Table of Contents for this issue:
Re: IIvx memory
Mac IIcx goes mute
Re: Classic Macs
Re: Open Transport on a IIsi
LC550 680LC40
Anyone know of beefier power supplies for the LC "pizza box"
Re: Powerbook Batteries (Netscape via AOL)
Re: Mac Plus fix
Re: Classic Macs {Color Classic II}
my old macs

Subject: Re: IIvx memory
From: mcelrath

I have a IIvx which came with 5 megs of memory. I wish to add 4 megs. Could someone tell me what I need to purchase. Do I need 4-1meg chips or 2-2 meg chips? How many chip slots does the IIvx have? I don't have it at present so I can't take the back off to see.

Supposedly, you can also use 4 16MB simms to get a total of 68MB, but I have not tried this. I get varying information from different SIMM providers on this.

The IIvx can handle 16 meg simms - the rated maximum RAM for this model is 68 megs. Mine has 70ns chip sets and works like a champ. If your SIMM provider is "unsure", I'd suggest finding a different source as they obviously aren't very familiar with Macs.

- Bill

[I'm resending this message because it looks like it may have gotten lost in the pre-Thanksgiving rush. Please bear with me.]

My beloved IIcx has lost its ability to make sounds.

I swapped in an 80MB hard drive from a IIci, which worked fine (except for the "on" light -- the connector was incompatible) BUT the IIcx stopped doing the sound thing.

No chime when it boots, nada.

Anybody have a clue what needs to be cleaned, reconnected, resoldered, or replaced? (The hard drive replacement may not be the culprit.)

Thanks.

I have a Color Classic as well as a PM7500. I would like to speed up the CC by some reliable means. Shortly after the CC was introduced (in 92 or 93) I read in a comp mag that a 68040 version of the CC was made for Japan only. Can anyone confirm this, and might it be possible to obtain a new or refurbished '040 logic board from Apple. I have called Apple on this several times, but was unable to reach anyone who had even heard of a 68040 color classic.

You are thinking of the ColourClassic II [sic]. This consisted of a 33MHz 68030, and a 32 bit databus. This machine was only available in Japan, and I doubt very much whether there is a motherboard upgrade for the original ColourClassic.

I have a non-techie friend who has been using AOL with his IIsi until now. He now wants to get directly on the net with an ISP. He currently uses system 7.5 and is going to upgrade the RAM in his IIsi to 17 megs.

Since I use Open Transport and OT/PPP on my mac and have found it easier to configure and more stable than MacTCP & Config PPP/Free PPP, I was hoping to put OT on his machine. Anyone know if this would work? Any other cons to it?

My IIsi (17 meg) running on Open Transport 1.1.1 and OT/PPP 1.0 since early November. Works just fine. Highly recommended.

Tom Zadjeika

While looking thru a catalog of CD Rom Games for my kids I came across one which stated that it required an LC 550 Mac. I have a Mac IIsi. Is the IIsi compatible with software which specifies that it is for the LC 550?

Sorry, both you and I are out of luck on that CD-ROM. What the packaging is trying to tell you is that the software requires at least a 680LC40 chip to run. I believe that the IIsi is a 68030-based system, and so is my Performa 460. (LCIII on Steroids=33MHz vs. 25MHz)

A safe bet is any piece of software that will run on an LCII or better will run on your 68030/20MHz IIsi. The LCII was a popular computer with schools, so Edutainment titles often make reference to the LCII when they want to say that the software requires a medium-to-fast '030.

Take care,

--.\\<-H--

The power supply is weaker (40 W), but this is not the problem, because you only excange the HDs.

Apple told me that my PS in my Performa 460 is only 50W. That's teensy indeed and might be the reason why the 460 won't boot if it's plugged in to a questionable (less than 110V) power circuit. I have a Quantum 520 "Fireball" series HD in my 460, and it boots with no problem here at home. I had one rather weird incident when I was picking up the 460 from the shop after installing a VRAM upgrade and an FPU. It would refuse to boot when plugged into one of the outlets in the showroom!!! We took it back to the shop area, where there is a filtered and calibrated source of 120V power, and it booted fine. It works fine at home, so I don't sweat it. I have ruled out SCSI problems and HD problems as a source for this...what it seems like is that the 460 gets enough juice for power to get to the Logic Board but not enough for the Q520 drive.

