Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for comp.sys.apple2 2/4

[nathan@visi.com (Nathan Mates)]

This part 2 of 4 of the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) posting of the
comp.sys.apple2 newsgroup. Copyright (c) 1996 by Nathan Mates
(nathan@visi.com) This document can be freely copied so long as 1) it
is not sold, 2) any sections reposted elsewhere from it are credited
back to this FAQ with the FAQ's copyright info and official WWW
location left in place.
 
 This FAQ is posted on the WWW for 24 hour a day (barring system and/or
 internet malfunctions) availability from
 http://www.visi.com/~nathan/a2/faq/csa2.html. As I am constantly
 updating and fixing sections of this FAQ, making a link to the
 document over the WWW is preferred-- that way, there aren't obsolete
 versions floating around.
                               
--- Begin part 2 of 4
                                      
Adding Hardware:

   Q#14 Can the Apple II connect to 3.5" drives or flopticals for other
   platforms?
   
   A: For 400K or 800K Mac 3.5" drives, in general, no. Apple's 3.5"
   drive that was sold with Apple IIGSs has logic to sense which machine
   it is hooked up to (Apple II or Macintosh) and it works accordingly.
   Most 3rd party drives don't bother to put in Apple II support in their
   drives. Some may work if you hook them up to a UDC instead of an Apple
   3.5" inch card. Old style Mac 800k drives are very slow.
   
   Mac 1.44MB (High Density) 3.5" drives can be used if you have both
   both the High Density 3.5" drive and the new Apple 3.5" superdrive
   controller card. If you don't have both, you will only be able to do
   regular density (800K). Of course, you will also need High Density
   Disks. ProDOS 8 programs not only recognize the 1.44MB disks, but most
   programs format and recognize HD disks just fine. You can even boot
   off of a HD disk, allowing plenty of room for GS/OS Desk Accessories
   and such. There are a few drawbacks: you cannot boot copy-protected
   software or some FTA demos. Also, you can't daisy-chain a 5.25" off a
   HD card. Also, it takes up a slot, even on the GS.
   
   Unfortunately, Apple never seemed to have sold very many of the
   Superdrive controller card, while used superdrives are apparently
   plentiful, so you may have a hard time getting your hands on a
   superdrive controller card.
   
   The SCSI Floptical drive (also rare, but may be a bit easier to find)
   can also read and write 1.44MB and 720K disks, as well as its special
   21MB disks, but not 400K or 800K Apple II disks. You'd need a SCSI
   controller card, and special drivers with an Apple High Speed SCSI
   board or a recent ROM version with the RamFAST board. For more
   information, please see the Apple II & Floptical FAQ at
   http://www.visi.com/~nathan/a2/faq/floptical.html, and this FAQ's
   section on SCSI.
   
   IBM PC 3.5" drives (as well as all sorts of low and high density 5.25"
   drives) can be connected only with the (discontinued) Applied
   Engineering PC Transporter card, or the Bluedisk card from SHH Systems
   (See the section on dealers and hardware addons of this FAQ for their
   address and WWW page).
   
   There are also reports that the "CTI Drive" allows you to hook up IBM
   3.5" and 5.25" disk drives (no High Density support yet) to your Apple
   II. [IBM drives are cheaper] Some software is included to read MS/DOS
   disks on your Apple. Otherwise, ProDOS and GS/OS recognize them like
   normal drives. Unfortunately, information on this "CTI drive" is
   minimal at best, and nobody's responded to my requests for more
   information on them.
   
   Q#15 Can the Apple II connect to keyboards, mice, etc. from other
   platforms?
   
   A: IBM PC keyboards are almost impossible to connect to any Apple II;
   the only possibility is to buy a device used to connect such a
   keyboard to a Macintosh, and try that with your GS.
   
