14 Dec
2011
14 Dec
'11
2:26 p.m.
Here's a rather esoteric question that I suspect at least one person may be able to
answer better than the collective urban legendry found on Google.
I have a Mac LC475 (same machine as Quadra 605), and I'm looking to max out the
memory. None of Apple's tech notes mention anything about EDO memory, and people tend
to generally think that it can handle it, but I've been bitten before. Does anyone
have a good idea about whether the memory controller can handle it? Also whether it can
actually take advantage of it? My gut feeling is yes to the first and no to the second.
Secondly, does anyone have experience with Micro Memory Bank? They seem to be offloading
piles of newly-manufactured vintage-compatible (5V FPM and EDO) DIMMs and SIMMs on Ebay.
The collective common wisdom for the LC475 is that 128MB SIMMs will work, but only if
they're single-ranked. The salespeople for the vendor don't seem to know what
I'm talking about when I ask, and I'm having a hard time getting photos of the
board from them (which should at least let me look at the traces). Anyone know about
their 128 MB EDO/FPM SIMMs?
Relevant auction number is 350478815002.
- Dave
14 Dec
14 Dec
4:29 p.m.
On Wed, Dec 14, 2011 at 12:26 PM, David Riley <fraveydank at gmail.com> wrote:
Here's a rather esoteric question that I suspect
at least one person may
be able to answer better than the collective urban legendry found on Google.
I have a Mac LC475 (same machine as Quadra 605), and I'm looking to max
out the memory. None of Apple's tech notes mention anything about EDO
memory, and people tend to generally think that it can handle it, but I've
been bitten before. Does anyone have a good idea about whether the memory
controller can handle it? Also whether it can actually take advantage of
it? My gut feeling is yes to the first and no to the second.
Secondly, does anyone have experience with Micro Memory Bank? They seem
to be offloading piles of newly-manufactured vintage-compatible (5V FPM and
EDO) DIMMs and SIMMs on Ebay. The collective common wisdom for the LC475 is
that 128MB SIMMs will work, but only if they're single-ranked. The
salespeople for the vendor don't seem to know what I'm talking about when I
ask, and I'm having a hard time getting photos of the board from them
(which should at least let me look at the traces). Anyone know about their
128 MB EDO/FPM SIMMs?
Relevant auction number is 350478815002.
- Dave
Dave,
I have successfully used EDO memory in a Performa 475 (same as the LC
475/Quadra 605), but some of the EDO boards I tried only showed up as 96MB.
Haven't dealt with Micro Memory Bank.
John
4:33 p.m.
I have a Mac LC475 (same machine as Quadra 605), and
I'm looking to max out
the memory. None of Apple's tech notes mention anything about EDO memory,
and people tend to generally think that it can handle it, but I've been
bitten before. Does anyone have a good idea about whether the memory
controller can handle it? Also whether it can actually take advantage of
it? My gut feeling is yes to the first and no to the second.
I am pretty sure you are correct, and I *think* my Q605 actually does have
EDO in it, but I would have to check it (it's not easily accessible at the
moment after I retired it from active duty).
There is some dispute over total memory. LowEndMac, which I tend to believe
more, says that 128MB SIMMs have been used up to a maximum of 132MB. However,
it is known that double-banked 64MB SIMMs won't work, and I would be very
cautious about 128MB SIMMs. My unit has 32MB in it for a total of 36, which
is the stated maximum (and the maximum for the LCIII that preceded it, for
that matter) and the maximum that EveryMac says. So I'd be careful about
going higher or you may be buying duds.
The Q605 is an underappreciated gem, especially with a full '040. Mine ran
NetBSD exceptionally well until I merged its functions into the POWER6. Now
my only '040 left is the Mystic Color Classic.
I get my old RAM from MemoryX. They're not the cheapest, but I've never got
a bad one from them, and they're relatively local (Santa Clara Valley).
--
------------------------------------ personal: http://www.cameronkaiser.com/ --
Cameron Kaiser * Floodgap Systems * www.floodgap.com * ckaiser at floodgap.com
-- /etc/motd: /earth is 98% full. please delete anyone you can. ---------------
5:07 p.m.
