Re: PC Transporter Help?

[spec@vax2.concordia.ca (Mitchell Spector)]

In article jkeim@unlinfo.unl.edu (james keim) writes...

>Mitchell Spector (spec@vax2.concordia.ca) wrote:
> 
>:     Other parts of the Apple IIgs kit included three additional cables.
>: Two were male IDC cables (one running between the ColorSwitch and PCT)
>: and one running from the PCT to the back of the IIgs with an DB19 plug,
>: so you could connect Apple 3.5 or TransDrive 5.25 drives. The last
>: cable was a DB15 connector coming off the ColorSwitch, that would plug
>: into the built-in RGB port on the IIgs. I assume you have those.
> 
>Yes, figured out the ColorSwitch last night.  For some reason I didn't
>realize I'd need to plug the Colorswitch into the GS RGB port (duh!). 
>The colorswitch seems add a slight blurriness to GS text (or it could 
>be my allergies).

    That is a side-affect of using the ColorSwitch. I found it causes
my monitor to pick up some RF-interference and heavily increases the
overall contrast (I'm forced to move the contrast knob way towards the
front setting, otherwise the screen is much too bright in both Apple
and IBM modes). There is a slight blurring too, but I didn't notice
it as much as the first two problems.

    What I did is unscrew all the connectors and leave them loosely
connected. If I want to use it in Apple mode, I plug the AppleColor
monitor directly into the GS's built RGB port. When I want to switch
to IBM mode, I plug the monitor back into the PCT card and the C.S.
back into GS's RGB port (all while the power is off of course).

>:     You also need a second Apple 3.5 or TransDrive 5.25 to boot floppy
>: disks from the PCT, unless you have set up virtual MS-DOS hardrive 
>: partitions on a ProDOS hardrive or other mass volume.
> 
>I have an old external 720k PC drive connected.  Will that work?

    That should work if it has a DB19 connector, and assuming it was
made to be connected to a PCT. I've heard of the TransDrive 3.5, but
never saw one before. I have a TransDrive 5.25 connected to my PCT,
which is an ordinary 360K IBM drive in a special enclosure. 

    You can connect an ordinary Apple 3.5 to the PCT as well, which 
it will use as a 720K drive in IBM mode.  I have an AMR (or some OEM
brand 3.5) connected to my PCT in addition to the TransDrive. I find
it works a bit flakey, even when I format 720K disks on a real IBM.

    If you have a SuperDrive connected to the IIgs with controller
card, apparently the PCT will be able to use that to read and write
disks in IBM mode too.

>:     There should be a notch on the socket, match it up with the notch
>: on the 8087 chip. I have one installed in my PCT (which lives in my
>: ROM 01) but I find it pretty useless.
> 
>Okay, thought that would be how it worked.  I'm not sure whether I'll 
>use it or not but I want to see if the chip I have works.

    You can plug it in and test it. There are several DOS applications
and benchmark programs which will detect it, mine did.

>:     Incidentally, in case your wondering, the PC-Transporter emulates
>: (through hardware obviously) a slightly accelerated IBM XT with CGA
>: graphics and 640K. The NEC V30 runs at 7.16 MHz and is basically the
>: equivalent of an 8086 with a couple of 186 instructions. I think you
>: can run MS-DOS 6.22, Windows 3.0 (barely) and several old programs,
>: but these days it's usefulness is pretty limited.
> 
>Yes, this is pretty much an exercise.  But I know my wife would like 
>to be able to use Wordperfect 5.1 if it is at all useable.

    It should work just fine, I quickly tested it with an older 
version of WordPerfect (4.1?) though I know the new version works 
as well from what I've heard.

Mitchell Spector
spec@vax2.concordia.ca