   IBM PC Serial Mice (usually have 9-pin serial connectors) can be
   connected to Apple //es with Sequential System's board. Although the
   connector is shaped identically, the //c, //e, and GS's joystick port
   in back is not a serial port; serial mice just won't work if connected
   to it. (If you have a GS, just buy a Mac ADB mouse and use that)
   
   Most Macintosh (except for the ones with the phone jack connector,
   such as the original Mac and Mac 512) keyboards and mice are Apple
   Desktop Bus (ADB) devices. ADB made its debut on the Apple IIGS; it
   was later adopted by the Mac SE and other computers in the line. This
   means that most Mac ADB mice and keyboards will work on the GS. There
   are no reported incompatabilities with Mac mice that I've heard about,
   though multibutton mice may only have one button work on the GS.
   
   Macintosh keyboards may not work; here is a list of ones known to work
   and not, compiled by Bradley P. Von Haden (bpvh@primenet.com)

Work:
Apple ADB Keyboards I and II
AppleDesign Keyboard ($85 - MacMall(66s), Mac Zone(47b))
+Apple Extended Keyboard (original)
Apple Extended Keyboard II ($155 - MacMall(66s), Mac Zone(47b))
Adesso 105 Extended Keyboard ($80 - Mac's Place, Mac Zone, Tiger SW)
Adesso 102 Wxtended Keyboard w/ Trackball [Trackball does NOT work]
     ($100 - Mac's Place, Mac Zone, Tiger Software)
Arriva Extended ($40 - MacMall(66s))
Interex 105 Extended ($55 - MacMall, Syex Express; $34 - Computer
     City)
Key Tronic MacPro Plus ($130 - Mac Zone, APS Tech.)
OptiMac Extended Keyboard (???)
PowerUser 105E Extended Keyboard ($50 - MacWarehouse(59))
SIIG, Inc MacTouch Model 1905 (~$100.00)
Sun OmniMac Ultra [extended, ADB type] (???)
Suntouch ADB Extended Keyboard ($75 - Syex Express)
VividKey Extended Keyboard ($60 - MacMall)

Do not work:

Apple Adjustable Keyboard
MacALLY Peripherals Extended Keyboard
MicroSpeed Keyboard Deluxe MAC

???:

+Adesso Easy Touch ext kb ($44 - Mac Zone(47b))
+Adesso ProPoint ext kb w/ thinkpad ($60 - MacMall(66s))
+Alps GlidePoint kb ($110 - Mac Zone(47b))
ClubMac Extended Keyboard ($39 - ClubMac(13))
Datadesk MAC 101 E ($100 - MacWarehouse, Mac Zone)
Datadesk TrackBoard ($100 - MacWarehouse, Mac Zone)
Key Tronic Trak Pro Plus ($230 - APS Tech.)
Performance Soft Touch Extended Keyboard ($49 - Mac Zone(47b))
Spring Sun Tech MacPride 97 ($90 - MacMall)
Spring Sun Tech MacPride 105 ($59 - MacMall)
Spring Sun Tech MacPride 110 ($80 - MacMall) [MAC/IBM switchable]
Spring Sun Tech MacPride KidBoard ($100 - MacMall)

????:

+Adesso NUForm Ergonomic ext kb ($60 - MacMall(66s))
+Adesso NUForm Ergomomic ext kb w/ pointer ($70 - MacMall (66s))
+Adesso NUForm Ergonomic ext kb w/ touch pad ($90 - MacMall (66s),
     Mac Zone (47B))
Adesso Tru-From Ergonomic ext kb ($79 - Mac Zone(47b))
Adesso Tru-Form Ergonomic ext kb w/ pointer ($90 - MacMall(66s))

   Q#16 Can I use Macintosh RGB or IBM VGA/SVGA Monitors with my ][?
   
