Three PCI Slot Hack For PM6400?

[Bunsen]

The COMM slot / contains all the signals of a regular PCI slot / one could plug an adapter into the COMM slot (just wires, no circuitry) to route the PCI signals to a standard PCI connector so that one could plug a third PCI card into the COMM slot.

Well now, that is itself quite interesting }

plus some serial bus signals

Is an extra serial port possible via the Comm Slot then?

convert that slot to cardbus or make it mini PCI

That would certainly open up some interesting possibilities.

Umax's C600 / With it's three PCI slots *AND* a comm slot, it suggests that there are REQ/GNT, interrupts, and ROM resources for what amounts to four PCI slots.

Unless Umax edited the Apple ROMs.

The Apple Network Server uses the same chipset and one of its Bandit chips has six PCI devices attached.

Am I right in recalling that the 9500 has two Bandits? Does that suggest a 12-PCI-slot 9500 is possible?

Anyone know if the PM6400 and PM6500 riser cards are interchangeable?

Yes.

They're also interchangeable with the single slot risers from the 54/5500, if that's any help to you.

What's a good/available CD Cataloging utility for 9.2 or 10.4.11?

AutoCat ($15) and AliasDisk (free) run on both

 

[Bunsen]

Possibly of interest is this hack which activates two extra PCI slots on a Umax J700:

http://home.comcast.net/~gionpeters/hhhh/j700.htm

 

[protocol7]

Umax's C600 / With it's three PCI slots *AND* a comm slot, it suggests that there are REQ/GNT, interrupts, and ROM resources for what amounts to four PCI slots.

Unless Umax edited the Apple ROMs.

According to this chart the C500/C600 has the same ROM as the other Tanzania-based systems. Nothing special.

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

trag, have you got a C-600 or were you making an observation from everymac.com or the like?

I'm pretty tired, but it looks as if any of the clones with an oddball number of slots, and can be upgraded, seem to be lower end versions of a six slot capable MoBo. IIRC, each PCI Controller/Bridge IC handles a maximum of three slots so, for a workable hack, there'd have to be a pair of PCI Controller/Bridge ICs.

Knowing a bit about Apple, there's just ONE PCI Controller/Bridge IC in the 6400/6360 and 6500 with a MAX of three PCI slots, which would include the COMM Slot II. The two slot riser works fine with a 6360 MoBo, but don't expect to add another slot with a three slot riser . . .

. . . unless of course, you steal the address of the CSII for the third slot. :

That's why I posted the links above:

PCI Bridge 3202

3 Slot 32 bit PCI Riser Card

Dimension : 155.00 mm * 65.88 mm * 1.60 mm

PCB Layer : 4

Interface : 32 bit / 5.0V

PCI to PCI Bridge IC : Intel® 21152 5

Insertion Direction : Left side

Device Setup : Software scan, manually setup

Golden Fingers : 5 ~ 8 u

EMI Prevention Design

Surge Protection Design

Of course, by "Software scan, manually setup," I'd probably have to assume it'll only work in a PC . . . :-/

. . . but just maybeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

Well . . . :-/ . . . I spent the day recasing a really fugly 6500 into my DigitalSTATION_910 box today and I think I blew up my $18.00 Two Slot Adapter (for another hack) testing the possibility of hoodwinking the MoBo into allowing the use of Three Standard PCI Slots if there was a Modem in the COMM Slot.

It was just a hunch, the only time I got results for one of the slots on the cabled riser was when I had two identical Video Cards installed, one in the bottom slot of the 6400 Riser and one in the first, straight passthru, slot on the cabled riser. Interestingly enough, the Card in the riser worked fine . . .

. . . but it disabled the card on the bottom slot of the stock riser. :?:

I tried another Video Card in the riser, but I knocked it over and something that apparently should NOT have been grounded, hit the PSU case and pole-axed the system instantaneously. After that, the 6400 wouldn't boot anytime the Two Slot Cabled Riser's plug end . . .

. . . was plugged in. :disapprove:

The ID SEL for the Second Slot has jumpers for AD 31-20 which is tied in with a 28 pin SMT IC with the legend:

IT8209R

0950 - AYT

ZFAM74 L

The PCB says:

Comply with

ROHS

Standard

It's all Greek to me, but maybe it makes sense to one of our EEs, just maybe? :?:

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

Correction, it was an $18.99 + $8.00 shipping SinTech Adapter card.

Looks like I may have found a way to use a USB Mouse on my Ancient KeyStone PC KBD/Serial Mouse -> ADB Adapter!

I hope this real USB 2.0 to Serial RS232 converter adapter type A is bi-directional or at least USB -> RS232/485/422.

From the Cabling I'm SURE it goes the other way. :-/

 

[trag]

plus some serial bus signals

Is an extra serial port possible via the Comm Slot then?

I looked this up in the C600 user's Manual.

No.

When a Comm Slot Modem is installed it disables the modem serial port.

I also checked whether using an ethernet card (PCI based) in the Comm Slot reduces the PCI slots available, but it did not say so, so I assume not. It appears that four PCI devices could be installed in the C600 and by extension, in the 6400.

According to Everymac.com these are Alchemy architecture. I think we've been calling them Tanzania, but unless Everymac has it wrong, they're Alchemy. The 6500/5500 is Gazelle.

 

[Gil]

According to Everymac.com these are Alchemy architecture. I think we've been calling them Tanzania, but unless Everymac has it wrong, they're Alchemy. The 6500/5500 is Gazelle.

Tanzania is the 4400/7220, which is a whole different animal.

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

So:

Which architecture is the C600 really based upon?

How many PCI Controllers are on its MoBo? 2=VERY GOOD! 1 = VERY BAD! AFAIK!

Does the manual for the C600 indicate that the CommSlot II is usable with a PCI/NIC along with those three PCI Slots or might it be limited to a Serial/MoDem?

If so, THAT would explain a LOT and . . . unfortunately . . .

very likely preclude said Three PCI Slot Hack For PM6400/Alchemy . . . :-/

. . . unless those stupidly (intentionally?) implemented addressing lines can be hijacked on the MoBo . . .

. . . which would limit the CommSlot II to serial/MoDem utility. But a 10/100/1000 PCI NIC'd be sweet! :approve:

 

[trag]

The C600 (and C500) is based on the Alchemy architecture, which is the 6400/5400 architecture. The 6500/5500 is Gazelle.

According to the C600 manual, one can install a modem or an ethernet card in the Comm slot. If one installs a modem, then the modem serial port is disabled.

I'm pretty sure all the ethernet comm slot cards are PCI based, and there's no mention of disabling a PCI slot if an ethernet card is used, so it seems pretty likely that connections for four PCI slots are available.

If would be interesting to do an Open Firmware Device Tree listing for both the 6400 and the C600, except, I don't remember if it IDs a PCI slot if there's nothing installed. Anyone remember?

The number of PCI controllers is one. None of this family of boards had more than one. As far as I know, the PowerSurge (x500/x600 series) was Apple's only extensible machine architecture. In theory, four Bandit PCI bridges could be installed.