1. HD- Im obviously going to need a new HD for the mp3's, so I need to know what kind to get. I'd like to get an internal one, but I'm not sure if they make any that would work in an SE (I want at least 1GB, but 2 would be better - or even more if you can find any)

2. Software- I d/led MpegDec, which should work with system 7, but I want to redo the interface so it will be full - screen. I figured out how to change the window size and button shape & size in ResEdit, but I'm having problems - when I click the triangle to show the playlist, it rerverts back to standard size. Also, I cant change the size or position of the playlist box. (You'lll have to d/l it to know what I'm talking about, but its only like 200k)

3. Stereo- This seems like it's going to be the hardest part. SE's only have mono output (mini-jack). How can i get a stereo mini-jack - or any other kind of stereo out - on an SE? (I've heard that color classics were designed to have Stereo output and you just have to solder something inside to get it to do stereo, but I dont think the same is the case for SE's)

4. Music- How do i get the music onto the SE? If i get an external HD, i can just put them on from my iMac, but what about internal? Is there someway I can network my iMac and SE together to transfer the files? I've heard that you can use a serial cable to network old comps, but is there some kind of serial-to-Ethernet adapter? Or Serial-to-USB? I REALLY don't want to transfer my mp3's via floppy disk....

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your time.

I'm an mpegdec noob since yesterday too and I haven't gotten it to work yet at all.

Also: there is no external HD that would connect to both your SE and your iMac. If only there were a PDS usb card. *sigh* I suppose nubus would be more generally useful, anyway...

An internal one is the most economical way to go. I'm not sure of the SE's drive height, though. Good sized drives (several gigs or more) are generally half height, and the SE may only fit a third height drive. Anyone? Third height drives come up to about 2 gigs, though, I would say

Your best bet for getting the files onto the disk is with an ethernet card and appletalk file sharing. With system 6 (maybe) or 7 (definitely) you use appletalk with the iMac with a minimum of hassle

{ candyPunk }
{ Captain of Observation, 68k MLA }
{ 68k Macs liberated: 3}
{ My baby: Q660av }

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I don't understand - MpegDec's ReadMe says its designed speciffically to run on compact macs, includeing the SE. And it was originally designed for Amiga, so why shouldnt it work on my SE?

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jt ™.
Trash Hauler: call sign: eight-ball
C.O. AC-130H SpecOps 68kMLAAF

And if that's the case- a readme that wasnt updated - than wouldnt I be able to get the original version that DOEs run on SE's somewhere?

Also, could I gety some kind of Stereo card to get it to work on an LC III? THat would be better...

The SE is not going to end up working out. It's just impossible in any way, shape, or form. I could count faster than the SE (compact mac junkies - please don't attack me, I'm only trying to make a point here). Playing MP3's on it is like expecting your $8 scientific calculator to render 3d shapes

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You showed me one yourself, jt! You posted a link to...um...shreve systems. Yeah, that was it. They had a bargain clearance of some sort that you pointed out. I called them up to get one of those SA II for my Q800, but they had run out of nubus and only had LC PDS left. See if you can still nab one! (good luck, this was a few months ago)

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Nope! that was the NuBus PAS16 that I had and pointed you to over at shreve, I looked back again to get the JPEG Card for my 630, but it was $50, so I bought TWO of the $20 LC PDS PAS16's! saved ten bucks! :rolleyes:

The only mention of the SAII in the LCIII PDS version I've seen yet was in the dissertation I linked to (I think) that had the block diagram and memory info in it for the NuBus SAII that I linked to recently. I've GOTTA get one of those lil' babies!!! that'll put the microquadra or a 630 on an even footing with the 840av for mpegdec!

jt ™.
Trash Hauler: call sign: eight-ball
C.O. AC-130H SpecOps 68kMLAAF

MpegDec is the fastest thing around for 68k macs but most 68k macs are so slow that mp3 decoding isn't the ideal thing to do with them.

To get a not too bad sound a 68040 is the way to go.

Some of the slower 68040 macs can only really use it in mono singlemix mode.

Most people who use MpegDec seem to use it on powerbooks where using the singlemix mode is ok.

The lowest mac I've got feedback on being able to play mp3's with MpegDec is a 68030 33Mhz.

I'd recommend using the SE for something else and using a low end PPC mac for mp3 file serving.

If you pick up a 68040 mac you could give it a try but it won't be as useful as a low end PPC mac.

