZyXEL average:   +8.2
        ZyXEL SDev        1.2

A histogram of responses follows:

        Score           Supra (#)       ZyXEL (#)
        -----           --------        --------
        -10             0               0
        -9              0               0
        -8              0               0
        -7              0               0
        -6              1               0
        -5              0               0
        -4              1               0
        -3              0               0
        -2              1               0
        -1              0               0
         0              0               0
         1              1               0
         2              0               0
         3              0               0
         4              1               0
         5              3               1
         6              3               0
         7              5               1
         8              5               4
         9              3               7
        10              3               0

Those persons who scored both modems ALWAYS scored the Supra LOWER than
the ZyXEL (the lowest ZyXEL score was a +5, and this person gave the
Supra a +1).

It seems that the Supra is a good modem for the money, but it has some
flaws (gets hot, latches up, sometimes has problems with connections,etc).
If you have good phone lines, don't plan on unattended operation, need
special protocalls, and are willing to tollerate the ocasional glitch,
then the Supra might be a good deal for you.

The ZyXEL, however, appears almost bullet proof. If you want the next
best thing to perfection and don't want to pay out the nose for it,
buy a ZyXEL (or so say our survey respondants). Other benifits of the
ZyXEL included better customer support, instant free ROM upgrades via
down-loadable ROM images (provided you can burn your own ROMs), and a
68000 with 2 DSP chips (providing a much more flexable engine than the
Rockwell ASICs in the Supra).

I've included a response I got that gave a nice comparision of several
modems, including the Supra and the ZyXEL. The respondant (sorry, don't
know his name) tested each modem and then ranked it on the -10 to +10
scale. His results agree with the survey.

					-Mark
P.S. I've decided to buy a ZyXEL (E+ model).



>From pep@cypress.com Tue Nov  3 23:34:54 1992
To: Scrivener%llnl.gov@meson.cypress.com
~Subject: modems
Cc: pep@cypress.com


I did a one on one comparison of Gateway, Zoom, Supra, and ZyXEL. Here is
rough cut at data. I called several hard to connect to systems both local
and long distance. Modems were rotated and the calling sequence cycled
through approximately 5 times.  As an example of the variance, Gateway
never connected to ZyXEL BBS. Rarely to R&E. Rarely (once? - don't have
my notes with me) to work. ZyXEL connected to Supra, ZyXEL, USR Dual, PPI
reliably. Gateway never got 14400 connect to PPI. Only ZyXEL, and PPI
(seperate test on PPI - not one on one) connected all of the time.
PPI droped carrier or had UUCP problem depending on PROMs used. PPI wasn't
tested under as adverse conditions as the others were.

>  Anyone interested in a comparison test against other
>  modem brands? I have the ZyXEL, can borrow a Zoom.
>  The Supra MAY be able to be borrowed again.
>

RESULTS OF THE FIRST Paul E. Platt …

Showing first 20,000 characters of 32,842 total. Open the full document →

From: Dominique Petitpierre <petitp@divsun.unige.ch>
Subject: Mac won't boot from second disk. Why?

Here is the summary of the answers I got for the question I asked on
December 18th in Info-Mac Volume 13 Issue 176:

|I have just added a second internal disk drive in my Macintosh, and would
|like to make it the boot disk while keeping the old disk still bootable in
|case of problems. Infortunately, whatever I do, the Mac insists to boot
|from the old disk.
|- Why? What can I do?

The short answer:
=================

What worked for my purpose was to exchange the SCSI ids of the disks,
putting the new disk at target 0, and the old target 0 disk at target 1.
Now I can use Startup Disk to choose whichever of these two disks as boot
disk, and at the next restart the mac boots from the chosen disk.  The
reason it works has to do with the fact that the Mac tries longer to boot
from SCSI target 0.  Many thanks to Julian Daniel, North Star Computer Ltd.
<norstar@bconnex.net> who suggested this.

