Designing Firewire card for Mezzanine??

[indibil]

Hi, I'm starting a lot of posts these days, I hope I'm not bothering you.

I was reading about the Mezzanine port on the iMac G3 tray loading, and I see it was a "normal" PCI port under a non-standard connector, the mezzanine. Is this true?

If so, would someone with circuit design skills be able to design the PCB for a Firewire card that plugs into this port, and sticks out from the side? Can you tell me why? Well, it's very tedious to work with an iMac G3 without a Firewire port, moving data over USB is very slow, cloning a HD is crazy!!

I had thought that perhaps when designing it could take advantage of all the components of cheap firewire cards like this one, if it were compatible:

Firewire Card

Maybe it's crazy, I don't know, I wish I knew how to do it. Maybe it would be easier to make a Mezzanine to PCMCIA adapter, and use a PCMCIA card on the side of the iMac?

 

[Daniël]

I was reading about the Mezzanine port on the iMac G3 tray loading, and I see it was a "normal" PCI port under a non-standard connector, the mezzanine. Is this true?

The Mezzanine port is documented in the Columbus (iMac G3) schematics on Page 20.
It's effectively signals for up to three separate PCI devices (without the need for a PCI bridge), as well as video bus signals from the ATi RAGE IIc, stereo audio, and some I2C lines.

Those last few would have been used for a TV and/or video in card, like in some earlier consumer Macs (5500/6500/TAM for example).
But yeah, you could make a FireWire card for it, or even a multi-purpose card (think SATA + FW + USB 2.0, all without even needing a PCI bridge chip).

 

[chelseayr]

there were two major options for that "unlicensed" (as I recall apple never really meant for it to be utilized?) slot as per these two photos:

http://www.thedodgegarage.com/3dfx/mac/mac_box_imac.jpg

https://auctions.afimg.jp/n151326104/ya/image/n151326104.1.jpg

as seen the haromi one was a involving kit but it apparently worked well still, and like you see it did what you would had wanted to re providing a new firewire port through a 'clean' side i/o panel replacement

even then I have never heard of this but I don't know if its maybe "possible" to mash both upgrades together

 

[Daniël]

there were two major options for that "unlicensed" (as I recall apple never really meant for it to be utilized?) slot as per these two photos:

http://www.thedodgegarage.com/3dfx/mac/mac_box_imac.jpg

https://auctions.afimg.jp/n151326104/ya/image/n151326104.1.jpg

as seen the haromi one was a involving kit but it apparently worked well still, and like you see it did what you would had wanted to re providing a new firewire port through a 'clean' side i/o panel replacement

even then I have never heard of this but I don't know if its maybe "possible" to mash both upgrades together

The HARMONi did not use the mezzanine slot, which made it compatible with Rev C and D machines. As the XPC106 Grackle PCI controller is on the CPU card, all the PCI signals are too, which Sonnet used by putting the FireWire IC right on there instead of the mezzanine slot.

 

[LaPorta]

Don’t forget the griffin iPort! I’ve got one.

Overall sounds like a neat idea. In the meantime, is Ethernet not good enough?

 

[indibil]

Seeing that each of us would use it differently, perhaps the best option is a mezzanine to PCMCIA adapter, perhaps double PCMCIA as in the old powerbooks.

This adapter would be easier to make: mezzanine connector to flat cable, and in the case, from flat cable to PCMCIA (adding necessary components in the minimum PCB), with a slot made with a 3D printer. I could design that 3D slot, I use Solidworks.

 

[LaPorta]

Seeing that each of us would use it differently, perhaps the best option is a mezzanine to PCMCIA adapter, perhaps double PCMCIA as in the old powerbooks.

This adapter would be easier to make: mezzanine connector to flat cable, and in the case, from flat cable to PCMCIA (adding necessary components in the minimum PCB), with a slot made with a 3D printer. I could design that 3D slot, I use Solidworks.

Interesting. The only issue is that that would leave us beholden to people scalping PC Card FW adapters at $250 a pop…whereas a purpose made slot cars would probably cost less.

 

[indibil]

Interesting. The only issue is that that would leave us beholden to people scalping PC Card FW adapters at $250 a pop…whereas a purpose made slot cars would probably cost less.

You're right about that. I was counting on being able to use a generic card. I have a couple of generic ones that I made work with a Lombard, the problem is that they do not allow target or boot. Custom firmware would be required if it is designed completely.

 

[Powerbase]

Seeing that each of us would use it differently, perhaps the best option is a mezzanine to PCMCIA adapter, perhaps double PCMCIA as in the old powerbooks.

This adapter would be easier to make: mezzanine connector to flat cable, and in the case, from flat cable to PCMCIA (adding necessary components in the minimum PCB), with a slot made with a 3D printer. I could design that 3D slot, I use Solidworks.

Are you trying to make an... eOne?

 

[indibil]

Hi, I need to order from Digikey some items, but I can't find the 160-pin mezzenine connector opposite the one on the iMac. Does anyone know if it's available? What reference number would it have?