Apple PC Compatibility Card
| PC Compatibility Card | |
|---|---|
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|
| Apple's drawing of the 12-inch card (developer note, 1996) | |
| Manufacturer | Apple Computer |
| Type | x86 PC compatibility card |
| Interface | PCI |
| Compatible | Power Macintosh 7200, Power Macintosh 7500, Power Macintosh 7600, Power Macintosh 8500, Power Macintosh 9500, Power Macintosh 7300, Power Macintosh 4400, Power Macintosh 5400, Power Macintosh 6400 |
The PC Compatibility Card is Apple's PCI card that adds an x86 PC to a Power Macintosh, so the machine can run DOS, Windows 3.1 and Windows 95 alongside the Mac OS. Apple made it in two sizes: the 12-inch card, which needs a full-length PCI slot, and the 7-inch card for the smaller cases.[1] Apple's developer note lists how it differs from Apple's earlier cards of this kind, such as the Apple DOS Compatibility Card: it talks to the Macintosh over PCI instead of the Apple RISC bus, has memory of its own instead of a share of the Macintosh's, and adds faster processors, better video and an external level 2 cache.[1] The PC shares the Macintosh's floppy drive, hard disks, serial ports, printer, keyboard and mouse, and is controlled from the PC Setup control panel.[1][2]
Versions
[edit | edit source]| Card | Processor | Memory | Cache | Chip set |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12-inch | Pentium-class, 100 MHz, 64-bit data bus | 8 MB on board, plus one 168-pin DIMM to 72 MB in all | 256 KB | Opti 82C556, 82C557, 82C558[1] |
| 7-inch | 5x86-class, 100 MHz, 32-bit data bus | 8 MB on a 168-pin DIMM, replaceable up to 64 MB | 128 KB | SiS 85C496, 85C497[1] |
| 12-inch in the Power Macintosh 7200/120 PC Compatible | "100 MHz Pentium or 586" | – | – | –[3] |
| 12-inch in the Power Macintosh 7220/200 PC Compatible | Cyrix P166 6x86 | – | – | –[4] |
Apple's developer note says the two 1996 cards do the same job and differ in processor and chip set only because the Pentium and its chip set would not fit on the short card.[1] A separate user's manual covers the card in the Power Macintosh 4400 and 7300, and an installation guide covers the 7-inch card in the 5400 series (Performa 5400, Performa 5420 and Power Macintosh 5400).[5][6]
Hardware
[edit | edit source]Both 1996 cards carry an ATI 264CT VGA controller with its own video memory, a Creative Technology Vibra 16S audio chip and a Yamaha OPL3 FM synthesiser for Sound Blaster Pro compatible 16-bit stereo sound, and an 8242 keyboard and mouse controller. A custom chip that Apple calls the Mustard ASIC emulates the PC serial and parallel ports so the PC can use the Macintosh ports and printers.[1] The 12-inch card measures 12.283 × 4.2 inches and the 7-inch card 6.875 × 4.2 inches.[1]
The connectors on the bracket are:[1]
- A DB-26 for a second monitor dedicated to the PC side.
- A DB-15 game port for a PC joystick or MIDI device. Apple warns not to connect a monitor or other video device to it: it carries no video.
- Audio input and output connectors, linked to the Macintosh logic board's sound and the CD-ROM audio.
