Just Updated 6/17/2000 6400 Zone Updates: I will be taking a short vacation from The 6400 Zone. This will be my last update till mid July. I will try to answer as many emails as I can but please don't be upset if I lag :) Thanks. I also just finished making a new Navigational Map shown above and I signed up for a new search engine from FreeFind. It seems to work much better then the last one plus it's more customizable. Hope you all like it :) Sonnet Clocker Update: The author of the original Clocker has sent me 2 more Crescendo extensions for testing. One set to 425Mhz and another set to 500Mhz again. If you try either, Please let me know how it goes. And just for the record, clocking the 400Mhz card any faster will only work on a 6500 (or 6400 with a clocked mother board). The 6400 is maxed as it is at 400Mhz :( Final chapter on the Kingston KNE100 ethernet card and the 6400: the person who had the issue with this Kingston card and wrote to let me know that Kingston told him it was buggy sent a reply to me with the attached response from Kingston tech support. Thanks. It would seem that unless this is fake, he did receive info from Kingston stating the card had some bugs? [hello replying to your request about buggy ethernet cards the follwing text is pasted from part of my e-mail discussion with Kingston. Please note that since this the same card has failed to perform in a G3 266 Desktop so it is more likely that I have a duff card than any generic fault with the card Hello again since the card is working fine on a G3, the problem remains isolated on the Performa. I would suggest that you try our KNE110TX with the 3.3 driver on this machine. The KNE100 has shown a few more "bugs" on Macs and OS9 in particular than the KNE110. You can initiate the swapout through your Kingston vendor. Other than that your extension set looks fine to me. The ones you really do need are the two Kingston extensions. The others are optional. Regards, Daniel DHermann@kingston-technology.com ps Kingston technical support has been first class with prompt and detailed replies throughout. Daniel said only that that model card was buggy on Mac OS. the card does not work well in our G3 desktop either, the kingston ethernet extensions keep corrupting. This may mean that our card is faultly?] More FreeiClient info: I just found a FAQ on their web site as to what may be contributing to the client crashing. It seems that the client is looking fo a certian feature and this feature may not be turned on in your copy. [Problem: Getting Error messages - 3201, 3158, 3205, 3247, 101, type 2 etc. Most of these error messages are non-threating to the system and related to FreeiFriend. Cause: Freei Friend is not launching automatically at the beginning of Freei Client launch. Freei Client actually wants the Freei Friend to launch at the same time. Resolution: After connecting Remote Access and Freei Client, the Error message pops up, don't click OK. 1.Click on the little square box on the top left corner of the message box. 2.Click on MENU on the Ad banner, and then go to Freei Client Preferences. 3.Choose Freei Friends, put a check mark on "Connect to Freei Friends on Launch" then close. 4.Restart the connection process. 5.Or Dump Freei Friend from the Modules Folder and Empty Trash.] As a side note I found away to use Freeinternet.com without the need for the client! Just setup RemoteAccess or your dialup control panel with the username being the email address they gave you and then type in the phone number they gave you. Thats it. You can have it save your password if you wish but I didn't. Then just do a normal PPP dialup and your connected without the need for their software at all. Hang on to it incase you need to search for a new local number though:) netBSD support for older Macs: I found this link to a web site that has some good info on using netBSD on older Macs. The link below is right to a page with info on setting up the OpenFirmware to boot into netBSD. I was wondering if this might help to get OS X to work on the 6400? It sounds encouraging as updating the OF on my 6400 seemed to be the first hurdle I need to pass. [http://www.netbsd.org/Ports/macppc/models.html] Airport info: Here are 2 links to info on Apples Airport system. This new update seems to have increased the signal strength which in turn increased the range! Airport 1.2 update - http://asu.info.apple.com/swupdates.nsf/artnum/n11570 designing airport networks - http://asu.info.apple.com/swupdates.nsf/artnum/n11735 airport 1.2 feed back page on xlr8yourmac.com - http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/feedback/airport.html ATI Orion and Sonnet G3 issue update: Recently I posted that Marcus had issues with his Orion card and Sonnet G3 and pinned it on his SCSI HD in the upper bay. It turns out that the HD was formatted using FWB software and he later reformatted it with Apples Drive Setup and all is well. Thanks Marcus. So if you are having trouble with your system, you might try changing back to Apples HD drivers? I'm not saying FWB's are bad but just not tested by some other third party vendors like Sonnet :) Moving a clocked Sonnet 300MHz card from a 6400 to a 6500 with problems: Nikos had written me a few days ago with a problem he had after moving a 300MHz Sonnet G3 from his 6400 to his 6500. he had it clocked to 320 in the 6400 which in turn clocked it to 325 in the 6500. This may have caused his initiall problems as 5MHz might not seem like much but it is already 20MHz over the stock setting. With the addition of just about every G3 utility on the market, he seems to have gotten it stable again :) Thanks for the info Nikons. [Thank you Tom for your quick reply. I think I got it to run at 325. I ve been online 3-4 hours now with no freezes and it boots OK too! Temperature goes as high as 47 is this OK? We gonna have a hot and muggy weekend up here in NH so it might go higher????? I got Newers, Power logix, and sonnets extensions all running at once and I ve installed the PCI timing extension too. I turned VM off too (memory 128) maybe that helped I don't know but its running good and fast. Thanks again for all the tips and a great web site Nikos] Later he sent this info. Thanks Nikos [OK After a couple weeks of constant crashes even doing the simplest things like modifying a picture with KAi's photo soap it runs at 325 for hours and it will do anything and fast (880 on processor score and 1007 on floating point) PCI timing is the utility that finally did it. I believe now that one of the cards was falling out of synch. This is what I have: Sonnet's 300/512 version 2.2 Two 64's (VM off). It's faster with VM off Macallys PCI to USB adapter card Epson Printer USB Logitech Usb cam Supra express 56K serial modem Momentum port expander Quick cam- HP 680c ATI Xclaim 3D pro 8 MB 17 inch Apple 1705 multiscan Software OS 8.6 Among others the important ones are PCI timing extension G3/G4 cache profiler (to turn speculative access off) Gauge pro ( to check everything out) Sonnets processor upgrade (made to scri and running at 325 2:1) I have removed the "Max power extension" (no need for it) This what it looks like Sonnet's extension loads right away and in a blink of an eye the G3/G4 profiler over writes it , a very short wait (a lot shorter than before) and all the rest of the extensions come on. G3/G4 profiler reports Back side Cache disabled but Gauge pro reports a 512 enabled. I noticed there is no more poping sound from my speakers when sonnets extension loads up. The PCI timing extension doesn't show up at the bottom of my screen at boot up but its on Also I remove the geoport because that stooped working with the G3 and I didn't have time or pations to play with it. I don't need it anyway Another thing that got my attention is that when MAxPower extension is in the system Apple Profiler reports a 6500 machine with a G3 processor and a 512 L2cache!!!!!!! WOW If my ordeals help anybody that will be great. I thank you cause it seems that the only reason I got this sucker running stable is your Web site which is rich with tips and troubleshooting letters. Something else I like to bring to your attention is: I sold both the 512 L2 cache from the 6400 and the 256 L2 that came with my 6500 on ebay and when the auction was complete and before I shipped I wrote a letter to the recepient(s) and I included a link to your "take apart manual" for help in installation and precautions so they don't ZAP it. Both the bidders were aware of your web site and spoke highly of it. Thank you Tom Nikos] Ineresting fix for a Sonnet G3 issue?:Eric was having freezes with his 6500 and a Sonnet G3 and found that inserting a set of headphones fixes it?Thanks Eric. [Hello, I bought a Sonnet 300mhz/1mb cache for my 6500. Once and a while my comp. will freeze. I found out that if I plug in a head set into the headphone jack it will unfreeze. With this I figured it was sound problem. I tried using