Macintosh expansion guide

208 Pages·1985·11.659 MB·English

by  Scellato, Donald J., Phillips, Gary

2601
M A C I N T O S HTM
E X P A N S I O N
G U I D E ·
GARY PIDLLIPS AND DONALD J. SCELLATO
",
MACINTOSH™
EXPANSION
GUIDE
MACINTOSH™
EXPANSION
GUIDE
GARY PHILLIPS AND DONALD J. SCELLATO
/
Notices
IBM and IBM PC are registered trademarks of International Business Machines, Inc.
SuperCalc is a registered trademark of Computer Associates International, Inc.
Microsoft and Multiplan are registered trademarks and MacEnhancer and M8-DOS are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
Apple is a registered trademark of, AppleT alk and lmageWriter are trademarks of, and Macintosh is a trademark licensed
to Apple Computer, Inc.
Hayes is a registered trademark and Smartmodem 300, Smartmodem 1200, and Smartmodem 2400 are trademarks of
Hayes Microcomputer Products, Inc.
The Source is a service mark of Source Telecomputing Corp., a subsidiary of The Reader's Digest Association, Inc.
Epson is a registered trademark of Epson Corporation.
Dow Jones News/Retrieval is a registered service mark of Dow Jones & Co., Inc.
CompuServe is a registered trademark of CompuServe Information Services, an H & A Block Company.
POPCOM is a trademark of Prentice Corporation.
WordStar is a registered trademark of MicroPro.
FileVision is a trademark of Telos Software Products.
Diablo is a registered trademark of XEROX CORPORATION.
MacVision and Koala Technologies are trademarks of Koala Technologies Corp.
Macbottom is a trademark of Personal Computer Peripherals Corp.
ELAN and Mac Drive are trademarks of Tecmar.
OmniDrive and OmniTalk are trademarks of Corvus Inc.
Bernoulli Box Is a trademark of IOMEGA Corporation.
Video 7 is a trademark of Video 7, Inc.
HyperDrive is a registered trademark of General Computer Co.
ThunderScan is a trademark of Thunderware, Inc.
The Keeper is a trademark of Micro-Design.
Mac Private Eye is a trademark of 1/0 Video Inc.
FIRST EDITION
FIRST PRINTING
Copyright© 1985 by TAB BOOKS Inc.
Printed in the United States of America
Reproduction or publication of the content in any manner, without express
permission of the publisher, is prohibited. No liability is assumed with respect to
the use of the information herein.
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Phillips, Gary.
Macintosh expansion guide.
Includes index.
1. Microcomputers-Equipment and supplies.
2. Macintosh (Computer) I. Scellato, Donald J.
II. Title.
TK7887.5.P492 1985 004.165 85-22310
ISBN 0..8306-0401-4
ISBN ()..8306-0301-8 (pbk.)
Front cover photograph courtesy of Apple Computer, Inc.
Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction X
1 Price, Performance, and Quality 1
Computer Systems and Their Components 1
General Description of the Macintosh 2
Interfaces and Expansion Hardware 2
Reviews 3
Different Systems for Different Purposes 3
2 The Macintosh Computer 5
The Macintosh 5
Peripherals 7
3 Macintosh Hardware Shopper's Guide 9
Smart Shopping at Retail Stores 9
Smart Maii-Qrder Shopping 11
Smart Shopping at Computer Fairs 11
Smart Shopping for Used Equipment 12
Background Information 13
4 Methods of Evaluation and the Selection Process 15
Background Information on a Type of Device 15
The Reviews: Methods of Evaluation 16
A to D Rating System and List of Features 16
Selection of Products for Review 16
The Five Criteria Used In Evaluating Products 17
Structure of the Reviews 17
Groups of Related Products Reviewed Together 18
Worksheet for Additional Reviews 18
Comparative Table of Ratings and Features 18
The Hardware Selection Process 18
5 Dot-Matrix Printers 21
Characters 22
Ribbons 22
Paper 22
Buffer 23
Interfaces 23
Function and Use 23
Setting Up a Word Processor 24
Dot-Matrix Printers 25
Delta 10 and Delta 15 27
FX-80+ and FX-100+ 27
Gemini 10X and 15X 29
lmageWriter 31
LQ-1500 33
RX-80+, RX-BOFT, and RX-100+ 35
TTXpress 36
Worksheet for Dot-Matrix Printers 38
6 Fully-Formed-Character Printers 41
Daisy-Wheel Printers 41
Other Types of Fully-Formed-Character Printers 42
Apple Daisy Wheel Printer 43
CR-11 44
CR-Ill 45
Diablo 630 ECS 47
DX-15 48
EXP-500 49
F-10 Printmaster 51
LaserWriter 52
Worksheet for Fully-Formed-Character Printers 55
7 Interface Devices 57
AYN Interface 59
HanZon Universal Serial Interface Card 59
MacEnhancer 60
MBIS Mlcrobuffer 61
Printer Optimizer 62
Universal Data Buffer 62
Worksheet for Interface Devices 64
8 Modems 67
Transmission Speed 68
Connecting the Modem 68
One-Way or Two-Way Transmission 68
Features 68
Information Services 70
Apple Modem 71
Hayes Smartmodem 300 71
Hayes Smartmodem 1200 72
Hayes Smartmodem 2400 73
Password 74
POPCOM X100 75
PreModern 1200 76
Smart-Cat Plus 76
n
Volksmodem
Worksheet for Modems 78
9 Monitors 81
How the Monitor Works 82
Monitor Interfaces 82
