EtherTalk NB and EtherLink NB: Revision Numbers



I understand that AppleTalk Phase 2 and the Macintosh IIci require Rev. J
or Rev. K of the EtherTalk NB Card, while the Macintosh IIfx requires the
EtherTalk NB Card Rev. L (Rev. L is not merely an upgrade to a Rev. J or Rev.
K). If this is the case, why are brand new 3Com EtherLink NB Cards (with
1990 labels on their diskettes) Rev. B?

3Com uses a different assembly numbering scheme for the Ethernet cards that
they sell under their own label, as the 3Com EtherLink NB Card, than it
does for the Ethernet cards Apple buys from 3Com and sells under its own
(Apple) label as the Apple EtherTalk NB Card. The chart below shows how
the 3Com EtherLink NB Cards relate to the Apple EtherTalk NB Cards:

Apple EtherTalk NB Card 3Com EtherLink NB Card
Assembly Number Assembly Number
------------------------------------------------------------
2680-06 Rev. J 4042-02 Rev. 09
2680-07 Rev. K 4042-03 Rev. 0A
2680-08 Rev. L 4042-04 Rev. 0A
2680-08 Rev. M 4042-04 Rev. 0B

Note: The Rev. M EtherTalk NB Card has no functional modifications or
differences from the Rev. L EtherTalk NB Card. The revision from "L" to
"M" was made because of a process change in manufacturing and not because
of any enhancements to the card. Here is a compatibility list of Macintosh
systems and Apple EtherTalk NB Cards:

Macintosh II or IIx Macintosh IIcx Macintosh IIfx, IIsi, IIci
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Rev J, K, L or M Rev K, L or M Rev L or M


Published Date: Feb 18, 2012