Re: Quadram Quadlink

[nparker@cie-2.uoregon.edu (Neil Parker)]

In article <hochstrasse-2108962046000001@ppp-4.urz.unibas.ch>
hochstrasse@ubaclu.unibas.ch (Urs Hochstrasser) writes:
>In article <4vefsi$3ij@pith.uoregon.edu>, nparker@cie-2.uoregon.edu (Neil
>Parker) wrote:
>
>> I found an Apple II treasure in Goodwill this afternoon--a Quadram Quadlink
>Oh sweet memories! 12 years ago I had the opportunity to test drive such a
>board  when it was brand new...
>Worked flawlessly in an original IBM PC with most games, as I remember.
>
>[snip]
>> But when I got it home and plugged into the old XT, it didn't work.
>Did you get the installation instructions as well? I think you had to
>remove  the (34 pin flat ribbom Shugart bus?) floppy cable from the disk
>drive and plug it into the QuadLink. From there a cable ran to the Disk
>drive. Similar things had to be done with the speaker and probably video
>as well.

Yes, I got the installation instructions.  As I said, the package appears
to be "more than complete."

Unfortunately, following the instructions exactly proved impossible.  The
Quadlink comes with a short cable to connect the card to the disk
controller, but its connectors don't match my disk controller's connectors--
on the end of the cable is one of those big plastic connectors designed to
fit over an edge connector (like the original IBM PC disk controller card
has), but my disk controller card just has 34 metal pins sticking out from
the component side.

So I improvised.  I reversed the Quadlink cable, and connected it between
the disk controller and the lower connector on the Quadlink card.  Then I
connected my existing disk drive cable to the upper connector (this is the
opposite of what the manual says to do).  In this configuration, the IBM
drive worked normally in IBM mode, but wouldn't work in Apple mode.

Next I tried leaving the Quadlink cable disconnected, and ran the system
disk drive cable from the controller card to the drive, and then to the
Quadlink's lower connector.  This configuration also works normally in IBM
mode, but it fails in Apple mode, and it sounds like it's failing in
exactly the same way as first attempt.

A friend of mine who's sort of an IBM expert (but doesn't know about
Quadlinks) suspects it's incompatible with my disk controller card, and
maybe it will work if I can find an old original IBM PC disk drive
controller.

(Examination of the traces on the Quadlink board suggests that both of my
"mutant" configurations should be electrically identical to the
configuration described in the manual.)

>> The
>> bootup program asks for the Filer disk, so I insert the Filer disk, and
>> the disk drive runs for a few moments, and then reports a "problem", and
>> loops back to the ask-for-the-Filer-disk prompt.
>What filer do you mean? It can't be the ProDOS Filer disk. If I remember
>right, the bootup program attempts to load the 'ROM' from disk into the
>card. (from a PC-DOS or Apple DOS 3.3 disk?) When this succeeded you could
>boot any Apple ][ compatible disk from the internal PC drive. Perhaps you
>try a DOS 3.3 disk with FPBASIC on it as a 'Filer' disk.

The Quadlink comes with two disks:  an IBM-format "Quadlink System Master
Disk," and an Apple-format disk called "The Filer" from Central Point
Software.

The Quadlink System Master has one file on it--QUADLINK.EXE, which is the
Quadlink startup program.

The Filer is a collection of DOS 3.3 utilities, including an Apple<->IBM
copy program, and the FPBASIC file.

The bootup procedure is supposed to work like this:

     * Run QUADLINK.EXE
     * When asked, insert the Filer and press any key
     * When the C:\> prompt returns, press CTRL-ALT-A to go into Apple mode

>In the meantime I try to perform some excavations in my basement...

If you can find anything informative, I would be grateful...

          - Neil Parker
-- 
Neil Parker, nparker@{cie-2,cie}.uoregon.edu, http://cie-2.uoregon.edu/~nparker

     "Evolution is vastly overrated."  -- Ambassador Delenn, _Babylon_5_