SE/30 w/ internal greyscale & 68030 accelerator

[Brooklyn]

A collector was selling his kickass SE/30 setup so I jumped at the opportunity:

Micron Xceed w/ CRT adapter

Diimo 50mhz 68030 card (w/o FPU)

128mb RAM

2gb HD

7.5.5

The machine is really cool, check out the pics below. I need to decrease the raster size a little bit. I've got a lead on a IIsi ROM, and then I want to update to OS 7.6.1. Can I put any 50mhz 68882 FPU into the socket of the Diimo without issue? Whats the best way to try to get internet access without possibility of an internal card and no host mac to connect to? (possible?)

http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/575/img0060eq.jpg

http://img194.imageshack.us/img194/7408/img0061pd.jpg

http://img818.imageshack.us/img818/7551/img0062un.jpg

http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/23/img0063u.jpg

http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/618/img0088ib.jpg

:beige:

 

[olePigeon]

Need a ROM for that SE/30?

viewtopic.php?f=29&t=16544

Heck, you could trick out your SE/30 even more with a custom boot chime and icons.

Very cool, by the way. And very clean. :approve:

 

[gobabushka]

That is one HELL of a conquest, I don't even want to know what you paid for it!

 

[Bunsen]

If you have something in the house that is running, or can run, a Unix-like OS, with a serial port, you can set it up as a bridge using ppp. Check out the thread "Adventures in networking a Powerbook Duo" for an example.

 

[superpantoufle]

Whats the best way to try to get internet access without possibility of an internal card and no host mac to connect to? (possible?)

Maybe it's not the best way, but the easiest one would be to try and find an Asante EN/SC, or better a Mini EN/SC, that "convert" the SCSI port to standard ethernet, imho.

By the way, it's just the coolest SE/30 ever you conquered!

 

[Gary_W]

Sweet!

 

[Brooklyn]

Thanks, I love this machine so far.

The only problem I've had so far is the sound is pretty weak. Does this mean the motherboard needs new caps? Or would could it be?

 

[Concorde1993]

Does this mean the motherboard needs new caps?

Yes. You should replace all of the aluminum caps on the board, since they will all eventually die out.

 

[Byrd]

For quiet sound you don't need to replace all the caps, but it is advised as it indicates others are due to fail.

Lovely machine that - I don't know why we lust for greyscale so much, it just looks so cool and possibly what the SE/30 should have always been.

JB

 

[techknight]

too bad we cant clone those video modules?

 

[Brooklyn]

Someone has already cloned the CRT neck board, however no one has cloned the stand alone video card that is also required.

 

[gsteemso]

I think part of the reason the video card hasn't been cloned yet is a lack of specimens to examine. If I were you, Brooklyn, I'd see if I could find someone to examine your one with an eye to replicating it for the SE/30 owning public.

 

[Brooklyn]

I am in process of posting pictures of the card in the xceed topic in compact Mac forum. Should be up later tonight.

 

[duxbridge]

Can I put any 50mhz 68882 FPU into the socket of the Diimo without issue?

Can someone shed some light on this original question? I have a similiar question, can a 68882 FPU be placed into the empty socket of a PDS ethernet card without issue?

Also, is there additional software required to utilise the FPU?

Thanks!

 

[Bunsen]

can a 68882 FPU be placed into the empty socket of a PDS ethernet card without issue?

Yes, as long as it is rated for the speed of the host machine or faster.

Also, is there additional software required to utilise the FPU?

I don't believe so. You may need to re-install the OS, but TBH I'm not sure if that's even necessary. Benchmark your Mac on floating point operations before and after installing the FPU - if there's no improvement, then try a re-install.

Can I put any 50mhz 68882 FPU into the socket of the Diimo without issue?

Yes.

 

[zuiko21]

But if the host machine is a SE/30, the FPU installed on the card may conflict with the built-in one... I believe those FPU sockets were made for the IIsi, which uses the same PDS connector and doesn't have a built-in FPU. I don't think the ROMs or the OS could take advantage of a dual FPU system -- although the 680x0 architecture does support it.

I think I have a similar card, but without the daughtercard... @duxbridge, could you please post a picture of the daughtercard? Thanks a lot in advance!

 

[Bunsen]

As far as I understand, in an SE/30 with a CPU accelerator present, once boot-up is complete, all processing is taken over by the CPU on the accelerator. In that case, I would assume the correct place for an added, fast FPU is on the accelerator card itself, not on the adapter card or any other PDS card, and there should be no conflict with the motherboard FPU if present. You are correct in that there is no need to add one to an unaccelerated system - hence, I assume, the fact that they are socketed rather than soldered down to the PDS cards.

 

[LCGuy]

Theoretically the accelerator should take over once the extension for it loads. I remember using a 5400 with a G3/L2 upgrade back in the day, it'd start booting using the onboard processor, and then the G3 would take over once the extension loaded. I assume PDS upgrades for the 68k Macs work in the exact same fashion.

 

[zuiko21]

Oh yes, you're right -- the accelerator board will replace the built-in hardware. However, I was thinking about those adapter cards with FPU socket for the IIsi and the like, which add themselves to the existing hardware.

I just opened one of my SE/30s... my Ethernet card isn't really like duxbridge's. As you can see, I just placed a 68882 (known good from a Colour Classic) on the socket.

The SE/30 won't boot with the extra FPU. It does bong, and the grey pattern appears, without mouse pointer, but it goes no further -- even the programmer's switch gets disabled! Without that FPU, everything goes normal.

By the way, it seems I didn't push the FPU all the way in the first time (those damned PLCC sockets!) and got surprising results: it once booted perfectly into System 6 but, when trying to restart on System 7, got the death chimes and this. Further attempts to reboot were unsuccessful -- it even made an unknown low pitched death chime!