PowerComputing clone CPU card compatibility with real Mac's?

[Schmoburger]

Does anybody have any information or experience to share with regards the use of genuine Apple OEM 604 daughtercards from x500/x600 series machines (and others that are related) in clone PPC machines?

Specifically, I have a PowerCenter 132 that I recently pulled out of the Stack™, which uses the PowerCurve logic board and in standard trim runs a 604 daughtercard that physically seems to be the same as an Apple one and runs at a pretty leisurely 132MHz. I also happen to have collected an abundance of TNT-based 7xxx machines over the last 15 years, a couple of which are destined to be parted out due to various failures or poor overall condition and the fact I have many more than I need, meaning I have a few 200MHz 604e cards kicking about... You can see where this is going. I cannot help but feel this machine with a bump up to 200MHz would crack along like a bat outta hell under System 7.6.

So, before I go plonking in a 604e, can anybody confirm that the card is  compatible?

 

[trag]

Search for my old postings on the topic. I covered this in detail a year's ago. Unfortunately I don't remember those details any more, but they are preserved here and/or in the LEM email lists.

https://68kmla.org/forums/index.php?/topic/17416-85xx86xx95xx96xx-cpu-cards/&do=findComment&comment=173829

While I can't remember what works with what here are the categories of CPU card you need to be able to identify.

Original Apple CPU: All the Apple card's up to but not including 250 MHz, plus the Umax cards, the Daystar cards and most (all?) of the PCC card's that shipped in their Power Surge machines. Power Surge (? name) models were the PowerWave and PowerTower Pro.

Catalyst CPU: All CPU cards shipped in PCC's Catalyst-based machines. These included PowerCurve, PowerCenter, PowerTower, and Power Center Pro.

Power Base CPU card's: Shipped in PCC's PowerBase machines.

Apple Kansas or 604ev cards: Apple brand CPU card's faster than 200 MHz.

Third party upgrades: Early ones, especially 604 and 604e based card's may be only compatible with the Apple x500/x600 machines plus Power Surge based clones (Genesis, S900, J700, PowerWave, PowerTower Pro). Later upgrades included compatibility with Catalyst based clones. Power Base compatibility exists but is less likely than Catalyst compatibility.

There's a few signals on the actual card's which are wired differently for Power Surge vs. Catalyst and it means that card's of one type don't work in the other machines, but I can't remember if that's and vice versa or not. Anyway search for my old posting on the topic it lays it out and I know I specified which actual signals are different in at least one old message.

 

[trag]

Specifically, I have a PowerCenter 132 that I recently pulled out of the Stack™, which uses the PowerCurve logic board and in standard trim runs a 604 daughtercard that physically seems to be the same as an Apple one

The cards use the same form factor and edge connector but there are a few signals wired out to the edge connector differently on a Catalyst card vs. A Power Surge card.

 

[Schmoburger]

Cheers trag, this info is a godsend... That old thread from years back makes the politics of edge-daughtercards pretty straightforward. My undersatanding after reading that is basically that for PCC machines using  the PowerCurve boards it's no dice using any of the x500/x600 stock cards as an upgrade. Bummer. Not that it upsets me greatly... It's still a quick machine all told even at 132Mhz. Might keep a look out in any case for a compatiblish aftermarket card in any case.

 

[trag]

The word in discussion groups, back when, was that the PowerCenter Pro PPC604e 240/60 card worked in all of the Catalyst machines including the relatively ancient PowerCurve.

So for a Catalyst based clone the 240 MHz card is the grail unless you go G3 or later.

 

[trag]

Apple Kansas or 604ev cards: Apple brand CPU card's faster than 200 MHz.

That should be "Apple branded CPU cards 250 MHz and faster."
Note that there were a few third party 604e card's rated at 250 MHz which were not Mach V/ Kansas/ 60425V.