Mac OS 9 Lives
Digital Audio Workstation & MIDI => Digital Audio Workstations & MIDI Applications => Pro Tools by Digidesign => Topic started by: Protools5LEGuy on December 22, 2014, 04:24:44 PM
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There are various expansion chassis for Macs:
PCI macs to Nubus
(http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/9679/secondwavepcitonubusexp.jpg)
https://68kmla.org/forums/index.php?/topic/13824-second-waves-pci-nubus-expansion-box-others/ (https://68kmla.org/forums/index.php?/topic/13824-second-waves-pci-nubus-expansion-box-others/)
(http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a166/ballsandy/Computer%20related/CRW_7901.jpg)
Nubus to Nubus.
Digidesign NuBus Expansion Chassis (12 Slot)
(http://archive.digidesign.com/support/propix/images/DigiChassisFront.gif)
http://archive.digidesign.com/support/propix/DigiChassis.html (http://archive.digidesign.com/support/propix/DigiChassis.html)
For PCI to PCI Magma is the leader:
(http://www.magma.com/sites/default/files/logo.jpg)
PCI Expansion Systems provide an easy way to add multiple PCI and PCI-X cards and drive bays to your computer. A variety of expansion chassis are available ranging from 1 to 13 slot expansion with monitoring and redundant power options. Multiple systems can be daisy-chained for maximum expansion capabilities. Host connection types include standard PCI, Low Profile PCI, CardBus (PCMCIA), PCI Express® and ExpressCard™. Practically any type of PCI card can be used in the Magma expansion chassis ranging from audio processing, video capture, graphics, test & measurement, data-acquisition, SCSI, Fibre Channel, SATA and more.
http://www.magma.com/catalog/classic-pci-expansion (http://www.magma.com/catalog/classic-pci-expansion)
http://www.magma.com/13-slot-pci-expansion (http://www.magma.com/13-slot-pci-expansion)
(http://www.magma.com/sites/default/files/styles/405x270/public/13slotA_xl.jpg?itok=hu3W9XFz)
(http://www.magma.com/sites/default/files/styles/405x270/public/13slotB_xl.jpg?itok=0aEb7jX_)
(http://www.magma.com/sites/default/files/styles/405x270/public/13slotE_xl.jpg?itok=4QWR_hny)
Smaller 7 slot http://www.magma.com/7-slot-pci-expansion (http://www.magma.com/7-slot-pci-expansion)
(http://www.magma.com/sites/default/files/styles/405x270/public/7slotB_xl.jpg?itok=CJDWHuVA)
I have seen also some SBS chassis, probably Digidesign/Avid rebranded.
It is important to make a picture catalog of them and the cards. Lots of PowerMacs are sold with one host card! On ebay I have seen lots of incomplete setups without cables or without PSU or only the motherboard on ebay by people who dont have a clue on what is that.
Please Knezzen post info about yours. From SonikArchitects (BT)
I just bought a new 13 Channel PCI13-R chassis from Magma and was completely and totally unable to get my dual 1 to recognize this chassis. We'll Digi, Magma, no one could help. Instead of formatting as a story...I'll include my email to Magma today when I finally pwned this system.
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I got it working. This is going to be a long email and I’d like to speak to you as I need to order/swap the cards and cables you sent me for older cards and cables. Contrary to the assertion that your devices do not have firmware/REV versions…they most certainly do and I’ve proved it by solving this problem.
SO:
The controller cards you sent to me (host and expansion cards) do not work with any generation of Protools 24 (Mix, Mix IO, Core, Farm etc) cards whatsoever, in any iteration. My Korg Oasis card is the only card that the chassis can see with the new controller cards you guys sent.
This card (I pulled from a 7slot Magma expansion chassis WORKS). However there is a very specific combination of placement, cards, order and specific versions of software that makes Digi Mix 24 cards recognized in a PC13-R Magma chassis.
Expansion Interface card
PCI-EXP 2.1
PYE 3255A4
01-03522-00 REV (left blank)
I need a matching pair of the above cards and 2 cables (one new and a spare) for my other system. I am happy to send back the cards I just purchased to swap for the older cards. I am also happy to pay for the cables.
I was told this system would work with my Protools Mix 24 system. It’s an absolute miracle I was able to figure this out and since I was very specific in my initial correspondence and made a purchase based on the assertion this would work, I am sure Magma will be gracious and accommodating.
Moving on, to make this work the controller card in a 5 slot G4 can ONLY be placed in Slot 2. It will not work in any other slot. After the card is seated properly you have to purge PRAM and reset the NVRAM. It will not work if you do not do this.
The (old) expansion controller card must be in slot one of the expansion chassis. The old (do not know how many pin) cable must be securely connected.
Next you MUST run the OS9 Magma card viewer application. I got this from your website. If you do not do this before running DigiTest the cards will not be recognized.
Finally you have to have followed the Digi recommended hierarchy of card placement. No other iteration that Core(s), Mix Farm(s), DSP farms (s) will work. I am still unsure how much bus power these will draw so until I’ve worked on the rig for a while, I will not know how many of these cards can be in the chassis and working stably.
Okay so next you have to run the very last version of DigiTest. It was made in August of 2002. It’s the last version of DigiTest in OS9. NO OTHER VERSION OF THIS APPLICATION WILL RECOGNIZE THE CARDS AND MAKE THEM AVAILABLE FOR USE. Once you run this, you test the cards…it all works.
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I have also seen adaptors for using PCI cards on the PCMCIA bus of PowerBooks. I thought about this for live use years back but dismissed it as craziness.
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8) taken from http://www.ebay.com/itm/Macintosh-8100-Sonet-G3-Pro-Tools-NUBUS-Sound-Designer-Opcode-EMAGIC-Logic-/331344583188?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4d25ad1a14&nma=true&si=EVk04xCqgVsPstmiV%252BW82nYqZkw%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
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There seems to be a few different expansion chassis boxes released over time with one of them having the card built into the unit itself. I see one of those on Ebay at the moment but it doesn't come with a PCI card for a powermac as well as the cable for connecting the two. I'm not sure how hard it is to find those things.
Something's telling me that all of the audio and processing done in that one box, coming into a single PCI slot on a powermac isn't a good idea. What if you've got 64 tracks or more flying in and out at the same time? Can the powermac handle it ok? I'm afraid of the long term effects of that.
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i wonder about that, too.
6 powercore cards in one PCI slot would be very nice, but isnt the PCI bandwith for all possible channels (6*48@32/44) reserved?
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I'm not sure why they've got so many on Ebay all the time without the damn PCI card and the cable for it. You can't run it without it. Anyone have any spares laying around?
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There seems to be a few different expansion chassis boxes released over time with one of them having the card built into the unit itself. I see one of those on Ebay at the moment but it doesn't come with a PCI card for a powermac as well as the cable for connecting the two. I'm not sure how hard it is to find those things.
That is the reason I started http://macos9lives.com/smforum/index.php?topic=2163.0 (http://macos9lives.com/smforum/index.php?topic=2163.0). We need to have an archive of all the expansion chassis available for ours machines.
I asked there all users to make some photos to know what is it a complete system, to be easier to find parts. Lots of powermacs are sold with the cards inside... We need do differentiate them visually, in case we confuse them with SCSI cards (some systems share same conector?)
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I looked for a manual for the SBS expansion chassis but couldn't find one. The SBS DD007-R (aka MH477) has the controller card built into the chassis itself so you don't need to install it into a spare slot on it. It apparently comes with an additional PCI card and a cable for connecting the chassis to your powermac but I can't find any info on which card and cable to use.
Let's see if we can get more info on these things...
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There is a brand called Bit-3 that later became SBS (?)