   A: Not normally. Even with the GS's RGB monitor connector, the GS puts
   out a 15Khz horizontal refresh signal. Most modern monitors (notable
   exceptions are the old NEC Multisync 1 and 2 monitors) require the
   signal to be at least 30Khz, and thus won't display the picture. If
   you have a question on whether a given monitor will work, check the
   manual for it or contact the manufacturer to see if it'll support
   15Khz horizontal syncs. Older Apple II RGB cards (such as those to
   extend AE Ramworks cards) should have the same problem.
   
   The one way to bridge the "use Apple II monitors with Apple IIs" rule
   of thumb is to purchase the Second Sight (tm) VGA display board from
   Sequential Systems. (See the dealers section of this FAQ for their
   address and WWW page). The Second Sight mirrors Apple II video modes
   fairly well onto the VGA display, as well as supplying some VGA modes
   that programmers have begun to tap into. With it, you can connect
   VGA/SVGA monitors to your //e or GS
   
   If you are desperate for a monitor, the Apple II line puts out a video
   signal from the back port that can be hooked into the 'line in' port
   of a NTSC VCR or modern TVs-- just use a male-male RCA phono jack,
   which electronics shops should carry. Alternatively, a 'RF Converter'
   (try your local Radio Shack or the equivalent) can be used to connect
   that signal to a TV without a 'line in' connector.
   
   Q#17 Can I hook up a modem to my Apple II?
   
   A: Yes, most external serial modems should work great with an Apple
   II. Models such as the //c, IIc+ and IIGS have a serial port built in;
   the ][, ][+ and //e do not and will need to have one added.
   
   An Apple ][, ][+ or //e with Apple's Super Serial Card and an external
   modem that's fast enough can connect at 9600baud fine; 19200 may be
   iffy. (Past 19200 pretty much requires an accelerated Apple II). There
   is an addon to the Super Serial Card called the Turbo ASP that has a
   theoretical maximum of 230,400; see the entry for Lightning Systems in
   the dealer's section of this FAQ.
   
   The very first revision of the //c motherboard had a faulty serial
   setup that prevented most machines from reliable serial communications
   faster than 2400 baud. See the section on the //c in this FAQ for
   information on how to determine if a system is likely to be affected.
   Various companies sell cables for the Apple //c; check out Atlaz
   Computer Supply (516-239-1854) or LYBEN Computer Systems at (800)
   493-5777.
   
   The GS (and probably the IIc+) and the appropriate software (such as
   ProTERM, Spectrum or ANSITerm) can connect at up to 57600 baud. (Once
   again, an accelerator is recommended for the higher speeds).
   
   For any Apple II, speeds past 9600 pretty much require you to get a
   'Hardware Handshaking' modem cable. This is a cable with connections
   between the handshaking pins (cheapo cables may only have the 3 wires
   necessary to do simple serial) and thus allows the computer to tell
   the modem that it is temporarily too busy to receive data, so the
   modem doesn't send more data until the computer's ready.
   
   Internal modems for Apple IIs only seem to have gone up to 2400 baud,
   which was fast for the time the boards were made, but is now fairly
   outdated. You cannot use internal PC modems in Apple IIs.
   
   Q#18 Can I hook up a LaserWriter, DeskJet, etc to my Apple //e?
   
   A: A number of them. The best bet is probably the HP DeskJet series.
   
   Most supported printers have either regular serial or parallel
   connections. The tricky part is getting the software to do what you
   want. The DeskJet, for example will print very nice-looking text with
   regular old "PR#1". But if you want to change the font or print
   graphics, you may have to purchase some software. One excellent
   program for these types of printers is PublishIt 4.
   
   For AppleWorks fans, there is the program called SuperPatch. Among
   it's patches is a cool DeskJet 500 (most DeskJet 6xx printers should
   be compatible, but check the documentation) printer driver. You can
   print sideways, and change fonts with normal AppleWorks commands. The
   DeskJet driver is built in to AW 4.0 and later.
   
   The Apple Stylewriter family is not supported by any //e program to my
   knowledge.
   
