Re: Arghhhh with PC--->Apple over Null Modem Cable

[Dennis Jenkins <dennis@usb.com>]

Maybe you could send your zip file to someone who would re-code it into
.bxy (or whatever) Apple II compressed format, and sent those files back
to you.  I have no experience using Apple II compressed files, but I
think it could be done easily in unix using a shell or perl script and
the unix port of nulib.  

Crap... that won't work, as you would still need to get the files onto
your HFS drive.

If you have a SCSI card in your w2k box, you could get the rom image
from a Mac (like a Mac LC-II) and run the basilisk emulator.  Using the
emulator, you can mount your SCSI HFS drive and also (I think) a folder
on your PC (it would appear as a network drive in the Mac).  Then you
could copy the files over.

Maybe I've just been working too many 15 hour days and not reading
enough usenet.. :)

Marvin Miller wrote:
> 
> I considered (and tried) the file transfer over the null modem cable and ran
> into these problems;
> 
> [1] I had to get a cable that fit the //gs and terminated in a db9 serial
> port (I Did)
> [2] I had to get a null modem intermediate adapter (I Did)
> [3] I had to get an adapter to go from the db9 serial end of the //gs cable
> to get it to connect to the null modem joiner (I Did)
> [4] I had to get an extension to make the computers reach (I Did)
> [4] I had to get an adapter to make it connect to the extension (I Did)
> [5] I had to get another adapter to make the extension terminate in the
> proper gender to the PC (I Did)
> 
> $65 dollars later....
> 
> BTW, It looked like this !
> 
> mini-din 8------->db9 (female) -----gender changer-----null modem
> adapter------gender changer------extension cable-------gender changer
> 
> In the end, the cable did connect to both machines but it wasn't pretty!
> After that I spent two hours trying to get the two machines to talk to each
> other using z-link. I could get no communication whatsover and had problems
> even inputting the correct directory into z-link. There's something strange
> with that program.....
> 
> As a result of this, my null modem cable experience stinks, not to put too
> fine a point on it.
> 
> Also, the software issue comes into play. Seeing I can't use a single
> self-extracting zip file on the //gs, I would have to enter in around 4,000
> file names to transfer! It would be _MUCH_ easier if I had a GS/OS based
> communication program that could work with HFS drives. Even if I did though,
> I still question my patched together null modem cable. There's enough joins
> in there to cause problems.
> 
> The issue with that is that I am in Canada, and there's not much in the way
> of null modem adapters that will work. I already ordered all the //GS parts
> & components from the US and I'm getting tired of importing :-)
> 
> If I had a standard db9 ---> db9 null modem adapter the cable would be
> correct without the need for a million gender changers. This would make me
> more confident but I come back to the comms software issue. I'm still trying
> to do this fast & easy. The only comms program I've got is z-link and it
> looks pretty scary!
> 
> So, I wish I had Linux experience and could do the above posted solution
> but......It's looking like getting a CD-ROM for the //gs and borrowing my
> buddies burner is going to be the best bet......By the way, I was under the
> impression that you could use the long filenames under ISO 9660. I know most
> of the files I want to transfer are very long names....
> 
> Thanks for the continued help everyone!
> Marvin
> 
> "Mark Cummings" <figjams@primus.com.au> wrote in message
> 3a66db1a@news.iprimus.com.au">news:3a66db1a@news.iprimus.com.au...
> > Marvin,
> >
> > >...unzipped everything on the PC, re-zipped it as a self-extracting
> > executable
> > >and than wanted to transfer ONE file via the null modem cable (instead of
> > >4,000 !!).
> >
> > as you now know, a PC self extracting .zip will not unzip on your GS, ie.
> > different processors. So burning a CD is looking like the next easiest
> > option.
> >
> > >...I tried that using a cobbled together cable with
> > >around 6 or 7 adapters to join the beasties together, but no dice.
> >
> >
> > PC DB9 or DB25 to IIGS/Mac minidin-8 cables can still be bought new for
> > reasonable prices, and are still usefull. Make sure you get the null modem
> > type. Or you can make one if you ask for the pinout, I'm sure that you'll
> > get a reply. I've got one, so if you want the pinout let me know.
> >
> > Lets say you want to transfer a 2Mb file later, what do you do...
> > a. burn another CD for one file... very wastefull. multi session won't
> work
> > on the GS so don't go there.
> > b. try to transfer it via a floppy... but it won't fit on a floppy !
> > c. send it via a null modem cable... good plan.
> >
> > There is one other option that I tried to find out about and this would be
> > as good as your first method as it could be set up, started and left
> alone.
> > That is to transfer multiple files in one batch via the null modem cable.
> > Apparantly this can be done if you have suitable file transfer program on
> > each end. I was told that a script can be written to do this in some
> > software which I don't own, however that is beyond my knowledge at this
> > time. I have tried "Y-Modem" protocol, between Appleworks-GS and
> > Hyperterminal, which is a batch transfer protocol, but couldn't get it to
> > work. Only X-Modem seems to work for me.
> >
> > BTW: If you do burn a CD in ISO-9660 make sure the file names are all 8+3
> > uppercase format, or you may have problems reading them on the GS.
> >
> > Mark
> >
> >

-- 
dennis@usb.com                           Universal Savings Bank.

The three most dangerous things are a programmer with a soldering
iron, a manager who codes, and a user who gets ideas.