Do all IIsi adapters work with SE/30

[JDW]

While I am aware Apple engineers did not design the SE/30 for NuBus cards, I still would appreciate hearing from those of you out there who might have the IIci adapter mentioned in this thread and given it a try.

That's the fun in Classic Macing and in participating in this forum. It's amazing what our old Macs are capable of!

 

[equill]

JDW: Is it pure mischance that you have twice mentioned the 'IIci' adapter in the SE/30? As far as I know the IIsi PDS-to-whatever adapter and the IIci cache adapter (in fact, a IIci PDS-to-whatever adapter) are not electrically the same. This seems to be supported by the Universal PowerCache 030 accelerator's ability to plug straight into a IIci's PDS slot, but its need to have an interposed adapter in just about every other case. The SE/30 needs a IIsi PDS to IIci PDS adapter just as is used in the IIsi. The IIcx needs an 030 socket to IIci PDS adapter, and so on, and on.

Or did you have some special wrinkle of architecture to explore?

de

 

[JDW]

equill, I spotted a post on another Mac forum site where they were discussing this thread 68kMLA in light in the context of getting NuBus cards to work in SE/30 Macs. They had access to not only a IIci but also an SE/30, as well as adapters and NuBus cards. I doubt that it will fit or even work, but I thought I would post here to see if anyone had been able to debunk the theory that it would even work.

That is what prompted me to post in this thread again.

 

[equill]

Ahh. You were being but the messenger. Without seeing the thread that you mention, I am tempted to conclude that the notion was raised there without awareness of the 'bus' part of NuBus, in an innocent spirit of wish-fulfilment.

The altogether-human reduction of 'NuBus-compatible card' to 'NuBus card'—metonymy in full flower—led the questioner to neglect the requirement that the host computer should have NuBus-savvy and a NuBus, which implies not only a controller on its MLB but also 32-bit cleanth.

Certainly the SE/30 is credited with a pseudo-NuBus slot ($0E) to deal with its video, and another ($09) if it has a MacCon30si ethernet card, but there is only a physical PDS slot that can be persuaded to simulate a NuBus slot. Given a thorough and total re-invention of an SE/30's MLB (and ROM), a NuBus-compatible card can be hypothesized to work in an SE/30. It should surely be quicker and easier, however, to start with a IIsi.

de

 

[Bunsen]

Or a IIsi ROM?

Also, may I say, what an awesome card, and I want one.

 

[JDW]

Bunsen, I currently have a IIsi ROM running in the SE/30 shown here. (But you may already know that if you are in fact "Dr Bunsen.") I also have a IIfx ROM that works the same, but it shows horizontal lines at startup for a few seconds. The IIsi ROM works as seamless as the stock ROM.

 

[TylerEss]

I can confirm that NuBus cards *can* work in the SE/30, at least in principle. The "ExpanSE/30" expansion case interfaced via a PDS card and had 2 or 4 NuBus slots.

I don't have one, but I want one!

I'm fairly certain that the IIsi NuBus adaptor card will allow use of a NuBus card in the SE/30 motherboard, but I'll have to try it out sometime to make sure.

 

[JDW]

I'll have to try it out sometime to make sure.

In the next 72 hours, perhaps? :b&w:

Inquiring minds want to know!

 

[TylerEss]

In the next 72 hours, perhaps? :b&w:

Given my track record for Mac stuff lately, we'll be lucky to see 72 days 8-o