Upgrading a PowerMac 6100

[maceffects]

I have a PowerMac 6100/66, i want to install a DOS Card or maybe the video card (I have both), and upgrade to a SCA SCSI Hard Drive 10,000 RPM with 18gig, I have 128mb upgrade ram, but I'd like to get 256mb (that may be hard but maybe you guys know a source?), will the power supply handle these things is my real questions.

 

[uniserver]

i'd say give it a shot, see what happens, ram is on ebay, my 6100 only has 72mb ram i didn't want to spend more then 10 bucks on ebay.

 

[Bunsen]

http://kan.org/6100

SCA SCSI Hard Drive 10,000 RPM

Personally, I don't feel good about the amount of heat that is going to dump into your 6100. And the power draw could certainly be an issue.

There is one 128MB 72-pin SIMM that is supposed to work on Macs, but I don't recall details.

 

[maceffects]

Well I have an extra fan by the processor for heat. But the power supply is what I am worried about it has a 2gb sca in it now but... I think it would use less power since its only 7200rpm. I just don't want to brake the ps.

 

[uniserver]

well do the math, on the label it should say what the 5v 12v draw is, it's working fine with the 2gb sca 7200, if you replace it with this 10k, I would like to say you will be fine... and yes cpu fan was a nice touch, i added one to my 6100 cpu as well!

 

[Bunsen]

You're unlikely to break the PS - more likely the disk would just refuse to spin up if there was insufficient power. Standard disclaimer goes here

One thing I tried once on a 6100 in regards to heat was separating the intake air from the output air - you'll note that both vents are on the bottom. I stuck a strip of 1" weatherproofing foam to the bottom, diagonally from one foot to the other. Though I'm honestly not sure whether that helped or not, it may be worth a try.

It's also often advised to dismantle the PSU and remove the dust filter; it's on the wrong side of the airflow anyway.

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

The (elongated form factor) HP ATX PSUs on eBay are a bit pricey at $40 (minus a little jingle) shipped, but they'll fit inside just about any of the pizza boxen's PSU sheet metal. They're whisper quiet as well as being far more efficient (better heat output/power ratio) than ancient PSUs.

The CPU fan is a nice touch, but more CFM or more efficient use (as in the case of Bunsen's clever, on/under the case, weather stripping mod) of the existing airflow is an entirely different issue. A higher CFM fan replacement might be the only mod necessary, along with the weatherstripping.

 

[maceffects]

That's a really good idea the 6100 gets sooo hot I put a keyboard on it(I use a LCD ) and it melts he rubber feet to the case!

I made another thred before viewtopic.php?f=9&t=18383&p=172756#p172756 regarding ram for this or a Lc. Do you guys think that ram would work? 256mb would be awesome

 

[maceffects]

Sorry to bring back a post from several weeks ago BUT I wanted to update everyone that it did in fact ( after several tries) fry the power supply. So becareful boys!

 

[Charlieman]

When they were new models, I recall running labs of Quadra 610s and PowerMac 6100s. In the 610 lab we endured incompetent physical burglary and incompetent password snooping. In the 6100 lab, I recall stupid psu failures owing to overheating. If your 6100 is still running, put a few wooden blocks beneath it to give the psu fan a chance. And if you are planning to rework the 6100 psu, please tell me about it.

 

[Brett B.]

Bummer, SCA drives are still relatively easy to find. I keep running across 4GB and 9GB drives from Compaq and HP servers - actually recycled about 50 of them a few months ago.

Hope you get your 6100 back up and running. I had a G3 upgrade in mine and it was a nice machine! Stupid plastic tabs break off easily though.

 

[Nathan]

@maceffects Are you the same person who goes by that on eBay? If so, nice stack of very tempting g3 upgrades for the 6100. Good luck with the dos card, I've got one but I couldn't get it to "work" even when I had the computer working. Too little knowledge of dos and macs I guess. Nice on the ram too, wish I had that much, mine is at the "official" 72mb limit.

My 6100 is regrettably out of order, with my best guess being a dead/unresponsive harddrive (last I checked I think I got the blinking ? on a folder). So, these SCA type drives are compatible? If so, what kind of adapter is needed. From the sounds of it, that kind of upgrade necessitates a new psu unit too...

Got to get a scsi cable so I can test out my trash heap acquired scsi zip drive.