Archive-name: apple2/floptical
Posting-Frequency: monthly
Last-modified: Mar 1 1997
Version: 1.1
URL: http://www.visi.com/~nathan/a2/faq/floptical.html
Mini-FAQ (frequently asked questions): floptical and the //'s
Disclaimer
Copyright (c) 1993-96, by Frank M. Lin, Nathan Mates
All rights reserved.
Feel free to distribute original copies of this to anywhere you think
it might be of help. However, I'd like to keep a master version of
this document available at
http://www.visi.com/~nathan/a2/faq/zip.html, so I'd much appreciate it
if you made links to this page than duplicating it.
Please do not modify this FAQ. Let me know (send email to
nathan@visi.com) if any information is incorrect and/or misleading.
_________________________________________________________________
Table of Contents
1. Which Apple //'s can use the floptical?
2. Which RamFAST ROM version do I need?
3. Where can I buy the latest RamFAST ROM's?
4. Which drivers do I need for the Apple SCSI cards?
5. Where can I get Richard Bennett's freeware drivers?
_________________________________________________________________
Which Apple //'s can use the floptical?
With the Apple //gs, you can use the Apple SCSI card rev. C, Apple
High-Speed SCSI card, or RamFAST SCSI card.
With the //gs, you can use the floptical to read and write:
720k MFM formated disks (usually MS-DOS)
1440k MFM formatted disks (usually MS-DOS)
~21mb VHD disks (like a SCSI device)
With the //e, you can only use RamFAST. I believe you can only use it
as a 21mb drive. A floptical will be a decent main drive, or a pretty
good backup media.
_________________________________________________________________
Which RamFAST ROM version do I need?
You need 3.0k or later to have floptical support, but some of them
have bugs with the floptical support. So be sure to get the best
version, 3.0.1e ROM.
3.0.1e fixes some floptical bugs, and also allows the mounting of
ISO-9660 (high-sierra format) CD-ROMs.
_________________________________________________________________
Where can I buy the latest RamFAST ROM's?
Your best bet is to order from Sequential Systems directly at:
Sequential Systems, Inc.
1200 Diamond Circle
Lafayette, Colorado 80026
sales: (800) 759-4549
customer service: (800) 999-1717
Be sure to specify for rev. C or rev D. RamFAST, and if you have a //e
or //gs.
_________________________________________________________________
Which drivers do I need for the Apple SCSI cards?
For rev. C or High-Speed, you can use Richard Bennett's freeware
drivers. If you bought the floptical drive from Tulin, they also come
with Tulin's drivers.
Latest version of Richard's drivers is 1.0.1.
_________________________________________________________________
Where can I get Richard Bennett's freeware drivers?
It is available for FTP on apple2.caltech.edu. If you have problems
locating it and/or no FTP access, mail me, and I'll post to
comp.binaries.apple2 or send you a binscii mail.
_________________________________________________________________
Last updated: 01-22-94 minor corrections
12-24-93 first release
Original author credits. Please note that these addresses are valid,
and as Frank M. Lin has left the Apple II scene, do not contact him
any more than necessary
Internet: fmlin@netcom.com
OggNet: Capsule, user #6 @ House of Games
FutureNet: Capsule, user #9 @ Boycot BBS (#9@#8)
IRC: potty, gogo
--
<*> Nathan Mates http://www.visi.com/~nathan/ <*>
# What are the facts? Again and again and again-- what are the _facts_?
# Shun wishful thinking, avoid opinion, care not what the neighbors
# think-- what are the facts, and to how many decimal places? -R.A. Heinlein