Does anyone know if there is any simple way to connect an original imac G3 (OS 9.2) to a powerpc5500 (OS 8.5)? The modem ports have different connectors (sorry I don't know the terminology - the older one is like a ps2, round with pinholes and the newer imac is like a phone cable socket) and the ethernet card on the 5500 isn't working. I need to transfer small files across for printing and it isn't really worth burning a cd.

Deb

I suspect the old port is a geoport and you'll need to find a geoport adapter. Fortunately that port can be adapted to be either modem or ethernet iirc.

DebB: you really need to get the ethernet working in your 5500 -- the iMac's modem socket is an outlet for connecting to the telephone network only, and does not have an old standard serial port such as you'd find on your 5500, so that leaves ethernet as your only real common connection between the two.

You can either try to track down a Keyspan USB-to-serial adaptor (the only one that allows AppleTalk to be routed via USB) from somewhere, or buy a Realtek-based 100-base-T PCI ethernet card and add that as a second functional port to your 5500. Realtek ethernet drivers are still available for OS8 and OS9 on the internet (or I can mail you a copy). Once the 5500 has working ethernet once more, you can either plug them both into an ethernet hub or switch, or join the two together directly with a crossover cat5 cable.

Realtek 8192 based PCI cards can be found for under $20 at most yumcha computer shops. If you can't find one of those, a similar situation exists for one type of D-Link PCI ethernet card (DT-503, from memory) that Dick Smiths sells, again the OS8/9 drivers are available online.


Brains

What brains said - the 5500 should work very well with a realtek ethernet card - even a 10baseT one, given the speed of the 5500s drive, would do you very well.

Do you know what's wrong with the 5500s ethernet port? It would be on either a Comm Slot II card (on the right when viewed from the back of the machine) or a PCI ethernet card (running horizontally near the middle of all the rear connectors). Not knowing your machine at all, I'm open to the possibility it just may need some configuring to get going.

Dana

Have you thought of checking ebay for a local talk to ethernet adapter. A number of companies used to supply these. I have seen several of these sell for less than $50 over the last couple of years.

Another option would be to put a usb card in the 5500 and then use either a memory stick or external hard drive to transfer the files.

What do you use the 5500 for ? The reason I ask is that from memory they only have one PCI slot.If all you are doing is transferring files from the 5500 to the iMac then as in Samwalks post a USB card then USB stick to transfer files would be a relatively cheap way to go. I have a Directors Edition model ( basically jazzed up black 5500 ) and I have put in a faster graphics card so I have no more available slots. Use the comms slot to put an ethernet card in so your PCI slot is left free and then you can put a USB or faster graphics card in. I tend to think like Dana that your existing ethernet port is OK but just needs to be configured to get the two to talk to each other. I have a pdf of the take apart guide for that model if you would like it. They are pretty easy to take apart and work on.
Stewie

If you do go the USB drive route, make sure that the USB card you get is what they call "OHCI Compliant". If it is, then you can use it with the standard Apple drivers, which are included with Mac OS 9.

Also, ensure that the USB drive is formatted in FAT16, Apple HFS, or HFS+ format, as Mac OS 9 and below (which is all the 5500 can run, they are unable to do OS X) cannot use FAT32 volumes, which a lot of USB drives would come preformatted as. Also, if you're transferring files such as Macintosh applications, ClarisWorks documents and other files that use a Macintosh resource fork, your only choice will be HFS or HFS+, as non-Mac volumes destroy Macintosh resource forks.

Thanks everyone. I like the idea of putting in a USB card as that would let me get an optical mouse on there too. Stewie, could you please send me the take apart guide pdf? The last mac I took apart and did anything to was a performa, to change the battery, so I would need good instructions.

How easy is a PCI USB card to come by? I am in sydney, and close to the north rocks computer market.

Deb

DebB: No need for the pull-apart, gaining access to the insides for checking and installing cards is a no-brainer.

- Spin the machine around so you're looking at the back.
- Remove the three screws holding the back-panel, then unclip it and remove it.
- Remove the two screws (top corners) that hold in the motherboard tray.
- Fold down the little metal handle, and tug firmly to slide the motherboard out. All cards and slots will now be accessible, and straight-forward to work on.