On Dec 14, 2011, at 4:33 PM, Cameron Kaiser wrote:
There is some dispute over total memory. LowEndMac,
which I tend to believe
more, says that 128MB SIMMs have been used up to a maximum of 132MB. However,
it is known that double-banked 64MB SIMMs won't work, and I would be very
cautious about 128MB SIMMs. My unit has 32MB in it for a total of 36, which
is the stated maximum (and the maximum for the LCIII that preceded it, for
that matter) and the maximum that EveryMac says. So I'd be careful about
going higher or you may be buying duds.
Well, I gave it some thought. You really can't do 128MB in a 72-pin SIMM without
double-banking it; there are only 12 address lines on the SIMM, which gives you 24 bits of
address space (16Mx32 = 64MB) per bank. It may be that the 64MB double-banked ones
don't work right because they'd need memory parts with a non-square array or some
such; might be worth disassembling the ROM and seeing what the diagnostic is trying to do
one of these days.
In any case, it's only $20 with free shipping on Ebay, so it's not a very
expensive experiment.
The Q605 is an underappreciated gem, especially with a
full '040. Mine ran
NetBSD exceptionally well until I merged its functions into the POWER6. Now
my only '040 left is the Mystic Color Classic.
The LC475/Quadra 605 is probably my favorite machine from the '040 era (the SE/30 and
IIsi vie for my '030 affections). I wish I had one with a Q605 case, because I think
it looks a bit nicer; as it is, the fellow who sold me his 475 very nicely included an
ImageWriter II, but didn't bother to pack it very well. ImageWriter IIs are HEAVY.
So the case is almost perfunctory at this point. Always wanted to make a rackmount case
for it some day... All the LCs (the normal ones, anyway) have a very similar form factor,
so it's the sort of thing that would be useful across the line.
I get my old RAM from MemoryX. They're not the
cheapest, but I've never got
a bad one from them, and they're relatively local (Santa Clara Valley).
The one on WeLoveMacs indicated for the Q605 is definitely a double-ranked one (look at
the picture, which looks to be a picture of the actual item):
http://www.welovemacs.com/apple-memory-performa-performa-578-128mb-72pin-ma…
I guess I'm not terribly worried about it.
- Dave
8:24 p.m.
In any case, it's only $20 with free shipping on
Ebay, so it's not a very
expensive experiment.
I'd like to hear how (if?) it works, because more RAM in mine may make it
a good candidate for other tasks.
The LC475/Quadra 605 is probably my favorite machine
from the '040 era (the
SE/30 and IIsi vie for my '030 affections). I wish I had one with a Q605
case, because I think it looks a bit nicer; as it is, the fellow who sold me
his 475 very nicely included an ImageWriter II, but didn't bother to pack it
very well.
Eeeek!
I am not as enamoured of the Q605 case, though. My Q605 got an LC III case,
which *almost* fits (the auto-inject floppy doesn't *quite* work because the
LC 3 top case floppy slot doesn't *quite* line up with the Q605 bottom).
I am torn on '030s. The Color Classic is cute, but wimpy (the Mystic update
helped mine tremendously). The IIsi was my first Mac I ever personally owned,
and I have a lot of nostalgia for it, but suffers from a dearth of expansion
options (at best you can cough up a single NuBus slot). So I'd have to say
my favourites are the SE/30, of course, but also the IIci, which is stackable,
expandable and plentiful.
--
------------------------------------ personal: http://www.cameronkaiser.com/ --
Cameron Kaiser * Floodgap Systems * www.floodgap.com * ckaiser at floodgap.com
-- "I'd love to go out with you, but I'm watching the cat litter clump."
------
11:41 p.m.
On Dec 14, 2011, at 8:24 PM, Cameron Kaiser wrote:
If I get it, I'll let you know. It'd be a load off everyone's mind if most
128MB SIMMs work (I haven't actually heard any reports of any not working, but maybe I
haven't been looking hard enough).
Well, it's subjective, I guess. I liked the flat profile better than the slanted one.
I like the simple slot of the older floppy drives a lot better than the manual inject
ones, though. The LC 475 case I have is a manual inject one, though it's so badly
damaged it's almost not worth keeping the top on anyway.
In any case,
it's only $20 with free shipping on Ebay, so it's not a very
expensive experiment.
