Orange Micro USB 2 PCI

[nathall]

Hey guys.

I picked up one of these https://www.macworld.com/article/164663/orange-5.html a few weeks ago at a local used computer parts spot for $5.

I finally cracked open (crack always being the operative word with this machine) the 8500/G3 to replace a non-functional CD-ROM. While I was in there, I swapped out the old Belkin USB 1 card with this guy. The thing smokes under 10.2.8 compared to the old one. However, it doesn’t work under 9.2.2. Inserted USB devices are not recognized, and it seems as if they don’t even get any power (ie, thumb drives with LEDs on them don’t light up).

After poking around Orange Micro’s 2002 website via the archive, I see this definitely should work with 8/9, albeit at 1.1 speeds. The “driver” link on their page just links to the standard Apple USB Support 1.4.1 at Apple, which I already have but re-installed anyway to no avail. System Profiler properly recognizes it as a USB card.

Any ideas?

 

[croissantking]

In Apple System Profiler it allows you to see a log of USB events (I forget what the menu command is called but I think it’s under the Devices menu). Can you see what it’s saying there?

Also I think there’s a later version of the Apple USB Support drivers - 1.5.x?

 

[obsolete]

9.2.2 comes with USB Support 1.5.8. Definitely would be worth a try.

 

[nathall]

In Apple System Profiler it allows you to see a log of USB events (I forget what the menu command is called but I think it’s under the Devices menu). Can you see what it’s saying there?

Yeah, I remember that now you mention it. I’ll check and report back.

Also I think there’s a later version of the Apple USB Support drivers - 1.5.x?

I think those were actually what I had installed (1.5.5?) before installing the 1.4.1 ones yesterday. Same behavior.

 

[nathall]

Ok, here’s what it’s reporting. Doesn’t mean a lot to me, other than it seems it can’t find a USB controller. Which contradicts what the very same program tells me on another screen when it reports that it found.... a USB controller. Also, we know the card is good because it works on the same machine under OS 10.2.8.

I can’t find a reference to error -2539 anywhere.

 

[Powerbase]

What's the actual chipset on the card itself?

 

[nathall]

This is the only chip on the card. Other than this you’ve just got capacitors, resistors, oscillator, etc.

 

[obsolete]

I think Vendor ID 1033 hints that there's an NEC chip under that sticker. 12EE seems to be unique to Orange Micro. I don't think they made any of their own chips though.

 

[nathall]

9.2.2 comes with USB Support 1.5.8. Definitely would be worth a try.

So I broke out the TomeViewer and took a look at my 9.2.1 and 9.2.2 updates and the latest that I have is 1.5.5. The 9.2.2 has a newer version (1.5.6) of the mass storage device and one other file, but the main USB support is still 1.5.5. I have not been able to locate a 1.5.8 on any of my 9.x discs.

So I’ve tried 1.4.1, 1.4.6, and 1.5.5 and all behave the same and result in the same set of error messages I posted above.

 

[Powerbase]

NEC chipset I've heard are fairly well supported under classic Mac OS. Is there a USB field at the top of the system profiler page on 'Devices and Volumes' that says like USB 0 or something?

 

[Snial]

OK, so this is perhaps a dumb question. Pretty much every PowerMac and Performa from the 7200 on (and 5400/6400 on) has PCI. And they can run Mac OS 8.x/9.x which means the OS support USB. Are the lowest-end PCI Macs fast enough to support USB 1.0 and 1.1? Or even 2.0? If so, what performance can we get out of them?

I ask this because my first USB Mac was a Tangerine iBook 300. I didn't buy many USB peripherals for it, notably my "La Ronde" Digital Dream VGA camera (I'll attach a photo if I can find it in 45 mins) and a USB Zip 250 drive (which always seemed very flimsy, but somehow still works). Oh, I also bought a Roland SC-70 sound module!

Anyway, early USB used a lot of CPU, because it kinda had to manage sending up to 16 x 64b packets every ms; so that's a response time down to 62.5µs per packet. Even my iBook 300 could only manage a transfer rate of about 0.5MB/s. So, could e.g a 7200/75 manage USB 1.1?

There's a link (but Coius had 7200/90).:

Power Macintosh 7200/75

I know all that I heard about this machine is negative, but I wanted it for two reasons. A. It is an apple, and that is rare in my county. B.Only PCI 601 Mac. It has 84mb of RAM and is running OS 8 on a 2gb Drive. Tons of software on board. :) Adobe, Quark ETC. And it was 5$ at the same...

68kmla.org

(note: this photo has the same resolution as the camera!)

 

[nathall]

NEC chipset I've heard are fairly well supported under classic Mac OS. Is there a USB field at the top of the system profiler page on 'Devices and Volumes' that says like USB 0 or something?
View attachment 84427

Nope.

I’d be fine just accepting that it doesn’t work under 9, except that Orange Micro’s own page claims that this exact card does: