scotth@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (Scott Henderson) (03/08/91)
I did some investigation work on the Octoram, as I REALLY want one of these cards... I'll begin by following up on my own article about LRO computers. It seems that I really owe them an apology. The problem was not with LRO, but with a one person owned company called TCS. Evidently, he had some problems with obtaining parts to build the card. TCS bought the rights from MDIdeas, so the card is now being made. One myth that many believe is that the Octoram is not DMA compatible. The new version of the card is DMA compatible. DMA (according to the person I talked to at Digital Data Express) only uses 4 megs, so the other 4 megs on the card (assuming a full card) will just not be used by DMA (am I explaining this correctly?) The card is selling for $120 and I have identified 2 distributors. Since the company making the card is so small, you'll probably figure on a 4-6 week wait on the card. (I just wish someone would have explained this to me when I ordered one.) The two distributors are: LRO Computer Sales 1-800-869-9152 Digital Data Express 1-708-389-7744 The company currently making the OctoRam is: TCS 1-815-758-5040 -Scott -- = R. Scott Henderson = "Some people claim that there's a = = University of Illinois = woman to blame, but I know it's = = scotth@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu = my own damned fault. = = Apple II Forever! = -Jimmy Buffet =
toddpw@nntp-server.caltech.edu (Todd P. Whitesel) (03/08/91)
scotth@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (Scott Henderson) writes: >One myth that many believe is that the Octoram is not DMA compatible. The >new version of the card is DMA compatible. DMA (according to the person >I talked to at Digital Data Express) only uses 4 megs, so the other 4 megs >on the card (assuming a full card) will just not be used by DMA (am I >explaining this correctly?) This is true IF you are using the Apple High-Speed SCSI card. I don't know if the RamFast loaded driver will do it. The RamFast's firmware driver will definately work, so if you have problems you can delete RAMFAST.DRIVER and slow down a bit (not much if you have an accelerator). Soapbox for a sec: This whole business with LRO is really discouraging to me, as I've ordered my GS Sauce and RamFast from them and gotten both within a week or so. I've talked to Larry on the phone, he's enthusiastic but he's had to put up with a robbery, horrible UPS service (that's why he stamps 'we ship Fed Ex' on the ads now), and a lot of people giving him bad PR because of the above. I admit he could be a bit more honest on the phone, however. Next time he sounds like he's snowing you, ask him what the real problem is. Give 'im the benefit of the doubt for a minute and be friendly. If he's bored (like he was when I ordered my RamFast) he may chat on the phone for half an hour with you. Todd Whitesel toddpw @ tybalt.caltech.edu
gwyn@smoke.brl.mil (Doug Gwyn) (03/11/91)
In article <1991Mar8.005356.21694@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> scotth@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (Scott Henderson) writes: >new version of the card is DMA compatible. DMA (according to the person >I talked to at Digital Data Express) only uses 4 megs, so the other 4 megs >on the card (assuming a full card) will just not be used by DMA (am I >explaining this correctly?) No. DMA can occur to/from any address. It happens that the Apple High-Speed SCSI card does not use DMA for accesses above 4MB, but that's not the only potential source of DMA transfers. I explained this is more detail in a recent posting. Note that the Apple IIGS Hardware Reference Manual (second edition) states that only 4MB RAM is considered supported. In practice, at least with a ROM 01 IIGS, one can use an 8MB OctoRAM with a little care (as previously described). It's nice to hear that the OctoRAM is again being manufactured. It's a nice product. (It's also interesting to watch the faces of your IBM PC-owning friends when you mention that your IIGS has 8MB of RAM, 68881 FPU, several SCSI hard disks, etc.)