the PCI timing extension but I still have problems. Do you know a way that I could fix this? Thank you for your time. Eric] There was one other person that wrote to me awhile ago with this same problem. If that person could write me back I would appreciate any help on this matter :) Video out problems?: Alex writes that he upgraded his system with a video in card and the Avid card but is unable to output to TV or tape? I suspect he is missing some drivers but if anyone might have a better solution please email him. Thanks. [Hi ! As the proud owner of a PM6400 that has served me well over the years, I have been following your site with great interest - keep up the good work ! I have a small query - I have been asked to help a friend edit some video material on my Mac - When I bought it, it was video-in and out challenged to say the least having no onboard AV card of its own - I managed to source one OK and can now get stuff in just fine. The only problem is getting the cuts back onto tape...I also managed to get hold of what I think is an Avid Cinema Card ( It has an AVID chipset and I think is the type which came on many 6500s as standard ) with an S Video Out connection - however I cannot seem to get it to work - do I need any particular extensions or control panels to get it going ( I already have Apple Video Startup and Avid Cinema Extension 1.1.3 ) or is it likely I am experiencing some sort of hardware problem ? I am running OS 8.1 on a PM6400/200 with 56 Mb RAM Any help would be very gratefully appreciated ! Alex] Cooling the 6400: Charles has sent me some info and pics on his success with cooling a Sonnet G3 in a 6400. Thanks Charles. I created a new page to post this info on as I will also post any other cooling methods in the future here:) Microtek MSF 300ZS scanner issues?: Marcos just recieved and old Microtek scanner and it is not working properly. If you think you might have an answer, please email him. Thanks. [Hi! A friend of mine gave me a (old) Microtek MSF 300ZS scaanner and I can't put it to work. It will only prescan one channel (red) and freeze when I try to scan. I wonder if someone has the same configuration: 6400/180 system 8.1,32 megs. Thaks a lot you all! Marcos] Just Updated 6/10/2000 iMovie on OS's older then 8.6?: Jeff would like to know if anyone has gotten iMovie to install on an older OS like OS 8.1? If you have iMovie running on anything older then OS 8.6 Please let me know. Thanks. [Do you know if anyone has successfully installed iMovie with an older OS? The iMovie installer states that OS 8.6 is required. I attempted to install on my 6400/200 w/Vimage 240 running OS 8.1, but could finish when the installer discovered OS 8.1 on my hard disk. Any ideas or is OS 8.6 really the minimum OS required to operate iMovie? Thanks for any info.,Jeff] Reader request: USB joystick and older games: I have a request from a reader who would like to know if anyone has tried USB joysticks with older games that may not use Apples Input Sprockets? Please email seeles@gtlaw.com.au if you have any experiences with this. Thanks. [I was wondering if you could add this to your Readers' Request page I am looking for a new joystick to use with my 6400. I am considering buying a USB card and going for a USB stick (probably Cyborg or Thrustmaster) so I can use it when I eventually upgrade. The only problem is that I still enjoy playing X-Wing which doesn't support the input sprockets used by most USB sticks. I've heard that USB Overdrive allows a USB stick to emulate the keyboard or mouse, but I'm concerned that this may not give the same sort of responsiveness as an ADB stick that is supported by the game. Has anyone had any experience in playing older games such as X-Wing with USB/input sprocket devices? Are there any other patches that allow input sprocket devices to emulate particular or generic ADB sticks? Of course LucasArts could fix all this by releasing updated versions of X-Wing and Tie Fighter for the Mac (the chances of it running on a 6400, however, would be minimal).] Yamaha SW 1000 XG on a 6400: Regis just sent me some info on his experience with this Pro sound card in his 6400. Thanks Regis [Hi Tom, this is Regis. I just bought a sound card Yamaha SW 1000 XG, great value for the money (64 voices of Midi and audio, 12 channels of audio I/O via ASIO drivers and 6 effects of multi processing). This message is only to say that this card works well in my 6400/200 upgraded with Sonnet Crescendo 