Re: Hardware Issues with a NeXT Station N1100

On Mon, Jun 02, 2003 at 02:45:14AM -0400, der Mouse wrote:
> > I have only the Monitor and the Case (witout cables and Hard Disk)
> > and other friend have an Apple LC II (contemporany of the NeXT) and i
> > have seen that in some pages who sell NeXT hardware they said that
> > sell keyboards/mouse with ADB (Apple Desktop Bus or something like
> > that) that work with NeXT's, anyone have used a keyboard from an
> > apple in the NeXT ??
> 
> Yes, I believe ADB is Apple Desktop Bus.
> 
> ADB keyboards and mice work with _some_ NeXTs.  (I don't know whether
> they are supported by NetBSD - I know NetBSD supports adb on the mac68k
> port, but I don't know about next68k.)
> 
> But some NeXTs don't do ADB, and those require idiosyncratic keyboards
> and mice.

I think that if a NeXT can support ADB is in the hardware, or i am wrong ??

> 
> If your NeXT needs the 19-pin box<->monitor cable, you may have trouble
> finding a cable - I have never seen anything but NeXT hardware use that
> connector.  I think I have some spares; if you need one and can't find
> any locally, send me a note off-list.

Well, i think a better and cheaper solution: use DB25 Conectors and broke
the pins that the NeXT dont use to fit well in the connector behind
the monitor and the case =). I tested it and it seems to fit well (only
fits, i haven't done the cable =P).

> 
> > If the keyboard of the apple dont work i will try to use it without
> > monitor and use it with a serial console cable to install NetBSD, the
> > NeXT BIOS automaticaly opens a consle on the serial ??? or what i
> > have to do ?.
> 
> Well, calling it a BIOS is misleading: it implies peecee thought
> patterns that match up rather poorly with the reality of the NeXT (and
> indeed most other non-peecee machines).
> 

Yea .. calling it BIOS is wrong, what could be the correct name for it ? ;)

> In my experience, yes, if you power up the machine without a
> monitor/keyboard attached, it will use serial port A at 9600 baud as
> the console.  However, this experience is limited to the non-ADB NeXTs;
> I don't know about the ADB version.
> 

And what NeXT's are non-ADB ??

> > Sorry for the Bad English
> 
> Don't worry about it - you made a few mistakes, it's true, but your
> meaning was clear.
> 
> Your English is certainly far better than my Spanish!
> 

Hehehehheheh =)

> > and Thanks a lot.
> 
> No problem.  It's always good to see someone else getting use out of
> old machines.  (NetBSD is good at that.)
> 

Yea, i am a fan of old machines, i have 1 Apple IIE (thats old ¡¡),
1 8086 and i am negociating an AMIGA =).