Re: Questions about the Transporter IIgs Card

[dempson@actrix.gen.nz (David Empson)]

Supertimer <supertimer@aol.com> wrote:

> ljsilicon@aol.com (LJSILICON) wrote:
> 
> >>
> >>I just bought a Transporter card and stuff for the IIgs and am wondering if
> >>there is a repository of information about it like connecting stuff and
> >>compatibility with other cards.
> >
> >One thing that you will have to watch out for is the I/O settings for any
> >connected drives if your GS has a  ZIPGS card. If the I/O is set at fast, the
> >Transporter will not read and write disks properly.
> 
> I remember David Empson posting that you can use a SuperDrive
> controller and a SuperDrive to access 1.44MB and 720k MS-DOS
> disks from the PC Transporter, thus NOT needing to use the disk
> port on the PC Transporter at all.  He'll have to refresh my memory
> on the exact details.

Yep, that's exactly how my system is set up.  SuperDrive card in slot 6
(no 5.25" drives, but who cares), and the PC Transporter is in slot 7,
with nothing hooked up to its disk port (I still use it as a RAM disk
when in Apple mode, if I'm doing something else with /RAM5).

The only troubles I've had are:

- the PC Transporter notes the size of the volume in the SuperDrive when
you launch AEPC.SYSTEM.  If you want to change disk sizes then you have
to quit back to ProDOS, switch disks, then launch the PCT again.

- Writing to standard PC-formatted disks is VERY slow, because they use
1:1 interleave.  You are much better off formatting the disks on the
IIgs, using 2:1 interleave.  This gives a slight speed penalty on the
PC, but makes the PC Transporter bearable.  Reading on the PCT is no
problem, because the SuperDrive card caches the entire track for reads.

- The SuperDrive card doesn't seem to be able to format 720K disks
reliably, in any environment.  It tends to cause weird system crashes.
I expect there is a bug in its firmware.

-- 
David Empson
dempson@actrix.gen.nz
Snail mail: P.O. Box 27-103, Wellington, New Zealand