Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for upgrading GS accelerators
Nathan Mates
Posted monthly...
Mini-FAQ for upgrading TransWarp GS or Zip GS
Will Baguhn has made a page with a slightly simpler and cleaner
version of this FAQ. It's available here. Now that I'm the maintainer
of this FAQ, there may be some merging of things.
_________________________________________________________________
Disclaimer
Copyright (c) 1993-96, by Frank M. Lin, Nathan Mates
All rights reserved.
Feel free to distribute original copies of this to anywhere you think
it might be of help. However, I'd like to keep a master version of
this document available at
http://www.visi.com/~nathan/a2/faq/zip.html, so I'd much appreciate it
if you made links to this page than duplicating it.
I make no guarantee about any of the information provided below. If
you choose to do any part of the upgrade, you are taking the risk. I
will not responsible for anything.
Please do not modify this FAQ. Let me know (send email to
nat...@visi.com) if any information is incorrect and/or misleading.
_________________________________________________________________
Table of Contents
1. Where can I buy the 32 KB cache for Transwarp GS?
2. Does it really run at 14 MHz?
3. Where can I buy the high-speed 65816?
4. What GALs version do I need for my TWGS?
5. Where can I buy the GALs?
6. Where can I buy crystal oscillators?
7. What speed of static cache RAMs do I need?
8. Where can I buy the SRAMs?
9. Do I really need to increase the voltage?
10. How do I increase the voltage?
11. Where can I buy the heavy duty power supply?
12. Is it true that Zip can only go about 12.5 Mhz?
13. Where can I get replacement 7400 for my Zip?
14. What kind of performance increase can one expect?
15. Is it reliable?
_________________________________________________________________
Where can I buy the 32 KB cache for Transwarp GS?
LRO Computer Sales (800) ASK-4LRO
It costs about $80.
It requires you to cut two little traces at the back of TWGS. Cut it
_lightly_, it's fairly easy to cut too deep. So just take it easy.
Note: Not too sure if LRO exists; I know they are around, under a
different name. Do they deal with Apple II stuff anymore?
Currently, there are no known place that carries this upgrade. If you
have the old TWGS (with 8 KB cache, and/or older GALs), you should
look for a new or used Zip GS.
_________________________________________________________________
Does it really run at 14 MHz?
WDC now has true 14 MHz parts, they will run 14 MHz at the stock 5 V.
It is possible because of the 0.8 micron chip fabrication process.
(formerly 1.0 micron I believe)
If you run it with 5+ volts, higher speeds should be possible.
Note: Apparently, WDC does not warrent these new 14 MHz chips even
though they are production parts. This sucks because the chip I have
does not work correctly even at 12.5 MHz.
Toshi Morita's new chip doesn't work at all! I'm not that much better
neither since the chip isn't worth anything if it isn't stable. Heck,
my older engineering sample crashes less.
Couple of others have reported good success with the new parts though,
so I'm just noting that you may get a bad chip!
Others have suggested that it isn't actually a bad chip. It's just a
chip with lower environment tolerance compare to other chips. So you
may have to do additional modifications to the TWGS/Zip board to make
it really stable.
_________________________________________________________________
Where can I buy the high-speed 65816?
Western Design Center has a WWW Home Page at http://www.wdesignc.com
if you want to contact them directly, or you can email them at
infor...@wdesignc.com directly. As of 8/15/96, one other email
address for single chip orders is l...@wdesignc.com
If you prefer snailmail:
The Western Design Center, Inc.
2166 East Brown Road
Mesa, Arizona 85213
(602) 962-4545 voice
(602) 835-6442 fax
_________________________________________________________________
What GALs version do I need for my TWGS?
Basically, you have to have the following GALs to go over 10 MHz:
1A, 2B, 3E, 4B, 5A, 6A, 7A, 8B
All TWGS should have the A GALs. So you need:
2B - DMA fix
3E - for above 10 MHz operation
4B - dunno
8B - dunno
Note: Some people are running 12+ MHz with older GALs than the ones
listed above.
_________________________________________________________________
Where can I buy the GALs?
AE is gone, completely (no more Macintosh products neither). You can
not get GALs from AE anymore. If you get lucky, you might find used
TWGS with the correct GAL revisions.
If you can not find a TWGS with the latest GALs, you are probably
better off buying a Zip GS.
_________________________________________________________________
Where can I buy crystal oscillators?
Digi-Key Corporation
(800) 344-4539 voice
(218) 681-3380 fax
For TWGS and Zip GS, the crystal oscillators runs at 4 times the speed
of the 65816.
For example, you need a 40 MHz oscillator to run a TWGS/Zip GS at 10
MHz.
From March/April 1995 Digi-Key catalog: price dropped by about 30
cents for the Epson's, no price change for CTS'.
