Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple2 Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!cunixf.cc.columbia.edu!cunixb.cc.columbia.edu!stc7 From: stc7@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (Steven T Chiang) Subject: Would you believe? Message-ID: <1991Jun16.120626.15116@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu> Keywords: hd, rom 3, hard drives Sender: usenet@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu (The Network News) Nntp-Posting-Host: cunixb.cc.columbia.edu Reply-To: stc7@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (Steven T Chiang) Organization: Columbia University Date: Sun, 16 Jun 1991 12:06:26 GMT Would you believe it if I told you that: 1) I got a 100 meg HD for under $300. 2) I made my Rom 01 into a Rom 3. Didn't think so. Anyway, I did. 1) Check the back of the July 1991 InCider. In the marketplace, there is a dinky add for a place called Frog Systems. The number is 800-654-frog, and they advertised a 100 meg internal hd for $259, and externally for $349. The external unit includes a powersupply, case, and cable. I opted for an internal, because I have my own power supply and cables... The mechanism is a Rodime 100 megger... it's a nice unit... I have it installed and working, btw. It's a 3.5 inch unit, and is very quiet. It's standard SCSI, and I've tested it with both RamFast and Rev C SCSI. The seek time for the drive is 24ms, which isn't bad considering the price. With the RamFast (no accelerator) using prosel statistics, the 2nd stat (I believe random block read) was ~18 ms, the other two were around 1.xx. With Rev C SCSI (no accelerator) the 2nd stat was ~30 ms, and the other two were around 6 ms. And on Rev C with TWGS, the 2nd stat was 30 ms and the others were ~4. 2) How to achieve Rom 03 compatibility, on a Rom 01. The process is actually quite simple if you have the hardware. I have a GSRam Ultra, which has rom sockets. Basically, you have to get a hold of Rom 3 roms, both of them (I haven't found where I can get a set), but you just plug the low rom into the mother board, and the high rom into the GSRam socket.... it's quite simple, because the sockets on the ultra are pin compatible with the gs roms, and they map to the same locations... I suppose this doesn't really mean that much to non-Ultra owners... but how hard would it be to build a small card to allow for extra roms, with a piggyback connector for a ram card? Anyway, I tested out the CPU... and didn't have any problems. My Control Panel, had the new mouse menu, and the rest of the slightly modified menus.... I booted my system disk without ts2 and only ts3, and that worked like a charm. I also tested the smartport firmware (the rom 3's is quicker) and that worked without a glitch... meaning that my smartport was also faster.(therevised smartport was firmware only) I didn't get sticky keys, though, because that was an actual hardware mod, I guess... anyway.... just to let you know.... if you have a gs ram ultra.... let me know if you are interested... I'm trying to think of uses for the extra rom space. If you have any questions... just ask... later Steven Chiang Coming Soon: DreamGrafix 3200 color power stc7@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu America On_Line: DWS Steve Apple IIgs Forever!