waire@seas.gwu.edu (Timothy A. Waire Jr.) (04/17/91)
What would it take to upgrade a Mac II floppy so that it was capable of reading high-density disk, as well as work with Apple File Exchange? Is there a standard Apple upgrade for this? Thanks! -- Timothy A. Waire, Jr. (Whitegold) Executive Office of the President INTERNET: waire@seas.gwu.edu Office of Management & Budget The George Washington University Washington, D.C. 20503 Electrical Engineering & Computer Science Voice: 2023954922 Fax: 2023953910
jim@jagubox.gsfc.nasa.gov (Jim Jagielski) (04/17/91)
In article <3070@sparko.gwu.edu> waire@seas.gwu.edu (Timothy A. Waire Jr.) writes: }What would it take to upgrade a Mac II floppy so that it was capable of }reading high-density disk, as well as work with Apple File Exchange? } }Is there a standard Apple upgrade for this? } yep... it's called the MacII FDHD ROM Upgrade. It includes new IIx-type ROMS as well as a new SWIM (floppy controller) chip. This is required to USE the "new" FDHD SuperDrive drives. However, you must then buy the FDHD DRIVE itself. The ROM upgrade doesn't make your 800K drive able to read/write the 1.4M format, it just enables you to use the type drives that can! Price: ROM Upgrade ~$70 - ~$100 (w/ return of old chips) FDHD drive ~$350 - ~$450 } }Thanks! Yer welcome! -- =========================================================================== #include <std/disclaimer.h> =:^) Jim Jagielski NASA/GSFC, Code 711.1 jim@jagubox.gsfc.nasa.gov Greenbelt, MD 20771 "I object to all this sex on the television. I mean, I keep falling off!"
jas@ISI.EDU (Jeff Sullivan) (04/18/91)
In article <4943@dftsrv.gsfc.nasa.gov> jim@jagubox.gsfc.nasa.gov (Jim Jagielski) writes: >In article <3070@sparko.gwu.edu> waire@seas.gwu.edu (Timothy A. Waire Jr.) writes: >}What would it take to upgrade a Mac II floppy so that it was capable of >}reading high-density disk, as well as work with Apple File Exchange? >} >}Is there a standard Apple upgrade for this? >} > >yep... it's called the MacII FDHD ROM Upgrade. It includes new IIx-type ROMS >as well as a new SWIM (floppy controller) chip. This is required to USE the >"new" FDHD SuperDrive drives. However, you must then buy the FDHD DRIVE itself. >The ROM upgrade doesn't make your 800K drive able to read/write the 1.4M >format, it just enables you to use the type drives that can! > >Price: ROM Upgrade ~$70 - ~$100 (w/ return of old chips) > FDHD drive ~$350 - ~$450 >} >}Thanks! > >Yer welcome! > Does this turn my II into a (slightly) faster IIx? Is there any other difference but the FDHD capacity? Is the update 32-bit clean? (ha!) jas -- -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jeffrey A. Sullivan | Senior Systems Programmer jas@venera.isi.edu | Information Sciences Institute jas@isi.edu | University of Southern California
jim@jagubox.gsfc.nasa.gov (Jim Jagielski) (04/18/91)
In article <17613@venera.isi.edu> jas@ISI.EDU (Jeff Sullivan) writes: }In article <4943@dftsrv.gsfc.nasa.gov> jim@jagubox.gsfc.nasa.gov (Jim Jagielski) writes: } }>In article <3070@sparko.gwu.edu> waire@seas.gwu.edu (Timothy A. Waire Jr.) writes: }>} /* question about FDHD upgrade for MacII */ }>} }> }>yep... it's called the MacII FDHD ROM Upgrade. It includes new IIx-type ROMS }>as well as a new SWIM (floppy controller) chip. This is required to USE the }>"new" FDHD SuperDrive drives. However, you must then buy the FDHD DRIVE itself. }>The ROM upgrade doesn't make your 800K drive able to read/write the 1.4M }>format, it just enables you to use the type drives that can! }> }>Price: ROM Upgrade ~$70 - ~$100 (w/ return of old chips) }> FDHD drive ~$350 - ~$450 } }Does this turn my II into a (slightly) faster IIx? Is there any other }difference but the FDHD capacity? Is the update 32-bit clean? (ha!) } Actually, the MacII will still be a bit slower, due to the memory wait states. The ROM upgrade is also required for some 68030 upgrades since the MacII ROM won't recognize the internal PMMU "chip" and will look for and expect an external one. Using 4MB RAM SIMMs also require the upgrade. 32-bit clean... Ha! :) -- =========================================================================== #include <std/disclaimer.h> =:^) Jim Jagielski NASA/GSFC, Code 711.1 jim@jagubox.gsfc.nasa.gov Greenbelt, MD 20771 "I object to all this sex on the television. I mean, I keep falling off!"
gillies@m.cs.uiuc.edu (Don Gillies) (04/23/91)
There are problems with II, and IIx, and no upgrade can fix them. These machines simply cannot accept standard 4Mb simms -- the ones using 8 * 4Mb DRAM chips. They can accept 4Mb simms built from 32 * 1Mb DRAM chips. The 4Mb DRAM chips have a special "test" wire, which is brought out through the simm connection, and which the Mac II/IIx logic board does not handle correctly at boot time. The 1Mb DRAM chips have no such test wire, so they work correctly with the II/IIx. This is from the Apple Tech Note on DRAM installation and 32-bit cleanliness. Don Gillies | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign gillies@cs.uiuc.edu | Digital Computer Lab, 1304 W. Springfield, Urbana IL ---------------------+------------------------------------------------------ "WAR! UGH! ... What is it GOOD FOR? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!" - the song "WAR" by Edwin Starr, circa 1971 --
jweldon@renegade.csd.sgi.com (Jack P. Weldon) (04/30/91)
>In article <3070@sparko.gwu.edu> waire@seas.gwu.edu (Timothy A. Waire Jr.) wri es: >} /* question about FDHD upgrade for MacII */ >yep... it's called the MacII FDHD ROM Upgrade. It includes new IIx-type ROMS >as well as a new SWIM (floppy controller) chip. This is required to USE the >"new" FDHD SuperDrive drives. However, you must then buy the FDHD DRIVE itself. >Price: ROM Upgrade ~$70 - ~$100 (w/ return of old chips) I have an old (ie: no serial number) Mac II that has 1 FDHD (MPF75W-11G) and one 800K (MPF51W-23) but apparently doesn't have the ROM upgrade. I've called one of the local Apple service folks to order the above kit, but I was told that there is no such kit, only the drives by themselves or the drives AND the ROMs. Anybody know the part number or a place I *can* order the ROMS from? OR...: In article <1991Apr17.125051.27864@terminator.cc.umich.edu>, jgs@merit.edu (John Scudder) writes: > Come to think of it, I think that there is at least one precedent for ROM > upgrades. This had to do with a bug in the original Mac II ROMs, which > Apple would swap for you gratis if you asked. Does anyone have a list of which ROMS qualify for this? Mine appear old enough to qualify for Social Security (Beta 7.0) ??? :-) -- Cheers, Jack P. Weldon (jweldon@csd.sgi.com)