can anyone identify this component

[sanjaya]

I got a card from ebay recently for apple II computer. Although seller
claimed it is a Ethernet card for networking, i have no information
about the card. So I am trying to go by the components to understand
the functionality of the card. But i am stuck with a custom made IC.
It would be great if someone can comment on it or have a datasheet.

Innovations in Computing
310-6206-001
8936

Image of the card is uploaded to www.geocities.com/pererasanjaya
IC is in the right-middle position of the card.
any comment is grately appreciated.
sanjaya

 

[Franc Zabkar]

I got a card from ebay recently for apple II computer. Although seller
claimed it is a Ethernet card for networking, i have no information
about the card. So I am trying to go by the components to understand
the functionality of the card. But i am stuck with a custom made IC.
It would be great if someone can comment on it or have a datasheet.

Innovations in Computing
310-6206-001
8936

The part number is "310-6206-001", and "8936" is the date code.


- Franc Zabkar

 

[Gerard Bok]

I got a card from ebay recently for apple II computer. Although seller
claimed it is a Ethernet card for networking, i have no information
about the card. So I am trying to go by the components to understand
the functionality of the card. But i am stuck with a custom made IC.
It would be great if someone can comment on it or have a datasheet.

What I mis from your picture is a connector
The only thing I can see is a RCA-type socket next to the big IC.
If this were an Ethernet card I would expect a 15-pin AIX
connector at least. And possibly a 10 Base 2 coax connector.

Does the label on the Eprom read something like SCNet ?
Isn't that a clue ?

 

[Franc Zabkar]

What I mis from your picture is a connector
The only thing I can see is a RCA-type socket next to the big IC.
If this were an Ethernet card I would expect a 15-pin AIX
connector at least. And possibly a 10 Base 2 coax connector.

Does the label on the Eprom read something like SCNet ?
Isn't that a clue ?

Despite the apparent lack of standardisation in the connector, IMO
this could still be an Ethernet card. The DP8390CN, DP83910, and
DP8392AN chips form an Ethernet chipset, and the Valor pulse
transformer and Reliability 2VP12U9 DC-DC converter are typical
Ethernet NIC parts. The unidentified 40-pin chip may be a mask ROMed
8-bit CPU, although this would not explain the additional external
EPROM.


- Franc Zabkar

 

[Gerard Bok]

Despite the apparent lack of standardisation in the connector, IMO
this could still be an Ethernet card.

Well, today we have 'ethernet' as in the IEEE802 standard.
Which, by the way, does include a connector description.

But prior to that, there was a variety of other 'standards'.
SCNet does ring a bell in that respect. As well as some
ethernet-like system that relied on a 2.45 MHz clock (because the
designers found a stable oscillator too expensive for their
design and used the clock from their Sun workstation instead

(O.K. Maybe it was not exactly 2.45 MHz; too lazy to reseach now.
But well below 10 Mbps, that's for sure.)

Given the timeframe (Apple ][ vs. februari 1980) I think some
ethernet predecessor might not be far off.

 

[Franc Zabkar]

Well, today we have 'ethernet' as in the IEEE802 standard.
Which, by the way, does include a connector description.

If an internal cable connected the card to a BNC connector on the
case, wouldn't that satisfy the standard?

But prior to that, there was a variety of other 'standards'.
SCNet does ring a bell in that respect. As well as some
ethernet-like system that relied on a 2.45 MHz clock (because the
designers found a stable oscillator too expensive for their
design and used the clock from their Sun workstation instead

(O.K. Maybe it was not exactly 2.45 MHz; too lazy to reseach now.
But well below 10 Mbps, that's for sure.)

Given the timeframe (Apple ][ vs. februari 1980) I think some
ethernet predecessor might not be far off.

The chips on the card are dated 1989. IIRC, I first encountered
[thick] Ethernet in 1984.


- Franc Zabkar

 

[Gerard Bok]

If an internal cable connected the card to a BNC connector on the
case, wouldn't that satisfy the standard?

Well, I recall some 1200-plus pages in that document
Do you mind if I don't want to look for it now ?
But my guess is: No !

The chips on the card are dated 1989. IIRC, I first encountered
[thick] Ethernet in 1984.

That's my point. The original thicknet required a 15-pin AUI
connector. It took years for Thinnet / Cheapernet to appear (with
only a BNC requirement). And even then, it was very unlikely for
someone to design a card that was _only_ thinnet capable. So
'newer' cards usually had both a 15-pin and a BNC connector.

Best way to find out (I guess) is to put the card in an Apple ][
and peek into the eprom's content.