I make some searches on eBay like
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.XSBS+chassis&_nkw=SBS+chassis&_sacat=0 (http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.XSBS+chassis&_nkw=SBS+chassis&_sacat=0)
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.XSBS+expansion&_nkw=SBS+expansion&_sacat=0 (http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.XSBS+expansion&_nkw=SBS+expansion&_sacat=0)
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1312.R1.TR10.TRC3.A0.H1.Xexpa&_nkw=Expansion+chassis&_sacat=58058 (http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1312.R1.TR10.TRC3.A0.H1.Xexpa&_nkw=Expansion+chassis&_sacat=58058)
And from time to time they give results as :
http://www.ebay.com/itm/GE-FANUC-SBS-Technologies-85224042-Backplane-Controller-/200400234186?pt=US_Vintage_Computing_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2ea8c8e6ca (http://www.ebay.com/itm/GE-FANUC-SBS-Technologies-85224042-Backplane-Controller-/200400234186?pt=US_Vintage_Computing_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2ea8c8e6ca)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/GE-FANUC-SBS-Technologies-85224045-Backplane-Controller-/200510179276?pt=US_Vintage_Computing_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2eaf5687cc (http://www.ebay.com/itm/GE-FANUC-SBS-Technologies-85224045-Backplane-Controller-/200510179276?pt=US_Vintage_Computing_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2eaf5687cc)
But most of the time, I do not trust sellers that do not know what parts they are selling. But the truth is that the more ignorant the seller is, the cheaper you bought the part...
I looked for a manual for the SBS expansion chassis but couldn't find one. The SBS DD007-R (aka MH477) has the controller card built into the chassis itself so you don't need to install it into a spare slot on it. It apparently comes with an additional PCI card and a cable for connecting the chassis to your powermac but I can't find any info on which card and cable to use.
Let's see if we can get more info on these things...
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Please join the antology post http://macos9lives.com/smforum/index.php?topic=2163.0 (http://macos9lives.com/smforum/index.php?topic=2163.0) so we all can have all the info in one place. It will take time, but for sure most chassis combinations working on G4s can be reviewed there by us before summer 2015.
Let's wait for :
1 Knezzen to publish some photos on his 2 expansions rigs
2 Let's try to find the parts used by BT on his rigs (already posted there the part numbers)
3 Find out all info we can about Bit-3 / SBS chassis.
Also it is important to notice if they use ATX PSU or custom...
On eBay there are motherboards of MAGMA chassis for a fraction of the price of a complete system.
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I'm kind of tempted to pick up an expansion chassis but I won't unless it includes the Host PCI card. None of the ones on Ebay right now do.
And yeah we need Knez and BT to swing by and let us know which cards and cables we need.
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I'm kind of tempted to pick up an expansion chassis but I won't unless it includes the Host PCI card. None of the ones on Ebay right now do.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/MAGMA-PXB-4-4-Slot-PCI-Expansion-Chassis-w-PXB-PGHOST-Powerbook-Module-19289-/181545896261?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a44fa8945 (http://www.ebay.com/itm/MAGMA-PXB-4-4-Slot-PCI-Expansion-Chassis-w-PXB-PGHOST-Powerbook-Module-19289-/181545896261?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a44fa8945)
This thing seem complete. You just need a powerbook.
(http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTA1OVgxNjAw/z/4A8AAOSwGvhULfRR/$_57.JPG)
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How would you connect that to a powerbook?
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How would you connect that to a powerbook?
I have no idea. Some powerbooks had expansions port for having 2 batteries instead a CDRom and a battery. Pismo generation? Wallstreet?
The seller mention powerbook, and it seem like a swappable part. Maybe someone from old school..
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From taking a look at wikipedia, it seems the old PCI 2.0 standard can pass 133MB/sec. That's definitely fast enough to handle as many tracks as you can probably come up with. However that's for the whole PCI bus, not a single slot. What if you're running a Powermac 9600 with 6 PCI slots?
I don't know if the System Bus speed is a factor in this either, because isn't the system bus speed the thing that dictates basically the entire speed of the machine or something? And I remember IIO saying something about RAM speed playing a factor as well.
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I can't bounce a project to the boot drive on the MDD for instance. It gives me an error message about "slow PCI bus". Bouncing to the project drive works though (the boot drive is on the ATA33 controller, so the ATA100 is free for audio data only).
If I add a PCI SATA card to the equation, I can't use all the DSP's on all the 7 MIX cards at the same time. Will give me the same error message. Without the SATA card and a drive on the internal ATA100 controller, all is well and I can use all the DSP's.
So trying to relieve the PCI bus of as much stress as possible it probably a good thing.
Getting a machine with a fast bus and keep the PCI slots clear of anything you don't have to use.
I only have the Magma chassis controller in mine. Nothing else.
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I read that when guys were using accelerator cards for Pro Tools that they had to slow the SCSI accelerator card down by 50% since the card was working too fast for Pro Tools. Maybe that has something to do with it?
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having had a pci expansion unit to run DSP's, firewire, USB and other interfaces to keep SCSI to the G3, running a full 24 track count on the coe and 2 farm cards it hadn't much trouble at all.
magma chassis use unique boards and now it's different cables so you wouldn't confuse them with scsi leads. PCI Bus works on total load of all streamed channels, so at 133mhz rate, you can perform quite a bit. what bottlenecks most of all in certain situations is buffering data to storage because of the amount of data bounce via SCSI as an example, it can have a knock on effect. These are good systems if you configure the storage controller inside the expansion chassis and mount drives inside (7 or 13 slot types) where you can install SCSI drives, the raid controller, the TDM boards, etc, then hook this up to your host mac and load a firewire / usb card and that's it. keep the main internal card structure reasonably clear other than vitals.
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knezzens experience is typical for protools, those cards are very picky with bandwith and so it is questionable if you can hook another 100 PCI cards to a system. :)
one can also run into trouble with systems which hold one or more PCI graphics card.
i also wonder if it is possible to make up some rules what will work and what not.
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knezzens experience is typical for protools, those cards are very picky with bandwith and so it is questionable if you can hook another 100 PCI cards to a system. :)
I wouldn't add anything more to the equation. If you need faster disk access, RAID two drives on the internal ATA100 controller.
Im still using a regular 7200rpm drive, although with 12mb cache.
Haven't had any issues yet (using 60+ tracks in 24bit 48khz) with drive access, the big problem is the clogged bus when using a lot of TDM plugins.
Would love to get even more speed from the bus, but getting it over 167mhz seems to be problematic.
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well i guess for the "protools only" job it is proven that you can pack a 13 slot chassis full with PT cards and run it even with an oldworld mac.
but what, for example, will happen if you try to fill 13 slots with a combination of powercore accelerators and firewire 400 cards? is there a general rule how you can predict where the limits are? how can you make sure that the accelerator (which needs a minimum transfer rate to work properly) has priority over other cards?
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picked up 2 different 7 slot chassis recently... one was the Digi branded SBS with cable and host card and the other was a Magma with cable but the 'wrong' host card... it had the SBS host card and that's why i bought it... a backup/ spare for the Digi chassis. Haven't hooked any of it up yet as I'm attempting to sort out some other problems first. Don't have any other info as of yet but if I get it working I can foreword the Magma and cable to someone here to experiment with.
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Just got another Mix Farm card for my PT TDM rig so it's time to see if my Digidesign (SBS) 7 slot chassis is gonna work!?! I'm a little leery of pulling the cards out of the G4 and putting them into the chassis... anyway I guess I'm just looking for any advice on the process... pull them out/ put them all in the chassis at once and say a prayer?? or put them in one by one and test along the way? Sacrifice a small child or pet?? I HATE messing with ANYTHING that works!! ::) ;D
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Lots of work!
Using a lot of PCI cards and a Chassis is kind of art...
I would start on a one by one with just the Core card on the mac without the SBS. And run "Be There" or any demo or advanced project.