The MpegDec website is at

http://members.aol.com/xanathus/mpegdec/

btw about low end PPC mp3 decoders I found the quicktime 4 mp3 player to be really slooooooooooow on my 6100 60Mhz (very slow PPC mac).

Some mac PPC mp3 decoders are not fast enough to run on low end PPC macs (like my PPC mac) so mp3 decoding speed becomes important even on PPC macs.

GrayAmp works ok but I'm not sure if it plays VBR mp3 files.

The next version of MpegDec for PPC is using the MAD mp3 decoder
http://www.mars.org/home/rob/proj/mpeg/
which can handle any mp3 file with no problems and has great sound quality.

The MpegDec PPC version also has a EQ and at the moment I'm trying to add mp3 streaming to the PPC version and also MpegDec can run totally in the background without affecting other apps for both the PPC and 68k versions.

I'm testing the new PPC version on my 6100 60 Mhz and it runs ok speedwise and should be released soon.

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The lowest mac I've got feedback on being able to play mp3's with MpegDec is a 68030 33Mhz.

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jt ™.
Trash Hauler: call sign: eight-ball
C.O. AC-130H SpecOps 68kMLAAF

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ok, i guess what I want to ask is this: Whats the cheapest mac I can get that will play mp3s (At a fairly good quality). Preferrably, something that would fit in an SE case...

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jt ™.
Trash Hauler: call sign: eight-ball
C.O. AC-130H SpecOps 68kMLAAF

Would it be required to get a 68040 upgrade and clock it to 33-40MHz? How hard is that? It doesn't involve a lot of soldering does it? Whats the cost?

I know that they are technically the same comp, but is there any difference in case size btween the LC 475 & Quadra 605?

(Actually, now that I think about it, I would only be putting the electronics in the SE, so i guess that doesnt matter)

Again, what does 8-Bit stereo sound like? Will that be fairly good sound ?(Obviously, I'm going to have external speakers) What is the sound output on modern macs? What do stereo's output?

Well, I found out about the processor upgrade:
http://www.lowendmac.com/quadra/apmpu.html
It seems like its just a card you install, so that shouldn't be a problem. 66mhz? That's quite a bit.

But I still don't know where to buy it, or for how much...

Also, would I really need to overclock it if I'm running at 66mhz?

I will also be able to use a larger HD w/ an LC 475, won't I?

hmm.... looks like I will be able to run os 8. That would open up my mp3 player options, but would also probably be quite a bit slower than 7, wouldn't it? I think I'm pretty content w/ MpegDec, however, If I can get my custom interface to work properly...

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When I said something that would fit in an SE case, yes, I meant another comp that could be migrated to the SE enclosure. I was actually thinking about the Quadra 605/LC 475, but I wasn't sure if it would be fast enough. It looks like it may possibly fit into an SE case, and it would definently be better than most other options.

Well, I found out about the processor upgrade:
http://www.lowendmac.com/quadra/apmpu.html
It seems like its just a card you install, so that shouldn't be a problem. 66mhz? That's quite a bit.

But I still don't know where to buy it, or for how much...

Also, would I really need to overclock it if I'm running at 66mhz?

I will also be able to use a larger HD w/ an LC 475, won't I?

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jt ™.
Trash Hauler: call sign: eight-ball
C.O. AC-130H SpecOps 68kMLAAF

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Also, What does it mean when it says you must have a FAT system installed?

hmm.... looks like I will be able to run os 8. That would open up my mp3 player options, but would also probably be quite a bit slower than 7, wouldn't it? I think I'm pretty content w/ MpegDec, however, If I can get my custom interface to work properly...

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Warrior maclover5
68k Macintosh Liberation Army
Number of 68ks Liberated: 6

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You won't find one of those cards for a reasonable price as they are collectors items. The first place to go for any information is "gamba" google it and near the bottom of the first page of hits you'll find it and there should be a link to the overclocking indformation you need.
If you think you'll end up going to PPC or needing a large hard drive you're a lot better off with a 630 family machine because of the IDE drive. Getting the video tube on the SE to run off anything but an SE is a monumental task, so replacing it with a 9" grayscale VGA display is the only reasonable option for the 475/605 mobo in an SE. The Color Classic forum on fritter is the place to look for info on CRT conversions, check out those issues first, before deciding on the course to take. If you don't wand to do soldering and heavy duty electronics mods, it doesn't sound like the right project for you.

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You won't find one of those cards for a reasonable price as they are collectors items . . . before deciding on the course to take. If you don't wand to do soldering and heavy duty electronics mods, it doesn't sound like the right project for you.

