Re: Advice on GS upgrades

[tws <adoyson@nccn.net>]

Toby Creek wrote:

> I recently bought a IIgs ROM 01 with 512k, a 3.5, a 5.25,
> monitor and ImageWriter II to replace the hole in my life
> left by my LOADED //e that I sold nearly ten years ago.
>
> I never had any idea that all this stuff was available for
> these machines.  I'd like to upgrade this thing so that
> it'll do more, so I'm seeking advice.
>
> First off, I am cheap.  I got that whole thing for $10, and
> I don't want to put $500 into it.  Here's some of the things
> that I am considering.
>
> SCSI card - I like the RAMFast, but not the price.
> I'm thinking about the CMS card that Alltech carries, or
> the Apple High Speed card.  I don't really need a whole
> bunch of speed or device support: I'm only connecting a
> hard disk. Everything else I hope to do via Appletalk
> with an Ethernet converter running to my Sun box with
> netatalk.  Is DMA defeatable, so that I can run 8MB without
> doing the RAMdisk hack?
>
> Memory board - The Sirius board looks cool, and I could
> populate it from 0MB easily.  Any downsides to this board
> (besides the 4MB DMA limit with Rom 01)?  The Sequential
> board looks OK too, but I have the RAM for the Sirius,
> so I could get into it cheaper.  Does anyone take the
> IIgs expansion board in trade?  I have one complete with
> box and shrink wrapped manuals.
>
> Accelerator - Anybody have one?
>
> Fan - Where is the fan header on the GS mainboard?  I have tons
> of muffin fans that I could use for this purpose.
>
> Thanks,
> Toby


Since you don't want speed/multiple devices/CD ROM drive, a Focus Hard
Drive would be a good decision for your storage needs.  You cannot chain
other drives to this card.

As for the memory board, I highly recommend Sirius RAM.  I had ZERO
problems when I put one in my fully loaded ROM 01 GS.  You stick the
board in the memory expansion slot, and have more memory to load things
into.

Sequential Systems RAM card is quite expensive, isn't it?

With Focus/Sirius, you should have no problems, because the Focus does
not do DMA.

Check out Comp.Sys.apple2.marketplace for Accelerators.  You'll have to
hang around that newsgroup for a while to find one.  Also try the Delphi
Apple II forum (there is a ZIP accelerator for sale in that forum right
now, I think), classified ads, garage sales.

The Fan connection inside of the IIgs is at the back of the case
(nearest to the cable connections in the back), between SLOT 1 and
SLOT2.  Check to make sure your fan is the proper voltage rating.

With a Fan in the IIgs, I recommend plugging some of the holes in the
case, so you can direct air flow where you want it (I taped a piece of
card board into the COVER of the IIgs case.  My fan is mounted on the
case, and air is blown in, across the interface cards, and exits through
holes in the back of the case)