Then a test with Core + One DSP card (The best looking/more new/without troubles) on the mac without the SBS. Test.
Empty the SBS and connect it to the Bus Mastering best slot. Some claim is the one under AGP. I would research it deeply to know it. Test there (SBS chassis) those 2 know working cards. Run DigiTest there. If OK, reboot and test a project. It is ok?
Then add DSP cards on a one by one basis. Run Digitest, reboot, run a project. Ok? add another one.
That should be the method to determine if a DSP card is >:( with your setup.
Some people can work with setups that don't pass Digitest. But that is living on the edge.
[youtube]7nqcL0mjMjw[/youtube]
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Well I finally fired up the Digi(SBS) chassis! Did the 'one card at a time' thing and STILL had to fiddle around bunch, but got it working with 1 'Mix Core' card and 4 'Mix Farms'... (it took 4 adult beverages!;D) . I have 2 more Farms to put in there but only have a 5 node cable at this point.
I might look into replacing the fan/fans (I forget if there was one or two) at some point as they're a bit on the noisy side... certainly not MDD loud, but loud enough to want to quiet them down.
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You can probably unplug the front case fans on your chassis. I did so in my 13 slot Magma/digi chassis and everything still works as it should, just as cool and without any noise!
Wish I could do the same with the MDD....
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Yeah I haven't taken the chassis apart since I got it working. Was waiting till I get hold of a ribbon cable with more nodes (or make one out of two 5 node cables). When I add the other cards I was planning on checking out the fan situation and possibly finding a quieter replacement... wasn't thinking about just unplugging the current fan though... THAT seems like it would be an easy solution!! ;D ;D
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I even bought replacement fans and while they were shipping, I went on Avid´s DUC forum and many people said they were just unplugging the fans, so that's what I did. 60 seconds job :)
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we love hearing the easy 0$ 2 second solutions ;D
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I have the opportunity to buy a MH477 / DD007-R magma chassis from the original owner with all the parts for $150.
I am running OS9 with 5.1.3
G4 quick silver 1.5 gigs ram
Fire wire for recording with a 7200rpm Seagate drive
Mix Core
Mix Core
Mix Farm
Mix Farm
I have three DSP farms sitting in a box which is why I am interested in the Magma chassis.
The debate is the guy selling it seems to think my system will be limited to 32 tracks or less because of the PCI bottle neck.
From the digi documentation it looks like I should net greater than 32 if I choose the 64 track option in the playback engine settings.
So what is the answer here?
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The chassis doesn't have anything to do with limiting your track count... the limitation would be with 5.1.3 which is 64 'voices'? I think... if you need more than that, you can be clever and share 'voices' between tracks that play at different times.etc.
That chassis would be SBS and not Magma... just make sure that the 'host' card (that plugs into the computer) is included. The MH477 doesn't need a separate controller card for the chassis itself, as that is already integrated into the Chassis... just plug the cable from the host card into the connector on the back of the chassis.
Load the chassis with the two Mix Cores first, then the Mix Farms and finally the three DSP farms... I think it's from right to left (looking from the back of the chassis)
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The chassis doesn't have anything to do with limiting your track count... the limitation would be with 5.1.3 which is 64 'voices'? I think... if you need more than that, you can be clever and share 'voices' between tracks that play at different times.etc.
That chassis would be SBS and not Magma... just make sure that the 'host' card (that plugs into the computer) is included. The MH477 doesn't need a separate controller card for the chassis itself, as that is already integrated into the Chassis... just plug the cable from the host card into the connector on the back of the chassis.
Load the chassis with the two Mix Cores first, then the Mix Farms and finally the three DSP farms... I think it's from right to left (looking from the back of the chassis)
Thanks, Well this is the answer I was hoping for anyway, I was only hoping for 64 channels anyway. Say I don't need any additional drivers for this do I? My understanding is that it is basically plug it in then Digi test to confirm?
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You can use 64 tracks with your current setup as well. Just fire up Pro Tools and switch from 32 to 64 voices under Setup --> Playback engine.
Im running 7 Farm cards in a Magma chassis connected to a Dual 1.5ghz PowerMac G4 MDD.
No issued to report, as long as you stick to the built in controllers for your hard drives.
Don't use a PCI SATA or PATA cards with the system, there just isn't enough bandwidth on the bus for the Pro Tools cards and PCI hard drive controller to co-exist.
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You can use 64 tracks with your current setup as well. Just fire up Pro Tools and switch from 32 to 64 voices under Setup --> Playback engine.
Im running 7 Farm cards in a Magma chassis connected to a Dual 1.5ghz PowerMac G4 MDD.
No issued to report, as long as you stick to the built in controllers for your hard drives.
Don't use a PCI SATA or PATA cards with the system, there just isn't enough bandwidth on the bus for the Pro Tools cards and PCI hard drive controller to co-exist.
I am in 64 track mode now with out an expansion chassis. The chassis I am looking at is as mentioned above not considered a "magma" but a standard SBS digidesign 7 slot expansion chassis built in 2000. I am using FireWire for recording
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You don't need any additional drivers but you'll probably have to 'fiddle' with card seating and ribbon cable to get it all working properly... Speaking of the ribbon cable, if one is not included, you'll have to find one of those. The 5 node cables are easy to find, but the larger variations are harder to find. I'm searching for components to make my own, as I only have five node.
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You don't need any additional drivers but you'll probably have to 'fiddle' with card seating and ribbon cable to get it all working properly... Speaking of the ribbon cable, if one is not included, you'll have to find one of those. The 5 node cables are easy to find, but the larger variations are harder to find. I'm searching for components to make my own, as I only have five node.
I am working with a company called Redmond cable to make me a seven Node cable. I am going to give them a spare 5 node to tinker with, but from first glance they say it is a Centronics 60 pin connector. I asked them if they could just use the parts from the spare cables I already have they said no. Typical responce.
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if you guys could attach pictures of your ribbon cables maybe that would help ?
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if you guys could attach pictures of your ribbon cables maybe that would help ?
I installed all cards into the expansion chassis, the PCI card in the G4, fired it up ran digit test and it all works like a champ. I am getting 64 tracks no problem. I am now about to head down the cable fabrication house to see what it is going to cost to build me a 7 node cable for the expansion chassis.
Note! It says in the digi documentation that older DSP farm cards with older serial numbers wont work in the expansion chassis, I just tried it with an old DSP farm serial FF06475 and they do work so long as the AMCC chip number ends in QC or QE. I cant say this is true of every single card but it is working from me.
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Hey that's good news! Loading up that chassis will give you some decent horsepower... I have 5 Mix cards installed and a few more to load up my chassis with when I get my cable thing sorted out. Let us know how you make out with the 7 node... If the price is reasonable, Redmond could become a good resource for PT Mix people! ;D
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Hey that's good news! Loading up that chassis will give you some decent horsepower... I have 5 Mix cards installed and a few more to load up my chassis with when I get my cable thing sorted out. Let us know how you make out with the 7 node... If the price is reasonable, Redmond could become a good resource for PT Mix people! ;D
I went to the cable place, they are going to get back to me on a price. They need to decide if they are going to transplant the existing connectors to a longer chunk of cable, or if they are going to insist on new connectors. I said I was willing to pay for the transplant and take my chances. They don't however have the chuck of 30 conductor cable in stock, and mentioned they would have to buy a 100 foot spool of it, with me footing the bill :-/
So I went looking for the raw cable and found a local source for a $1.50 a foot standard 34 conductor ribbon, the cable maker says they can just peal off 4 conductors which is probobly how the original cables were made anyway (they said), so I am going to pick that up and take it over to the cable makers.
I already have 2 X 5 node and 1 X 4 node cables so I have enough extra parts for a 7 node. I informed them that there were a lot of people looking for 7, 8, and 10 node cables so if this one works out I would be sending them more business, I hope this gives them incentive to speed things up.