   Q#19 Can I hook up a Laser printer, ink jet, or bubble jet printer to
   my Apple IIGS?
   
   A:In short: a number of them, but not all. Please look through the
   following list to check if a particular model you're looking at is
   supported. Also, the following applies to all programs which support
   the GS system toolbox methods for talking to printers through drivers.
   Most GS programs support this; Print Shop GS is an exception-- it'll
   pretty much only work with the printers listed in the program, and
   then only at its printing resolutions.
   
   On the GS, you can hook up most LaserWriters made by Apple via
   AppleTalk-- if it supports Postscript and Appletalk, it should work.
   [Apple's Quickdraw printers are not usable.] A GS program can
   typically print to a LaserWriter if it's connected to the GS via
   AppleTalk; just install the LaserWriter drivers from the System 6
   disks. Note that some LaserWriters from Apple may be 'Quickdraw,' not
   true Postscript printers, so they won't work from the GS. The
   Laserwriter, Laserwriter II, LW IINT, LW IINTX are all known to work
   fine.
   
   Of the Apple Stylewriter family, ONLY the original Stylewriter will
   work on the GS, and then only from GS/OS with the System 6 drivers. As
   Apple has not written drivers or released the specifications so that
   drivers could be written by third parties, none of the rest of the
   Stylewriter models works when connected to a GS.
   
   The HP DeskWriter family is mostly only for Macintoshes; the DeskJet
   3xx, 5xx or 6xx (xx= any 2 numbers, plus some optional letters)
   printer families is much more friendly to all models of the Apple II.
   If you get a DeskJet, or PaintJet, etc, you can hook them up via a
   parallel printer card or serial cable depending on what ports the
   printer has. The exceptions to this are HP's recent 'Windows Only'
   printers, such as the HP DJ 820C models, which don't work at all with
   Apple IIs.
   
   But, in order to use pretty much any inkjet or bubblejet printer that
   the GS can talk to effectively, you will need Harmonie from Vitesse
   (better-- supports color printing on HP inkjets that have such support
   built in) or Independence (cheaper, but only black & white printing)
   from Seven Hills. They are new printer drivers for GS/OS programs
   only. These two programs extend the ranges of printers supported by
   the GS. If you want to print from an 8-bit program, see the previous
   question.
   
   Harmonie's drivers also support a number of printer modes that other
   printers can handle. Apparently the Canon BJ-200e works well with
   Harmonie 2.1's Epson LQ or Epson LQ 4000 drivers.
   
   As provided by Richard Der, here is a list of printers and such
   supported by Harmonie; there may be other printers that are compaible
   with such models listed here, but are not listed. Nobody's gotten a
   list of printers supported by Independence to me yet, unfortunately.
   
Printers supported by Harmonie:
--Canon Dot Matrix--
Canon 1080

--HP DeskJet (or DeskWriter) Ink-Jet--
DeskJet        (Manual states all DeskJet and DeskJet 5xx drivers
DeskJet 500C    work with DeskWriter series of the same number
DeskJet 520     using the high speed Printer 57.6 serial port
DeskJet 550C    driver included with on the disk)
DeskJet 560C *560C driver is compatible with DJ/DW 600C and 660C
              printers. The DJ 400 is like th DJ 600C. The DJ 560C
              driver is listed as a 600x300dpi one whereas all the
              rest are 300x300dpi. [Other models like the 680C/682C
              should work also.]

--Epson LQ 24-pin Dot Matrix (or Canon Ink-Jet)--
Epson LQ        (Epson LQ drivers work with Canon BJ models for
Epson LQ 4000    hi-res 360dpi printing. Some older models have
Epson LQ 800     dip switches that must be set to enable automatic
                 Epson emulation -> for example, the BJ-200e
                 requires DIP switch 12 to be set to ON. The printer
                 manual should say what to do for the specific model.
                 BJ-10e, BJ 100, BJ-200, BJ-210, BJ-4100, and BJ-600
                 models also list Epson LQ emulation and should work
                 with one or more of these drivers.)