If my purpose is fullfilled, the real problem is not solved:  How can you
force the Mac to wait long enough for disks not at SCSI target 0.  For
example I have another old external disk, that I use only briefly for
backups because it is too noisy.  The same symptom occurs:  even if it is
bootable when it is the only disk on the SCSI bus, the Mac won't boot from
it if the internal disk is available, whatever I do.

Thanks to all the people who helped with suggestions:
Julian Daniel <norstar@bconnex.net>
Jim Carr <Jim.Carr@latimes.com>
Christian F.  Buser <cbuser@access.ch>
Gregory Johnson <gregj@desktopdesign.com>
Glenn Schaffer <Gschaffe@michp7.redstone.army.mil>
Thomas Ytterberg <thomas.ytterberg@mailbox.swipnet.se>
Dr. Francisco-J. Renero-C. <paco@xochitl.inaoep.mx>
Art Treiber <artt@mail.erols.com>

The long answer:
================

For the curious, here is a summary of other suggestions I received with
comments and of a few things I discovered while trying to solve this.

First here are the informations I provided with my original question:
|Here are some facts and things I tried:
|
|My setup:
|Computer: MacIIx with System 7.0.1 and Tune Up 1.1.1 (on the old disk).
|Old disk is a Quantum 170S at SCSI target 0 with driver FWB HDT (I never
|touched this, and would prefer not to).
|New disk is an IBM DPES 31080 at SCSI target 3 with Silverlining 5.4.2/16
|(also tried 5.6.3/25)
|The new disk has a bare fresh system 7.0.1, installed from the Apple System
|7.0.1 diskettes.
|The "Startup Disk" control panel shows the new disk selected as startup disk.
|
|Tests and observations:
|- The System Folder on the new disk is blessed (shows the icon).
|- After boot on the old disk, the new disk mounts fine (appears on
|  the desktop).
|- If the old disk is disabled (physically disconnected), the new disk boots
|  fine (so it IS bootable).
|- At boot time, I hear that the new disk is probed twice:  once before boot
|  starts on the old disk and once after.  With Silverlining 5.6.3/25 this is
|  confirmed by the caption that Silverlining displays twice on the
|  screen. It seems also that in the first round, the new disk (SCSI 3)
|  is probed before the new disk (SCSI 0), which is what I expect.
|
|Things I suspect:
|-  Answer from the second disk is too slow for the impatient MacIIx
|  (But shouldn't disk of recent make be faster than old ones?)
|- Incompatibility between disk drivers (FWB and Silverlining).

- The most common suggestion was to check SCSI termination.  In fact,
during my trials, I had once a clear case of bad termination due to a bad
connection:  the old disk would eventually boot after waiting ages at each
stage of the boot, but the new disk would not even mount.  MtEverything
reported bad termination.  So my problem might have been a lighter case of
bad termination:  timeout for boot, but not preventing mount.

I was very careful with that when I installed the new IBM 1080 disk:  I
made it the last device on the chain inside the Mac and enabled its active
termination (jumper).  On the Quantum 170S, I took care to remove the three
resistor packs next to the SCSI connector to disable termination.

I was pretty sure that there was nothing wrong with termination because I
was able to connect and use without other problems seven devices on the
SCSI chain (two internal disks, two external disks, a tape drive, a CD ROM
drive and a scanner), I doubled checked it by shortening the chain to just
the two internal disks and terminating the open ended side of the chain
with a pass through terminator on the SCSI plug of the Mac's back panel.
It made no difference.

My next move would have been to measure the termination resistance with a
multimeter (see how to below).


- The second most common suggestion was to check the batteries:  Mac II,
IIx and IIfx have two internal lithium batteries, for power up and for
keeping the PRAM settings and the time.  When I checked with a multimeter,
both batteries provided the expected 3.6 volts.  Because of the old age of
my MacIIx, I decided to buy a spare pair of new batteries, to have handy
when things go bad, and tried them as well:  it made no difference.  Good
thing I saved my PRAM settings during another test (see below), because I
had overlooked the fact that I would loose them when taking off the
battery.


- Another suggestion was to zap the PRAM (not forgetting to save the
settings before with a tool like Tech Tool 1.0.9).  It did not make any
difference.