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if you guys could attach pictures of your ribbon cables maybe that would help ?
I am not sure I understand, you mean attach pictures of the cable when I get it from the cable builder? I will certainly do that and I will also post the where, when, and how to get a cable made information as well
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I could no longer stand the fingers on a chalk board noise of the fans coming from the G4 so I decided to do something about.
I replaced all the fans with Silenx fans (including) the 80mm power supply fan, and the CPU fan (which was the biggest offender) I even cut out the plastic and metal grill that covers power supply fan.
Result?
If it wasn't for the hard drive you would not be able to tell if it was on or not, it is that quiet.
So then I moved on to the 7 slot expansion chassis. This was a lot easier to replace the fans in. The power supply was a lot easier to work on as it has a lot more room in it than the G4 supply. The two front fans I stepped up from 92mm to 100mm.
The result?
It is a lot quieter, I did not cut out the power supply grill which believe it or not really adds to the sound level so I am going to do that on this one as well. The front fans a quieter but suffer still from chassis resonance which amplifies any fan noise, so i am going to put in some dampening.
Will let you know how that works out
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Hey that's great... will be replacing the power supply fans in a MDD and planning on addressing the fans in my chassis too! I was waiting till I add the other 2 mix cards to scope it out. I have the same chassis as you do so post any pertinent info ... links for fans, etc. Glad everything is working out. I've been having some MAJOR fun since I got my chassis going...makes a BIG difference!! ;D
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if you guys could attach pictures of your ribbon cables maybe that would help ?
I am not sure I understand, you mean attach pictures of the cable when I get it from the cable builder? I will certainly do that and I will also post the where, when, and how to get a cable made information as well
Yeah, that would be great info for people looking for cables!
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The cable build is getting all grumblely with me say they cant reuse the node connectors because they will break.
However there is this post http://macos9lives.com/smforum/index.php?topic=786.0
Knezzen said-- "Cable no longer needed. I built my own from some old PATA cables and the connectors from two 5-node cables."
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http://www.bo.infn.it/cms/mutrigger/RegTrg/BSDataSheets/8825-8830_kel_connectors.pdf
I finally tracked these devils down
it is the KEL 8825 - 060 (http://www.kel.jp/english/product/Half_8800/8eor5b0000000sov-img/5c6e1t0000005lys.jpg)
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There are variations in the connectors. the Digi node cables are a 8825 - 060 series and the variation is D9576 i am going to fins a distributor if they wont sell direct
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That's awesome... You're a genius!!!😁
http://macos9lives.com/smforum/index.php?topic=786.0
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That's awesome... You're a genius!!!😁
http://macos9lives.com/smforum/index.php?topic=786.0
It gets better!
I just heard from the company.
Below are the part numbers and two locations in the US where you can buy the parts
Read the PDF to understand what the different part numbers mean. The order codes are on page two
The part number will be 8825-060-175-F, 8825-060-175D-F, 8825E-060-175-F or 8825E-060-175D-F.
Please check as linked.
http://www.kel.jp/english/product/Half_8800/8825e.pdf
Please contact following distributors for not large volume.
Distributors:
Kensington Electronics, Inc.
11801 Stonehollow Drive, #150
Austin, TX 78758
TEL: 800-325-0534
TEL: 512-339-3300
FAX: 512-833-8034
Attn: Casey Donovan
mailto:[email protected]
http://www.keiconn.com
Voyager Electronics Corp.
3065 101st Avenue NE
Blaine, MN 55449
TEL: 877-798-4778
TEL: 763-571-7766
FAX: 763-571-9519
mailto:[email protected]
http://www.voyagercorp.com
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Nice detective work!😁
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I replaced all the fans with Silenx fans (including) the 80mm power supply fan, and the CPU fan (which was the biggest offender) I even cut out the plastic and metal grill that covers power supply fan.
Result?
If it wasn't for the hard drive you would not be able to tell if it was on or not, it is that quiet.
Can you post some pictures of the power supply before and after - I'd just like to have a closer look at what you mean by cutting out the plastic and metal grill.
Thanks
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I replaced all the fans with Silenx fans (including) the 80mm power supply fan, and the CPU fan (which was the biggest offender) I even cut out the plastic and metal grill that covers power supply fan.
Result?
If it wasn't for the hard drive you would not be able to tell if it was on or not, it is that quiet.
Can you post some pictures of the power supply before and after - I'd just like to have a closer look at what you mean by cutting out the plastic and metal grill.
Thanks
So what I did is simply remove the back plastic panel and left it off and then cut out the metal grill. I just cut the Grill out of my 7 slot expansion chassis and that made the silenx fan install even quieter. Obviously you should keep the fingers of people young and old away from this, or you can rig up your own cover using a stand off round wire grill which you can buy at some place like frys.
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Note the G4 power supply fan is a challenge as it is in real close proximity to surrounding things so some dismantling and patience is required. I soldered the wire leeds on to the original fan connector Leeds and used shrink wrap over the soldered areas. The big case fan and the CPU fan are not to hard to deal with. To hold the CPU fan in the rubber holder I just put a wire tie around the whole thing and it works perfect. There is a hole at the back of this holder for what ever reason I plugged this so more air from the outside chassis would be pulled into the case. The big case fan is thermostatic, you can leave it this way or just by pass the thermostat leaving it on, it is so quiet it doesn't matter if it runs all the time at full speed.
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Kenisington can get the parts (not in stock) 6-8 week leed time. about $6.50 a connector in quantities of 20. $50 minimum order plus shipping
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Kenisington can get the parts (not in stock) 6-8 week leed time. about $6.50 a connector in quantities of 20. $50 minimum order plus shipping
I think I have 3 or 4 5 node TDM cables knocking about.... I bought them to sort out a longer cable and ended up finding an 8 node cable on Ebay instead.
Anyone want them cheap?
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SOLD!!! ;D ;D
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Thanks RTInstaller for the excellent description. Will give
this a go on one of my MDD's.
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do i understadn this right, you cut the metal rost in order to replace the power supply fan from outside without the need of disassembling and dismounting the power supply unit?
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I think the 'cut' was an additional measure to further reduce fan noise and not to gain access without psu removal... would also do double duty to trim those pesky long nails that those classical guitar players grow... just slide your fingers into the back of the computer and voila... nails are trimmed!! ;D
If Jobs was still at Apple he would jump all over RTIInstaller's genius idea... 'iNails'... and market it toward woman... I can see the adds now, picturing a woman typing at a desk with her foot stuck into the tower getting a pedicure! We don't need no stinkin' nail salon!!! ;D ;D ;D
Sorry people... got into the vodka after my gig! :o
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do i understadn this right, you cut the metal rost in order to replace the power supply fan from outside without the need of disassembling and dismounting the power supply unit?
You can cut out the grill from the outside, but to replace the fan you have to take the whole power supply out and take it apart. The real noise reduction comes from replacing the factory installed 80mm fan with the Silenx fan. Cutting out the fan grill reduces noise a little bit more, cutting the grill isn't much of a reduction in noise, but it is noticeable
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Thanks RTInstaller for the excellent description. Will give
this a go on one of my MDD's.
how? its a quicksilver that he modded.. not a mdd..
?? how could u possibly do the same mod on an mdd
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Someone should start offering the servicing of modding these damn MDD PSUs or something. I for one would be interested in such a service.
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Hi all,
I am glad that I found on ebay some years ago a G4 (1.25) with the legendary VeraxFanKit (M10+M11). It was one of my best decision to spend some money to get one of the last Verax-Fans-G4. It is a huge difference!!! To everyone who has the chance to get one. Buy it.
Best, paul.
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Thanks RTInstaller for the excellent description. Will give
this a go on one of my MDD's.
how? its a quicksilver that he modded.. not a mdd..