--Epson 9-pin Dot Matrix--
Epson MX 80

--HP LaserJet laser Printers--
LaserJet
LaserJetIIP
LaserJet III    (Newer LaserJet models also work with these drivers
                 as are any HP compatible laser printers)

--Misc. Dot Matrix Printers--
Okimate 20
Panasonic 1124
Pinwriter

--Misc. Ink-Jet--
HP PaintJet
QuadJet

   Gareth Jones adds the following from his list on his Harmonie 2.11
   disk:

-- Apple Dot Matrix Printers--
ImageWriter LQII
ImageWriter II

   I'd like to get a list of all printers that are 1) officially
   supported by Harmonie/Independence, 2) not officially listed, but a
   driver exists that works well with them and 3) don't work at all with
   Apple IIs. Given that I have neither the time nor the money to test
   every printer on the market, I'd appreciate feedback sent to me at
   nathan@visi.com.
   
   Q#20 Can I add more memory to my Apple II?
   
   A: Yes. The hard part is getting machines before the GS to recognize
   all of it. The Apple ][ and ][+ have a practical limit of about 64K,
   which is accomplished by the 16K language card in slot 0. [Some
   accelerators provided 128K, as well as some very old ram cards, but I
   don't have any real info on that.]
   
   The //e had the widest variety of memory expansion options. The AUX
   slot used for 80-column cards could also handle memory expansion--
   Apple's own Extended 80-column card provided an extra 64K of memory.
   Other cards in that slot could reportedly add several megs of memory.
   There were also RAM cards for slots 1-7, the so-called 'slinky' cards,
   also capable of adding a meg or more. Most of these cards are only
   available used, but Sequential Systems is still making and selling a
   1MB //e RAM card.
   
   Later models of the Apple //c had an internal memory expansion port,
   which RAM 'cards' could be added internally-- see the section on Apple
   //cs for how to determine if a //c could have RAM added. Such RAM
   cards are only available used; Sequential used to make one, but it's
   not listed anymore on their WWW page.
   
   The problem with adding extra RAM to Apple IIs (before the GS) is that
   not much software would take advantage of it at all. Only a few
   programs like Appleworks had any form of support-- versions 1.x or 2.x
   needed to be patched to recognize more memory, 3.0 and up could use an
   externally supplied file. [To get the patch or the file, see the disks
   that came with the RAM card.] Basic, most games, and the like don't
   care about any RAM beyond the 48-128K they require to run.
   
   The GS, due to its processor design, can directly address up to 16MB
   of memory (about 2MB is reserved in the GS's design for ROM), though
   RAM cards only go up to 8MB. Sequential Systems still sells 2-8MB RAM
   boards for the GS; there were also lots of other manufacturers.
   Although SIMMs are now dirt cheap, there were very few SIMM based GS
   RAM boards-- you'll probably have to buy a card using some other form
   of RAM.
   
   The GS can also have //e 'slinky' cards plugged in, but aside from
   Appleworks and ramdisk support, the memory on these boards is NOT
   available to GS programs. This is because they are accessed via slots
   1-7 manually, one byte at a time in sequential order, while the 65816
   wants program RAM to be directly accessible in random order. It would
   require rewriting a program to address slinky cards from a GS, and as
   the numbers of those are extremely limited, no real support for them
   was ever widespread.
   
   Q#21 Can I accelerate my Apple II?
   
   A: Yes. Over the years, many accelerators were produced for the varios
   models in the Apple II series. Most of these were slot-based cards,
   though the ZipChip and RocketChip were drop-in processor replacements.
   For the GS, the Transwarp GS and the Zip GS were the only options; Ego
   Systems still sells 8Mhz Zip GSs. [I don't know of anyplace selling
   non-GS accelerators new; you'll probably have to look for one used.] A
   separate FAQ for upgrading ZIP or TransWarp GS accelerators is
   available at http://www.visi.com/~nathan/a2/faq/zip.html.
   
