Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!rutgers!mcnc!rti!sunpix!matthew
From: matthew@sunpix.UUCP ( Sun NCAA)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple
Subject: Re: //e with Ace dual interface
Message-ID: <289@greens.UUCP>
Date: 6 Dec 88 15:59:23 GMT
References: <8812051413.aa22927@SMOKE.BRL.MIL>
Organization: Sun Microsystems, Research Triangle Park, NC
Lines: 28



I'm not familiar with the Franklin Ace dual interface, but if its chips have
'6850' vice '6551' markings, your problem is trying to use the card as a Super
Serial Card (SSC). It isn't. Heres a little bit of history:

	Before Apple came out with the Super Serial Card, it had produced two
other serial cards. 

	The first was kind of a hack. Since Apple kind of had the the motto 
"If it can be done in software, don't do it in hardware", the first serial card 
was a few TTL chips strung together, All the serial timing was done
by the CPU.

	The second serial card was contained a '6850 ACIA (Asyncronous 
Communications Interface Adapter)'.  Part of the serial interface work was off
loaded to dedicated hardware, but the board design limited itself to speeds of
110 and 300bps.  Itwas also designed with only 256 bytes of onboard ROM. Not
much room for code.

	I'm willing to be your Franklin Ace dual interface is Communications
card compatible, and not Super Serial Card compatible. Try setting your 
software up to work with a Communications card. It should work then.

-- 
Matthew Lee Stier     (919) 469-8300|
Sun Microsystems ---  RTP, NC  27560|          "Wisconsin   Escapee"
uucp: {sun, rti}!sunpix!matthew     |