?? how could u possibly do the same mod on an mdd
MDD has fans in it, so log as Silenx has fans of the same geometry and air flow you can figure out how to replace them. The MDD chassis will take a bit more work to cut away from the fan but it should be doable
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I've done the fan replacement on the mdd...
the fans are deep inside the power supply unit near the front of the machine.. not near the rear
i replaced my fans with R2 fans from Fractal Design
as far as i know mr happy has bough the same fans..
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&Description=fractal+design+60mm&N=-1&isNodeId=1
i paid 9.99 per fan for mine
hows that going MR HAPPY?? still not done ?? :D
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Draggin' my feet BIG TIME on that one Chris!!!
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I'm back in the market for an expansion chassis. I need to do some research on this because I'm still confused on the different chassis boxes available. I'm gonna be running it with a 9600 and I think some of the later ones that were released don't work as well on the 9600.
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I'm back in the market for an expansion chassis. I need to do some research on this because I'm still confused on the different chassis boxes available. I'm gonna be running it with a 9600 and I think some of the later ones that were released don't work as well on the 9600.
What ever you get make darn sure it has all the parts with it. a lot of those eBay chassis are incomplete. I have a 7 slot expansion chassis with the built in card works flawlessly, but I still don't have a 7 node cable yet to work with my mix system. So I am currently stuck with just 5 cards.
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One of these days I'm going to get a chassis... it would work great with my 9600. I've got a few too many cards taking up my 6 slots so the chassis will definitely help. I only need about 3 Mix cards max for my own rig, so the 5-node TDM cable is enough for me. I guess I need to look into what the differences are between the 7 and 13 slot chassis. The 7 will do, but I'll take a 13 if that's what happens to be available at the time.
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I guess I need to look into what the differences are between the 7 and 13 slot chassis.
Using my trusty calculator, the difference is 6! ;D ;D
I'm ALL audio at this point so I pretty much NEED a loaded chassis for any serious mixing! I'm using the Digi- branded SBS with the built in controller card and it's been working great.
I'm using a G4 and some of the earlier Chassis won't work with the G4, however that shouldn't be a concern with a 9600.
The earlier SBS and Magma need a 'interface'/'controller' card for the chassis itself... so for a 7 slot chassis, for instance, there will be 8 slots... one of which is for the chassis interface card and the remaining 7 for PCI cards. Most of the chassis I see for sale have this card already installed... as being installed in the chassis itself makes them harder to lose/ misplace.
Usually missing is the 'Host' card that plugs int the computer... these can be found on eBay ... The 13 slot Host cards seem to be more plentiful at this point in time for some reason.
The INTERFACE CABLE... Now THESE you don't find by themselves often as I don't think most resellers have any idea what they are for! The cable for the earlier chassis' is like a big fat ribbon cable with a protective outer sleeve (usually gray) that looks like some sort of SCSI cable. The connectors on the SBS and Magma are different from each other and NOT interchangeable so you need to find one for your specific brand. On these earlier chassis' I SUSPECT that the 7 and 13 slot chassis use the same cable but don't know this as fact. Also the cable length is important, as longer cables (beyond 4-5-ish ft??) will cause problems and may not work properly.
SOOOO.... I LOVE having the expansion chassis and for someone like me who is using mainly audio, I feel like its almost a necessity for any modern style mixing on a PT5/OS9 system. It's probably not as important for mostly midi or tracking smaller projects or for editing.
If I was just getting into the chassis game I'd hunt for one that was complete with cable and cards! ;D
Jump in there Syntho... Chassis' for everyone!!! ;D ;D ;D
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I'm hardware myself so I need a chassis for sure. Hard to find these things. I'll stay on the lookout.
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I'll keep my eyes open too!😁
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I'm trying to convince Knezzen to sell me his ;D
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Took some pictures of the back of my chassis last night since Syntho noticed that it shouldn't work with my MDD.
Strange thing is that it has worked for 2 years now and through many recorded songs and albums :P
And to add to this: The bridge/magma card in the chassis is identical to the one in the computer.
Switching the cards places from the chassis to the computer doesn't do a thing functioning wise, everything works just as great as it did before the switch. So you could probably just buy two of the magma PCI cards with the connector you want and the cable you want, and it should work.
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Took some pictures of the back of my chassis last night since Syntho noticed that it shouldn't work with my MDD.
Why is it that chassis "shouldn't work" with MDD??
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Wait, I think Knezzen gave me incorrect info. I was thinking he had a Digidesign-branded chassis, not a Magma. The PCI 7RX is Magma-branded. Plus it's a 7 slotter. I was thinking he had a Digidesign-branded 13 slot, so that explains the confusion. The Magma 7-slot PCI 7RX is indeed compatible with both 9600s and G4s, it's definitely the one with the most compatibility across different types of Macs.
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And to add to this: The bridge/magma card in the chassis is identical to the one in the computer.
Switching the cards places from the chassis to the computer doesn't do a thing functioning wise, everything works just as great as it did before the switch. So you could probably just buy two of the magma PCI cards with the connector you want and the cable you want, and it should work.
Knez this is an interesting 'discovery!!
On your chassis model it would normally have:
'P7B Backplane'... 01-03515-00 (the board with the PCI sockets)
'Interface Card'... 01-03522-00 (the card installed in chassis)
'Host Card'... 01-03521-00 ( the card installed in the computer)... going by memory here so I'm not 100% sure of the numbers
So Knez... are you using 2 'Interface' cards or 2 'Host' cards in your rig?? This could make things easier for someone trying to piece together a system, knowing that 2 of the same cards could be used!!
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Wait, I think Knezzen gave me incorrect info. I was thinking he had a Digidesign-branded chassis, not a Magma. The PCI 7RX is Magma-branded. Plus it's a 7 slotter. I was thinking he had a Digidesign-branded 13 slot, so that explains the confusion. The Magma 7-slot PCI 7RX is indeed compatible with both 9600s and G4s, it's definitely the one with the most compatibility across different types of Macs.
I was thinking something like this might be the case...BTW... Digidesign put their 'Brand' on both SBS AND Magma chassis but they are easily distinguished by their appearance.
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I was thinking he had a Digidesign-branded 13 slot
I thought Knezzen had a 13 slot too... at least a some point! ;D
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Wait, I think Knezzen gave me incorrect info. I was thinking he had a Digidesign-branded chassis, not a Magma. The PCI 7RX is Magma-branded. Plus it's a 7 slotter. I was thinking he had a Digidesign-branded 13 slot, so that explains the confusion. The Magma 7-slot PCI 7RX is indeed compatible with both 9600s and G4s, it's definitely the one with the most compatibility across different types of Macs.
I didn't. It has a Digidesign front panel (with the Pro Tools logo) and Magma internals with the serial number from the picture above.
Picture attached of the front of the chassis. I also have a 13-slot Magma branded chassis, with picture also attached. This chassis does not work reliably with my G4. Hope this sorts out the confusion.
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It can be that someone switched front panels on the 7-slot sometime in it's life, or that they actually made Digidesign branded 7-slot Magma chassis for the EU market (I have no idea).
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was (or is ) a pcmcia hostcard for powerbooks aviable ??
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Are you asking for something like that?
http://www.macobserver.com/tips/dm2/2001/20010517.shtml
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jan01/articles/magma.asp
Edit: and it seems to be still available for 1 to 13 PCI slots:
http://magma.com/products/kits-and-parts/cards-and-backplanes/cardbus-host-card-for-laptop-cbhif/
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was (or is ) a pcmcia hostcard for powerbooks aviable ??
As Mat noted with his links, yes, there is specifically a cardbus (not the earlier-generation PCMCIA) interface for the Magma chassis with the later compact cable connector. I own one, and an alternate PCI host card, for my 2-slot chassis. As in most other instances, the shorter the cable, the better.
