There is some code in the PDM ROM that looks for a predefined signature in the DeclROM to see if one of the Apple video cards is installed in the PDS (aka VDS) slot...
You're right with that 8.4GB barrier on Beiges. I did some research on this issue. Here my results:
both Beige ROM revisions I have dumps for contain ATALOAD driver. This is actually the same old code as found in some Power Macintoshes and Power Books with default IDE support like PM 5200 or PB...
Does anyone know how to disassemble Apple 678-0136 (Panasonic CR-585-B) ATAPI CD-ROM drive?
Its controller board probably needs recapping. But I'd also like to take a closer look at the ICs and eventually dump the firmware.
I suspect that the PCB is held by the tray motor - see those fat...
Many thanks! The dump you've attached indeed contains the declaration ROM required for emulation.
FYI, I created a branch in my DingusPPC repository dedicated to PC card emulation: pc-compat
The last commit there contains initial code for loading the declaration ROM and initializing the on-card...
Disk Copy images can't store low level details of a floppy disk so they can't be used for preserving copy protected games.
That's why a2r, WOZ and a couple of other formats exist.
Copy protection software usually violate the low level floppy formats on purpose in order to make protected disks...
Interesting thread!
BTW, can someone provide me with the dump of the declaration ROM of a Houdini II card?
My DingusPPC emulator is about to emulate a Power Macintosh 6100.
I'd like to attempt at Houdini emulation someday. Such a thing wouldn't have any other value than preserving the original...
I wonder if that big 112-pin connector on the personality cards actually carries PCI signals. The AIO service manual says it does not. If that's true I'm asking myself why it has so many pins?
The only way to figure it out is to take a closer look at a child card intended to be plugged in there...
I don't mean to sound arrogant but I still can't believe that those units aren't serviceable.
It might be not easy or cheap but they are still standard switching PSUs so it should be possible to repair them.
We may need to make a good repair guide first.
There are really advanced tech guys...
Not especially a 8600 PSU, but I successfully recapped the Astec PSU from my Power Macintosh 6100. I got a good guidance at the Badcaps forum: https://www.badcaps.net/forum/showthread.php?t=62455
The most interesting topics discussed there are the choice of the replacement caps as well as...
All Beige G3 ROMs I've seen so far contain Open Firmware drivers as well as native drivers for soldered on-board ATI GPUs. Otherwise, those chips would not be recognized at all.