Re: Sick IIGS CMS Combo

[Rubywand <rubywand@swbell.net>]

Rayni Obenauf writes ...
> 
> [snip original message]
> >
> >     It may be that the most sage advice you received was to blow off
> >the CMS card and get Alltech to credit the price toward the purchase of
> >a current RamFAST.
> >
> >
> >Rubywand
> 
>    Thanks for your advice, I'm sure the RamFAST is the best thing on the
> market, and I'm kinda surprised that the good people at Alltech would
> foist a product on us when they know doesn't work reliably.

     Alltech has a good reputation; so, it may be that the CMS card
happens to function poorly with your particular hard drive. Advice, of
course, is easy to give when the 'brilliant' suggestion is to get the
best, most expensive SCSI controller.
 

> However, if
> this particular host interface hadn't been available at this price, I
> probably would have passed on this computer, that is, I would have given
> it to charity instead of using it. It was given to me in the first place
> and decided to use it for my kids and as a hobby computer only if I could
> expand the memory and give it a hard drive for under $100. I already had 1
> meg 30 pin simms and small SCSI drives coming outta my ears.
>    It's interesting to note that at least one email I received concerned
> the same troubles with the RamFAST card. Kinda sounds like the problem
> isn't the particular cards, but the lack of understanding of how to design
> an interface card in the '86 timeframe.

     Alas, it's more like a lack of understanding of how to design a
computer in the '86 timeframe.


>    I'm not discounting your experience with the RamFAST card, there were a
> number of responses that agreed with you, at least on the position of
> ditching the CMS card, and I may either trade in the CMS card for another,
> or wish I had.

     There is another option. The 60MB Focus "Hard Card" drive from
Alltech is $99 ( http://allelec.com/appleii.htm#anchor252990 ). It needs
no extra controller card; you just plug it into a Slot. I'm pretty sure
System 6.0.1 is still installed, too. You might consider calling Alltech
and asking for Tony Diaz. Since your CMS card does not work well in your
system, you could suggest swapping it for credit toward the Focus.


> As for now, the computer sitting in it's end location, it's
> turned on and properly communicating with the host interface, and most
> importantly, my five year old doesn't know the difference.

     That is an important consideration. Young users can get endless fun
and a good start into "computer literacy" with an Apple II.


> As I said, I
> may eventually turn to the RamFAST, and it's worth the option of exploring
> with Alltech the possibility of an exchange nearterm, but for now, I (and
> my kids) are semi-happy campers. I know, you are saying "how could you put
> up with such shit, buying a card that doesn't work".

     It might be, except we used our 1981 II+ for a year or so with a
cassette tape deck and no disk drive (and had loads of fun) while
computer user friends were saying the same sort of thing to us.


> My response is "If it
> really didn't work, I'd really be pissed, but if I can get it to meet my
> current requirements, I can live with it. Mind you, I've spent the last
> year screwing with DOS 3.3, swapping floppies, and the Tan brothers Apple
> IIe emulator for the Mac. Did you ever get to see what order the
> characters come up during the splash screen. Just try the Tan brothers
> emulator on a Mac IIVX.

 ....

     Our 'other computer' is a PC. If I get a chance to try the emulator
on a Mac, I'll be sure to.



Rubywand