Re: Hardware Issues with a NeXT Station N1100

On Mon, Jun 02, 2003 at 01:33:22AM -0700, Brian Willoughby wrote:
> [  > 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 ??
> 
> You always need a driver for software to talk to hardware.  The NeXTSTEP OS  
> has drivers, of course, for NeXT hardware.  However, NetBSD needs its own  
> drivers, and there isn't always enough documentation on the NeXT hardware to  
> create all the needed drivers.
> 
> You're right about one thing, if the hardware does not support ADB, then you  
> won't get anything to work.  But if the hardware does support ADB, you still  
> may come up short if the NetBSD drivers don't understand.
> 

Ok =)

> [  > 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).
> 
> Cheaper, yet - but certainly not better.  These cables carry video signals,  
> and have dedicated, shielded wires inside for RGB.  If you use cheaper wires,  
> you'll get a really bad image, or none at all.  Are you talking about the mono  
> monitor or the color monitor?  Maybe it would be easier to hand-build a mono  
> cable.

Yea, is a Monocromatic Monitor.

I will try to do the cable with the best materials that i can find. If I separete
the video wires from the power wires could it help ?

> 
> 
> [  > > 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 ? ;)
> 
> OS = Operating System.  Just because you can't see the GUI doesn't mean the  
> full operating system isn't still all there.
> 
> BIOS = Basic Input Output System.  This is not an operating system at all, but  
> a ROM with subroutines for I/O to disk, screen, keyboard (but not always  
> mouse).
> 
> The NeXT does not really have a BIOS that is used.  There are ROM routines  
> which allow the keyboard to operate, and there are simple screen scrolling  
> functions, but these are not used unless you're changing the boot device or  
> hardware password.  For NeXT hardware, it's more like a basic open firmware.
> 

Ah ok =).

> 
> [  > 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 ??
> 
> The earlier NeXTs are non-ADB.  That includes 68030 NeXTcube, 68040 NeXTcube,  
> NeXTdimension, NeXTstation, and NeXTstation Color.  There were even some very  
> early Turbo NeXTcube and Turbo (Color) NeXTstations without ADB.  Eventually,  
> though, NeXT was only making Turbo machines with ADB.  I think that all 25 MHz  
> machines are non-ADB, and maybe 1% or 2% of Turbo machines are non-ADB.
> 

Mmmm .. thats bad ... my NeXT is a NeXT Station ... =( i think i can use the
ADB Keyboard ...