I'd like to hear how (if?) it works, because more RAM in mine may make it
a good candidate for other tasks. The
LC475/Quadra 605 is probably my favorite machine from the '040 era (the
SE/30 and IIsi vie for my '030 affections). I wish I had one with a Q605
case, because I think it looks a bit nicer; as it is, the fellow who sold me
his 475 very nicely included an ImageWriter II, but didn't bother to pack it
very well.
Eeeek!
I am not as enamoured of the Q605 case, though. My Q605 got an LC III case,
which *almost* fits (the auto-inject floppy doesn't *quite* work because the
LC 3 top case floppy slot doesn't *quite* line up with the Q605 bottom). I am torn on '030s. The Color Classic is cute, but
wimpy (the Mystic update
helped mine tremendously). The IIsi was my first Mac I ever personally owned,
and I have a lot of nostalgia for it, but suffers from a dearth of expansion
options (at best you can cough up a single NuBus slot). So I'd have to say
my favourites are the SE/30, of course, but also the IIci, which is stackable,
expandable and plentiful.
Oh, right. The IIci is my favorite. Forgot about that. That said, doesn't the SE/30
have the same PDS slot as the IIsi? The manual for my SE Ethernet card has instructions
on installing the IIsi + SE/30 card as well.
- Dave
11:59 p.m.
I'd like
to hear how (if?) it works, because more RAM in mine may make it
a good candidate for other tasks.
If I get it, I'll let you know. That said, doesn't the SE/30 have the same PDS
slot as the IIsi?
Yes. In fact, allegedly, if you find a IIsi ROM SIMM it will make an SE/30
32-bit clean. Allegedly, because they are apparently as rare as golden
hen's teeth in honest Congresscritters.
--
------------------------------------ personal: http://www.cameronkaiser.com/ --
Cameron Kaiser * Floodgap Systems * www.floodgap.com * ckaiser at floodgap.com
-- NOBODY EXPECTS THE SPANISH INQUISITION! ------------------------------------
15 Dec
15 Dec
12:26 a.m.
On Dec 14, 2011, at 11:59 PM, Cameron Kaiser wrote:
Yes. In fact, allegedly, if you find a IIsi ROM SIMM
it will make an SE/30
32-bit clean. Allegedly, because they are apparently as rare as golden
hen's teeth in honest Congresscritters.
Sounds like a job for an engineer! Though if one were to make a replacement, one would
have to have blank PROMs/flash on the replacement board, because last I remember, Apple
still viciously defends the Mac ROM copyright (as they probably should).
- Dave
12:30 a.m.
On Dec 14, 2011, at 11:59 PM, Cameron Kaiser wrote:
Yes. In fact, allegedly, if you find a IIsi ROM SIMM
it will make an SE/30
32-bit clean. Allegedly, because they are apparently as rare as golden
hen's teeth in honest Congresscritters.
Eesh. Looks like it's no picnic actually running the thing, though:
http://home.earthlink.net/~gamba2/os8_se30.html#lbrd
Though why you'd run 8.1 on an '030 is beyond me. Reminds me of the time I
bootstrapped an early OS X onto my (unmodified) 7300; I learned before I even got halfway
through the installer why Apple chose a minimum of a G3.
- Dave
10:10 a.m.
On Thu, 15 Dec 2011, David Riley wrote:
On Dec 14, 2011, at 11:59 PM, Cameron Kaiser wrote:
I thought the point of making an SE/30 32-bit clean was for running A/UX
on it?
Alexey
Yes. In fact, allegedly, if you find a IIsi ROM
SIMM it will make an SE/30
32-bit clean. Allegedly, because they are apparently as rare as golden
hen's teeth in honest Congresscritters.
Eesh. Looks like it's no picnic actually running the thing, though:
http://home.earthlink.net/~gamba2/os8_se30.html#lbrd
Though why you'd run 8.1 on an '030 is beyond me. Reminds me of the
time I bootstrapped an early OS X onto my (unmodified) 7300; I learned
before I even got halfway through the installer why Apple chose a
minimum of a G3.
4637
days inactive
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alexeyt＠freeshell.org -
chocolatejollis38＠gmail.com -
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spectre＠floodgap.com