I also own the earlier expansion bay interface for the Wallstreet Powerbook. It has the original large cable connector and I use it with an older revision of the 4-slot chassis. I also have the original version of the PCI interface card for it with the large connector.
I was thinking of posting pictures of my own expansion chassis here along with some notes. I'll look into it when I have some time.
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Sorry to resurrect an old thread...
I just wanted to comment I found it odd the manufacturer never offered the board-mount plug-end in a cable-crimp type also. This would have made it dead-simple to assemble a simple two-headed cable that could have joined two of the Digi 5-node cables into one 8-node. The demonstration PCBs depicted in the photo in the catalog would have been great for this if they actually had all the tracings joining the two headers they attached to it, but alas it seems not. It would end up costing far less to just build a longer cable from scratch than to make such a board. The point is moot for me anyway because I already own an 8-node cable.
Does anyone have the source listing for the comparable connector on the nubus TDM cards? Those I could use because I only have short cables for that version.
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Sorry to resurrect an old thread...
I just wanted to comment I found it odd the manufacturer never offered the board-mount plug-end in a cable-crimp type also. This would have made it dead-simple to assemble a simple two-headed cable that could have joined two of the Digi 5-node cables into one 8-node. The demonstration PCBs depicted in the photo in the catalog would have been great for this if they actually had all the tracings joining the two headers they attached to it, but alas it seems not. It would end up costing far less to just build a longer cable from scratch than to make such a board. The point is moot for me anyway because I already own an 8-node cable.
Does anyone have the source listing for the comparable connector on the nubus TDM cards? Those I could use because I only have short cables for that version.
I might be mistaken but I thought the nubus connectors were readily available? at most electronics parts centers?
I initially tried to locate a connector that could be used to splice two 5 node cables together, but I was never able to locate a part that would work for this purpose that came pre assembled.
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I just wanted to comment I found it odd the manufacturer never offered the board-mount plug-end in a cable-crimp type also.
I think that cable length is the major problem here. The reason that 'only' 7 MIX cards are recommended in a 13 slot chassis is due to the cable length and not being reliable beyond the 7 card distance. They probably figured it wouldn't be worth the reliability headache by throwing 'extenders' into the equation.
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super !! thank you !!
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im trying to figure out what order to put the cards in the chassis. i have 2 controller cards which one goes in the computer and which one goes in the chassis? whats the model number that goes in the computer? if anyone could help i would greatly appreceate it thank you all
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There's a bunch of info in this thread that should help you out. ;D
http://macos9lives.com/smforum/index.php/topic,2172.0.html
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ive looked it up and down and its no where to be found.
im trying to figure out what order to put the cards in the chassis. i have 2 controller cards which one goes in the computer and which one goes in the chassis? whats the model number that goes in the computer? if anyone could help i would greatly appreceate it thank you all
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It's hard to say without some more info or pictures. Just try the cards in different positions and see what works :)
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did all that but no dice:(thanks anyways
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If you run Digitest it should show you which slots the cards go in and if they're ok.
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Card order within the chassis depends on which model number it is. Digidesign has quite a bit of reference material about this as it applies to their systems, but even I had a hard time figuring it out.
I have two SBS chassis that use the 85224030/85224040 interface board pair. From everything I've read about SBS/Bit3, the lower-numbered board goes in the host computer and ideally should go in the slot nearest the CPU. The chassis-end card should have a clearly-marked dedicated slot in the chassis and must go there.
The other things critically important are that the board pair must be a properly matched pair, and in some cases the bridge chip must be a certain later version to function at all in anything later than a beige-era Mac.
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And to add to this: The bridge/magma card in the chassis is identical to the one in the computer.
Switching the cards places from the chassis to the computer doesn't do a thing functioning wise, everything works just as great as it did before the switch. So you could probably just buy two of the magma PCI cards with the connector you want and the cable you want, and it should work.
Knez this is an interesting 'discovery!!
On your chassis model it would normally have:
'P7B Backplane'... 01-03515-00 (the board with the PCI sockets)
'Interface Card'... 01-03522-00 (the card installed in chassis)
'Host Card'... 01-03521-00 ( the card installed in the computer)... going by memory here so I'm not 100% sure of the numbers
So Knez... are you using 2 'Interface' cards or 2 'Host' cards in your rig?? This could make things easier for someone trying to piece together a system, knowing that 2 of the same cards could be used!!
FYI... was doing some troubleshooting yesterday and was attempting to get a Magama 7 slot working but I don't have the proper 'host' card... so I tried using the 'interface' card in a Quicksilver but the QS wouldn't start until the card was removed. It IS possible that the 'interface' card is bad but if not, then the 'host' and 'interface' cards aren't interchangeable.
Kneezan were you using 2 'host' cards in your rig??
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Hi
Bit of a noob in some ways...although I've been using Macs since OS7.something (I do miss my original Startrek screen saver).
Have set up my TDM system quite nicely (TDM MIX 3 with SampleCell TDM) and have an SBS expansion chassis and cable lying around. I can find compatible host cards on Ebay, but don't know if I'm going to need extensions/drivers/software to get the Mac to see it. Don't really want to spend $100-£200 on the host card if it's going to be dead in the water, and I can't find any usefull info in this regard online.
Anyone know what the score is here?
(Apologies if I'm going over old questions/discussions again)
Cheers
B
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Think there is a bunch of info in this thread that could be of interest.
http://macos9lives.com/smforum/index.php/topic,2172.0.html
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I used to have the SBS 7-slot chassis and the cable it came with appeared to be proprietary and 68-pin. i was just doing inventory and stumbled upon another cable just like it, but with one difference: this time the connector is wider and is 80-pin. Exactly the same, but wider. Does anyone know if the 80pin one was for a 13-slot chassis or something else maybe?
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I used to have the SBS 7-slot chassis and the cable it came with appeared to be proprietary and 68-pin. i was just doing inventory and stumbled upon another cable just like it, but with one difference: this time the connector is wider and is 80-pin. Exactly the same, but wider. Does anyone know if the 80pin one was for a 13-slot chassis or something else maybe?
There is old version cables and cards (physically wider, don't remember how many pins) and new version cables and cards. 7-slot chassis are in both versions (not sure about anothers). PCMCIA cards are only for new versions.
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I used to have the SBS 7-slot chassis and the cable it came with appeared to be proprietary and 68-pin. i was just doing inventory and stumbled upon another cable just like it, but with one difference: this time the connector is wider and is 80-pin. Exactly the same, but wider. Does anyone know if the 80pin one was for a 13-slot chassis or something else maybe?
There is old version cables and cards (physically wider, don't remember how many pins) and new version cables and cards. 7-slot chassis are in both versions (not sure about anothers). PCMCIA cards are only for new versions.
Is that for Magma, or SBS? Take a look here, I found something interesting: https://www.ebay.com/itm/392518094843 - it's the exact cable that I've got. I don't know if it fits onto that Magma interface card though.
Take a look at this too: https://www.ebay.com/itm/PCIHIF68-Magma-PCI-Expansion-System-Host-Interface-01-03527-00/122667677293?epid=1103647574&hash=item1c8f90366d:g:T80AAOSwOTVZoEMM - according to its name, it's the 68pin one, but the number 68 might not have to do with the pins. Maybe the cables are interchangeable between brands?
Maybe both Magma and SBS used older 80pin ones then both switched to 68 pin ones or something too.
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I used to have the SBS 7-slot chassis and the cable it came with appeared to be proprietary and 68-pin. i was just doing inventory and stumbled upon another cable just like it, but with one difference: this time the connector is wider and is 80-pin. Exactly the same, but wider. Does anyone know if the 80pin one was for a 13-slot chassis or something else maybe?
There is old version cables and cards (physically wider, don't remember how many pins) and new version cables and cards. 7-slot chassis are in both versions (not sure about anothers). PCMCIA cards are only for new versions.
