Need Quadra 700 Guidance

[ErikTheHack]

I'm trying to get an old mothballed Quadra 700 back going like it should be.

I've got it running System 7.6.1 and software wise everything seems to be doing quite well.

The machine has 8MB of RAM and a good hard drive that is (I think) 1GB -- partitioned in half.

Anyway, I've got a couple of mysteries I'm trying to figure out and my recollection is way too rusty to recall with certainty what was up before the old girl hit the shelf years ago.

1 -- There is a single SIMM slot adjacent to the RAM and VRAM slots that from all the schematics and take-downs I've looked at goes unidentified and in all these references is shown unpopulated. On my 700 however it IS populated with a SIMM labeled "(C) 1983-88 APPLE 341-0655A FD1501 9015 JAPAN". Googleing around the only reference I found was a translated link which identified it as a "SE/30-ROM SIMM". All I can say to this is WTF?

2 -- I've got the box connected to a Samsung SyncMaster 204B via a Dr. Bott 4-way ADB KVM. The only graphics resolution available with all of the VSIMMs installed is 640x480 @ 67Hz in color-depths from B&W all the way up to Millions of Colors. Oddly though some specs I found via google indicate that the on-board graphics should be capable of:

Macintosh Quadra Built-In Video, Part 3: VRAM Configurations

This is the third in a series of articles which describes the capabilities of the built-in video of the Quadra 700 and 900.
The Quadra frame buffer supports a variety of pixel depths, from 1 to 32 bits per pixel (bpp). The supported pixel depths (1, 2, 4, 8, or 32 bpp) depend on the display resolution and the amount of VRAM in the Quadra. The fully expanded capability of both Quadras is the same, i.e., both the 900 and 700 can be expanded to 2 MB of VRAM. However, note that 512K of VRAM is the minimum configuration for the Quadra 700 whereas it is 1MB of VRAM for the Quadra 900 (this is the amount of VRAM soldered on the motherboard). The Quadra 700 has 6 VRAM expansion slots, while the 900 has only 4. Also note that only 0.5 MB, 1 MB, and 2 MB configurations are supported (i.e., 1.5 MB is not supported).

The Quadra 700 and 900 can be expanded using 256K (i.e., 128K x 16) 100 nS VRAM SIMMs. These are the same as the VRAM SIMM shipped in the base configuration of the Macintosh LC, or the VRAM SIMMs used to expand an Apple 4*8 video card to an 8*24 card. Note that the 512K VRAM SIMMs used to upgrade the Mac LC will _not_ work in a Quadra. (The 256K SIMMs removed from an LC when performing a VRAM upgrade will work, however. All those old 256K VRAM SIMMs laying around from upgraded LCs can be used to upgrade Quadra 700s and 900s!) The DRAM SIMMs used to upgrade an 8*24GC video card will also not work.

The following chart lists the Quadra 700 & 900 built-in video's maximum pixel depth supported depending upon the VRAM configuration:

Display size 512K VRAM 1MB VRAM 2MB VRAM
--------- -------- --------
12-inch landscape
384 x 512
(such as 12" RGB) 8 bpp 32 bpp 32 bpp

12-inch Monochrome
640 x 480 8 bpp 8 bpp 8 bpp

13-inch RGB & VGA
640 x 480 8 bpp 8 bpp 32 bpp

SVGA
800 x 600 8 bpp 8 bpp 32 bpp

15-inch Portrait (b/w)
640 x 870 4 bpp 8 bpp 8 bpp

16" Color,
832 x 624 8 bpp 8 bpp 32 bpp

2-Page Display (b/w)
1152 x 870 4 bpp 8 bpp 8 bpp

21" Color
1152 x 870 4 bpp 8 bpp 8 bpp

PAL without convolution
underscan-640x480 8 bpp 8 bpp 32 bpp*
overscan-768x576 8 bpp 8 bpp 32 bpp*

PAL with convolution
underscan-640x480 n.a. 8 bpp 8 bpp
overscan-768x576 n.a. 8 bpp 8 bpp

NTSC without convolution
underscan-512x384 8 bpp 8 bpp 32 bpp
overscan- 640x480 8 bpp 8 bpp 32 bpp

NTSC with convolution
underscan-512x384 n.a 8 bpp 8 bpp
overscan- 640x480 n.s 8 bpp 8 bpp
*Note there are two ways to cable a PAL monitor to a Quadra; only by using the proper extended sense code are you able to achieve 32 bits per pixel. For details, refer to the previous article on Quadra video sense pinouts.
- Dale Adams

Looking for someone that knows these beasts for help and/or any suggestions.

Thanks.

 

[Unknown_K]

Are you sure that is a Q700 motherboard in there?

SE/30 ROMs should only work in 68030 machines (IIci is the same form factor as the Q700 board). A q700 is a 68040/25. There should be only 4 30 pin SIMM slots in the Q700 while a IIci or IIcx would have 8.

What did you use to convert the Apple video connector to VGA to use that monitor you have? Most adapters have switches to set resolution (not color depth), or have one set resolution with no switches. The machine uses sense jumpers to figure out what resolution it can run at.

 

[ErikTheHack]

Yeah, it's a Q700 MB alright -- there are 4 SIMM RAM slots and 6 SIMM VRAM slots -- it matches with the schematics I've seen and reports as a 68040 MB etc.

I've seen this extra SIMM slot on the schematics and pictures I've seen but as I said before it does unidentified.

-- See attached image.

As for the video -- thanks for the info. The Mac to VGA adaptor I'm using came with my Beige G3 so it doesn't have any switches. I need to find one. Any ideas on sources? I'll need a couple as I have a Q950 I'm working on next.

 

[Unknown_K]

A few models had ROM sim slots that were not used, try the machine without that SIMM see if it works. You might have a prototype 700 that needed a SIMM, or somebody just felt like using one cause it fit. There is probably a jumper around there to select onboard SIMM or the socketed one.

Video adapters can be found on ebay and on the net in general. You can post for one on the 68kmla (where you crossposted this thread), or join the google group LEMswap and you will be flooded with offers.