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Apple Token Ring 4/16 NB Card

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Apple Token Ring 4/16 NB Card
Token Ring 4/16 NB Card, board 820-0418-A
Manufacturer Apple Computer
Type NuBus token ring network card
Interface NuBus (full-length card); DE-9 network connector
Compatible Macintosh computers with a full-size NuBus slot
Connectivity IEEE 802.5 token ring at 4 or 16 Mbit/s
Part number 661-1617 (service exchange)

The Apple Token Ring 4/16 NB Card is Apple's NuBus card for connecting a Macintosh to an IEEE 802.5 token ring network at 4 or 16 Mbit/s. Apple shipped its TokenTalk software, which carries AppleTalk over the ring, with the card.[1] Apple's 1990 network guide lists the 4 Mbit/s TokenTalk NB Card; AppleFacts lists the 4/16 NB Card from 1993 and adds the shorter Token Ring NB/c Card in October 1994.[2][3]

Apple's token ring cards

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Apple NuBus token ring cards
Card Ring speed Card length Service part
TokenTalk NB Card 4 Mbit/s[2] Full length 661-0460[4]
Token Ring 4/16 NB Card 4 or 16 Mbit/s[1] Full length[5] 661-1617[4]
Token Ring NB/c Card 4 or 16 Mbit/s[3] 7 inch[4] 661-0136[4]

The 4/16 NB Card needs a full-size NuBus slot.[5] At 7 inches, the NB/c card is short enough for machines that take only 7-inch NuBus cards, such as those fitted with an Apple NuBus Adapter Card.[4]

TokenTalk NB Card

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The TokenTalk NB Card is Apple's 4 Mbit/s token ring card for the Macintosh II family. It is an intelligent NuBus card with its own 68000 processor, memory and multitasking operating system, and runs the networking protocols on the card with little use of the Macintosh's own processor. It uses Texas Instruments' TMS380 chip set, follows IEEE 802.5 for media access and IEEE 802.2 for logical link control, and runs the ring at 4 Mbit/s. Apple's 1990 network guide gives its approximate cost as $1,250.[2]

The package held the card, the TokenTalk Installer disk, a User Confidence Test disk, two SMB File Transfer Utility disks and the manuals. Apple's MacAPPC and MacDFT 3270 software ran on the same card but were sold separately.[6] The card is designed for standard type 1 token ring cabling, which allows up to 260 nodes on a single ring.[6] Its network connector is a male DE-9:[7]

TokenTalk NB Card DE-9 connector[7]
Pin Signal Pin Signal
1 Receive data 6 Receive data
2 No connection 7 No connection
3 No connection 8 No connection
4 No connection 9 Transmit data
5 Transmit data

Token Ring 4/16 NB hardware

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The board photographed on bitsavers.org is printed "Apple Token Ring 4/16 NB Card, © 1991 Apple Computer, 820-0418-A, ASSY 670-4418", and its chips carry 1993 date codes.[8] Read from the photographs, the main parts are:

  • U13: Motorola MC68000FN10 processor.
  • U11: Apple ROM 341-0873 (© 1989-91), on an AMD Am27C1024 EPROM.
  • U3-U6: four NEC 424256-80 DRAMs, soldered; U7-U10 are four empty sockets beside them.
  • U22, U23: two Sony CXK59288J-25 static RAMs.
  • U1, U2: Texas Instruments SN74BCT2425PQ and SN74ACT2441PQ on the NuBus side.
  • A daughterboard carrying IBM ROM 92F5754 (© IBM Corp 1990, 1993) and a shielded IBM module marked 63F7704.
  • A 32.00 MHz crystal oscillator, the DE-9 connector J2 on the bracket and two indicator LEDs, DS1 and DS2.[8]

Installation and testing

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Apple's TokenTalk NB guide gives this procedure for a Macintosh II:[6]

  1. Switch off the computer, remove the lid and touch the power supply case to discharge static.
  2. Remove the hole cover behind the chosen slot.
  3. Hold the card by the top of its metal bracket and the top of its far end, without touching the edge contacts.
  4. Line the card up so the guide passes through the lower slot in its shield and the pin shows through the hole at the top, then press down over the connector until it seats. Do not force or rock the card.
  5. Refit the lid and the security screw.
  6. Restart from the User Confidence Test disk, open the Confidence Test, select the card and click Start. The test takes several minutes and checks only the card: not the connector, cable or ring. A card that fails is marked with an X.
  7. Connect the lobe cable and tighten its screws until they are snug, without overtightening.