Epson America, Inc.: 1/2 TTL for TWGS
Part No. Frequency Price ($) TWGS speed
SE1101-ND 32 MHz 3.30 8 MHz
SE1102-ND 33.3333 3.30 8.3333
SE1103-ND 36 3.30 9
SE1104-ND 40 3.30 10
SE1105-ND 42 3.30 10.5
SE1106-ND 46 3.30 11.5
SE1107-ND 48 3.30 12
SE1108-ND 50 3.30 12.5
SE1109-ND 55 3.30 13.75
SE1110-ND 60 3.45 15
I have the CTS oscillators, 64, 66.6, and 80. So they will work fine
with TWGS.
CTS Clock Oscillators: 1/2 TTL for TWGS
Part No. Frequency Price ($) TWGS speed
CTX174 32 MHz 3.25 8 MHz
CTX175 40 3.25 10
CTX177 64 4.45 16
CTX178 66.6666 4.45 16.6667
CTX179 80 10.01 20
Orders under $25 costs $5 to ship, over $25 is free..
My understanding is that, if you over clock a CPU. It just won't
function. You can't damage it. As the disclaimer said, do it at your
own risk.I have tried to run my TWGS at 20 MHz, system won't boot at
all. No damage.
for Zip you need: (by Long)
The Zip can use three types of crystals including the common 4-pin
full TTL crystal oscillator, 4-pin 1/2 TTL crystal oscillator (also
used on TWGS) and 2-pin crystal (little metal canister about 1/4 the
size of 1/2 TTL). To be able to use a 2-pin crystal, your Zip must
have a resistor at R1 and capacitors at C13 and C14. I've found these
three parts to be missing from current Zips. No big loss since 2-pin
crystals are less common and are only available up to a certain
frequency. I have the values of those parts written down somewhere and
will post them when I find them.
For experimenting with different frequencies it makes it easier if you
install a socket for the crystal oscillator. It's also a good idea to
secure it down with one of those zip tie bands. Only 6 of the 14 pins
are used (picture A). The ground (GND) pins 1, 4 and 7 are connected
together. The power pins 11 and 14 are connected together. Full TTL
crystal oscillators use pins 1, 7, 8 and 14 (refer to picture B). 1/2
TTL crystal oscillators use the bottom four pine (4, 7, 8 and 14;
picture C). Make sure it's oriented correctly with the corner (usually
with a dot printed next to it) at about 11 o'clock.
*WARNING* The crystal oscillator will be damaged if installed incorrectly.
_______
GND 1 o \/ o 14 POWER 1 |o \ 14
NC x x NC | |
NC x x NC | FULL | ______
GND 4 o o 11 POWER | TTL | 4 |o \ 14
NC x x NC | | | 1/2 |
NC x x NC | | | TTL |
GND 7 o o 8 CLOCK 7 \______/ 8 7 \_____/ 8
(A) (B) (C)
x - no connection (NC)
_________________________________________________________________
What speed of static cache RAMs do I need?
I have read 35ns is enough for 12.5 MHz. I'm not sure about the
requirement of 13.75 MHz or 15 MHz. 15ns costs only slightly more than
20ns, so I recommand getting 15ns.
For TWGS with the 32 KB cache:
3 - 32 KB x 8 SRAM .3 mils (also called half size) try to get
low-power models if possible.
for TWGS with older 8k cache:
upgrade to 32 KB cache first. big speed improvements!
for Zip you need: (by Long)
<me, Frank: Zips uses wide SRAM (.6 mil) standard. You can use wide
SRAMs if you can find them (they're harder to come by). Below, Long
has a good illustration of how to make it accept wide or skinny (.3
mil) SRAMs>
I've found Japanese and American static rams to work the best (20 ns
in tag and 25 ns in data). The Zip can use narrow (.3 mil) or wide (.6
mil) static rams. It all depends on the sockets that are installed on
your Zip. With a little modification you can make a Zip with wide
sockets accept both wide and skinny SRAMs. Ground yourself then
carefully pry out the static rams. Look at the socket and you will
notice two or three horizontal bars holding both sides of the socket
together (picture D). Carefully cut those out. This will expose a
column of holes where you will solder in half of a socket. Refer to
picture E, position skinny (.3 mil) static rams over the left and
center columns and wide static rams over outer most columns and making
sure the notch on the static ram is facing 12 o'clock.
*WARNING* Plug the static rams in wrong and you will destroy them.
