Re: Localtalk connectors

["Mark Cummings" <figjams@primus.com.au>]

>Then the obvious question is where do you get another one?
>Can you make one and what is the ohms of the resister you
>would need?

You could make one by copying the other one. The resistor is 120 Ohm in one
I just looked at. Make sure it goes to the outer 2 or 4 pins on the RJ-11
plug.

> I only have one.  I tried it on my network and
>I can see my Mac server from my IIgs so it seems to be working.

there you go, but maybe you will have problems eventually. A bit like SCSI,
sometimes it will work with incorrect termination, and other times it won't.

>Is localtalk better than a serial cable between the two stations?
>Do you get faster transfer rates with the localtalk connectors?
>Or is it the same as the direct connection via serial cable that I
>formerly used?

yes and yes, I get about 100Kbps effective throughput compared to 9.6KBps or
19.2Kbps or even 38.4Kbps with straight serial. The actual specs for
AppleTalk is 230Kbps.

>I only paid a buck for the two connectors so
>I thought why not.  I know that it is the only way to hook
>more than two computers/printers together using Appletalk
>but is there an advantage other than that?

1. You can play AppleTalk games :) I noticed "Le Manior de Morteville" has
AppleTalk in the menu, I don't know if there are others.
2. You can mount Mac or PC (with the right hardware/software) volumes on
your GS desktop, which you couldn't before from your serial connection.
3. You can control file transfers from your GS without having to go back and
forth between PC and GS.
4. You can use one file server to make it easier to share files between more
than one GS on the network, and save having to use floppy's to transfer from
one GS to another.
5. You can make GSHK etc. disks directly from the Mac without having to
transfer to the GS first.
6. It's cool because PCers can't do what your GS can do now :)
7. If you don't have a HDD on your GS you can use the network startup, which
you couldn't with serial. (I havn't done this myself yet, but the book says
it can be done)
8. You can use cheap phone cable to make really long networks, 500 Metres I
thing was in the docs.
9. You don't need a reason, just do it because you can :)

Mark