Re: Super Serial cd: for IIe slot #3??

[foegelle@sleepy.cc.utexas.edu (Michael Foegelle)]

In article <1993Aug21.224150.7102@presby.edu> sebugg@presby.edu (Stephen Buggie) writes:
>sebugg@presby.edu                                           8-21-93
>
>            IIE: CAN SUPER SERIAL PRINTER CARD OPERATE IN SLOT #3?
>            -----------------------------------------------------

The answer is....  Yes and No.  Yes, you should be able to plug your SSC 
into slot three without blowing anything up, and yes the HARDware should 
work ok.  However, the firmware won't, and will probably cause problems
if any attempt is made to engage it, including a PR#3 to turn on the 80 
column card.  Since the control lines for the 80 column card do not use
the standard I/O range (unless I'm totally mistaken, which I'm sure I'm 
not.) at $C030-$C03F, there's no reason the computer can't talk to the 
6551 ACIA on the SSC.  Thus something like a terminal program which talks
straight to the hardware would have no problem here.  However, the firmware
portion of the SSC which contains all of the program information which is
normally activated when you do a "PR#1" to start printing, etc, would 
interfere with the 80 column firmware (actually it may take precedence).
Thus, the SSC would have to be hacked to disable the firmware portion of
the card.  (This probably reduces its usefulness as a printer card since 
many programs rely on firmware routines.  On the other hand, as a modem
interface, or for that matter hacking the Datalink to remove firmware
control and placing it there, it would probably work fine.


>  1          super serial card, connected to printer   |  8 MHz ZIP CHIP
>  2          Apple mouse card                          |
>  3          (vacant slot!)                            |  AE heavy-duty
>  4          AE Datalink 2400 modem card               |  power supply
>  5          Laser UDC card, with AE 800K disk drive   |
>  6          Apple Disk ][ card, with two Disk ]['s    |  No-Slot Clock
>  7          AE Ramfactor memory card with 768K RAM    |
>aux slot     Sequential Systems 1024K ram/80 col card  |
>
>I want to add another card to the system.  What can be placed in slot #3?

Other options...  Either your mouse card or Ramfactor may work in slot three
since neither card has ROM routines (or do they..  don't remember on the 
mouse card, maybe it does..)   However the Ramfactor probably uses the $c800
bank for RAM I/O.  Basically you need a card that doesn't do anything 
anywhere but the $c030 area (or someplace special).  That's why an accelerator
card will work there alongside the memory expansion in the aux slot.

>Thank you.  sebugg

You're welcome. 

Michael Foegelle



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