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What will the price be then? And, if the card speeds it up to 66mhz, why would I still need to overclock it?

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What card are you referring to, you've lost me, have you checked out dana's 605 site yet?

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How large of a drive CAN I use with a LC 475? I'm not planning on putting a tremendously huge amount of music on it - even something around 800mb would work, but it would be nice to go larger.
I was planning on using info from the 'poor man's greyscale SE' to use the SE monitor w/ a monochrome card to hook it up as an external monitor, but If they already make 9" greyscales, that would be much better and easier. Where can I find one of these
? 9"s is the same size as the original SE monitor, isn't it?

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SCSI Hard drive size is more a matter of cost/MB than anything else.

You're already ahead of me on this research then. I was under the impression the PNGScale was an SE/30 project, but I haven't had one until last week and it's not functional yet.

9" is a standard size for POS Terminals (Point of Sales, NOT the somewhat . . . earthier acronym ) once in a blue moon a 9" COLOR CRT turns up, but I'm not sure the tube actually fits due to depth, some 10" CRT's appear to work in the width and height departments.

I did a thread on a TV/VCR combo that'd probably fit with a small depth increase for the neck of the CRT a while back, with a Presentation System, any mac can do output to NTSC that'd be good enough for an MP3 server menu, btw. an SE/630/TV/Video/CD/MP3 hack would be awesome, fitting the VCR at the same time would be a monumental achievement, I never blocked it out for a stock SE, but for an ersatz Lisa SE makeover it would definitely fly.

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I'd rather use a 475 due to cost, and also because it seems like it would be much easier to fit in the SE case than a 630. Like I said, I just wanty the cheapest comp that will do the job.

I found this:
http://home.earthlink.net/~gamba2/
Is this what you were talking about? They have something about using a daystar in an SE, but nothing about where to buy the processpr upgrade...

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That's SE/30 and those cards probably cost more than the PPC upgrades for 475/605's, I just looked on gamba myself and couldn't find the clock chipper's site, check the MLA's links as the second choice (gamba's a faster google from an unlinked setup) somebody got a lnk handy? (I'm finally getting lazy! )

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So, Will 8-bit stereo sound OK or not???

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Dunno, it's a matter of taste and I'm not the one to ask iven if I weren't an mpegdec noob.

I haven't been looking for either, so I don't know prices, but some SE/30 cards (video) appear to cost as much as iMacs on eBay already!

jt ™.
Trash Hauler: call sign: eight-ball
C.O. AC-130H SpecOps 68kMLAAF

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What will te price be then? And, if the card speeds it up to 66mhz, why would I still need to overclock it?

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{ candyPunk }
{ Captain of Observation, 68k MLA }
{ 68k Macs liberated: 3}
{ My baby: Q660av }

quote:

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hmmm... I found a cheap LC 475 - if the SE doesn't work out, could I use that? It has 8 bit stereo - would that sound really bad?

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jt ™.
Trash Hauler: call sign: eight-ball
C.O. AC-130H SpecOps 68kMLAAF

quote:

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quote:

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You won't find one of those cards for a reasonable price as they are collectors items. The first place to go for any information is "gamba" google it and near the bottom of the first page of hits you'll find it and there should be a link to the overclocking indformation you need.
If you think you'll end up going to PPC or needing a large hard drive you're a lot better off with a 630 family machine because of the IDE drive. Getting the video tube on the SE to run off anything but an SE is a monumental task, so replacing it with a 9" grayscale VGA display is the only reasonable option for the 475/605 mobo in an SE. The Color Classic forum on fritter is the place to look for info on CRT conversions, check out those issues first, before deciding on the course to take. If you don't wand to do soldering and heavy duty electronics mods, it doesn't sound like the right project for you.

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What will te price be then? And, if the card speeds it up to 66mhz, why would I still need to overclock it?
How large of adrive CAN I use with a LC 475? I'm not planning on putting a tremendously huge amount of music on it - even something around 800mb would work, but it would be nice to go larger.
I was planning on using info from the 'poor man's greyscale SE' to use the SE monitor w/ a monochrome card to hook it up as an external monitor, but If they already make 9" greyscales, that would be much better and easier. Where can I find one of these
? 9"s is the same size as the original SE monitor, isn't it?

I'd rather use a 475 due to cost, and also because it seems like it would be much easier to fit in the SE case than a 630. Like I said, I just wanty the cheapest comp that will do the job.

I found this:
http://home.earthlink.net/~gamba2/
Is this what you were talking about? They have something about using a daystar in an SE, but nothing about where to buy the processpr upgrade...

