Drivers for Lapis ProColorServer 24 PDS/30 for the SE/30

[BacioiuC]

Posting here in case the conquest thread isn't of interest for other people. I have an SE/30 Lapis ProColorServer 24 PDS/30 video card but I can't find the driver for it. I've tried the driver archive on Macintosh Repository without any luck. By browsing through the forums search feature I noticed quite a few people ended up with this card and I'm hoping someone has a driver stashed somewhere.

 

[iantm]

Were you able to find drivers that worked? All I can find are;

• Macintosh Repository
• Macintosh Garden,
• Mac Driver Museum

Also stumbled upon a possible workaround for 7.5, have you tried it, or do you run with an earlier OS?

Community testing has verified that rolling back the Display Manager framework fixes this deadlock. Using ResEdit, you must open the System 7.5 Update file from a stable 7.5.1 installation, copy gpch resource ID #144, and overwrite the same resource inside your 7.5.3/7.5.5 active System Update file, paired with substituting the older 7.5.1 version of the Monitors control panel.

 

[eharmon]

Were you able to find drivers that worked? All I can find are;

• Macintosh Repository
• Macintosh Garden,
• Mac Driver Museum

Also stumbled upon a possible workaround for 7.5, have you tried it, or do you run with an earlier OS?

I see that AI has absorbed my post: https://68kmla.org/bb/threads/lapis-procolorserver-hanging-in-7-5-5.42295/page-2#post-465210

I haven’t used this card in awhile (I have a zzg in my machine right now), but if I remember correctly it’s not accelerated and works fine without a driver.

 

[cheesestraws]

if I remember correctly it’s not accelerated and works fine without a driver.

My memory is saying the same thing. Certainly other cards for other buses called ProColorServer 24 are not accelerated.

 

[iantm]

I haven’t used this card in awhile (I have a zzg in my machine right now), but if I remember correctly it’s not accelerated and works fine without a driver.

If you’re ever looking to sell it please let me know.

 

[iantm]

My memory is saying the same thing. Certainly other cards for other buses called ProColorServer 24 are not accelerated.

Oh good. Then I won’t worry about a driver!

 

[eharmon]

If you’re ever looking to sell it please let me know.

At the moment it’s destined for the SE/30 I’m (slowly) repairing but if I change my mind I’ll let you know.

 

[zigzagjoe]

Yes, the Lapis ProColorServer is an unaccelerated card (all SE/30 cards are - except Interware GrandVimage) and so the extension only facilitates changing resolutions. It will come up with whatever resolution is configured in PRAM regardless of the extension loading or not. I did find the software on mac garden, I don't recall which of the 3 it was but I've attached them here.

I can't recall if the card's built in driver supports key combos to change resolutions, but to sidestep the issues with 7.5 you can make a 7.1 boot floppy with the extention and little else to handle changing resolutions.

 

[eharmon]

If you don't mind, it'd be helpful to dump the ROM too. Lapis cards and bizarre and numerous so folks often need ROM revisions that can't be found (and, theoretically, some support 7.5.2+ but I've not found any).

 

[Bolle]

I can't recall if the card's built in driver supports key combos to change resolutions

It does... I found out not too long ago that this works on the SE/30 variant of the card as well:

 

[iantm]

Thanks for posting that doc! That sealed the deal for me… it's a truly capable card.

 

[zigzagjoe]

Anyone's guess what the revision level is, but attached. As I recall in testing it was slightly slower than the xceed color30hr and about the same as the grandvimage (acceleration disabled). These cards are really limited by CPU/bus anyways, but the additional screen real estate is nice.

 

[eharmon]

Anyone's guess what the revision level is, but attached. As I recall in testing it was slightly slower than the xceed color30hr and about the same as the grandvimage (acceleration disabled). These cards are really limited by CPU/bus anyways, but the additional screen real estate is nice.

View attachment 100722

I love how even that reports as two different cards (16-bit by driver name). Doesn't really matter, but could they keep the naming straight for anything??

That's a slightly later version of the ProColorServer 8 ROM on my card, in 24-bit instead. The differences are minimal, so I might try it if I get a chance (just need to elide the unsupported bit depths).

 

[iantm]

Speed was never my goal… a zzj booster will help out for CPU redrawing. I’m okay with a little deceleration.

The intent was not to use this in 24-bit mode anyway, just to drive the Apple portrait display. Good thing because MacUser December 1993 rated both lapis unaccelerated cards as terrible (for 24-bits). It’ll be fine for 8-bits.

 

[iantm]

FWIW this is what I’m going with to start for the control panel.

 

[iantm]

Is the attached file U29 Lapis ProColorServer AM27C512.bin a ROM for the card?

I got a second Lapis Card, but I think it's the LapisColor24, ProColorServer24, or LapisColor 24 II. I won't know until I receive it and use TattleTech.

Is it possible to push the one card to 24X specs with more socketed RAM + maybe an updated ROM? (i.e. was one of those cards the "same" except for the amount of VRAM and the ROM chip?)

I'll use it either way, but it struck me how similar they are and how there might be a path to upgrading it. If upgrading the card is possible, I might try and figure that out.