68kMLA Classic Interface

This is a version of the 68kMLA forums for viewing on your favorite old mac. Visitors on modern platforms may prefer the main site.

Click here to select a new forum.
Holy Grail/Crown Jewel of my collection
Posted by: Powertrip on 2015-03-13 14:45:47
I've been after this thing for over a decade. I'm glad to have it but boy am I pissed at UPS!

I'm guessing that finding someone willing to part with the top two bezels is going to be even more hard than finding the tower in the first place. But if any of you have any leads or would be willing to part... I'd pay top dollar!







Posted by: CC_333 on 2015-03-13 14:56:20
Maybe they can be repaired?

I should think that that would be much easier and economical, no?

c

Posted by: Powertrip on 2015-03-13 15:43:12
Err... Hadn't thought of that. Possibly?

I don't have the know how and I'm not sure who to approach about it but maybe someone on here will see this and be able to make some suggestions.

Thanks for the idea!

Posted by: mactjaap on 2015-03-13 16:18:03
Maybe a stupid question .... But what is your find?

Posted by: TheWhiteFalcon on 2015-03-13 16:37:02
It's a Daystar Genesis clone, a multi-processor unit from the looks of it.

Posted by: Powertrip on 2015-03-13 16:39:29
Daystar Digital Genesis MP. The later ones came with up to four 233MHz 604e processors. Adobe had special plugins that could take advantage of them but otherwise it was a rare app that could take advantage. Still... It was king of the hill during the era of computing that got me started on Macs 🙂

Posted by: TheWhiteFalcon on 2015-03-13 16:44:07
Incidentally, what's the specs on this one?

Posted by: Powertrip on 2015-03-13 16:53:14
I don't know all the details yet. What I do know is it has a blown PSU. The video card has Apple and vga outputs but the machine arrived shortly before I had to go to work so I got no time with it beyond unboxing. I will definitely update this post once I have more details!

Oh, it does have a NASA property of US Govt tag on the front which is pretty cool!

Posted by: ScutBoy on 2015-03-13 17:24:28
Welcome to the club. Search back in my threads and you can see my MP. Mine is a 4-way.

If you need the Daystar software, I have it. I also have an Apple dual proc card that will go in these, as well as a G3 upgrade card.

Posted by: uniserver on 2015-03-13 17:54:35
just glue that back on and all is good.

wow a 4x 233 G3 that is kinda bad ass…   of the time. 🙂    gotta love NASA for wanting the best you can get of the time.

i am sure all those guys are using quantum computers now.

Posted by: Bunsen on 2015-03-14 02:58:08
Nobody is using quantum computers.  The fundamentals of how to build one are in the very basic research stage still.

Posted by: TheWhiteFalcon on 2015-03-14 06:50:20
Last I heard Los Alamos was playing with them, but not for serious computing needs.

Posted by: CelGen on 2015-03-14 09:04:42
That's such a tiny amount of damage I would not really complain.

Posted by: commodorejohn on 2015-03-14 11:05:31
Looks like a job for polystyrene model cement.

Posted by: ScutBoy on 2015-03-14 15:33:41
Uni,

No quad G3's, just 604s.

The G3 upgrade card I have is the same that will fit in the other MB of that generation. I can't remember the speed of that G3.

Steve

Posted by: trag on 2015-03-16 13:51:52
Is the video card a Twin Turbo?  That would be about right for that era, and IMS's (later iXMicro) version of it had the two video connectors.  Apple's version, which they licensed to include with the PM9600 (9500?) just had the Apple connector.  The two cards also used different drivers, although, if one trades the EPROM, the other driver version will work with the card.   Apple's driver was just called 9600_Graphics, so it must have come in the 9600 rather than the 9500.

If Daystar was trying to hit close to a PM9500 but with MP, then a Twin Turbo would have been very nearly stock.

Regarding the Bezels, looks like a job for 3D printing.  🙂   But it's not as easy as typing it, unfortunately. 

While Daystar implemented multi-processing, it is interesting (at least to me) to note that Apple built in support for multi-processing in the hardware.  The CPU card pinout includes lines for Primary Bus Request (PBR, bus request from Primary) Primary Bus Grant (PBG) and Primary Data Bus Grant (PDBG), which are all necessary for the CPU to negotiate control of the CPU bus from the bus arbiter (Hammer Head).   But, the CPU slot pinout also includes SBR, SBG and SDBG which are bus arbitration signals for a second CPU to use.

How Daystar managed to get four CPUs onto a card that only has arbitration signals for two is an interesting engineering question...

Posted by: MrMacintosh on 2015-03-16 18:57:57
I have two of these BEASTS. Both with chime, but no video or SCSI activity. Sadly, one is also missing the top bezel. I'm so determined to make one of them work!!

Posted by: Powertrip on 2015-03-16 19:05:48
Thanks, everyone for your input!

I will do my best to repair what I can while I continue to search.

Posted by: Bunsen on 2015-03-16 23:40:41
Looks like a job for polystyrene model cement.
Agreed.  If there's enough room behind, you might be able to add a thin slice of ABS to strengthen the joins.  If not enough room maybe some steel off an RF shield.

1 >