Re: SuperSerialCard Question!

[supertimer@aol.com (Supertimer)]

dempson@actrix.gen.nz (David Empson) wrote:

>Supertimer <supertimer@aol.com> wrote:
>
>> While the IIGS can do 56k serial and 230k AppleTalk, the
>> Super Serial Card can only do 19.2k and because of a bug in
>> its hardware, that usually only works up to 9.6k on a modem.
>
>Can you please elaborate on this "bug"?  I wasn't aware of any such
>problem, other than the computer not really being able to keep up with
>19200 bps without an accelerator.

The Super Serial Card came with a faulty 6551.  You can
get it replaced from the people who make the TurboASB.

The bug is really nasty.  Back when I used a IIe, I could
not get the modem to go to 14.4 without garbling the
transmission.  Later when I got an accelerator, still no go.
Then I got a IIGS.  Even unaccelerated, the IIGS can do
28.8 (up to 56k) in a cinch.  However, even an accelerated
IIGS STILL messed up above 9.6k with the Super Serial
Card.

Then I read about the TurboASB and knew.

By the way, actually an unaccelerated IIe keeps up
quite well at 19200 bps PROVIDED the faulty 6551
is replaced with a good one.  The TurboASB folks
sold a good one for a few bucks.

>The original IIc motherboard's serial ports have a hardware design flaw
>which causes problems with intelligent modems, but this is not related
>to the specific baud rate used.

That's a different problem.

>> Thank God the IIGS got something better.  In fact, the IIGS'
>> serial ports are identical to Macintosh ones.  ;-)
>
>Not quite.  The IIgs is missing one of the external clocking options
>(but still has the clock-via-CTS which is used with the Apple MIDI
>interface), and is nowhere near as capable as later Mac ports, which
>support 115200 bps and DMA.

What I meant was identical to Macintoshes until recently.
Identical to the "56k" Mac ports, the ones that were used
in the SE, Mac II series, LC series, Centris series, etc.

Of course it is not the same as an iMac serial port!