   For only a few dollars, you can buy a faster 65C02/65816 from an
   electronics parts catalog. However, this most likely won't do you a
   bit of good without an ungradeable accelerator card. This is because
   the Apple II's system bus runs at 1Mhz, and provides a 1Mhz signal to
   the processor socket. The processor derives its timing off that
   signal; running it at a speed under what it's rated at is perfectly
   safe and legal. Accelerator cards or chips provide their own
   oscillator at a faster speed, plus the logic necessary for a chip to
   interface with the slower 1Mhz bus.
   
   Q#22 What are the pinouts for all the various Apple II connectors?
   
   A: While these pinouts are a little too big to include in this FAQ
   outright, you can still find them in the same place on the WWW as this
   FAQ, in Nathan Mates's set of Apple II Resources. The pinouts page is
   available at http://www.visi.com/~nathan/a2/faq/pinouts.html.
   
   Q#23 Can I hook up a scanner up to my //e or IIGS? Can it do OCR?
   
   A: Yes and Yes. (OCR stands for Optical Character Recognition -- the
   ability to convert a scan into text) Just pick up a Quickie scanner
   (by Vitesse) and InWords (by WestCode Software). You can scan 4"
   columns (you must have 512K to 1 Meg) and can even paste them together
   to make 8" scans. Then you can use InWords to "read" text and put it
   into a text file or AppleWorks Word Processor file.
   
   Apple put partially completed support for a few Apple flatbed scanners
   onto the System 6.0 Golden Master CD, but the test program for it
   could not save a scan to a file. No programs support various popular
   TWAIN-compliant scanners such as those from HP.
   
   Q#24 Can a Disk ][ be used on a GS smartport?
   
   A: Yes. Contact Jameco Electronics (http://www.jameco.com, phone:
   1-800-831-4242) S20 PIN HEADER TO DB19-PIN CONNECTOR MODULE ADAPTS
   II/II+ DRIVES FOR APPLE IIC. PART NO: 10022 PRODUCT NO.: AAM APPLE IIC
   ADAPTER $3.95
   
   If you don't mind some soldering, you can make this cable up yourself.
   Take a look at http://www.visi.com/~nathan/a2/faq/diskiicable.html
   
   Q#25 I want a Y-adapter for my GS keyboard.
   
   A: Redmond Cable has an ADB Y-connector cable for separating your
   mouse from the side of your keyboard (also can be used to work around
   a failing ADB port on the keyboard). See the 'Resources' section of
   this FAQ.
   
   Q#26 How about hooking up cheap IDE Hard Drives?
   
   A: There's a card called the Turbo IDE, does DMA, and is apparently as
   fast as a RamFAST SCSI card. See
   http://users.ids.net/~kerwood/shh.html, or contact jlange@tasha.muc.de
   for details like technical specs, pricing, and S/H procedure.
   
   The first revisions of the Turbo IDE controller's ROM supported only
   256MB of capacity on a single drive. With IDE HDs now being sold at
   ten times that capacity, you may have to do some hunting to find
   drives that small.
   
Q#27 Can an Apple II connect to a SCSI device?

   SCSI is a protocol (method of transmitting data) that lets you hook up
   to 8 SCSI devices on a SCSI bus (SCSI devices connected together).
   There are Hard Drives, tape drives, CD-ROM drives, scanners, and more
   available as SCSI devices.
   
   To get SCSI on an Apple II, you need to buy and install a SCSI card.
   (//cs and IIc+s have no native SCSI cards, but Chinook (later bought
   out by Sequential) made a Smartport capable drive as your only choice
   for HDs). At first, there was the Apple Rev 'C' SCSI card (named after
   the final ROM version--all previous versions MUST be upgraded to work
   with current software). There were several clones from the likes of
   CMS and Chinook. Then Apple came out with it's High Speed DMA SCSI
   card. This has the ability to do Direct Memory Access to the RAM in
   your computer, which speeds things up. This created a lot of problems
   with cards that were not DMA compatible.
   