Is that for Magma, or SBS? Take a look here, I found something interesting: https://www.ebay.com/itm/392518094843 - it's the exact cable that I've got. I don't know if it fits onto that Magma interface card though.
Do I remember right that SBS chassis are rebranded Magma?
Your first ebay link is for older version card/cable and chassis.
And second is for new version of card.
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SBS isn't rebranded Magma, but a Digidesign-branded one is an SBS rebranded as Digidesign.
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SBS isn't rebranded Magma, but a Digidesign-branded one is an SBS rebranded as Digidesign.
But Digidesign chassis are rebranded Magma :)
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SBS isn't rebranded Magma, but a Digidesign-branded one is an SBS rebranded as Digidesign.
But Digidesign chassis are rebranded Magma :)
You sure? I've read many times on the digidesign forum about SBS manufacturing the Digidesign ones, and I had a Digidesign one myself with SBS all on the inside of it. I didn't think Magma had anything to do with Digidesign but I may be mistaken.
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SBS isn't rebranded Magma, but a Digidesign-branded one is an SBS rebranded as Digidesign.
But Digidesign chassis are rebranded Magma :)
You sure? I've read many times on the digidesign forum about SBS manufacturing the Digidesign ones, and I had a Digidesign one myself with SBS all on the inside of it. I didn't think Magma had anything to do with Digidesign but I may be mistaken.
Ok..both might be right..I have seen 7-slot Digidesign chassis that has Magma stuff inside...but maybe some anothers are SBS manufactured.
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I used to have the SBS 7-slot chassis and the cable it came with appeared to be proprietary and 68-pin. i was just doing inventory and stumbled upon another cable just like it, but with one difference: this time the connector is wider and is 80-pin. Exactly the same, but wider. Does anyone know if the 80pin one was for a 13-slot chassis or something else maybe?
The connectors for SBS and Magma are different... I think the Magma uses the wider connector.
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Ok..both might be right..I have seen 7-slot Digidesign chassis that has Magma stuff inside...but maybe some anothers are SBS manufactured.
Yes, Digi branded both SBS and Magma chassis with the Digidesign logo... The SBS seems to be more common though.
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I used to have the SBS 7-slot chassis and the cable it came with appeared to be proprietary and 68-pin. i was just doing inventory and stumbled upon another cable just like it, but with one difference: this time the connector is wider and is 80-pin. Exactly the same, but wider. Does anyone know if the 80pin one was for a 13-slot chassis or something else maybe?
The connectors for SBS and Magma are different... I think the Magma uses the wider connector.
That's what I'm thinking. I saw a picture posted by Knezzen of his Magma chassis and the connector looks wider than the SBS one. They're exactly of the same type and look 99% identical, the only difference is that one is wider than the other.
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I will post Pic and Video of my working expansion Chassis this weekend, :-) 8)
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got the earliest one for nubus 1r slot digidesign 1990s early logo
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I will post Pic and Video of my working expansion Chassis this weekend, :-) 8)
Tutorial / Show N Tell / PT Community thread here:
http://macos9lives.com/smforum/index.php/topic,6467.0.html
Video is up
[youtube]9X8yrgy-I0o[/youtube]
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well please for the next video tell us what cables to buy
what expansion chassis are compatible
what cards to get in what amount and what revisions to avoid
basically a BillOfMaterials
thanks for doing this
also ive heard you can use multiple mix cards that true?
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well please for the next video tell us what cables to buy
what expansion chassis are compatible
what cards to get in what amount and what revisions to avoid
basically a BillOfMaterials
thanks for doing this
also ive heard you can use multiple mix cards that true?
will do maybe even today
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thats so much i bought so much but without guidance no red line
at this point in time everyone with first hand experience is an expert
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anyone got a MAGMA cardbus CDROM?
MAC.sit From CDROM "MAGMA CB03A"
[3429KB] MAGMA.SIT. A stuffit file with all the drivers, extensions and utilties that are currently distributed on the MAGMA Cardbus Drivers and Utilities CDROM Disk. Updated June 28, 2002
im looking for an image
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Hi there!
Looking for some help here. I'm currently looking for a PCI expansion chassis for a Pro Tools 24 system (pre MIX era) including a Power Macintosh G3 Minitower 300 (which only offers 3 PCI slots) a d24 card, 3 farm cards and a Samplecell II card. I was recently offered a Digidesign MAGMA PCI-7 PXB which was being used to run a Pro Tools 24 MIX system (at least I was told so) so I'd like to know if it would work in my setup without problem. I checked a digicompat file but didn't find any info about this one on the Pro Tools 24 section (but it doesn't also appears on the PT24 MIX section and apparently works in that environment).
What do you guys think? Thank you all in advance.
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I'd like to know if it would work in my setup without problem.
Has that ever happened?? Haha!
I have a few of those chassis but use in mix systems so not sure about your rig... just make sure you have the interface cards for the computer, the chassis and the connecting cable if you're gonna give it a try.
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Hi there!
Looking for some help here. I'm currently looking for a PCI expansion chassis for a Pro Tools 24 system (pre MIX era) including a Power Macintosh G3 Minitower 300 (which only offers 3 PCI slots) a d24 card, 3 farm cards and a Samplecell II card. I was recently offered a Digidesign MAGMA PCI-7 PXB which was being used to run a Pro Tools 24 MIX system (at least I was told so) so I'd like to know if it would work in my setup without problem. I checked a digicompat file but didn't find any info about this one on the Pro Tools 24 section (but it doesn't also appears on the PT24 MIX section and apparently works in that environment).
What do you guys think? Thank you all in advance.
read the digidesign expanded system guides of the corresponding pro tools version of your choice
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read the digidesign expanded system guides of the corresponding pro tools version of your choice
http://akarchive.digidesign.com/support/docs/Expanded_Systems_Guide.pdf (http://akarchive.digidesign.com/support/docs/Expanded_Systems_Guide.pdf)
There is a brand called Bit-3 that later became SBS (?)
They became Abaco systems
I have a partial system that I want to complete.
It is a SBS bit 3 very old 7 slots. I have the guest card and need to find the host card plus the cable
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The digidesign 12slot nubus is a modified second wave 8slot
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More pictures of the chassis
Digging in http://akarchive.digidesign.com/support/docs/4X/43expchassis.pdf (http://akarchive.digidesign.com/support/docs/4X/43expchassis.pdf)
Found that the chassis could be even from Protools III era, I think, as it has a IBM controller it could be
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Digging in http://akarchive.digidesign.com/support/docs/4X/43expchassis.pdf (http://akarchive.digidesign.com/support/docs/4X/43expchassis.pdf)
It can be for 3 generations
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We should start dumping the Chassis bridge chip roms
I guess the corresponding Pro Tools Card for above diagrams are:
Pro Tools III (d24, PCI) Pro Tools 24 (d24, PCI), Pro Tools Mix (Mix Card, "Mix Core")
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We should start dumping the Chassis bridge chip roms
I think, way more important, to determine the 4 tipical models from Protools III - 4, and make pictures of host+guest cards. Those cards are going dumpster daily if we dont make them inmistakenly clear what they are.
I have determined that my SBS chassis, being one of those with the backplane controller between the DSP card (3 PCI+backplane card+ 4 PCI layout), having a REV. A backplane card and comming with d24 + DSP Farm II + DSP farm + having a IBM chipset should be a old world system. Year 1997-99.
After looking for the specs of the IBM 27XXX chip found that is in fact a PowerPC 60x age bridge set.
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I can find guest cards for the IBM27-82353B backplane card I have. It should be same chip number but the B
But some cost 250 bucks and others 8 bucks. But none of the same Rev.A I have. And there is no info if different revision number cards should work or not.
Going Abaco systems www to find info about these systems is pointless until someone put more light on these SBS/Bit 3 chassis.