In the smaller cases, which are what the 7-inch card was designed for, video and audio pass to the computer through the GIMO connector and the Berlin adapter card instead.[1] A 50-pin XD connector gives limited unbuffered access to the ISA bus, so that a separate expansion card can provide a parallel port for a software protection key; conventional ISA expansion is not possible.[1]
Apple warns that only one card should be fitted to a Macintosh, even one with several PCI slots, and that the cards must not be plugged into a PC.[1]
Installation
[edit | edit source]The 12-inch user's manual has separate chapters for the Power Macintosh 7200, 7500 and 7600, and for the 8500 and 9500. In the 7200, 7500 and 7600 the steps include disconnecting the CD audio cable from the CD-ROM drive, fitting the internal PC audio/video assembly, installing the card and reconnecting the CD audio cables to the card and the logic board.[2] In the 5400 series the 7-inch card is first pressed into a PCI card adapter, which then goes into the PCI slot on the logic board.[6] The software needs System 7.5 Update 2.0, the PC Compatibility Card software, a drive container or PC-formatted disk for drive C, and then DOS or Windows.[2]
Troubleshooting
[edit | edit source]From chapter 7 of Apple's user's manual:[2]
| Symptom | What Apple suggests |
|---|---|
| The Macintosh hangs at startup | Restart holding Shift to turn extensions off, then restart again. |
| The PC Setup icon has a red slash at startup | Extensions were off, or a RAM disk or RAM cache is using too much memory. Restart normally, or reduce the RAM disk or cache. |
| PC Setup does not load at startup | Remove the PC Setup Prefs file from the Preferences folder, restart and set PC Setup up again; if that fails, reinstall the PC software. |
| The PC does not start | In PC Setup, select On and click Start PC; if On was not selected, select it and restart the Macintosh first. If Start PC, Switch PC and Shut Down PC stay unavailable, the card may be faulty. If the RAM area says "No RAM", the card's memory has a problem. |
| DOS starts and then freezes with a blinking cursor | Restart the PC with Command-Control-Alt-2 and bypass CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT (Shift for DOS or Windows, F5 for Windows 95), then correct the faulty line, such as an EMM386 entry. |
| "Non-system disk or disk error" | Eject any non-bootable floppy with Command-E, and check that drive C is mapped to a container or disk that holds DOS or Windows. |
| Blank or garbled screen when switching to the PC | Check the Display area of PC Setup: "Not Supported" means the monitor may not suit the card, "Unknown" means it is not recognised, "No Display" means it is not connected as the manual describes. |
| Delay when switching between environments | Expected with the internal audio/video assembly fitted, after a PC restart, or during a large Clipboard transfer. Turn off the Shut Down Warning in General Controls. |
The manual warns that damage caused by attempting to repair the PC compatibility hardware is not covered by Apple's limited warranty.[2]
Related pages
[edit | edit source]- Apple DOS Compatibility Card
- Macintosh LC 630 DOS Compatible
- Power Macintosh 7200
- Power Macintosh 4400
- Power Macintosh 5400
References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 Apple Computer, 12" and 7" PC Compatibility Cards developer note, Developer Press, 17 April 1996: chapter 1 Introduction, pp. 1-8 (PDF pp. 15-22); Figure 2-1, p. 11 (PDF p. 25); Table 2-4, monitors supported, p. 23; GIMO support and the Berlin adapter card, pp. 28-29; XD connector, p. 52. Hosted as File:12-inch and 7-inch PC Compatibility Cards Developer Note (1996).pdf.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Apple Computer, PC Compatibility Card User's Manual, for 12-inch card, 1996, 030-8468-A: chapter 1, installing the card in a Power Macintosh 7200, 7500 or 7600, pp. 1-30; chapter 2, the 8500 or 9500, pp. 31-54; chapter 3, connecting monitors and other equipment, pp. 55-66; chapter 5, "About the PC Setup control panel", p. 87; chapter 7, troubleshooting in the PC environment, pp. 119-131. Hosted as File:PC Compatibility Card User's Manual for 12-inch card (1996).pdf.
- ↑ Apple, "Power Macintosh 7200/120 PC Compatible: Technical Specifications" (retrieved 2026-10-04): second processor "100 MHz Pentium or 586"; "Systems ship with a PC Compatibility card installed, which occupies one PCI slot"; PC game port on the card; introduced 22 April 1996.
- ↑ Apple, "Power Macintosh 7220/200 PC Compatible: Technical Specifications" (retrieved 2026-10-04): second processor Cyrix P166 6x86; one 7-inch and one 12-inch PCI slot, the 12-inch slot occupied by the PC Compatibility Card; introduced 4 April 1997.
- ↑ Apple Computer, PC Compatibility Card user's manual for the Power Macintosh 4400 and 7300. Internet Archive item manuallib-id-2625505 (retrieved 2026-10-04).
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Apple Computer, Installing the PC Compatibility Card in a 5400 Series Macintosh Computer, 030-5071-A. Internet Archive item manuallib-id-2625563 (retrieved 2026-10-04): installation through a PCI card adapter.