Let's talk Nubus DOS cards...

[directive0]

So I really like having my 7100 back up and purring, it feels like old times. I'm playing some old games on there and exploring the by-gone era of software, but I have this desire that maybe you guys could set me straight on?

So when I was a kid I always wanted one of those nubus DOS cards, but I never got to play around with them. Whats the deal with them, or more specifically;

-What kind of requirements do these cards have?

-How do you go about using this card from within the Mac OS, is there an app that interfaces directly with the card for the purpose of using windows or DOS?

-Do I need a second hard drive to boot windows from?

-How is ram handled by this setup?

-How many different DOS cards exist?

-Whats the best place to try and find one?

 

[beachycove]

Just checking in here from afar.

Your best bet for basic info is probably vintagemacworld.com ... and I have a couple of them back home.

 

[directive0]

Thanks Beachy.

Big apology to everyone. It's clear this topic is pointless when I can google for it. Was just hoping for some dialogue on the subject, I will be sure not to make such obvious noob posts from here in!

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

The only "noob" question or suggestion around here is the one that isn't asked or posted.

I think this is a great subject for a discussion, that's how we come up with the information that makes 68kMLA posts hit the first page of a Google search about almost anything Mac for the twenty years spanning 1984 thru 2004. TidBits pop up all over the place, especially when tangential spins shake loose the cobwebs of those that've used or played around with the old iron.

If I can find it, I'll pull my double card out of box to see what I might bring to the table. I'm not sure I've ever actually gotten it up and running.

We'll move this topic into Peripherals if you don't mind.

 

[directive0]

Happily!

I'm no stranger to forums, but its always hard to tell what the unofficial protocol is regarding threads. Since this one had become necrotic I thought maybe it had been done to death.

I love this place!

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

Well, I hope I can think of some more places to look for by NuBus Card(s) or I'm out of luck. ISTR it being a pair that connected to each other with Ribbon Cables.

Hopefullly, it didn't go down the whirlpool with the storage unit. :-/

Found a nice F/X Frame Buffer Card that I'd forgotten about though. I think it did Green-Screen about the time of the IIfx. :beige:

 

[Unknown_K]

OrangeMicro made decent Nubus 386/486 Nubus DOS cards. Most came with an octopus cable but they were not realy needed (they provide sound out, serial i/o, printer port, and video port for a dedicated monitor). The setup software allows you to make a virtual partition on the mac HD where you install your DOS or Windows using the Apple floppy drive/CDROM. You can run DOS in a window or full screen. RAM is whatever the DOS card has installed.

 

[CelGen]

OrangeMicro made the best hardware PC solutions for the mac. If you couldn't do it in hardware you used SoftPC.

 

[LCGuy]

SoftPC was for 68ks and only emulated a 286 - on PowerPCs you used either SoftWindows, Virtual PC, or RealPC, all of which emulated a Pentium.

 

[directive0]

Was it possible to install more advanced system software with an orangemicro card? The intention here is to have my 7100/66 as a dedicated "apps/games of my childhood" unit that is set for LONG TERM service (by which I really just mean it will physically boot well into the next decade).

So from my understanding, the orangmicro cards are essentially 2/3/486's that utilize some of the Macs I/O and the PSU? That's pretty flipping rad.

Did any company (during the clone days) ever work in the other direction and offer a nubus/pci Mac-on-a-card?

 

[directive0]

GOT ONE! Thanks Beachycove!

Anybody know where I could legitimately find software for a Nubus i486 card besides the usual (not to be discussed on this forum) suspects?

Thanks!

 

[LOOM]

Really? You got one? :O

I have been looking for a 286 or 3-series (or 486) NUBUS OrangePC card for ages )

 

[directive0]

Not quite sure what I've got. More deets are here.

 

[LOOM]

Woha, nice. Exactly what I've been looking for myself.. Lucky you :beige:

 

[Charlieman]

Some general ramblings about NuBus PC cards and DOS emulation software...

The Orange Micro cards were intended for DOS/Windows use. As I wrote at http://www.vintagemacworld.com/O386.html, it is possible to run other operating systems if you are willing to experiment. CP/M-86 should be a fairly straightforward hack.

NuBus cards are available with Intel PC processors from 286 to 486. The last cards had VGA/SVGA built-in (Video 7 chipset). Windows 95 is an option but 32 bit Windows drivers are only available for later cards.

I've had very mixed success with Orange Micro PCI cards. Windows 95/98 is a piece of cake to install, but I never succeeded with NT4. Beta versions of Windows 2000 ran as well as might be expected even though OM never officially supported them.

---

The original DOS emulators from Insignia emulated DOS, not a PC. Emulated processors for SoftPC were 8088 and 80286, and there were multiple versions for different Macs, Sun, SGI and HP workstations. The first Mac version of SoftWindows (Win 3.1) emulated a 286 and was designed for the NuBus PowerMacs. Insignia had access to Microsoft OS source code which made it possible for them to emulate a DOS/Windows computer rather than a complete PC.

Later emulators, particularly those from Connectix, were PCs and thus able to run non-Microsoft operating systems.

 

[Dimitris1980]

I use virtual pc (i don't remember which version) on my performa 6116 (with sonnet nubus g3 500 mhz installed) for dos games but i would like to know if there is an emulator for dos that supports roland mt32. I have the original device but until now i have managed to use it on my macintosh with some sierra on line games that support it. Virtual pc seems to support only soundblaster.

 

[ClassicHasClass]

Not that I'm aware of. I guess you could hack it into MacBochs.

 

[olePigeon]

Boxer for OS X supports MT-32 emulation. You have to have the ROMs, though. Fairly easy to locate on the tubes.

 

[Bunsen]

NB, for those new to these devices:

There were two types of DOS/PC card for old-macs which were not Nubus: the one for the LC/Quadra 640 DOS, which plugs into the '040 processor socket, and has a socket for the 040 in turn; and the one for the PowerMac 6100 DOS, which was an 040 PDS card, mounted via a right angle adapter and 040-601 converter (and thus should also work in older machines with an 040 PDS {not LC} slot). With a bit of physical rearrangement, it should also work in 71/8100s.