- Some suggested to make the old disk not bootable either by moving the
System and Finder in separate folders, or by specifying with Silverlining
or HDT that it should not be mounted at startup.  Not very practical; that
would have been my last resort:  In the second case you need a mounting
utility to force mount after startup.  And in case of trouble with the new
disk, a floppy is necessary to make the old disk bootable again.


- Some people suggested to use HDT on the second disk as well:  it did not
work (with an old HDT version 1.0).  Worse it put my Mac in a very strange
state where it froze in the middle of the boot with a blank screen.  The
only way to force it to boot from an emergency floppy was to use the magic
key combination command-option-shift-delete, you know, where you have one
hand on command-option-shift on the keyboard, the other hand behind the
computer case to press the restart button, and the nose on the delete key
:-)...  Worse, my first level safety net failed:  Silverlining on the
emergency floppy would cause a bomb immediately (I checked it afterwards it
was just fine, so HDT must have really messed things up...).
I had to resort to a system 6.0.8 floppy disk and another Silverlining
floppy and play disk jockey to alternate between the two floppies.
Moralite': have alternate rescue solutions....


- I was too chicken to replace the HDT driver on the first disk with
Silverlining.  (Yes I have backups...  150 MB worth of compressed archives
on floppies and tapes, not a nice perspective to reinstall :-(.)  Once I
move the old disk data on the new one, and make a new backup, I might
dare change the driver on the old disk.


- Jim Carr suggested:
>HDT Utils (Part of Hard Disk Toolkit) has an option
>to set startup delay on internal drive.  This would allow extra time for
>your prefered drive to spinup.

Not an option for Siverlining controlled drive, and I was not really keen
on retrying for a third time the HDT driver (see previous point).
Today I bought HDT 1.7 Personal Edition, and will see if I can do something
for the slow external disks.  (I am fed up of taking apart the internal
ones to fiddle with jumpers :-), now they work as I want and I won't touch
them for a while).


- Glenn Schaffer suggested:
>Try to swap the order the drives are plugged in to the motherboard.
Haven't tried it, because my SCSI ribbon does not let me to.


- and also
>spin-up time needs to be accommodated.
>I recall a few applications which can do that (saved
>in PRAM, if I remember right), but don't have any of them or recall their
>exact names.  Something like "Startup Delay" ???  I don't think the 
>startup delay is your problem unless you've got a lot of cards in you Mac
>which pull a lot of power (the IIx has a pretty hefty power supply)."

The only tool with a similar name I found was "Delayed Startup Items"
which addresses a different problem. According to Jim Carr, HDT Utils
should allow this.


- I also double checked the jumper settings on the disks; In particular on
the IBM DPES 31080, jumper 7 disables "target initiated synchronous
negotiation".  It did not change anything, on or off.  I did not dare to
put on jumper 4 to disable auto spin.  Would it bootor mount if autospin is
disabled?



Diagnostic tools and informations
=================================
various things I found useful (or could have) in my search for a solution
(program file pathnames are given for Info-Mac archives mirrors).

- Mt.Everything 1.0.3, disk/mt-everything-103-cdev.hqx
Complains explicitely in case of bad termination.

- SCSI Probe 3.5, disk/scsi-probe-35.hqx
Suggested by Glenn Schaffer for detecting bad termination.
Cannot selectively mount disks like Mt.Everything-103.

- Tech Tool 1.0.9, cfg/tech-tool-109.hqx
Suggested by Jim Carr to save and zap the PRAM.

- TattleTech 2.2.0, cfg/tattle-tech-22.hqx
Useful to check the existence of boot blocks and system files on disks.
Provides a nice concise description for each feature it reports.  Can
also give you the list of all your applications with their version and
creator type.  On the new disk I want to do a complete re-installation of
my system and applications from original distributions, and such a list
will enable me to check that I get the right versions and that I apply all
the upgrades!

- Set Startup 1.3, cfg/set-startup-13.hqx
A replacement for Startup Disk that let you specify the startup disk by
SCSI id, even if the corresponding disk is not mounted.  I haven't used it.

