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Asante Video Card in SE/30..... Apple IIGS Monitor??
Posted by: PaulM on 2019-06-17 19:59:04
Hi, I recently got a nice SE/30 on eBay with a combo Ethernet/video card in the slot.  According to my router, it is an Asante card (and their Ethernet driver seems to work -- for the most part🙂 So my questions are about the display card:

- would I need a separate driver for it? (I don't see any Asante video drivers out there) or will by Sytem 7.1 natively drive it.

and -- heres the big "if"....

Can I use an Apple IIGS RGB monitor with it?  (If not -- what are the specs of a monitor I should be looking for?

Any and all help greatly appreciated.

Thanks.
Posted by: maceffects on 2019-06-17 21:19:14
There should be a driver for the display portion of the card.  Also, the IIgs monitor will not work. 
Posted by: Bolle on 2019-06-17 21:33:22
Got a picture of that card?

Asante never made any video cards so either you have two separate cards in your SE/30 or your card is ethernet only.
Posted by: PaulM on 2019-06-18 10:38:20
@Bolle interesting... I don't have the tool yet to open up the SE/30 case (I have one on order), I will post pics when I open it up. Maybe Asante OEM'd their Ethernet firmware to some other vendors? Or maybe the Asante card accepted a "daughterboard"? Its definitely a DB-15 plug so its gotta be for video AFAIK.  And the Asante ethernet software installer recognized the card.  

Thanks.
Posted by: PaulM on 2019-06-18 10:53:43
here the picture of the backplane from the ebay ad..... 

macse30.jpg
Posted by: Compgeke on 2019-06-18 11:47:11
That’s not for video but for AUi. That’d allow you to use thick net or thin net or fibre or whatever other medium you might be using in your network.
Posted by: PaulM on 2019-06-18 13:20:17
Mystery solved! Thanks for that.  (I had to google AUi, I have to admit) -- I thought for sure that was a video port. I'm kinda new to the (vintage) mac world, I was an Apple II guy from the get-go (but used my share of compact macs in the 80's)

-Paul
Posted by: Bolle on 2019-06-18 22:26:08
Someone altered the original AUI connector though. Those connectors usually come with tabs to lock the transceiver in place.

It's possible that you might have two cards in there and someone indeed modded a video connector in place of the AUI.

Only safe way to tell is to open up the machine or install TattleTech (or SlotInfo from NewerTechs Gauge series) and see what PDS cards get reported.
Posted by: maceffects on 2019-06-19 04:01:10
I agree with Bolle, it’s entirely possible for it to have 2 cards and the connector to be modified. It looks different from any I’ve seen close up. 
Posted by: Trash80toHP_Mini on 2019-06-19 09:35:31
  .  .  .  open up the machine or install TattleTech (or SlotInfo from NewerTechs Gauge series) and see what PDS cards get reported.
Ditto. I don't have a 10bT/Thicknet only version of the Asante NIC, but that's exactly how it would look with the ThickNet Passthru section of the NIC removed and a video port installed in its place on the slot cover per the instruction manual. IIRC the feature was documented as for use with Radius cards (and the like) in the IIsi.
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