The Macintosh IIfx, with it's new high speed serial ports, has some
problems with the "Black Beauty" StarController¬ hub (PN207). If you set
the serial ports on the Macintosh IIfx to "Compatible Mode" everything
works fine. But in "High Speed Mode," network performance actually drops
if you are going through a StarController.
The problem involves the StarController timing PAL (a socketed programmable
analog logic chip) and the way AppleTalk is implemented on the Macintosh
IIfx. By replacing the PAL with a GAL (gate array logic chip), you can
restore StarController and Macintosh IIfx communication.
The StarController Series 300 hub, which replaces Black Beauty, works fine
with the Macintosh IIfx in "High Speed Mode." If you have a Black Beauty
StarController and want the PALs replaced by GALs, you can get an upgrade
kit, available to the general public (U.S. ONLY).
The address and phone number for Farallon is in a separate article in the
Tech Info Library.