- System 6.0.8 and System 7.0.1
(ftp://ftptoo.support.apple.com/pub/apple_sw_updates/US/mac/system_sw/
in system_6_0_8_1.4m and system_7.0.1.)
1.4 MB disk images of Systems, practical if, like me you are not sure to
be able to read 800k floppies anymore. Also System 6.0.8 is small enough
to let you put easily other things on the floppy: Silverlining, SCSIProbe
etc.

- Larry Pina's book "Macintosh II Repair and Upgrade Secrets", published by
Hayden Books, helped me for the battery checking.

- The Web page of Quantum Corp., where I found documentation on disk jumper
settings (http://www.quantum.com/support/jmprmenu.htm).  Infortunately my
Quantum 170S was not described there, but I could work from analogy with
for example the "Empire 540", which shares some jumper two letter labels.

- The Web page of LaCie, where I found an updater for older Silverlining
software (http://www.lacie.com/updates.html), information on SCSI
termination (http://www.lacie.com/jumpers.html), a very well made
"Encyclopedia of Hard Drive Terms and Concepts"
(http://www.lacie.com/data.html) explaining SCSI issues and hard drive
formatting, a summary of keyboard command tricks
(http://www.lacie.com/tip.html), and a page on troubleshooting
(http://www.lacie.com/shoot.html).

- The SCSI Frequently Asked Questions for the comp.periphs.scsi newsgroup,
(ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet-by-group/comp.periphs.scsi/*)

The following message I collected long time ago about checking passive
termination with a multi-meter:

>Date: Wed, 21 Jul 93 15:03:24 GMT
>From: wyman@esfm01.SINet.SLB.COM
>Subject: (R) SCSI device termination - how to check for it with a multi-meter
>
>.....
>
>2. Even without connecting the device and without opening it, a simple test
>with a cheap multi-meter (or an expensive one, if that's all you have!)
>will reveal whether your device is internally terminated:
>
>With the device power off, measure between pins 26 & 50 of the 50-contact
>SCSI connector, "the narrow side" of the D-shaped ribbon-contact connector.
>The measured value for an un-terminated SCSI device will be 10,000 ohms
>or more, effectively an open circuit.
>
>A device with standard passive resistor packs installed will measure
>about 260 ohms plus or minus 15 ohms.  A doubly-terminated device
>(internal resistor packs + external terminator on the other connector)
>will measure about 130 ohms (half of the normal value).  Of course, in
>this latter case you MUST remove one of the terminators to be correctly
>configured.  I make a practise of checking ALL in-coming SCSI hardware
>and removing the internal SCSI packs if found.  Other posters have
>exhaustively explained the correct configuration for a SCSI bus. I won't
>repeat that discussion here.
>
>
>       25                                               1
>    ________________________________________________________
>   (    o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o    )
>    \ ---------------------------------------------------   /
>     \ --------------------------------------------------  /
>      \ o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o /
>       --------------------------------------------------
>       50                                               26
>
>        ^                                               ^
>        |__________________ 260 ohms ___________________|
>
>Note that you can use the procedure to examine a chain of SCSI devices
>for correct termination:  Disconnect the System SCSI cable at the first
>device and make the measurement.  You should only "see" one terminator
>in the chain, at the far end.  If you then remove it from the last
>device, you should see an open or nearly-open circuit as above.
>
>I use the same procedure for checking SCSI device chains on SUN and
>VAX workstations.
>
>Doug.Wyman
>Schlumberger - GeoQuest
>Montrouge, France


Conclusion:
===========

I hope these informations will be useful to people that have boot problems.

And in case you were wondering, I paid $290 for the brand new IBM 1080 MB
disk, without cable etc.; worth it, even on an aging Mac IIx :-)

Dominique
--
Mr. Dominique Petitpierre | petitp@divsun.unige.ch  | Tel: +41 (22) 705 7117
ISSCO, University of Geneva/54 route des Acacias/CH-1227 GENEVA (Switzerland)