What happened with firmtek..?

[mcmcjohn]

I've ordered 4 sata port card for ppc mac g4 a week ago, but there is no order status and tracking number.

I've sent some emails but still no response. Is there any one who knows what is going on with firmtek?

I know it is hard to find proper card for os 9, and I was happy that finally I found great stuff, but I think the actual store is closed....

What can I do...?

 

[Byrd]

Call them - site looks very outdated

 

[cheesestraws]

Their website has a copyright date of 2020 on it, which isn't looking good. Call them perhaps, see if they still really exist or if the website is just hanging around like a ghost

 

[chikorita157]

I managed to order the four port one in 2021, I managed to get one after a few weeks, they didn't charge me until it actually shipped. Not so sure about now given that it's been three years.

Not to mention, it's possible to flash them a bit easier now, but I haven't tried flashing a Rabbit Hole Computing SATA adapter, since that one has a big rom, which in theory should make it easier.

Silicon Image SIL3112 Flashing: Easier Way Using flashrom

I have a huge update for you all. After many hours of reverse engineering, I was able to SUCCESSFULLY PATCH that SeriTek 1S2 ROM for the SIl3112 cards, allowing it to work with ANY 512K EEPROM! It functions just as it would with a "supported" EEPROM, working with and booting both OS X and OS9...

68kmla.org

 

[mcmcjohn]

Oh, they sent me a reply that it is unavailable so there will be no charge, finally... Btw, can you guys recommend me bootable four sata port card for mac os 9? I think I would never ever find seritek 1v4 card, maybe...

 

[chikorita157]

Oof, I’m must be lucky to get one of those cards. I don’t think the four port SATA cards ever got hacked or know any flashable ones. The only flashable ones are the two port SIL3112 cards.

I wonder, what other SATA cards that use this chip. The actual card itself appears to use a Intel EW31244 SATA controller. This is the card I have installed in my Power Mac G4 MDD.

 

[mcmcjohn]

Oof, I’m must be lucky to get one of those cards. I don’t think the four port SATA cards ever got hacked or know any flashable ones. The only flashable ones are the two port SIL3112 cards.

I wonder, what other SATA cards that use this chip. The actual card itself appears to use a Intel EW31244 SATA controller. This is the card I have installed in my Power Mac G4 MDD.

View attachment 73982

Right. You must be lucky one.

And I know there are 2 ports sil3112 flashable cards, and I got one, but the eeprom chip was a trouble. Most of cheap sil3112 cards these days in ebay have non-flashable eeprom chip. I tried to flash with my old desktop(I didn't know my card has non compatible eeprom.), I failed. It is hard to find proper sil3112 card with compatible eeprom chip in ebay. T.T

 

[chikorita157]

Right. You must be lucky one.

And I know there are 2 ports sil3112 flashable cards, and I got one, but the eeprom chip was a trouble. Most of cheap sil3112 cards these days in ebay have non-flashable eeprom chip. I tried to flash with my old desktop(I didn't know my card has non compatible eeprom.), I failed. It is hard to find proper sil3112 card with compatible eeprom chip in ebay. T.T

Unless you can source a big enough eeprom chip that can flash using the program, the Rabbit Hole SATA PCI card will probably be the easiest to flash since it has a big eprom, although it costs a bit more, but it has a 128 GB M2 SSD included.

retro SATA PCI Hard Card

This dual-channel Serial ATA PCI expansion card allows you to add Serial ATA 1.0 (1.5Gbps) support to most PCI-equipped desktop computers. One M.2 SATA connector and one 2.5" SATA+Power connector allow you to attach a 2.5" SSD or rotational hard drive directly to the card, without the need for...

store.rabbitholecomputing.com

I will probably buy this and write a tutorial/review it if I have another Power Macintosh project machine that has PCI to install it in. The Power Macs I have (G4 MDD and a G3 B&W already have SATA PCI cards with SSDs)

 

[mcmcjohn]

Unless you can source a big enough eeprom chip that can flash using the program, the Rabbit Hole SATA PCI card will probably be the easiest to flash since it has a big eprom, although it costs a bit more, but it has a 128 GB M2 SSD included.

retro SATA PCI Hard Card

This dual-channel Serial ATA PCI expansion card allows you to add Serial ATA 1.0 (1.5Gbps) support to most PCI-equipped desktop computers. One M.2 SATA connector and one 2.5" SATA+Power connector allow you to attach a 2.5" SSD or rotational hard drive directly to the card, without the need for...

store.rabbitholecomputing.com

I will probably buy this and write a tutorial/review it if I have another Power Macintosh project machine that has PCI to install it in. The Power Macs I have (G4 MDD and a G3 B&W already have SATA PCI cards with SSDs)

Oh, it looks very good… Btw I’ve ordered one more card in ebay, I hope it can be flashed… T.T

If I fail, I’m gonna buy that rabbit hole card… Thanks for information!!!!!!!

 

[chikorita157]

Oh, it looks very good… Btw I’ve ordered one more card in ebay, I hope it can be flashed… T.T

If I fail, I’m gonna buy that rabbit hole card… Thanks for information!!!!!!!