300/1M. Os is 9.0.4. Midi works well, Cubase VST (demo version) works great and I'm waiting for Digital Performer 2.7 (which is ASIO compatible) to transfer all my old Performer files. I have little synch problems with midi, but not as much as before and no more "audio buffer errors" with audio. Regis] Turbomax ATA/66 PCI IDE card in a 6500: Here is a link to some info on Accelerate Your Mac's web site about this card in a 6500. Click here for more info on IDE adapter cards for the Mac. [http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/IDE/6500_TurbomaxATA66.html] ATI's Rage 128 cards and SCSI HD issue update: Tiong sent me some info that he did not have any SCSI HD's in his 6500 but still had major issues with these cards. Thanks Tiong. [Regarding the ATI Rage128/Sonnet fix, I don't have a SCSI hard drive or any drive connected in my 6500's 5.25 bay (there are two fans there though!) but my ATI Rage Orion won't work with any of the 3 Sonnets I have owned. : ( However, the V3 works great! (been working since my second Sonnet and is still working flawlessly with my third Sonnet too.) Regards,] Marcus wrote back saying he had FWB drivers on the SCSI HD. Maybe if it was possible to put Apples driver on it might have worked ok? Thanks Marcus More news on memory leaks in OS 9.0.x: Michelle writes that she found that OT was linked to this memory growing issue. Thanks Michelle. Maybe now we can narrow down a fix? Its still possible that the browser or email client is the problem as many people have noticed Netscape causes memory leaks. [Hi -- I was surfing dejanews trying to find any information about a fix for a problem I'm having. Your url came up in the group for OT 2.6 & Memory Leak, so I popped in to visit. It seems that OS 9.0 and Open Transport together cause a memory leak when TCP packets are being transferred. It seems to only occur when an "upload" packet is sent -- sending email, posting to newsgroups, anything that involves my -sending- rather than receiving. I can receive almost anything without problem. I'm on a G3 powerbook of the Wallstreet variety. I'm running NetRouter and Doorstop Personal. I've tried everything I can think of (including turning off both of the above apps) and have had no success... Did anyone send you anything useful?] ORB drive on a SCSI or USB buss with a 6400: Jim sent me some info on his experiences with an ORB drive connected to his 6400 via SCSI and USB. Thanks Jim [Hi Tom, Got the Orb external yesterday and installed it today in a couple of minutes. I got a 25/50 pin SCSI cable to connect it to the SCSI port on the 6400 and am running it that way. It seems fairly quick and took 22 minutes when I copied my HD on to it (1.8 Gig. / 13,000 files). That is a full copy not a backup. The only strange thing it did was make itself the start up drive somehow during installation. If the Orb disk was in it was trying to boot from the Orb drive and I got an error and had to restart. I just went into the Control panel and choose the internal HD again and all is normal. I talked to Castlewood tech support before I got the drive and the only thing they said was that if you run this as a USB drive with OS 9.04 you have to take out one extensions that is loaded during installation, (Remove the "USB Loader" ext), other than that it will run fine either SCSI or USB. I'll let you know about the USB aspect in the near future but SCSI is working fine. If you want to use it as a SCSI device you have to get a cable (6400 needs the 25 pin to 50 pin Orb cable). It used to come with one and a USB adapter but now the included cable and USB adapter are combined into one. The Seagate SCSI 4.3 Gig hasn't arrived yet, maybe monday, but it should be a quick install. Staples has the Maxtor IDE 10.3 gig, on sale today only, for $79, same as the Seagate but to late to cancel, and I might just run up and get one. Wished I would've gotten a backup device sooner, it feels good not worrying about a crash and losing everything. Jim] [Hi Tom, Just for test purposes I connected the Orb to the PCI card - USB port on the 6400 and tried copying my HD over to it just as I did with the SCSI connection and it worked fine but you were right about the speed. While connected as a SCSI device it took about 22 minutes for a full copy (1.8 Gig. - 13,000 files). Connected as a USB device I stopped the copy after 15 minutes and the software said it still had over an hour to go. The files were counting down (13000 down to 11300), but