Daystar 040 PDS - Color Classic compatible ?

[KnobsNSwitches]

I recently got (what I believe to be) a Daystar Value 040 PDS accelerator card. The seller said it functioned in an LC, and from what I can glean from the forum here, it should be compatible with the color classic. 

It didn't fit well due to the color classic clock battery being in the way, so I desoldered the battery cage and will relocate that with a couple wires if I get things squared away.

Oddly enough, after I'd done that, I found one forum post from a mailing list years ago with the exact same question about the clock battery, but no further info.

Installing the accelerator, the CC powers on, but no chime, just a power LED and the fan starts, and no video, etc.

There's really not much info about this card out there, does any one have any knowledge about such things?

 

[KnobsNSwitches]

Sources (cause it's always nice to collect info in one place): 





https://www.mail-archive.com/search?l=compact.macs@mail.maclaunch.com&q=subject:"Daystar+Value+040+card+compatibility+with+Color+Classic\%3F"&o=newest&f=1

 

[mg.man]

For the Color Classic, you folks might keep your eyes out for the Daystar adapter:

https://www.prismnet.com/~trag/LCadapterBox.jpg

https://www.prismnet.com/~trag/LCadapterCard.jpg

Of course that still requires a Daystar PowerCache (030 upgrade) or Turbo040.

Or the all-in-one Daystar Value040. I've never seen these come up on Ebay. I sold seven of them back in the early oughts. Didn't keep any, because I don't have machine for it. Tested them on an LC I had.

without cache:
https://www.prismnet.com/~trag/Value040i.jpg

with cache:
https://www.prismnet.com/~trag/Value040_cache.jpg

The cache module is the same as the early Turbo 040 uses.

Resurrecting this thread and referencing the above (and a couple of subsequent posts over there).

I did manage to find a reference to the Value 040 in MacWEEK's Upgrading and Repairing your Mac, published in 1995 -- https://b-ok.cc/book/3581445/89a25c -- pages 212 & 213.

I have one of these Value 040 cards, and would like to get it running in my CC - unfortunately, I've so far had the same experience as @KnobsNSwitches . I have a long weekend coming up, so I'm hoping to pull out my CC and have another go. Will report back if I have any success.

 

[Franklinstein]

Interesting. I also have one in storage but never tried using it in anything except the LC it came in. Both machines use the same LC PDS to interface the upgrade card, and both use 16MHz 16-bit buses with most of the same support chips on the logic board, so you'd figure it would mostly be a compatible drop-in. It's possible there are discrete device changes or different ROMs used in otherwise identical cards but cursory searches don't turn up anything informative; most people probably put these in LCs since there was a larger installed base of them and CC upgrades tended to be more aggressive.

According to InfoWorld from 20 Dec 1993, "DayStar Digital of Flowery Branch, Ga., will also formally introduce its Value040 accelerator for the LC, LC II, and Performa series, although the company is already shipping the upgrade card. The Value040 operates at either 33MHz or 40MHz and includes a 128KB cache. A 33MHz version of the board with a 68LC040 is priced at $999. Boards running at 33MHz and 40MHz with a 68040 processor are priced at $1,199 and $1,499, respectively." That was some expensive stuff. No mention of CC support at all though.

 

[olePigeon]

@KnobsNSwitches @Franklinstein If you have any VRAM memory installed, try removing it. I had a Sonnet Presto 040 (regular, non-plus version) that would work only if you removed the VRAM. It wouldn't boot with extra VRAM installed.