Buying Tips and Tricks 83
Big Mac Monitor 83
MacMonitor 85
Mentauris Composite Video Adapter 86
Worksheet for Monitors 87
10 VIdeo Digitizers 89
Features 90
Mac Private Eye 91
MacVIsion 92
Magic 94
Micro-Imager 95
Micron Eye 96
ThunderScan 97
Worksheet for Video Digitizers 98
11 Disk Drives 101
Disk Drive Operation 101
Disks in General 102
Reviews 102
Macintosh External Disk Drive 102
Haba Disk 103
Worksheet for Disk Drives 104
12 Hard Disk Drives and Local Area Networks 107
Hard Disk Drives 107
Hard Disks-Backup for Hard Disks-Manufacturers versus Packages
Local Area Networks 109
What to Look for in a Local Area Network-Cost Comparisons for LANS
Reviews of Hard Disks 112
The Bernoulli Box 112
Hyperdrive 112
The Keeper 114
Macbottom 114
MacDrlve 115
OmnlDrive 116
Paradise Mac 10 117
QC10 119
Reviews of Local Area Networks 119
AppleTalk 119
The Keeper 120
Worksheet for Hard Disk Drives 122
Worksheet for Local Area Networks 122
13 Memory Expansion 125
Macintosh Memory Upgrades 126
Beyond the 512K Macintosh 127
Apple Memory Upgrade 127
Centa 512K Upgrade 128
Mass Tech 512K Upgrade 128
Micro Conversions 512K Upgrade 129
Worksheet for Memory Upgrades 130
14 Pointing Devices 133
Joysticks 133
Light Pens 133
Mouse Devices 135
Graphics Tablets 136
Apple Mouse 136
A+ Mouse 137
KAT 137
Maclntizer 138
Mac Turbo Touch 139
MacTablet 139
Mouse Stick 140
View Control System 140
Worksheet for Pointing Devices 141
15 Specialized Peripherals 143
Plotters 143
Power Aids 143
Security 145
Datasaver 145
DataShield Backup Power 146
DataShield Model 100 148
DMP-29 Plotter 147
DMP-40 Plotter 148
Lemon/Lime/Peach/Orange 149
The MAX SS/2 149
Micro-UPS, Model 3056 150
Minicomputer Regulators 150
Mini UPS 151
Power Line Monitor 152
Powermaker Micro UPS 153
SC14 Signal Conditioner 153
Spikemaster 154
SPS (Standby Power Source) 154
Worksheet for Specialized Peripherals 156
Appendix A User's Groups 161
Appendix B Bulletin Boards 167
Appendix C Magazines 183
Appendix D Suppliers 185
Glossary 193
Index 207
Acknowledgments
We thank Apple Computer, Inc. for producing the Macintosh, a truly wonderful and
versatile tool for anyone who wishes to use a personal computer at home or at work
to expand working power or enjoyment. We also wish to thank the many manufac
turers who supplied us with information about their products and even supplied loans
of their products to help us with the production of this book.
Gary Phillips wishes to acknowledge the patience and efforts of Jacqueline Smith
in assisting with this project. He also salutes their daughter Alexandra who brought
them much joy while this project was underway.
Donald J. Scellato wishes to thank his wife Pauline for her patience and
forbearance while he was working diligently on this book rather than spending time
with her or writing poetry instead of technical information. She would much prefer
that he spend time on the former instead of the latter.
Both authors would like to thank Michael J. Fischer for his assistance in ensur
ing that this book was technically correct.
lx
Introduction
This book is the tool needed by every owner of an Apple Macintosh who wants to
buy expansion hardware. We have chosen the best from hundreds of competitive
products and reviewed them in an orderly and consistent format to make effective
comparison shopping possible. The current version of the Macintosh is described
in Chapter 2. One chapter is devoted to each major type of device, providing in
depth background knowledge. Evaluative reviews of the best available products and
comparative tables of vital statistics and features are included in each chapter to
assist you in selecting expansion hardware for the Macintosh. Two appendices pro
vide further useful reference information, including addresses of user groups and
Apple magazines.
One of the problems facing the owner of the Macintosh is that the Macintosh
is a relatively new product that is intended to set a new standard in personal and
business computing. The Macintosh may not always conform to standards set by
previously released computers. Thus, much of the hardware that was released for
other computers may not operate with the Macintosh unless specially prepared soft
ware is used or unless the hardware is adapted to the Macintosh in some fashion.
In some cases, the hardware may be completely incompatible with the Macintosh.
If you own another computer and purchase a Macintosh or upgrade your current
system to a Macintosh, you may or may not be able to use the hardware expansion
products you purchased for your other system. In this book we have been careful
to note where the differences between machines make a difference in your deci
sion. We have even noted where the difference in machines makes a device useful
for one machine and useless for another.
X