   CV Technologies (bought out by Sequential Systems) also has a DMA SCSI
   card called the RamFast. This card has 256K or 1MB of on-board RAM to
   make it even faster than Apple's card. It can also supply terminator
   power if you drive does not supply it. Both of the new cards support
   things like SCSI tape backup units, removable SCSI drives, SCSI
   CD-ROM, and of course SCSI hard drives. Both the new cards also
   require an Enhanced //e. RamFasts have had their ROM upgraded many
   times; you may want to look into getting the latest if you have
   removable devices such as Flopticals, CD-Roms, Zip Disks, and tape
   drives.
   
   Most fixed and removable SCSI disks can be connected to Apple IIs with
   the addition of a SCSI card. People have used Zip, Syquests,
   Bernoulli, CD-ROMs, Floptical devices. With older revisions of the
   SCSI cards, they may NOT recognize them as removable devices, leading
   to crashes and/or data corruption if you switch removable disks with
   the computer on. Most SCSI HDs can also be used, but certain SCSI II
   devices that insist that the SCSI card have a SCSI ID (the Quantum
   Fireball seems to be one of the main culprits) won't work with at
   least the RamFAST 3.01f ROM version and possibly others.
   
   There are separate mini-FAQs for connecting Floptical and CD-ROM
   devices; you may view them at
   http://www.visi.com/~nathan/a2/faq/floptical.html and
   http://www.visi.com/~nathan/a2/faq/cdrom.html
   
   You must manually give each device it's own unique ID number from 0-7.
   The SCSI card is usually set to 7. On a SCSI chain, there must be a
   Terminator (a bunch of resistors) at each end. Some drives have
   internal terminators (3 small yellow-orange packs) that can be
   switched on and off, and some drives come with an external terminator
   (a "plug" to put on the back of the drive). Nothing other than the
   ends of the chain should be terminated.
   
   Also, somebody on the bus must supply terminator power (one of the
   SCSI lines). If There are any problems (multiple things with the same
   ID, too much termination or not enough, or no terminator power), you
   may be able to use the drive, but your data will get corrupted. Most
   of the time, the computer will refuse to recognize the drive.
   
   There are two types of SCSI cables: the 50 pin Centronics-type (like
   on parallel printers) or the 25-pin "D" connector. The 50-pin is the
   SCSI standard, the 25-pin is the Apple standard. There are also cables
   with the 50-pin centronics connector on one side and the 25 pin "D"
   connector on the other.
   
  Q#28 Tips on setting up a SCSI system:
  