very slowly, so it was working, but I would say it was going to take at least 5 maybe 6 times longer. I'm not sure, maybe it's my USB setup, but I sure hope it's not this slow when I upgrade to a Mac with a built in USB port. I checked the Orb disk I made with the SCSI connection with TechTools Pro 2.5.4 and it checked out OK. I'm able to access and copy files back and fourth with no problems so I'm happy and glad I got the SCSI cable. Jim] More on the Kingston KNE100TX Ethernet card: Adrian wrote Kingston asking if what I had posted before is true and here is their response. Thanks Adrian [Hi, Well I showed that article to our MAC specialist here in tech support and they told me that information on the website is false. The KNE100TX should work fine in the Performa. Personally I would like to know who they spoke with here if in fact they even did. It looks like the article was written last month and I spoke to every technician in here individually and no one ever told any customer that. So, I guess my advice is be cautious about the information you receive on the web. Take care! Larry Davis Kingston Tech Support] I would like to apologize to Kingston for my previous posting. If the reader who sent me the info stating that Kingston said the card was buggy could email me I would appreciate it. Maybe we can find out who told this person it was buggy? Another 6400 info forums page: Pierre sent me this link to MacSpeed Zones 6400 forums page. The forums are at the bottom of the page. Nice to see my site being talked about first in the forums. Thanks :) [http://macspeedzone.com/5.0/upgradesmanufactureresults/6400200_June00.shtml] Here's some more Sonnet upgrade success stories: Just thought I would post some more upgrade success stories. Thanks guys and to everyone who has ever sent me upgrade stories. I like to read them all and shows me just how long the 6400/6500 can last :) [PM6500/275 OS8.5 Sonnet L2G3/300/512 v2.2 installer 1.4.4 96mb RAM Rage Orion 128 latest drivers AppleTV/Avid video 2 monitors One hang on first boot, none since. Sorted out Rage card and twin monitors weeks ahead of G3 upgrade. Two monitors is only stable way of operating this setup and is necessary to continue using TV/Video i/o. Avid Video needs to be on the internal video and G3 extension has to be off as there is a timing issue. Haven't tried the PCI timing ext to see if this makes any difference. However, I now have a G3 for most operations with the Rage Orion and switch to non G3 for video production. A swap to digital camera and a Firewire card would resolve all of this switching but don't know where I can find them for free :) Great site full of excellent info thanks, regards Ian] [Hi, You have a fascinating and well designed site. Well done. I just installed Sonnet's Crescendo G3/L2 350 mhz/1m card in my U-Max C-500, which has a Performa 6400 motherboard. It came with version 1.4.4 of Sonnet's software. It's been souped-up with an IX Micro Twin-Turbo 128 video card, an Adaptec 2930 SCSI card, a Quantum 8.4G internal drive, and 144 megs of RAM. I run 2 monitors and a number of external drives, printers, and scanners. Installing the card is a straightforward, multistep process. One DIMM and the floppy drive must be removed to uncover the L2 cache slot, filled in this case. Both PCI cards must be removed to provide access to the processor reset switch. The L2 card was seated very tightly, but yielded to persistence. Sonnet's instruction manual does not cover the C-500. The manual's instructions for the 6400 cover all of the steps, but the C-500's processor reset switch is located in another location. The manual needs updating. Thus far, I've encountered no hardware or software incompatibilities. The speed increase is impressive. The before and after MacBench 5.0 scores for the CPU and FPU: 250 & 1030, 389 & 1054. Equally important, the internal ATA drive's score went from 642 to 994. This makes my C-500 the rough equal of the benchmark machine. The only potential problem is that the G3 runs warm, 67-71 C (ambient room temperature is 20 C). This appears to be within specs, but it's still too warm. The C-500's case is small, and there isn't much ventilation near the G3's heat sink. This might not be a problem for a C-500 with less RAM and with open PCI slots, but I'd like for it to run cooler and thus will look at some options. Sonnet has done a good with this accelerator. James]

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