I recently picked up a power mac g4 and wondered if i could get a pci card or something to apple talk with the macintosh plus. Also i can have the g4 run 10 and i think 9
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Power mac g4 apple talk with Macintoshplus
- Thread starter Macintoshguy1984
- Start date
I am not sure whether there are more, but some basic options:
1. There was a LocalTalk port add-on (replaces the modem) for at least the earlier G4 towers. Works only under 9.
2. Run LocalTalk Bridge on a third machine, or run another AppleTalk router, either hardware or software, that will bridge LocalTalk and EtherTalk similarly.
3. A modem connection ought to be possible, though I am uncertain what that would take.
A USB floppy is another possible solution, of course, aka "sneaker-net". Or Zip drives.
1. There was a LocalTalk port add-on (replaces the modem) for at least the earlier G4 towers. Works only under 9.
2. Run LocalTalk Bridge on a third machine, or run another AppleTalk router, either hardware or software, that will bridge LocalTalk and EtherTalk similarly.
3. A modem connection ought to be possible, though I am uncertain what that would take.
A USB floppy is another possible solution, of course, aka "sneaker-net". Or Zip drives.
Which G4 do you have? If you have one that is compatible with 9 you may be able to use Iomega Zip Tools 4.2 and make bootable Zip disks. This would be way faster than LocalTalk could ever be on the Plus.
Beachycove's solution of a bridge machine is also good if you have that option.
Beachycove's solution of a bridge machine is also good if you have that option.
I have model m5183
Hi Macintoshguy1984,
I, too, shall repeat what the others have said.
Get yourself any PCI Mac before the B&W G3, or indeed, any Mac that has an EtherNet card. They aren't expensive (well, shipping might be). This machine will form a bridge between the G4 and the Plus. Join the G4 and the other mac via a 10baseT switch. I'm not exactly sure which exact cable you'll join the Plus with the other Mac with. Others on this site will give you the exact cable. All of my Macs have ADB.
Sneakernet (walking around with removable media) is probably the easiest option. I wouldn't recommend Zip disks. The disks are well built but finding reliable drives that work are becoming harder to find.
Instead of Zip-drives, I suggest that you invest in SCSI. You'll need a SCSI-card (preferably with 25-pin external port, but one with a 68-pin LVD/SE port should do). You'll need an external hard-drive with a two SCSI ports. You'll need the appropriate SCSI cables between the hard-drive and both the Mac Plus and the G4. The Mac Plus has a 25-pin SCSI port, which is why I recommended that you look for a SCSI card with a 25-pin external port. You'll only need one 25-pin to 50-pin centronics SCSI cable then. You'll also need a 50-pin SCSI terminator too. SCSI busses require to be terminated.
SCSI is far and away the most flexible and long-running (from the perspective of old Macs) of busses available on the Mac. All Macs bar the first two (which can actually be considered as beta-versions to the Mac Plus — the first proper Mac) can either take SCSI or have SCSI built-in. There are those that will say that Apple botched SCSI on most of their Macs and while this is true in the sense that it ran slower than it could have, all of these Macs still can take SCSI devices.
Once you have SCSI, you can add more SCSI devices onto the SCSI-chain. The aforementioned Zip-drive is very useful (when it works), an external CD-ROM drive (and burner for your G4), scanner etc. Do be warned that SCSI becomes quite complicated quite quickly on account of the number of cables, evolving standards and so on, but I certainly will be happy to answer any questions that you may have. Just avoid HVD...
I, too, shall repeat what the others have said.
Get yourself any PCI Mac before the B&W G3, or indeed, any Mac that has an EtherNet card. They aren't expensive (well, shipping might be). This machine will form a bridge between the G4 and the Plus. Join the G4 and the other mac via a 10baseT switch. I'm not exactly sure which exact cable you'll join the Plus with the other Mac with. Others on this site will give you the exact cable. All of my Macs have ADB.
Sneakernet (walking around with removable media) is probably the easiest option. I wouldn't recommend Zip disks. The disks are well built but finding reliable drives that work are becoming harder to find.
Instead of Zip-drives, I suggest that you invest in SCSI. You'll need a SCSI-card (preferably with 25-pin external port, but one with a 68-pin LVD/SE port should do). You'll need an external hard-drive with a two SCSI ports. You'll need the appropriate SCSI cables between the hard-drive and both the Mac Plus and the G4. The Mac Plus has a 25-pin SCSI port, which is why I recommended that you look for a SCSI card with a 25-pin external port. You'll only need one 25-pin to 50-pin centronics SCSI cable then. You'll also need a 50-pin SCSI terminator too. SCSI busses require to be terminated.
SCSI is far and away the most flexible and long-running (from the perspective of old Macs) of busses available on the Mac. All Macs bar the first two (which can actually be considered as beta-versions to the Mac Plus — the first proper Mac) can either take SCSI or have SCSI built-in. There are those that will say that Apple botched SCSI on most of their Macs and while this is true in the sense that it ran slower than it could have, all of these Macs still can take SCSI devices.
Once you have SCSI, you can add more SCSI devices onto the SCSI-chain. The aforementioned Zip-drive is very useful (when it works), an external CD-ROM drive (and burner for your G4), scanner etc. Do be warned that SCSI becomes quite complicated quite quickly on account of the number of cables, evolving standards and so on, but I certainly will be happy to answer any questions that you may have. Just avoid HVD...
This very interesting piece turned up on LEM the other day. I have never heard of this before, but the claim is that Open Transport and Speed Doubler, combined with LocalTalk Bridge, can enable IP communications (how far this would go, I don't know) over LocalTalk, not just AppleTalk communications. Have a read and see what you make of it:
http://lowendmac.com/1998/tcpip-over-localtalk/
http://lowendmac.com/1998/tcpip-over-localtalk/
