Ardent Tool of Capitalism

Orchid RamQuest II MC

@FEFE.ADF IBM 2 MB 16-bit Memory Adapter
CFEFE.ADF Initialization file (required!)

RamQuest_II_Disk.zip RamQuest II Option Diskette (zipped image)
RamQuest_II_Files.zip ZIP of the option diskette's contents.

This adapter seems to do nothing more than emulate the IBM 16-bit 2 megabyte extended memory adapter. However, I've not yet tried using it with the option disk provided below.

Have you got any documentation or other information about this adapter? Tell us!

Based on content by William R. Walsh (original HERE).

RamQuest II MC (RamQuest IIz - variant for Model 50Z?)

The Ux component IDs are completely made up.

U1 L1A3479 (same as the RamQuest 16/32 - does this mean the RamQuest II could do more with an Orchid ADF?)

The RAM chips on mine are all Fujitsu MB81256-12. (Yes, this is both the ZIPs in row A and the DIPs in rows B and C...) Memory in bank A is soldered in place.

Why is it possible to disable bank A? My guess is that you could bypass failed memory this way.

Option Diskette Contents

--------.--
--------.---
CACHE.COM
INSTALL.EXE
MM.SYS
PTLS.COM
PTLS.HLP
PTLSSET.COM
RD.SYS
RQIIZ_10

All files are dated 24 Jun 1988 with a time stamp of midnight, except for RQIIZ_10 with its date being 25 Sep 1988 at 9:54 AM.

Miscellaneous

"Calculated Genius" ad, InfoWorld (29 Nov 1988)
"RamQuest 50/60" ad, InfoWorld (25 May 1987)
Pricing for the RamQuest IIz from a reseller advertisement, InfoWorld (26 Feb 1990)
Announcement of the RamQuest IIz's planned release, InfoWorld (07 Nov 1988)
   Mention is also made of Intel's PCEO and their competing Above Board memory expansion product for PS/2 computers with the Micro Channel bus.

Orchid Technology Today

Orchid was bought out by Micronics. (Micronics made at least one planar/motherboard for IBM to use in a PC Server.) Micronics was bought out by Diamond Multimedia. Diamond did not return my request for information on this adapter. Of course, Diamond has been through a number of different organizations and companies as well. It's likely that anyone working there now has no memory of these older products. Whatever records existed about these products have probably been tossed as well.

Globe, Incorporated of New Jersey made the savage purple tabs. They are P/N A1012 and A1006. I thought that Globe had gone out of business (or maybe just didn't have a web site?) but I was wrong!