I have finally brought that Rabbit Hole Computing Hard Card, and it’s like the easiest card to flash to work with Mac OS 9 or earlier. I flashed the card in a G3 Power Mac and plan to put it in the PowerCenter Power Computing Mac clone.

Rabbit Hole Computing Hard Card Impressions - The Easiest to Flash SATA/M.2 SATA PCI Card to Make it Mac OS 9 or Earlier Bootable - Ama Usa An (甘兎庵)

With SATA PCI cards like the Seritek cards and the two-port Sonnet Tempo SATA PCI card being rare and often expensive, what other solutions exist? Sure, the pre-flashed SATA cards are bootable from China using Mac OS 9, but those just don’t work. I found one and found that it won’t boot my...

amausaan.tokyo

 

[cgp]

For the currently most definitive treatise on this topic, refer to this thread over on TinkerDifferent: https://tinkerdifferent.com/threads...i-power-mac-impossibru-updated-11-22-23.1494/

 

[mcmcjohn]

For the currently most definitive treatise on this topic, refer to this thread over on TinkerDifferent: https://tinkerdifferent.com/threads...i-power-mac-impossibru-updated-11-22-23.1494/

I’ve tried this method few weeks ago, I bought these cards in ebay but my cards had very poor quality. And my g4 mac detected these were seritek 1s2, but these didn’t work. If I try to erase or write or add files or even edit drive name, my mac always stopped.

So I‘ve ordered pre-patched sata card in ebay. Maybe it will work…

 

[cgp]

I'm a little confused about what firmware you've flashed on what card. Could you include pix?

Note that there are 4-port cards around that aren't SeriTek but that can be flashed for use on OSX (but not OS9) which identify as SIIG-3114-101R1.

 

[mcmcjohn]

I'm a little confused about what firmware you've flashed on what card. Could you include pix?

Note that there are 4-port cards around that aren't SeriTek but that can be flashed for use on OSX (but not OS9) which identify as SIIG-3114-101R1.

I chose "I like a bit of pain" and 128k rom. And I bought 2 ports sil3112 cards from ebay, but originally these cards had 128k am28f010 chip that can't be flashed. So I ordered 128k am29f010 chips and I replaced with soldering machine. So I flashed these cards with my old pc, yes, it worked but it always stopped with ssd. Btw I could install os with hdd, but after installing and booting, my mac always stopped, either. I don't know why but I've ordered pre-patched card so I wish it can work...

 

[chikorita157]

The prepatched ones are junk. I tested them like 3 years ago and it wouldn’t boot my Mac OS 9 partition on a Power Mac G3 Blue and White, it shows a floppy drive icon with a question mark.

I Test SATA PCI Adapters So You Don't Have To - Mac PCI SATA Card Roundup

I Test SATA PCI Adapters So You Don't Have To - Mac PCI SATA Card Roundup

macos9lives.com

There are better options, including the Rabbit Hole card.

 

[mcmcjohn]

The prepatched ones are junk. I tested them like 3 years ago and it wouldn’t boot my Mac OS 9 partition on a Power Mac G3 Blue and White, it shows a floppy drive icon with a question mark.

I Test SATA PCI Adapters So You Don't Have To - Mac PCI SATA Card Roundup

I Test SATA PCI Adapters So You Don't Have To - Mac PCI SATA Card Roundup

macos9lives.com

There are better options, including the Rabbit Hole card.

Thank you so much. T.T But the ordered one already has been shipped so I will test… T.T

It’s been almost 3 weeks for finding proper card, I didn’t know it is really hard and tough thing…

Btw, thank you so much for informations!

 

[robin-fo]

The prepatched ones are junk. I tested them like 3 years ago and it wouldn’t boot my Mac OS 9 partition on a Power Mac G3 Blue and White, it shows a floppy drive icon with a question mark.

I once bought one on eBay and it works beautifully in my Workgroup Server 8550. Are you sure you initialised your drive properly?

My card is a 2-port though..

It was from this seller and probably the same as this one: https://www.ebay.ch/itm/26481227422...3-7ygrpska&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

 

[ArmorAlley]

FirmTek/SeriTek are only really valuable when they can be used under SSW7-9. That being said, if you can get one at a reasonable price, then get one, they make good cards. I just wouldn't spend megabucks on a Mac OS X-only card when cards from other manufacturers might be cheaper, offer more ports, port-multiplication (if that is your thing) or, better still, hardware RAID.

For machines running Mac OS X there are lots of great cards from other companies (such as HighPoint, Sonnet and so on) that support SATA, SAS, RAID and so on.

What I don't know yet is whether, say, any HighPoint RocketRAID 1742 can be used in a G4 or whether, like the Adaptec 29160 cards, one must have the card with the Mac-version of the ROM on it.

Here is the link to archived Highpoint Mac site:
https://web.archive.org/web/20090708025758/http://www.hptmac.com/US/categories.php?compatibility=1

And to the Sonnet site:

Sonnet Products - Computer Cards

I've no idea as to whether Adaptec cards work on Mac OS X (I don't think so) or whether ATTO have such cards. ATTO do make great SCSI cards so it wouldn't surprise me that they do and that they would work on G4s & G5s.