Whilst you should be able to find a Mac-friendly OHCI compliant card almost anywhere, trying giving Micro Seconds (Ultimo) a call, or look up "MacSense" and ring them, as they still distribute USB cards (and PCI ethernet cards) suitable for OS8/9/X machines.

Before pulling it apart, though, please check what Dana said so you can find out which type of ethernet card you have, because the reason for it not working may be that you do not have the right software installed. Your card may also be an Apple-branded one, and instead of having a normal RJ-45 ethernet connector you may have a little "AAUI" plug that requires an AAUI-to-10baseT pod.

If the card you have is at the extreme edge of the back-panel and appears to be vertical (the AAUI is oriented up and down, or if it is an RJ45 plug, the clip is on the left or right) then you have a Communications Slot II card -- please check your Extensions folder to see if you have the file "Apple Ethernet CS II", because without this, the card is not seen by the OS. If you need it, PM me and i can mail you a copy.

If the ethernet card is above the normal ports and is horizontal, it is using the single PCI slot available. You will need to extract the motherboard tray as per above and eyeball the card itself to see who made it (or at the very least, who made the main ethernet chip) and then find the right drivers for it. MacOS 7/8/9 did not directly support any ethernet hardware apart from their own and requires drivers to be added before they can be used.


B.

If you make the effort going to a second-hand Mac store for parts, go for the CSII ethernet card, which will leave you said spare USB slot for a USB 1.1 card.

Oh yeah, and make sure it is USB 1.1 - new "OHCI compliant" cards would be USB 2.0, and I'm not sure if they're backwards compatible under OS 9.

When you say the existing 5500 ethernet card isn't working - are all the right extensions installed for it, including Open Transport?

Another cool upgrade for a 5500 machine is the TV tuner, which makes it into quite a decent gloried TV. Quality isn't as good as you'd think on a decent CRT, but it's good enough.

JB

Is the TV tuner a PCI card too? Would it be possible to have it as well as a USB card, or even *gasp* put a USB tv tuner stick on the 5500? We are about to buy one of those for our windows machine - are they mac/usb 1 friendly? I haven't had a chance to look at the ethernet card yet. Hope to get to that tomorrow.
Deb

The TV tuner for the 5500 is a special card just for that series of machine, and fits into its own special hole in the back of the case. If you have one of the special TV tuner kits, and a Comms. Slot II ethernet card, you still have your single PCI slot free.

USB tuner-sticks are USB 2.0 compliant, you won't be able to sue one of those on the 5500.

B.

Which 5500 do you have ? I have the pdf for the 5500/225 and the DE 5500/250 (very similar except with the TV card and Avid card for video playback/capture ). Shoot me a PM or email if you are still interested. You can also find out exactly which model you have by going to
http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/index.html
Note some of the 5500's appear in the Macintosh Performa file while others appear in the Power Macintosh file.
Edit:
PS. A good site for info/links/pdf's for this machine and other close models is
www.zone6400.com
Stewie

If you are interested there is a CS11 card going on ebay at the moment but with 13 hrs to go ....
Lookie here -
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Apple-Etherne...QQcmdZViewItem
Stewie

If you already have the ability to burn CDs from the 'donor' machine, and the ability to read CDs on the recipient machine, this is far-and-away your quickest and least-cost solution, which will spare you any expense at all.

Your 5500's 'ethernet' port is more-than-probably an RJ-12 telephone modem port on a CSII card. RJ-45 ethernet ports are wider across the contact edge. If, however, your 5500's solitary PCI slot is occupied by a NIC card set up for twisted-pair use through an RJ-45, the difference will be readily apparent. In any event, a crossover cat. 5E cable will be necessary to connect iMac and 5500, not a standard patch cable, the use of which may even be the cause of your present 'not working' difficulty. Connect the Macs before booting either of them, to circumvent any problems of recognition of the 5500's card. If the 5500's power LED lights after the Macs start up, 'ethernet is on, dear'. It will be wise of you to check your configurations, on both Macs, of AppleTalk, TCP/IP, File Sharing and Users and Groups, both to get them right and to gauge whether either machine has ever been used in File Sharing or in a LAN before now.

If the 5500 is not equipped with ethernet at all at the moment, you can have an (Apple) CSII NIC for nothing more than the effort of sending me a PM.

de