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Got my IIgs working

S

Starshadow

Experienced Member
Joined
Apr 18, 2006
Messages
241
Location
Portsmouth, Va
I finally got a Power Supply for my IIgs. So far I've made the System 6 disk, used them to create a Second Boot Disk ( the Install to 800k Floppy Option) that I modified by removing the clock and printer control panel and added the sound control panel and two sounds. I've cleaned up and tested a Monitor,two 3.5 inch Floppy drives, a IIgs Keyboard and Mouse, and the machine itself. I also created "A Bard's Tale" disk so I'll have something other than just the OS. Overall I'm quite impressed by the IIgs. Now I'll have to find a SCSI Adaptor so I can run the OS off a Hard Drive and install Wolfenstein 3D.

However, I noticed one of my friends has a Mac Hard Drive that plugs into the Floppy Port on the back of the system. I'm guessing it was so the Mac 512k can have a hard drive. Does anyone know If the IIgs can use this drive as well? The HDD does have its own PSU that needs to be plugged into the wall outlet, so I'm sure it only uses the data signal part of the Floppy Port.

Also, how many 3.5 inch floppy drives can this thing handle?
 
Starshadow said:
However, I noticed one of my friends has a Mac Hard Drive that plugs into the Floppy Port on the back of the system. I'm guessing it was so the Mac 512k can have a hard drive. Does anyone know If the IIgs can use this drive as well? The HDD does have its own PSU that needs to be plugged into the wall outlet, so I'm sure it only uses the data signal part of the Floppy Port.

Also, how many 3.5 inch floppy drives can this thing handle?
Click to expand...

Sadly no on the floppy HD port. Everyone wants to go that route (including me) but no one ever made anything available since the Apple SCSI controller was already available.

There are also several IDE (CF) cards controllers available. Go forth and drool at ReactiveMicro.

I think ProDOS 16 can handle up to 28 drives on the desktop. I have a bunch of floppy drives but am not brave enough to plug them all in as I doubt the power supply could handle it.

Get more RAM before going to much further though. Is it a ROM 00/01 or ROM 3 system?

-Matt
 
Its a Rom 3. So between the extra ram from being a Rom 3 and a Expansion card I have about a meg and a half.

So If I got that hard drive from my friend, the Apple IIgs won't be able to use it.

From what I've heard the other routes can be expensive, especially the CF card route.
 
I think that drive (working ones anyways) can go for as much as $100 on fleaBay (at least when I am paying attention) so it might be viable to unload it that way for funding a CF Card.
 
Ok. now about the RAM Expansion card. What are the specs on the chips I should be looking for. I know I need to find at least 4 chips per upgrade, but thats it. I think I have a few Pre-SIM card 286 motherboards I can pull RAM DIP chips off of if the card isn't too fussy. Right now I have just a bone stock Apple Ram Expansion board with just the soldered on RAM and none in the sockets.
 
You will need 8 256k x 1 DIP RAM at 150ns or less (-150 or lower) per bank. On the stock Apple IIgs card there are 4 banks with the first bank usually soldered in.

-Matt
 
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