msicv01@ms3.UUCP (Jay G. Heiser) (02/25/88)
Well, I know that Bruce Halperin is expecting his PC Transporter any day now. Has anybody actually seen one? I really want to know if my Central Point Software 3.5" drive will work with it (Oct 86, before advertised as Chinon drive). Does anybody have any idea? How does the Apple //e handle the PF keys? I'm anxious to hear more about this product. (related issue -- any speculation as to why the Atari ST has a software MS-DOS emulator for under $100, but the Mac has one for under $500?)
halp@TCGOULD.TN.CORNELL.EDU ("Bruce P. Halpern") (02/28/88)
My PC Transporter (fully populated memory = 640K RAM as IBM-clone768K as
Apple), 8087-2 math co-processor chip, single drive AE TransDrive (= IBM
compatible 5.25 inch, 360K drive. Cabinet is designed to hold two drives.
If you get only one, blank panel fills space. Slightly cheaper {about 5%}
to buy both at once, and saves trouble of field installation), ][e/][+
installation kit, plus Apple 3.5 drive directly from Apple, arrived. Installed
into non-enhanced ][e. Installation instructions were good; video was useful
but not essential.
Installation (physical connections of cables, etc.) takes about half-hour. Does
require a good light, and elbow room (as well as no visits from interested
others, gusts of wind, etc.).
My system started fine, but unfortunately failed the AE Bios Memory Test,
which is automatically run at initial configuration. This happened several
times. A telephone call to AE brought a returned material authorization
number (RMA#) [the system had not been bought directly from AE, bu only
copies of original dated receipt were needed to handle this]. The PC Transporter board was returned to AE about two weeks ago. Given typical transit times,
my hope is that I will have a repaired/replaced board back from AE around the
first week of March.
Some interesting info from the manual: PC-DOS *will* work with the PC
Transporter (as well as MS-DOS). However, neither IBM BASIC nor IBM
BASICA will work (which means IBM Compiled BASIC won't work). GWBASIC
*will* work. A modified (and large) version of ProDOS must be installed
on ProDOS disks for them to access the additional 768K RAM. With normal
ProDOS (I tried this), the additional RAM seems to be invisible.
I believe that QuickBASIC (Microsoft) will work with the PC Transporter in
IBM mode. Few people will have difficulty giving up IBM BASIC (of any flavor)
when QuickBASIC v4.0 is available.
Hopefully, my next report will be on the joys of using the PC Transporter.
****DISCLAMER: My comments, etc., are my own shakey opinions ********
| Bruce P. Halpern Psychology & Neurobiology & Behavior Cornell Ithaca |
| INTERNET:halp@tcgould.tn.cornell. BITNET:D57J@CORNELLA D57J@CRNLVAX5|
| UUCP:{vax135,rochester,decvax}!cornell!batcomputer!halp |
| PHONE: 607-255-6433 Uris Hall, Cornell U., Ithaca, NY 14853-7601 | halp@TCGOULD.TN.CORNELL.EDU ("Bruce P. Halpern") (03/25/88)
Initial impressions of PC Transporter: In general, it does what it claims to do-puts a medium speed IBM clone inside your Apple ][, allows you to use your Apple peripherals as though they were IBM peripherals, and adds memory and disk drive controllers to your Apple ][. As an IBM, DOS3.21, FrameWork II, Unkelscope work fine. As advertised, IBM BASIC and BASICA *DO NOT* work. GWBASIC does work. I assume Quick BASIC will. The Apple disk 3.5 works nicely as an IBM or Apple 3.5 inch drive. I had an initial problem with it. Turned out that for the PC Transporter (=PCT) "Control Panel" (a program brought up with shift -caps lock-caps lock), the first disk 3.5 must be called just that, rather than drive 2, even if you have only one 5.25 in AE transdrive as I do [I recommend getting two AE Transdrives initially. The box is made to take two, and most XT/AT have two]. If you have 5.25 Transdrive(s), you can *NOT* boot from the Apple disk 3.5 (in either IBM or Apple mode). As an IBM, you can change the directory to that of the disk 3.5 (happens to be B on mine), and then work from it. On the Apple side, the disk 3.5, which is daisy-chained with the Transdrive (must be), looks like drive 2 of whatever slot the PCT card is in. The PCT memory looks like drive 1 of that slot to ProDOS. Normal ProDOS does not recognize the PCT, its memory, or any drives run thru it. However, after you have used the Control Panel program to select the drivers you need, and saved them to PCT-ProDOS, that ProDOS can be used to replace the normal ProDOS on a Apple disk. Memory and drives are now recognized. AE supplies a program "PC Install", that is supposed to do this for you. I couldn't get anywhere with it, but found that direct replacement of ProDOS worked fine. The PCT memory looks like Apple-type memory to ProDOS. Thus, one must have SEG.XM on AppleWorks for the AppleWorks to run. I found this out because I had removed the SEG.XM (for Apple-type memory) and SEG.RM (for ][gs), since I had the PCT in a ][e. Big mistake. SEG.00 doesn't do it. PCT does **NOT** supply a mouse controller. It claims to allow an Apple mouse to also work as an IBM mouse, and supplies drivers for this. However, you must supply a hardware mouse controller. I haven't tried Apple DOS3.3, and don't have a hard disk (which is said to be supported). I don't know if Apple PASCAL can use the PCT add-ons, but will find out. Right now, I'm pleased with the PCT. ****DISCLAMER: My comments, etc., are my own shakey opinions ******** | Bruce P. Halpern Psychology & Neurobiology & Behavior Cornell Ithaca | | INTERNET:halp@tcgould.tn.cornell.edu BITNET:D57J@CORNELLA D57J@CRNLVAX5| | UUCP:{vax135,rochester,decvax}!cornell!batcomputer!halp | | PHONE: 607-255-6433 Uris Hall, Cornell U., Ithaca, NY 14853-7601 |