It seems a more valid choice to look for Magma chassis instead of SBS ones.
Also we need to know European and USA places where we could order new cables. And the pinout of these cables is needed too
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I have merged my first call about info on the subject (The chassis expansion anthology for PowerMacs) with the other older post from Knez/Knezzen about his magma chassis.
If someone find other posts about chassis in this forum, please point me to them so I can consolidate/merge all post info here.
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Found on eBay a complete SBS set of my partial setup.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/204219050946 (https://www.ebay.com/itm/204219050946)
450 Bucks and dont send to Spain...
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SBS isn't rebranded Magma, but a Digidesign-branded one is an SBS rebranded as Digidesign.
But Digidesign chassis are rebranded Magma :)
You sure? I've read many times on the digidesign forum about SBS manufacturing the Digidesign ones, and I had a Digidesign one myself with SBS all on the inside of it. I didn't think Magma had anything to do with Digidesign but I may be mistaken.
Ok..both might be right..I have seen 7-slot Digidesign chassis that has Magma stuff inside...but maybe some anothers are SBS manufactured.
Avid and Digidesign used to put its logo over any system they sold.
To summarize the are 3 brands
Second Wave (mostly nubus stuff)
SBS / Bit-3 brand (could have a Digidesign logo or Protools logo over)
Magma brand (could have a Avid/ Digigidesig / Protools logo over
There are SBS and Magma modells based on the DEC 2.1 chipset and maybe Avid forced them to make them compatible and they choose to do it or not.
Maybe only ones are 80 pins and others are 68 pins.
All those questions need to be answered.
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Found on eBay a complete SBS set of my partial setup.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/204219050946 (https://www.ebay.com/itm/204219050946)
450 Bucks and dont send to Spain...
That looks in great shape for its age!
I hate looking at the stuff, cause it makes me want to buy it, even though I wouldn't know what to do with it these days :(
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This is all I am going to dig in chassis. I have done my part on the SBS family.
I am not going to play russian rullette with host cards + building new cables.
My chassis looks nice unpowered at the bottom of the rack... -afro- ;D
I have all I need from PT TDM with MIX Core + MIX Farm + DSP Farm II + DSP Farm
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https://www.digchip.com/datasheets/parts/datasheet/205/IBM27-82660.php (https://www.digchip.com/datasheets/parts/datasheet/205/IBM27-82660.php)
Part IBM27-82660
Category Logic => Memory Interface
Title Controller/Driver
Description Powerpc 60x Memory Controller And Pci Bridge
Company IBM Corporation
I have merged most post about chassis in this post and made sticky
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I have merged most post about chassis in this post and made sticky
Good idea... makes it easier to find info that I've forgotten! ;D
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My chassis looks nice unpowered at the bottom of the rack...
Yeah they're fairly 'hefty' so having it at the bottom of the rack will lower the center of gravity and serve to stabilize the rack from falling over!!! Good thinking Protools5LEGuy!!! Haha! ;D ;D
Just took a peek around and I currently have 4 chassis... 1 Digi branded SBS and 3 variously branded Magma models. They're all loaded with 'Mix' cards except for one of the Magamas, which is empty as I 'borrowed' the power supply for the SBS when that one had a problem.
At some point I'd like to try one of the 'older' DSP cards as there are a few plugins I'd like to try that won't run on the newfangled 'Mix' era cards. :D
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I bought a Magma 13 slot digidesign.. problem. I have everything (rack and two pci cards) but I'm missing the cable..
does anyone know and the scsi cables ( looks like VHDCI ) are compatible to connect or are they custom cables?
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I think we may have dug up some connector info on one of the older Chassis threads. SBS and Magma used different cable connectors that aren't interchangeable with each other.
What I'd like to know is if the cable/connector for the Magma 13 slot chassis is that same one used on the lower slot count 7-8 slot model?? If it is, that would make your cable search much easier as there seems to be many more of the smaller chassis out there!! ;D
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I had Magma 7 and 13 and I always used the same pci and cable ( looks like a scsi VHDCI.. ) it would be interesting to know if the Vhdci cable is compatible with normal scsi Vhdci cables, does anyone have any information?
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I think Knezzen has made his own cables in the past and might have an answer?? ;D?
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I had Magma 7 and 13 and I always used the same pci and cable ( looks like a scsi VHDCI.. ) it would be interesting to know if the Vhdci cable is compatible with normal scsi Vhdci cables, does anyone have any information?
This is definitely an ordinary SCSI VHDCI cable, you can buy it, but not longer than a meter
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This is definitely an ordinary SCSI VHDCI cable, you can buy it, but not longer than a meter
Good to know! ;D
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I can confirm..just bought and tried (1 metre..) It works!.. curious: why doesn't it work longer than one metre? there are also 3 meters long cables and it would be convenient to remove the magma from under the desk and put it in the rack .. let me know, thanks
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The longer the cable, the greater the skew (divergence in signal timing between wires). The SCSI protocol has ways to correct for skew, and negotiates lower transfer speeds when longer cables are used. The PCI bus does not have those abilities.
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This is all I am going to dig in chassis. I have done my part on the SBS family.
I am not going to play russian rullette with host cards + building new cables.
You liar
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Everybody going Mini and I could not resist those 2.
The first one is a Digi/Magma 13 slots to PCI.I think is supported with MIX and HD for G4.
The second one is a dawn pentium III computer (6 PCI slots) with a Intel Gigabit PCI-e card as host card for the latest G5 or the Mac Pro. It introduces more latency (?).Ideal for hacking it and reverse ingenieer it.
Now how we can reverse ingenieer that Intel setup to work for us?
I Will try a PCI to PCI-e + that latest chassis to see if it works.
But for sure that chassis on a PCI passthru virtualization can hold a whole Mac OS 9 setup virtualizing the processor and taking direct metal to a graphic card + Mix Core +++++
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It is important to make a picture catalog of them and the cards. Lots of PowerMacs are sold with one host card! On ebay I have seen lots of incomplete setups without cables or without PSU or only the motherboard on ebay by people who dont have a clue on what is that.
Answering myself 10 years ago...
Seems like a Digidesign 13 slot but on the inside MAGMA
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A more modern 6-slot chassis that as a + uses standar RJ45 cable. Seems made for them, again.
Probably CAT 5e, but I will research as it seems more probably needs a CAT 6 or 7
Seems like a Pentium III board with little RAM with a good onboard NET card as guest card. ICH5 is on the southbridge. Maybe industrial.
At that(2003-2004) later time Digidesign had Intel base for VENUE mixer and could force it manufacturer to made them something or maybe is a VENUE board repurposed...
The host is IntelPRO 1000 PT server adapter. I want MORE cards like this to have host on different machines...
IIO can you tell me what was the TC Electronic hack state? Now I have PCI slots... :)
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A more modern 6-slot chassis that as a + uses standar RJ45 cable. Seems made for them, again.
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The host is IntelPRO 1000 PT server adapter. I want MORE cards like this to have host on different machines...
Found a few more info on Expansion HD. Some good, some ugly...
You could buy a PCI or a PCIe card for the rack at the purchase time.
You can Hot-Swap the rack to different hosts.
It went market after OS9 transition and it is only docummented as compatible with +PT6 HD (Jaguar) and no way to know if it is OS9 compatible.
There are plenty of similar Intel Host cards on eBay or Wallapop from 15 bucks on PCIe, but cant find the PCI version.
PCI version was G4 compatible for Mac OS X. It is a well documented expansion rack to use ProTools HD-Core PCI cards on PCIe computers, but seems only compatible from protools HD6 to HD7. IIRC PT 8 wasnt compatible with those expansions racks or is an unsuported system. PT 8 HD needs iLok and the pirated one 8.0.4 has no support for chassis, left in the dust since 8.0.1(?)