philip@utstat.uucp (Philip McDunnough) (08/24/90)
Is there any software that can tell whether or not a memory card is DMA compatible(i.e. will work with the DMA SCSI card)? Philip McDunnough University of Toronto philip@utstat.toronto.edu [my opinions] .
toddpw@tybalt.caltech.edu (Todd P. Whitesel) (08/24/90)
philip@utstat.uucp (Philip McDunnough) writes: >Is there any software that can tell whether or not a memory card >is DMA compatible(i.e. will work with the DMA SCSI card)? not 100% of the time. It's easier to ask the manufacturer. Todd Whitesel toddpw @ tybalt.caltech.edu
toddpw@tybalt.caltech.edu (Todd P. Whitesel) (08/24/90)
Oops, what I meant to say was, it is possible for software to check the memory configuration, but that's not conclusive. Example: Software sees two megs in the expansion slot. DMA compatible? Yes, if you are using a GS Sauce, GS Juice, OCTORAM w/ 2 1 meg SIMMs, ... NO, if you are using an OCTOram with eight 256k SIMMs on it. In general, if your card's maximum capacity is four times its minimum (with the same given chip density) then it is almost definately DMA compatible. If it supports more (All of AE's cards do), then the additional expansion beyond four MAY OR MAY NOT be DMA compatible. The motherboard supports 1, 2, or 4 rows of 256K, and 1, 2, or 4 rows of 1 meg. Any other configurations are not automatically DMA compatible. You could do it if a DMA device was available for the test software to use. It should be possible to write a very simple program for the DMA SCSI card that tests all expansion RAM for DMA compatibility. I'll do that when I get mine (soon, soon... I'm very close to a final decision on the hard drive). Todd Whitesel toddpw @ tybalt.caltech.edu
philip@utstat.uucp (Philip McDunnough) (08/24/90)
In article <1990Aug24.003638.9617@laguna.ccsf.caltech.edu> toddpw@tybalt.caltech.edu (Todd P. Whitesel) writes: >philip@utstat.uucp (Philip McDunnough) writes: > >>Is there any software that can tell whether or not a memory card >>is DMA compatible(i.e. will work with the DMA SCSI card)? > >not 100% of the time. > >It's easier to ask the manufacturer. I'd rather have something that would work even most of the time than phoning all over the continent in order to obtain an answer which may be accurate only most of the time. So, I would still like some utility that checks out the compatibility of 2 (preferable 3 items). These are, as you might well guess, AE's GS RAM+, Apple's DMA SCSI card, and if possible the TWGS. It's rather annoying to be running ok for a week and then have things start to crash. Who knows what it could be? I don't have that many DA's. They work fine for periods of time, the system works fine for periods of time and both don't work fine for periods of time. Philip McDunnough University of Toronto philip@utstat.toronto.edu [my opinions]
philip@utstat.uucp (Philip McDunnough) (08/24/90)
In article <1990Aug24.011911.10594@laguna.ccsf.caltech.edu> toddpw@tybalt.caltech.edu (Todd P. Whitesel) writes: [List of DMA compatible cards and an explanation] > >In general, if your card's maximum capacity is four times its minimum (with the >same given chip density) then it is almost definately DMA compatible. > >If it supports more (All of AE's cards do), then the additional expansion >beyond four MAY OR MAY NOT be DMA compatible. You've got me confused. Are you saying any AE card with 4 or fewer megs will be DMA compatible? I have one in a GS RAM+ card(which is supposed to be DMA compatible- according to the AE guideleines). So that gives me 2.25 megs on a ROM03. I am still leary, and not knowing why things are happening is rather annoying. This is usually the case when you start mixing and matching hardware from different sources. I've had similar hassles whenever I've tried to use non-Apple products with my Macs, and the same went for IBM etc... We should not have to be buying non-Apple caching devices, memory cards, etc...It getting to a breaking point and it won't be me that breaks! Philip McDunnough University of Toronto philip@utstat.toronto.edu [my opinions]
toddpw@tybalt.caltech.edu (Todd P. Whitesel) (08/25/90)
Sorry, I sounded like I was implying that the first four rows of the card are automatically DMA compatible. They aren't, because of the way >4 row cards have to be designed. If the GS RAM+ is supposed to be DMA compatible, then check the TWGS. It is also supposed to require a certain revision level to be DMA campatible. The Zip Chip GS, however, it supposed to be DMA compatible already. According to Zip's representative on America Online, the last custom chip is due back from the factory on monday, and if a week of hard beta-testing works out then they will be going into production. Todd Whitesel toddpw @ tybalt.caltech.edu P.S. Any word on the 20 mhz 65816?
philip@utstat.uucp (Philip McDunnough) (08/26/90)
In article <1990Aug24.192715.7036@laguna.ccsf.caltech.edu> toddpw@tybalt.caltech.edu (Todd P. Whitesel) writes: > >If the GS RAM+ is supposed to be DMA compatible, then check the TWGS. It is >also supposed to require a certain revision level to be DMA campatible. I apparently have the latest revisions to both, but I am still sceptical. I would prefer to believe a software utility. > >The Zip Chip GS, however, it supposed to be DMA compatible already. According >to Zip's representative on America Online, the last custom chip is due back >from the factory on monday, and if a week of hard beta-testing works out then >they will be going into production. Well that's nice to hear. At least AE will have some competition. I do hope they allow for more than a week of beta testing. Furthermore, all of these accelerators may be nice, but they are really just band-aid solutions. Sort of like the many sound cards available for PC's. Developers need to know what to right to. They can't be expected to assume 8MHz GS's(cached) when the GS is sold as a <3MHz computer. >P.S. Any word on the 20 mhz 65816? It came and went in the dark. Who knows? A GS with a 100MHz 65816 would make little difference, unless it were sold by Apple. Philip McDunnough University of Toronto philip@utstat.toronto.edu [my opinions]