Daystar Universal PowerCache & SE/30...

[Jeff Walther]

>Date: Sun, 22 Jun 2008 01:19:33 -0700
>From: Josh Dersch <derschjo at msu.edu>
>Subject: Daystar Universal PowerCache & SE/30...
>To: cctalk at classiccmp.org
>Message-ID: <485E0B15.1080706 at msu.edu>
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
>
>Scored a nice find for 50 cents today, a 50Mhz 68030 Daystar "Universal
>PowerCache" accelerator card.  From my research on the web this should
>be SE/30 compatible, but requires some manner of a PDS adapter which is
>essentially impossible to find.
>
>The card won't physically fit in the SE/30 due to the metal chassis
>getting in the way -- anyone know if this is the only reason the adapter
>is needed, or are there electrical differences as well?  As my SE/30 is
>kind of a mongrel anyway I wouldn't mind hacking up the chassis a bit to
>allow the card to fit, but if the adapter is actually necessary I won't
>bother...

The Daystar SE/30 adapter has a Programmable Logic Device on board 
which massages the connections.    The PowerCache will not work 
plugged in directly.    However, the connector will physically fit, 
so there's some good opportunity there for electrical drama if you 
manage to plug it in without the adapter.

The PowerCache only works in the IIci, IIvx and IIvi (and 
corresponding Performa models) without an adapter.    The same is 
true for the 68040 based Turbo040.

There is a large amount of discussion on this topic at 68kmla.net. 
Also at applefritter.com, but less active.    And searching in Google 
on Gamba and SE/30 will turn up a very useful page of information.

There is a fellow in Japan who apparently reverse engineered the PLD 
and designed and built (or caused to be designed and built) his own 
adapter design.   However, he charges $200 for his adapter.   Given 
the costs and risks involved (he probably has ~$10,000 sunk in the 
project) it is a reasonable price to charge, but most folks do not 
think it is a reasonable price to pay.    I think Artmix and 
Twinspark would be good search terms to turn that up.

Jeff Walther