Booster 2.0 in my SE/30 with DaynaPort PDS card results and benchmarks

[DW1992]

Hi Everyone,

I purchased one of ZigZagJoe's Booster 2.0 PDS cards for my SE/30 and just finished installing it.
I thought I'd share my experience and how it works with a real DaynaPort PDS Ethernet card.

My SE/30 specs (pre-Booster 2.0)...
Totally recapped.
- Power supply (SONY)
- Analog board
- Logic board
128MB of RAM
Noctua fan
ZuluSCSI
ROM-Inator II
DaynaPort E/si30 PDS Ethernet card
System 7.5.5 and using OpenTransport

The card arrived (to Canada) in about 3 weeks (pretty quick for Customs!) well packed, protected in bubble wrap and in an anti-static bag.


Removed my DaynaPort PDS card, and installed the Booster 2.0.



My SE/30 has a ROM-Inator II and 128MB of RAM, running System 7.5.5



The computer fired right up first try with the Booster 2.0 installed. No problem.

I ran Speedometer before installing the Booster 2.0, saved the results, then ran it again with the card.

Here are the side-by-side results to compare:
*This Machine (on the right) has the Booster 2.0 installed.
*SE/30 - No accel on the left obviously does not.



Not a bad little speed bump!
But what about the DaynaPort PDS card?

With the Booster 2.0 running properly, I installed the DaynaPort onto the Booster 2.0's top connector.
I did have to bend the two metal mounting tabs back, as they could have shorted out the DaynaPort card, since it's now located much higher in the case.

Again, the computer fired right up and was on the network!
I was able to Telnet to my BBS (shameless promotion below).


So I can confirm, the Booster 2.0 works flawlessly with the DaynaPORT E/si30.

Here are the TattleTech screens relating to the PDS card and the CPU (with Booster 2.0 installed).


Do I notice any speed boost in real world usage?
Absolutely!
Moving around ClarisWorks 5 is smooth, clicking on a tool button no longer has lag.
System 7.5.5 is a LOT snappier. Even just moving about the finder is much more enjoyable.
7.5.5 feels like 7.1 speedwise.
SSHeven is quite usable as well.

For the relatively low cost (especially when compared to 040 accelerators) compared to the speed increase, the Booster 2.0 is a great deal!
Plus I can still use my ROM-Inator II and my DaynaPort!

I'd highly recommend picking one up to make your SE/30 even more fun to use!

I hope this helps make the decision if the Booster 2.0 is right for you!

 

[rickrob]

How can I connect to your BBS? Have not logged on to a BBS in years...

 

[finkmac]

their site has a little guide.

https://www.dsbbs.ca/howto.php

just need to have tcp/ip set up on your computer

 

[DW1992]

Most BBSes now days are accessible over the internet using Telnet or SSH (there are still some dial ups).
Here's a great listing/guide to currently active BBSes: www.telnetbbsguide.com

You can get on my board (still running RemoteAccess for MS-DOS like its' 1994!) using a browser here: www.dsbbs.ca
but it's HTTPS and far beyond what Netscape on System 7.x can handle. lol

If you want to get on using a terminal program, I recommend Black Knight for vintage MACs.
It will give you proper ANSI characters for the menu art and works great on System 7 machines.

That's the terminal being used on my SE/30 that you see in the photo I posted above, showing my BBS's login screen.

@Byte Knight has an excellent write-up here and a link to download a pre-configured .SIT file for the Black Knight terminal.

Hope that helps!
Happy BBSing!

 

[rickrob]

Thanks for the info @finkmac , @DW1992 -- I'll set things up and give it a try!

 

[DW1992]

Oops,

I forgot to post my Telnet address info.

If you want to connect with Black Knight or another terminal program, connect here:
Telnet: bbs.dsbbs.ca
Port: 23

 

[nathall]

I ran a (dialup) BBS in the 1990s. I’ll definitely check these out.

 

[Byte Knight]

My SE/30 specs (pre-Booster 2.0)...
Totally recapped.
- Power supply (SONY)
- Analog board
- Logic board
128MB of RAM
Noctua fan
ZuluSCSI
ROM-Inator II
DaynaPort E/si30 PDS Ethernet card
System 7.5.5 and using OpenTransport

Sweet setup! Now you just need one of ZigZagJoe's or Bolle's grayscale cards - ANSI emulation looks much better.

 

[finkmac]

lmao i totally do this.

 

[rickrob]

Used Black Night and logged in to both BBSes . Looks great in color. It's like going back in time...

 

[Byte Knight]

Used Black Night and logged in to both BBSes . Looks great in color. It's like going back in time...

Even better than grayscale!

 

[DW1992]

@finkmac haha, tie-wraps work wonders.

@nathall - That's awesome, was is it MAC based or another platform? I ran a DOS based BBS in in the early to mid 90s running RemoteAccess. Focused mainly around L.O.R.D. and B.R.E. and S.R.E. games as well as being one of the main Demoscene couriers bringing productions into Canada from European BBSes (my poor parent's phone bills!) lol
Back during the pandemic I started playing around with RemoteAccess again, ended up resurrecting the BBS and getting back into ANSI art a little.

@rickrob - Awesome setup! Love the colour panel. Looks sharp! If (when) the CRT does die in my SE/30, I'd seriously consider doing something like this.

@Byte Knight - For sure! I looked at one of @zigzagjoe 's 30Video cards to give it greyscale. So tempting... didn't want to piush my luck with my wife though, thought I'd start with the accelerator. lol


*One other point about the Booster 2.0 I meant to mention. Any sound / music glitches that older models may have experienced on System 7.x seem to be fixed. I was able to use SoundTrecker to play multipe Amiga MODs no problem.

 

[zigzagjoe]

@finkmac haha, tie-wraps work wonders.

@nathall - That's awesome, was is it MAC based or another platform? I ran a DOS based BBS in in the early to mid 90s running RemoteAccess. Focused mainly around L.O.R.D. and B.R.E. and S.R.E. games as well as being one of the main Demoscene couriers bringing productions into Canada from European BBSes (my poor parent's phone bills!) lol
Back during the pandemic I started playing around with RemoteAccess again, ended up resurrecting the BBS and getting back into ANSI art a little.

@rickrob - Awesome setup! Love the colour panel. Looks sharp! If (when) the CRT does die in my SE/30, I'd seriously consider doing something like this.

@Byte Knight - For sure! I looked at one of @zigzagjoe 's 30Video cards to give it greyscale. So tempting... didn't want to piush my luck with my wife though, thought I'd start with the accelerator. lol


*One other point about the Booster 2.0 I meant to mention. Any sound / music glitches that older models may have experienced on System 7.x seem to be fixed. I was able to use SoundTrecker to play multipe Amiga MODs no problem.

Yep, Booster 2.0 fixes the sound troubles! It was one of my major goals with the redesign I undertook. That LCD kit is also one of mine

 

[nathall]

@nathall - That's awesome, was is it MAC based or another platform? I ran a DOS based BBS in in the early to mid 90s running RemoteAccess. Focused mainly around L.O.R.D. and B.R.E. and S.R.E. games as well as being one of the main Demoscene couriers bringing productions into Canada from European BBSes (my poor parent's phone bills!) lol
Back during the pandemic I started playing around with RemoteAccess again, ended up resurrecting the BBS and getting back into ANSI art a little.

It was MS-DOS based. Software was called Gremlin’s Citadel (GremCit), part of a larger network called CitNet. There were many different variations of the Citadel software, including one for classic Mac called MacCit (if I remember right). I remember LORD and BRE very well, many hours spent with those. My favorite was always Usurper.