CUT
___ ___________ Skinny (.3 mil)
| | | |
____ ____ _ _ _
|o __V__ o| |o| |o| |o|
|o| o |o| |o| |o| |o|
|o| o |o| |o| |o| |o|
|o| o |o| |o| |o| |o|
|o| o |o| |o| |o| |o|
|o| o |o| |o| |o| |o|
|o|__o__|o| |o| |o| |o|
|o _____ o| |o| |o| |o|
|o| o |o| |o| |o| |o|
|o| o |o| |o| |o| |o|
|o| o |o| |o| |o| |o|
|o| o |o| |o| |o| |o|
|o|__o__|o| |o| |o| |o|
|o _____ o| |o| |o| |o|
|_______|___ Wide (.6 mil)
(D) (E)
Toshi's (t...@netcom.com) notes: I've pulled out all four of my SRAM
sockets and installed carefully cut machine-pin SIPP sockets in mine
and seems to work pretty well.
Frank: Toshi's had to de-solder all the sockets and, so it isn't
easier than Long's way. Toshi's came out looking cleaner and neater
though.
_________________________________________________________________
Where can I buy the SRAMs?
02-23-95: I haven't picked up MicroTimes in a while... but I think
SRAM/DRAM prices haven't changed much.
From June 27, 1994 MicroTimes, note IMD appears to have the best
price, but other are listed if you wish to call...
International Micro Devices (IMD)
1630 Oakland Road A108
San Jose, CA 95131
(408) 452-7700 voice
(408) 452-7771 fax
Monday-Friday 9 AM to 5:30 PM, Saturday 10 AM - 2 PM (Pacific time)
32 KB x 8 SRAM @ 25ns $4.00 each
32 KB x 8 SRAM @ 20ns $5.00 each
32 KB x 8 SRAM @ 15ns $5.50 each
---
AMT International
2393 Qume Drive
San Jose, CA 95131
(408) 383-9044 voice
(408) 383-9047 fax
(408) 944 9801 fax
Monday-Friday 9 AM to 5 PM (Pafific time)
32 KB x 8 SRAM @ 20ns $5.95 each
32 KB x 8 SRAM @ 15ns $6.95 each
---
C. B. Memory & Computers
1319 Jacklin Road
Milpitas, CA 95035
(408) 946-5174 voice
(408) 946-5175 voice
(408) 946-5376 fax
Hours unkown, probably same as AMT International.
Note: SRAM prices went up recently (and isn't stable), so call for the
latest prices...
_________________________________________________________________
Do I really need to increase the voltage?
With the new 14 MHz parts, you should not need to mess with the
voltage at all. Unless you want to try 15 MHz, 16 Mhz, or even 20 MHz.
_________________________________________________________________
10. How do I increase the voltage (with the heavy duty power supply)?
WARNING: generally, it's not recommended to do this. You might decrease the
life of your GS. Adjusting the pot expose you to HIGH-VOLTAGES which can be
FATAL!!! If you feel at all in-competent, it is recommended you stick to 5v,
or let a qualified electrician do it ($$$).
Another reason is, performance increase from ~12 MHz to 13.75 or 15 MHz isn't
as impressive as from 7 to 9/10 MHz, probably because the GS's 1 MHz bus
limit. So it might not worth the risk/time/effort to try beyond 5v. You're
also at a much higher risk of damanging your TWGS/Zip/GS.
Note: I've drove my GS to as high as 6 volts. Nothing blow up, except
the computer just sorta reset it self. I don't recommend you to try
this. :-) It's just a side note.
The easiest way would be to purchase AE's heavy duty power supply.
Memory Plus Distributor (MPD sells the exact same supply (except
without the AE sticker & price) for slightly cheaper. LRO also carries
the MPD power supply.
The power connector on the mother board:
_______
| _ _|
| |_| |_ pin 1: ground
| |
| _ _|
| |_| |_ pin 2: ground
| |
| _ _|
| |_| |_ pin 3: no connection; not used
| |
| _ _|
| |_| |_ pin 4: +5 volt supply
| |
| _ _|
| |_| |_ pin 5: +12 volt supply
| |
| _ _|
| |_| |_ pin 6: -12 volt supply
| |
| _ _|
| |_| |_ pin 7: -5 volt supply
|_______|
Attach the volt meter's gound to either gound pin, then the positive
to the +5v supply. That should give a reading of 5v.
To turn up the voltage, simply open the HD (heavy duty) power supply.
There is a pot (which you can turn with a screw) to adjust the
voltage.
|| - power cord
-------------
| |
| | || - 7 pin connector on your motherboard
| | ||
| |
| |
| |
| |
|oooooooooo = - wires to your motherboard
|oooooooooo |
|oooooooooo |
|oooooooooo | - pot is located about 3" from the bottom &
|oooooooooo | about 1" from the right
|oooooooooo |
|oooooooooo | turn clock wise to increase the voltage
------------- counter clock wise to decrease the voltage
turn it SLOWLY! supplying over 5.5v is not
recommended.
If you have a skinny, long screw driver, you can adjust the pot with
out opening the power supply. However, I think it's actually easier if
you open it. Just don't touch anything but the pot.
