[Help] Bolle Twinspark/MacCon won't connect to network.

[Jabble.Dev]

Good afternoon all. I have a Macintosh SE/30 with some upgrades (128MB RAM, ROMinator, Carrera040), but most importantly a Bolle Twinspark/MacCon combo card. I bought it years ago, but only decided to try using it when I properly took a networking course in college to understand how networking works. However, no matter what I've tried, I was not able to get it connected to the internet.

Here is a list of the things I have tried, in markdown format since this is copied from a document

### THE ISSUE
- The computer won't connect to any network no matter what I do.
- The loopback address can be pinged, but nothing else on the network can.
- There is absolutely no proof that anything exits the computer via the ethernet port ever.

### ATTEMPTED FIXES
- Different operating systems (6.8 - 7.5.3)
- Different network tools (MacTCP 2.1.0, OpenTransport 1.1.0)
- Different disks (Physical HDD, External BlueSCSI v1.0, Internal BlueSCSI v2.0)
- Different drivers (Asante EtherTalk 5.2.9, Asante EtherTalk 5.6.1)
- Different network-enabled software (MacWeb, Netscape, MacTCP Ping)
- Different ethernet switches (Eero Mesh, Cisco 2960 Managed Switch, D-Link SW-5G, TRENDnet TE100-s5)
- Different switch duplex/speed settings (set the Cisco 2960 to 10mpbs half-duplex)
- Different ping addresses (DHCP server, default gateway, other device on the same switch w/ no gateway)
- Removing excess upgrades (Carrera040, downgrading to 64MB RAM)

### OBSERVATIONS
- The LINK light (amber) will turn on when the NIC is connected to anything.
- The card __is__ recognized by the computer, as OpenTransport/MacTCP recognize Ethernet/Ethertalk
- The ACT(ivity) light (green) never flashes **ever**.
- When running ping, when opening a browser, when trying to find a DHCP server, **nothing**.
- The Loopback address can be pinged.
- (Does this just confirm the software is working? Does any of that confirm NIC funcitonality?)
- On a managed switch, the ARP/MAC table never updates or says anything came from the computer.
- Along with that, the NIC is not able to be pinged (hosts/switches/routers give "destination host unreachable")

### REPLICATING THE ISSUE AGAIN
- Removed 64MB RAM (64MB left) and removed the accelerator card, and the Wi-Fi enabled BlueSCSI (using a v1 now)
- Fresh install of System 7.1
- Asante Ethertalk 5.6.1
- OpenTransport 1.1.1
- MacTCP Ping utility
- Can ping loopback, but nothing else.
- Activity light never comes on, but link light does.


Final notes.
I have literally no idea what the issue could be, and I and everyone else I've spoken to are out of ideas. I was talking to Bolle about it, but he slowly stopped responding (he's a busy guy I can't be too bothered). If you guys have any ideas, let me know here. If you have a step-by-step process on how you got yours to work (starting from fresh OS install), let me know here as well. If you have a similar setup to me, and have a blueSCSI image you don't mind sharing, please also let me know (this would help me rule out ANY software issues).
I also don't even know if layer 2 (MAC/LLC) stuff is functioning, because there's no real tool to test that.

I posted some images:
- Front/back of the twinspark
- The rear IO (showing the cables)
- The legacy switch I have the computer hooked to. (If I hook up any other device to the legacy switch, it works fine.)
- The router the legacy switch is hooked to.
- Both the twinspark and daughterboard at 3 angles
- The amber light that the daughterboard shows, with the act light never turning on.

 

[chuck.dubuque]

For completeness, have you tried a different ethernet cable, or a known good one, or verified you aren't accidentally using a crossover cable (all things I've done in the past)...

 

[This Does Not Compute]

Sounds like a layer 2 issue to me. I'd try setting up port mirroring on the switch interface you have the Mac connected to and see what shows up in Wireshark.

 

[Jabble.Dev]

Sounds like a layer 2 issue to me. I'd try setting up port mirroring on the switch interface you have the Mac connected to and see what shows up in Wireshark.

Thank you for the reply! I tried this once you said it (after figuring out what port mirroring is), and started up the old wireshark, but absolutely nothing. The only thing that showed up was the occasional router solicitation (from my laptop) and the occasional arp request (from my laptop). This was kind of hinted at, in my opinion, by the fact that the activity light never turns on, and the switch never builds an arp/mac table. Also attached is an image of the setup as of now. It's a big mess o' wires.

(The mac's IP is 192.168.4.107 and my laptop's IP is 192.168.4.102 on this configuration.)
(I also have the managed switch setting it to 10BaseT, half-duplex on the mac's port.)
(I've also forgotten to mention in the specs that I have a ROMinator installed. I should try the stock ROM.)

(Also I'm sure you hear this often but I love your videos/projects!)

 

[Jabble.Dev]

For completeness, have you tried a different ethernet cable, or a known good one, or verified you aren't accidentally using a crossover cable (all things I've done in the past)...

I have tried every Ethernet cable interchangeably between my laptop, my switches, my routers, and the Mac. I checked the cable pinout and they are both the same (straight-through).

 

[Jabble.Dev]

Sad news. I tried an image that someone here kindly provided. They have an identical setup to mine including the Bolle MacCon/Twinspark adapter and carrera040. I tried setting my IP info and running ping but.... no avail again.
Again note that nothing is even trying to come out of the NIC. The ACT light never flashes. Ever.