Thunder, Thunder, Thunder, ThunderCards... HO!

[NJRoadfan]

The Spigot Pro AV box has some tricky wording on it. It can only preview video at 640x480. It can't capture that high, but they omitted how high it can go and just claims "up to 30fps" capture. Outside of the very specialized Avid systems with SCSI RAID drives and hardware codecs, no one was really doing NLE on 68k Mac hardware.

 

[beachycove]

I think the card's functionality depended on the vram installed in the machine. It couldn't, for instance, operate a maximum capacity in the 660av, because its vram isn't expandable.

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

VRAM and RAMDAC capacities are intertwined. VRAM is the reservoir and RAMDAC is its floodgate. VRAM may be capable of runoff in the spillway, but the connector is only fed through the floodgate.

We're losing sight of the fact that the 1360 isn't a glass half empty, it's over three quarters full in the Radius/SuperMac UltraCard lineup and overflowing the brim in the world of Macintosh NuBus display. []

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

I think the card's functionality depended on the vram installed in the machine. It couldn't, for instance, operate a maximum capacity in the 660av, because its vram isn't expandable.

Now that is interesting! I wonder how Apple lamed the 840AV's little cousin? If the circuitry and RAMDAC are nearly the same as in the 840AV you could be in business.

1) stacking VRAM ICs onto the 1MB of (soldered? ) VRAM ICs could work

2) you'd almost certainly need to patch the additional address line

3) if the RAMDAC is the same part you might be good to go?

4) if the RAMDAC is a less capable part

 ---- it could be similar to the Radius PrecisionColor 8-XJ vs. 24AC jailbreak attempt

______ part number/capability may be different, but they're likely to be pin compatible

______ might be necessary to double the data bus width in the case of the 8-XJ? Doesn't sound right somehow.

______ dunno about how that might go on the 660AV board?

___ SMT rework might fix the RAMDAC limitation of the 660AV

______ there seem to be plenty of DOA 840AV donor boards in the wild, I know mine is almost certainly in that category. :-/

@trag: Radius' PCI Thunders(?) were a simple rehash of the NuBus Card, that was the accusation held against them. Methinks there a breastplate from the armory to deflect the poignard's killing thrust might be.

That TI RAMDAC might be identified on any number of PC VidCards of the era as well. h34r:

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

The three ASICs appear to be the same on Nic's 1152 as on o's 1600? Very strange!

They're also the same on my 3MB PCI Thunders, the one of with DSP board has a Post-It:

RDUS, GoldenGate

RDUSTHUNDER card

1152x870x24bit@75Hz

 

[beachycove]

Now that is interesting! - h34r:

Some more information on the card here: https://web.archive.org/web/20170420075235/http://vintagemacworld.com/radius/spigpowerav.html

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

LOL! The notion of freeing the Q660av from the bondage of Apple's soldered VRAM was what was interesting. h34r: Matching the Quadra 840AV's maxed 2MB limit's not a lot, but I hate to see any Mac overly compromised  .  .  .  having either or that card not so much. 840av I picked up down here might have been DOA for all I remember, it's a <3 donor. 660av came down with me and then went down the storage room whirlpool, that one was cherry  .  .  .  sigh.

Curios thing that the 840av only supports 256K VRAM SIMMs? 512K SIMM support would have given it 3MB VRAM, a goodly amount. That little wrinkle in the memory setup makes me think stacking VRAM ICs on the 660av board should work with a very few patch wires.

@Bolle -  check out that PLCC socket on your 1360. Finding the same three ASICS on a pair of indentical(?) 6MB boards with two different MaxRez specs and on their VRAM starved little brothers seems entirely out of the ordinary.

Those cards have Flash on board, could that be a pixel gatekeepin' GAL?

edit: Our old friend the GAL16V8B is sitting right next to what looks like it might be the RAMDAC? GAL20V8B is under that on the corner and the GALs are oddly stickered on the different cards. Just a thought, seems like some scullduggery may be afoot in that trio.

 

[omidimo]

Found a pic of the TIVGX packaging.

 

 

[uridium]

I think I've got one of the SuperMac Thunder II GX 1360's downstairs in the crates. Hadn't identified it yet.

Mostly I just use the trusty old Picasso in my IIci

If you have the manuals online .. keen to have a flip through. I haven't even identified the card yet other than spotted your image and "oh.. think that's the unknown video card down stairs!"

 

[reallyrandy]

I just got a Thunder II GX v 3.0.0 from Operator Headgap for $25. Not sure if it's 1152 or the 1360 but for $25 who cares?

 

[omidimo]

I just got a Thunder II GX v 3.0.0 from Operator Headgap for $25.

NICE! That is a sweet score! The 3.0 firmware supports NuBus PowerMacs.