_________________________________________________________________
Where can I buy the heavy duty power supply?
Memory Plus Distributors, Inc.
7902 East Pierce Street
Scottsdale, Arizona 85257
(602) 820-8819 voice
(602) 968-3211 fax
Monday through Friday 9 am to 4 pm (MST)
7 amp GS power supply - $75
GS internal cooling fan - $19.95
Internal cooling fan is highly recommended for a TWGS, or if you have
a few cards in your GS.
Note: If anybody has called MPD lately, perhaps you can check these
prices are still relevent. These prices were from last issue(s) of
inCider/A+.
_________________________________________________________________
Is it true that Zip can only go about 12.5 MHz?
The Zip need to have the 74F00 replaced with 74HC00. You might also
need faster SRAM and additional voltage.
_________________________________________________________________
Where can I get replacement 7400 for my Zip?
Digi-Key Corporation (800) 344-4539 voice (218) 681-3380 fax ---
National Semiconductor - 74HC00 Series CMOS (last updated 07-08-94)
Digi-Key part number description chip package price MM74HC00N-ND quad
2-In NAND Gate 14-dip .28
_________________________________________________________________
What kind of performance increase can one expect?
This is just to give you a rough estimate of how much faster you might
go...
BenchMark v5.0 results:
cpu stock twgs twgs twgs zip zip zip
version ROM 01 1.8s 1.8s 1.8s 1.0.2 1.0.2 1.0.2
cache/spd 32k/15 32k/15 32k/15 64k/?? 64k/?? 64k/??
clock spd 2.8 15 13.75 12.5 16 15 14
======= ====== ====== ====== ====== ====== ======
Sieve 410.00 99.00 108.00 117.00 98.00 99.00 110.00
String 1151.20 270.00 292.00 303.67 259.00 262.00 282.00
Float 1 472.00 92.33 87.00 111.33 123.00 128.00 135.00
Float 2 1535.00 317.00 394.00 381.67 395.00 415.00 432.00
Fibinacci 2006.00 605.00 634.00 645.33 507.00 523.00 548.00
Integer 1553.40 307.00 330.00 346.67 420.00 431.00 443.00
Dhrystone 236 1136 1063 1000 NA NA NA
* 1351 1183 1282 NA NA
* Dhrystone v1.1 re-compiled under ORCA/C v2.0.1
If you look at the numbers, a 12 MHz or faster TWGS/Zip will make
everything just about 4x faster than a stock //gs.
System Software 5.0 QuickDraw II improvement test:
stock //gs: 5648 ticks
TWGS 15 MHz: 1332 ticks (over 4x faster than stock)
_________________________________________________________________
Is it reliable?
I will need to collect more data for this. Over all, most people have
been successful and they are running they TWGS/Zip at 12+ MHz with no
problems. I vaguely remember one or two people have problems with the
upgrade.
_________________________________________________________________
Last updated: 08-15-96 Western Design Center sent me their new
email address and Home Page Location.
Updated.
02-23-95 It's been almost 6 months since the last
release. A new Digi-Key catalog came today,
plus I was cleaning my file system; both led
me to get what ever else needed to update done.
Not much news lately, and I think this FAQ will
remain like this for a while...
12-27-94 - I've been lagging greatly on the update. Today
I quickly looked though the FAQ and quickly updated
what ever was missing... This is a quick release.
11-16-94 - Added some comments about new WDC 14 MHz parts.
(not released)
=============================================================
08-22-94 - Major update, availability of true 14 MHz parts!!
- New feature for table of content, hope you like
it!
08-02-94 - Updated reliability. (~~15)
07-26-94 - Toshi Morita (t...@netcom.com) added some comments
Zip GS. (~~7 ~~8)
07-08-94 - Updated/checked prices on osciallators and SRAM,
and some minor changes which hopefully made it
easier to read.
06-24-94 - AE is dead now, so GALs are probably not available
anymore. Parts like 32 KB cache should still be
obtainable from resellers.
03-14-94 - Replaced all mHz with MHz.
01-22-94 - Included which 74HC00 to get for the zip. (~~13)
12-22-93 - Minor appearence update, and some new test results.
12-11-93 - Finally cleaned it up!
12-09-93 - Update the crystal oscillators, SRAM, & RAM prices.
??-??-93 - First version...
_________________________________________________________________
This is the 53rd access this week, and the 2235th access since March 12th,
1995.
Back to the Apple II Frequently Asked Questions page
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nat...@visi.com
--
<*> Nathan Mates http://www.visi.com/~nathan/ <*>
# What are the facts? Again and again and again-- what are the _facts_?
# Shun wishful thinking, avoid opinion, care not what the neighbors
# think-- what are the facts, and to how many decimal places? -R.A. Heinlein