zzj video, booster 2.0 & synch030 on an se/30

[Andrewski2005]

Hello, I've recently built my mac SE/30 with the color lcd kit from zigzagjoe and have the booster 2.0 with a synchr030 in the middle. I soldered the ecs tap on and ran it in dstack.

The seller of the synchr030 said I should post the results.

 

[MeTheMac]

No way! I've been looking forward to finally trying this and I was so worried it wouldn't work! This is actually very, very reassuring! Thank you so much!
Does the ECS Tap do anything when you have an accelerator, I could have sworn I saw somewhere that it doesn't when you use the Slot Booster?

 

[Andrewski2005]

I think the tap was only for faster memory access with the driver extension. I honestly didn't try it without - I was so nervous about soldering! My understanding was as long as the booster went first and you extended the tap cable, it still gave the faster cycle memory access. I could be wrong.

I just got on the internet tonight, daynaport scsi link and a wifi booster.

 

[JDW]

Does the ECS Tap do anything when you have an accelerator, I could have sworn I saw somewhere that it doesn't when you use the Slot Booster?

As mentioned in my Synchr030/S review video at 8:55, you only need to solder on the ECS Tap daughtercard if you have NO PLANS to install an accelerator. You can install it and then just NOT connect the little wire leading from it to your Synchr030/S PDS card, if you have an accelerator, but it's kind of a waste of time to do it.

I think most people will probably want to have an accelerator, either now or in the future, making that ECS daughtercard of no value.

You see, the ECS daughtercard is only for SE/30 machines that DO NOT have an accelerator.

Connecting it while an accelerator is install WILL NOT HARM your SE/30. But it won't have any RAM acceleration benefits either. It's the same as if it's disconnected.

The information I just presented is also described in the Synchr030/S documentation here, in section 4. Installation, subsection 3, where it says:

"It provides no benefit with accelerated CPUs."

@YMK created a fantastic RAM card, and I'm excited to see folks like @Andrewski2005 enjoying it.

Andrew, tell us more about the LCD panel that comes with the kit you installed in terms of pixel sharpness, glare, and the overall look of the machine? For example, when you look at your machine from all angles, does it look like an LCD was hacked in there, or would most people glancing at the machine not notice? I ask because I've been mulling a purchase myself, the cost being the primary thing that's held me back, especially because I'm located outside the US.

Thanks,

 

[Andrewski2005]

I'm really liking the display. I have very minimal glare, I'd have to be looking for it to see it. When I'm running something with a blackened or dark screen, even with the light directly overhead it's just barely noticeable. There's a pretty wide viewing angle, and I have the brightness turned more than halfway down because it's just too much, which is not a bad thing. There's a provision on the dummy analog board to solder in a potentiometer so you could change the brightness externally, I need to get a meter on one of my junk analog boards to see if an oem potentiometer might work. I believe the documentation says 10kohm. Looking at the front of the computer, the 3D printed LCD mount looks just like the black part of the screen on a CRT monitor, I've had it running in black and white in front of people and they didn't know it was an lcd.

 

[YMK]

This is a great setup! Thanks for posting it.

Like @JDW mentioned, the /ECS board does nothing for accelerators for the simple reason that the CPU it's attached to isn't running.

You'll notice that the /ECS LED is off when an accelerator is used.

The /ECS signal is the 030 saying "Hey, if this isn't my L1 cache, I'll need it from you, so get it ready." Apple did include it in the PDS slot of the IIfx.

 

[JDW]

There's a pretty wide viewing angle...

Which is really interesting because I've heard it's not an IPS display.
Anyway, thank you for the feedback!

 

[zigzagjoe]

Glad you're enjoying the booster and LCD kit

I don't recall if you have one of the boosters with the ROM-Boost function on it, there's a switch on the back for that which increases ROM access speed by 2.5x. If that switch is present and you have a third party ROM, you can disable the ROM mirroring functionality of the Synchro and use the ROM boost instead for more performance. ROM access speed is decreased to 1.6 cycles of the 15.66mhz clock from 4.

Earlier booster 2.0 boards with no switch can be sent to me to be upgraded to have the same function, with a bodge wire in place of the switch.

Screen: It is a NL6448BC26, 8.4", TN, 640x480x16, 900 nits LED backlight, parallel RGB. While it is TN, it is a very nice example for industrial / medical use. Viewing angles are excellent with only below the panel exhibiting major color shift. Viewing angles with constant exposure. It is extremely sharp which I credit to the native resolution and 100% digital interface from the video card. Additional photos here.

 

[JDW]

900 nits is pretty amazing, wow.

 

[Andrewski2005]

I have the rom boost switch. I have it on, I'm using a rominator II carbon. I'm trying to get my other logic board installed but it doesn't want to restart. I think the pds connector had solder dripped on it and forced in with a pds card.