Re: Question(s) on AST RAMSTAK Plus & AE Vulcan Hard Drive

[capknight <cepheusfilms@gmail.com>]

On Dec 9, 9:17 am, David Wilson <mcs6...@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Dec 9, 4:24 pm, capknight <cepheusfi...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > The AST looks pretty cool! I was able to track down some 64k 120NS
> > EEPROMS on digikey as well as some 256k 120NS chips. The AST
> > documentation (it actually came with the box, manual, disk and card..
> > wow..) doesn't list 64 Kb or 256 Kb as an EEPROM option. The
> > documentation lists 2Kb - 32Kb per socket for the EEPROM and 8 Kb - 64
> > Kb for the EPROM. It also lists 200 ns for both.
>
> > I'm wondering if anyone has tried using larger or faster EEPROMs with
> > the card (or if anyone has used the card at all). Looks pretty cool to
> > have GS/OS in ROM.
>
> I have one of those cards as well.
>
> The 32KB 28256 is the largest 28 pin EEPROM (adding an additional
> Address line would require a 29 pins resulting in the use of a 32 pin
> chip).
>
> Faster chips would not be a problem.
>
> I ran a 6264 RAM chip in a battery backed Smart Socket on my card for
> a while.

Hello!

Someone dropped me a message to remind me that the Woz wasn't a ROM 3.
Whoops! Forgot.

Probably someone just swapped the original cover for one that says
"Woz" on it.
Hah!

Thanks for all the info on the drives. I've already tried out a few;

Seagate:
Model #: ST3120A - 105 megabyte

Quantum:
Model #: ProDrive ELS PI12A492 - 120 megabyte

No go on both of those drives.

The original drive in my Vulcan is a;

Western Digital:
Model #: WD93048-A - 40 megabyte

When I connected the drive up to an external firewire chassis (for
power only)
it kicked in and was able to boot. The internal Vulcan power supply
only seems
happy enough to run the IIGS. I'll probably pull it out completely
when the
LittlePower Adapter IIGS from ReactiveMicro comes.

http://www.reactivemicro.com/product_info.php?cPath=1_27&products_id=49

>The 32KB 28256 is the largest 28 pin EEPROM (adding an additional
>Address line would require a 29 pins resulting in the use of a 32 pin
>chip).

Otherwise I'll have to keep hunting for the proper EEPROM for the AST
instead
of using the bigger ones I purchased from Digikey.

Did you find it to be a pretty zippy card for putting GS/OS in ROM?
Cool
concept for a card.

The 3.5" utility disk label reads version "1.0". Did your card come
with a later
version? I'll have to do some scouting around to see if anyone put a
newer
version on-line.

Thanks again for all the info!

Best,

C