So when ShreveSystems had a card for the LC slot which would turn my 8 bit mono anemic sound into full-bore 16bit stereo power and would give the computer MIDI in-out-through as well,I passed on this upgrade. I realized that it might demand more from my overtaxed power supply. I am also kinda iffy about getting a Supra 33.6 modem for this computer because it takes its power from the ADB bus rather than use a power supply.

Is there anyone still making a beefier power supply for the LCIII/Performa460/P475/Quadra605 series?

I checked at a place in Palo Alto or somewhere like that and they stopped selling their 100W ps for LCs two years ago.

Take care,

--.\\<-H--

Also, can you use Netscape through AOL's access to the Net? How?

You can run Netscape over AOL's connection as long as you are using the 3.0 preview (read beta) version of AOL's software. This is not the final version to be released to the public so it's still a little buggy. Also be forewarned that you will need lots of RAM memory too. Version 3.0 also runs slower than earlier versions of the AOL software on non-PPC Macs. Keyword PREVIEW on AOL if you are interested.

I had the same problem with a Mac Plus system rebooting itself for no apparent reason. I found the the programmers switch on the side of the machine was jammed and it was making occasional contact with the reset switch inside. Another time it was a book that got pressed up against the switch. Might check it.

Excellent advice John, This has also happened to me. Would that it were always that simple!

I'd like to thank everyone who sent in all the other suggestions in response to my previous plea for ideas regarding the same problem on my Mac II. The good news is that I finally got it working again after finding a 2 inch diameter of some foreign substance (mouse pee, maybe?) which had corroded (as in ate completely away) all the runs within it on the top surface of the mother board. One of the still intermittent runs on the edge of the circle went to the reset switch. I happened to have some #30 hookup wire which I soldered directly to the motherboard to bridge the missing copper. It wasn't easy (took several hours), as those runs are tiny and close together. Not recommended as a first time do it yourself repair!

I have a Color Classic as well as a PM7500. I would like to speed up the CC by some reliable means. Shortly after the CC was introduced (in 92 or 93) I read in a comp mag that a 68040 version of the CC was made for Japan only. Can anyone confirm this, and might it be possible to obtain a new or refurbished '040 logic board from Apple. I have called Apple on this several times, but was unable to reach anyone who had even heard of a 68040 color classic.

I bought my Color Classic in Japan, and it is most definitely a 030. It was one of the last in the shops, a display model, in fact, so it's almost embarrassing how little I paid for it.

I thought the 040 machine you read about might the Color Classic II, but Guru says this was 030 as well.

As far as I know, all the Macs sold in Japan have also been available in the States.

Regards,
Tod McAvoy

Hi,

i have an old mac 512, a mac plus at 1 meg of RAM, and a LC520.

i am relatively computer ignorant, but have a few questions.

i am a poor recent college grad that would love to buy a powerbook 1400cs but knows it is financially not feasible.

what i would like to know is: what kind of upgrades can i give my 520 to make it continue to be usable, more specifically, can i upgrade to a 68040? if not what kind of speed help can i give it? i have done nothing to it since i bought it outside of maxing the RAM at 36meg and keeping the system up to date (7.5.5) other than that it is pretty much running as bought. also, any hints as to the cheapest way of doing this is great too.

any suggestions on that front would be greatly appreciated.

on a less urgent note, i am not able to get my Plus to boot up. i have put the oldest system i could get off Apple's FTP onto floopy and external hard drives and tried to boot from them, the only result was a smily face that wouldn't go away. i never thought a smiling mac could look so sinister. as i said, i am relatively ignorant but love these machines. any (and all) help is really welcome.

jon rousseau (a mac lover stuck living with two PCers)