     * You can have multiple drives on one SCSI card, just make sure you
       remove the termination on all the drives but the last one. This is
       because the newer SCSI cards are terminated (and they count as a
       SCSI device).
     * Always check that the cords are plugged in properly. Never
       connect/disconnect anything when the computer is on.
     * SCSI ID numbers 0 and 7 tend to have special meanings; the Apple
       High Speed SCSI displays multiple copies of partitions online if a
       drive has that ID. Use 1-6 instead.
     * The computer will boot the hard drive with the highest SCSI ID,
       which should be ID 6.
     * Try letting the drive 'warm up' for 15 seconds before turning the
       computer on. The SCSI cards look for drives only at startup, and
       may ignore any drives that are not ready.
     * Try turning off DMA. If this helps, you may have a non-DMA
       compatible card, such as the early versions of the TransWarp,
       early versions of the GS RAM, or any 8-bit accelerator.
       Alternately, try setting up a RAM disk for all but 4 MB. Some RAM
       cards can only do DMA in the first bank.
     * Check that each device has a unique ID. Most drives have a
       thumbwheel on the back to set the ID. Your SCSI card (yes, it
       counts too) is probably ID 7. Number your drives from 6 downwards
       for best compatibility. The IDs have nothing to do with what slot
       the card is in.
     * Is there a terminator at each end of the SCSI bus? (the DMA cards
       are terminated, and some drives are internally terminated.)
     * Try the software that came with the card. It may give helpful
       diagnostic messages (I.E. the Apple DMA SCSI utilities-- Does it
       say "No Apple SCSI card found" or "No SCSI devices found"?)
     * RamFast boards have gone through many ROM revisions. The latest is
       3.01f; if you want to use any removable disks (Zip/Syquest disks,
       CD-Roms, Flopticals, tape backups), you should contact Sequential
       Systems (see above for address) to purchase a ROM upgrade for your
       board.
     * Do you get the message "Unable to Load ProDOS"? If so, it's
       booting your drive but you have no system software on it. Try
       hitting Control-Reset, then PR#5 (or PR#6) to boot a floppy. Then
       install the system software (i.e. ProDOS or GS/OS).
     * In extreme cases, try reformatting the drive, repartitioning, and
       re-installing the System software.
     * If the drive access light blinks in a regular pattern before the
       computer is turned on, it is telling you that it has a hardware
       malfunction. It needs to be serviced.
     * Did you try re-installing the System software? Many times, the
       data on a drive will get corrupted if you run the drive with
       improper terminators or conflicting SCSI ID's. Sometimes you will
       not notice the corrupted data until after you fix the problem. If
       re-installing the System software helps, it was probably a
       software problem, not a hardware problem.
     * The Apple HS DMA SCSI card requires an Enhanced //e. It will not
       work on the older //e without an Enhancement Kit.
     * To really put a drive through it's paces, copy a LOT of stuff from
       one partition to another (copy the entire partition if you can).
       If there is a problem with DMA or SCSI ID's, it will probably show
       up as a strange GS/OS error. (GS only)
     * Make sure you do not have the Apple SCSI drivers installed if you
       have a RamFast. It may cause random problems (they leave an
       interrupt handler dangling if they can't find their card.) (GS
       only)
     * Make sure you are booting the right slot. If the card is in slot
       7, you can set the startup slot to Scan or 7. (GS only)
     * If you boot up and only 1 partition shows up, you need to install
       the SCSI drivers. (GS only)
     * If you boot up and it says "Drive XXX is already on the desktop"
       over and over: Probably a SCSI ID problem. (GS only)
     * If you add a CD-ROM, drivers are availiable from Trantor Systems
       LTD, 5415 Randall Place, Fremont, CA 94538 (415)770-1400 (GS only)
     * At least one device must supply terminator power to the bus (Pin
       26). The Apple Cards do not supply this, and some drives don't
       either. Result: The drive won't be seen by any software.
     * Some CMS Platinum drives had pin 40 disconnected for obscure Mac
       compatibility reasons. This can cause problems with the Apple IIs.
     * Make sure you use the drivers from GS/OS, and not the ones that
       ship with the Apple HS SCSI card. (Doesn't apply to RamFast).
     * To low-level format an AE Vulcan drive, go into PART.MANAGER, move
       the highlight to "format" and type "AE". Then say yes to all the
       prompts.
       



   _________________________________________________________________
                                    
   Email suggestions to nathan@visi.com. As always, let me know of any
   mistakes, updates, corrections, additions, etc.
   
 There are a lot more questions with answers not included directly in
 this FAQ; please see http://www.visi.com/~nathan/a2/faq for more of
 them.
 
 Copyright 1996 by Nathan Mates ( Nathan Mates)

--- End Part 2 of 4
--
<*> Nathan Mates http://www.visi.com/~nathan/      <*>
# What are the facts? Again and again and again-- what are the _facts_?
# Shun wishful thinking, avoid opinion, care not what the neighbors
# think-- what are the facts, and to how many decimal places?  -R.A. Heinlein