So, Will 8-bit stereo sound OK or not???

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I'm a wee bit confused.... are you creating an MP3 server or dedicating a machine to MP3s? If it's just serving MP3s, an SE will work fine. You don't need a decoder. The computer that is using the MP3 needs the decoder. I'm just not understanding....

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{ candyPunk }
{ Captain of Observation, 68k MLA }
{ 68k Macs liberated: 3}
{ My baby: Q660av }

The original goal was to get an SE to both store and play mp3 files.
However, that doesnt look like it's gonna be happening, so my new goal is to get some other comp (looking at an LC475) to play mp3's, and then hack it into the SE case
I DO NOT plan on connecting the SE's monitor to the LC 475- I want to find a 9" external monitor thats compatible w/ the LC and put it in the place of the SE's monitor. (color is NOT a requirement, Greyscale is what I'm looking at. Where can I find one of those POS terminal monitors?)

Well, It looks like the upgrade card is not going to be happening, due to high cost and avalibility. So, are you saying that If i overclock the LC 475 it would be able to play mp3's?

That ProAudioSpectrum Sounds like it would be great, but I can't find it on SHreve's site. What exactly is it? Is it something that is soldered on, or an expansion card, or what?

But don't order yet! You could try over clocking the LC475, but you probably won't get great results unless you combine that and a full 040. The 475 has an lc040, which is an 040 minus the FPU. That would be important for this, I would think. Mpegdec can now utilize the FPU, so I think you'll want it. Check out the clock chipping homepage for info on how to clock the 475 to 33mhz or even 40 http://homepage.mac.com/schrier/mhz.html
An FPU might still help, even at 40. At 33, I know it does. When markymark added FPU support to mpegdec, I got a good quality boost. So, if you want to upgrade the 68lc040 to a full 68040, I could sell you one...

Hey, it looks like shreve has some monitors at clearance prices too! A portrait display! Whoo! B/W, though.

If you do use a LC475 I'd recommend that you
overclock it to 40Mhz but it looks like you have to do a oscillator hack.

Overclocking to 33Mhz is the easiest way and I'd also suggest putting a 486 heatsink and fan on the 68040 cpu.

Not that hard to do.

MpegDec sends all it's mp3 output in 16 bit audio whether it's stereo or mono singlemix.

For Macs with 8 bit audio hardware the sound manager converts MpegDec's 16 bit audio output to 8 bits.

The 8 bit audio output sounds ok on my 68040 color classic but the PAS16 card will output the audio in 16 bits and sound better.

I do a fair bit of testing for Mpegdec on my Quadra 605 which is basically the same as the LC475.

I hav'nt bothered overclocking mine (it's the standard 25Mhz no fpu) and run MpegDec with the downsample by 2, mono singlemix mode prefs.

If you're looking for an 040 board, I have I have a Quadra 800 board that I hacked into a Q700 case as well. If you're looking for a cheap computer to use as a basis for this, it might not be too bad.

However, it looks like im still gonaa have to go w/ the LC option. I dont see that card on shrevesystems.com - can u point me to it?

An FPU isnt required, is it? Can I stll gwt fairly good quality w/o it? How expensive are they, and how hard to install?

To add the FPU, you have to install a 68040 in the socket where you currently have a 68lc040. It's easy. All you have to do is yank on it (or pull slowly, if you plan to keep the chip and don't want to mangle the pins) and pop the new one in. I've got a 25mhz full 040 that I'd be willing to part with for...say...$7 plus shipping. I think it's fair, but go ahead and check eBay and all that. I don't really want to pull it, but I know that I'm never going to get around to using that Q610 board. Never. No one will take it from me, either. *sigh*

Anyways, would be interested in that FPU, but Im still not sure if the LC 475 is goint to fit in an SE case or not...

My step-dad is giving me his old Quadra (not sure on the #, but im pretty sure it's higher than a 605 - like a 630 or sumthin) However, I don't think it will fit in an SE.....

I looked at target last night, and they use 9" IBM monitors at the cash registers - however, I can't find them on IBM's site - im still lookin tho.....

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2053679912

It's a 9" monochrome monitor. Will this connect to an LC?

quote:

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OK, I found that PAS card - only $2! Would that by any chance work in an se?

Anyways, would be interested in that FPU, but Im still not sure if the LC 475 is goint to fit in an SE case or not...

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jt ™.
Trash Hauler: call sign: eight-ball
C.O. AC-130H SpecOps 68kMLAAF

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