>I wanted to ask: was the PM 7200 the first Power Mac to accept an Ethernet >connection with built-in hardware? That is, via a standard Ethernet port >(RJ-45) built into the machine itself rather than via the AAUI port that >Apple had first implemented with the Quadra 700? Did both the 75 MHz and 90 >MHz versions of the 7200 have the RJ-45?
The 7500, IIRC, was first. The 7200 was a costed-down PPC Mac, which happened to use the "7500 case", but had a soldered CPU and no A-V capability. >As I understand it, all Macs that preceeded this one required a 10Base-T >transceiver (or at least an add-on card of some kind) to use Ethernet. >Please set me straight if I'm wrong on this. All which preceded the 7500 had an AAUI connection, and this was to allow for either a 10-Base-T connection (now ubiquitous) or a 10-Base-2 connection (then ubiquitous, now abandoned). >Was AAUI designed to be a market-capturing Apple proprietary standard? Or >just "a way" to allow end users to network their machines that Apple cranked >out without much thought? The backs of Apples have always had a space problem. The AAUI connector (Apple AUI) was designed because it was self locking and small, while the then standard AUI connector was a DB-15 (the same connector as the the Apple-standard video connector) but with the addition of a space-consuming latching mechanism. The AUI consumed more width for the DB-15, and still more width for the required sliding latch. The AAUI (A-AUI) consumed less width than the DB-15, and required NO additional space for the in-line latching mechanism. >Also, can anyone tell me why Apple included a 10Base-T port *and* an AAUI >port on some machines? Were some users still using the Thin Net (10Base-2) >that the AAUI port/optional transceiver would also work with? Or was there >another, more important reason they included both an RJ-45 and an AAUI port? Transition. It was by then plain that 10-Base-T (RJ-45) was THE standard, but there were still lots of 10-Base-2 users, which the A-AUI connector provided for. >Why was the AAUI port abandoned? Was it simply because Thin Net had fallen >by the wayside and without that, there was little reason for Apple to keep >pushing a proprietary port that needed additional hardware when a plain ol' >RJ-45 port would do? 10-Base-2 was by then archaic. Inclusion of the the capability to attach 10-Base-2 was deemed to take up too much room on the backs of the machines which likely would never be included in 10-Base-2 networks. >Finally, is anyone still surfing the 'Net with a 7200? I'm curious if >you're using a DSL connection plugged into the RJ-45 port. Also, whether or >not you're still using a stock machine with no upgrades (admittedly >unlikely) or what upgrades you do have in the machine. All my 7200s have since been converted to 8500s, complete with the full A-V connector of the 8500 (the 7500/7600 offered only partial A-V). The "7500 case", which the 7200 adopted, will actually accommodate the full A-V connector without major change to the case, but some 7200 cases must be drilled for the A-V connector while some had a removable cover over the (missing) A-V connector. The 7300 case had no A-V, in the same way as the 7200 had no A-V, and the 7300 case can be upgraded to an 8600, in the same way as a 7200 can be upgraded to an 8500. (The 7200/8500 have 10-pin and 22-pin power connectors; the 7300/8600 have 10-pin and 24-pin power connectors). -- PCI-PowerMacs is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Refurbished Drives | -- Sonnet & PowerLogix Upgrades - start at $169 | & CDRWs on Sale! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> PCI-PowerMacs list info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/pci-powermacs.shtml> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:[email protected]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive:<http://www.mail-archive.com/pci-powermacs%40mail.maclaunch.com/> iPod Accessories for Less at 1-800-iPOD.COM Fast Delivery, Low Price, Good Deal www.1800ipod.com
