Re: IBM Appletalk card

[spec@vax2.concordia.ca (Mitchell Spector)]

In article "Ron McGowan" <ronmac@pacbell.net> writes...

>I have a card, made by Apple, designed to fit IBM style Box
>Copyrighted 1985,
> 
>AppleTalk Interface C 1985 Apple Computer, Inc.
> 
>It has a Zilog SCC, a 6502 based CPU and an AppleTalk connector

    I have one of these too, they are similar in concept to the
Apple II Workstation Card for the Apple IIe, but plug into an
IBM PC. They have the same basic components: a Zilog 8530 SCC 
serial chip, 65C02 processor, some RAM chips and ROM firmware.
Instead of a connector with dual mini-DIN8 connectors, the PC
card has a DB9 port. You need to add a LocalTalk adapter box
with that type of connector, though I guess they're common 
since I recently saw a bunch at a local garage sale.

    The PC card is somewhat rare,  probably in the same class
as Apple II Workstation Cards so you may want to hang onto it
(I still have no use for mine currently, so I would be willing
to sell/trade mine if anyone out there is looking for one :).

>Does anyone know of drivers / stacks / ANYTHING

    My card included a pair of 5.25 (360K) MS-DOS diskettes, both
intended for setting up your machine to share an Apple LaserWriter
printer (no filing sharing network software in the box).

>for this card?  Was it designed only to interface LaserWriters
>to the IBM/PC?   Did it allow the IBM/PC to participate in
>AppleTalk Networks.......           HELP!

    It can do both, but Apple only included software to let it
share or use LaserWriters. I was browsing a store with used 
software packages and same an application (by Apple) that 
allows you to do file sharing using the AppleTalk PC Card.
It was an old DOS program with text menus, I have no idea if
Apple or anyone else rewrote it to work under Windows 95/NT.

    At least such software exists, meaning you could use the
card to set up your IBM to share files with a Macintosh, Apple
IIe and Apple IIgs (I doubt software was written to make the
IBM a server, you probably need a Macintosh for that. It would
be similar to AppleTalk on the IIgs and IIe).

Mitchell Spector
spec@vax2.concordia.ca