Faults and service

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  • A Macintosh II that hangs for about 30 seconds when it first reaches the network, usually at startup, with TokenTalk selected is normally the first station on the ring; it carries on once the ring is up.[6]
  • The confidence test checks only the board. It does not test the connector, the cable or the ring, so a pass does not clear those.[6]
  • Apple exchanged the cards as whole modules. Its return note for the 4/16 card asks for the RAM chips to be removed before the card is sent back.[4]
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References

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  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Apple Computer, AppleFacts 2.93 (February 1993), Networking and Connectivity, "Token Ring networks": "Apple Token Ring 4/16 NB Card. This card connects Macintosh computers with NuBus slots to Token Ring networks operating at either 4 or 16 megabits per second. TokenTalk software is included." vintageapple.org (retrieved 2026-10-04).
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Apple Computer, Apple Multivendor Network Solutions Guide (M6198C, 1990), IBM Hosts chapter, "Apple TokenTalk NB Card", pp. 182-183. bitsavers.org (retrieved 2026-10-04). 68000 processor, own memory and multitasking operating system; TI TMS380 chip set; IEEE 802.5 MAC and 802.2 LLC; 4 Mbit/s; TokenTalk, SMB File Transfer Utility, MacAPPC and MacDFT; approximate cost $1250.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Apple Computer, AppleFacts 10.94 (October 1994), Networking and Connectivity, "Token Ring networks", p. 141: the Token Ring 4/16 NB Card and the "highly integrated, compact" Token Ring NB/c Card, both for IEEE 802.5 at 4 or 16 Mbit/s. vintageapple.org (retrieved 2026-10-04).
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Apple Computer, Module Identification, PN 072-8124, June 1994, Interface Cards: TokenTalk NB Card 661-0460, p. 4.2.4 (PDF p. 244); Token Ring 4/16 NB Card 661-1617, p. 4.2.5 (PDF p. 245), with the note "Remove the RAM chips before you return the Token Ring 4/16 NB Card to Apple"; Apple Token Ring NB/c Card, 7", 661-0136, p. 4.2.10 (PDF p. 250). Hosted as File:Apple Module Identification (PN 072-8124, June 1994).pdf; see Apple Module Identification Manual (1994).
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Apple Computer, AppleFacts 4.95 (April 1995), "Token Ring networks": the 4/16 NB Card "connects any Macintosh computer with a full-size NuBus slot"; the NB/c Card is a compact card. vintageapple.org (retrieved 2026-10-04).
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Apple Computer, Apple TokenTalk NB User's Guide (1989, pre-release copy marked "Apple Confidential"), chapter 1, pp. 3-8 (PDF pp. 17-22): software that runs on the card, system requirements and package contents; chapter 2, pp. 15-21 (PDF pp. 29-35): installing, User Confidence Test, type 1 cabling and 260 nodes per ring; chapter 5, p. 47 (PDF p. 61): "Macintosh II hangs". Hosted as File:Apple TokenTalk NB User's Guide (draft, 1989).pdf; see Apple TokenTalk NB User's Guide (1989).
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Apple Computer, Peripheral Interface Guide (Apple Service Technical Procedures, rev. January 1991), Interface Cards, "TokenTalk NB Interface Card", p. 20 (PDF p. 24). Hosted as File:Apple_Service_Technical_Procedures_Peripheral_Interface_Guide_Jan_1991.pdf.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 bitsavers.org, 820-0418-A_Token_Ring_4-16_NB: photographs of both sides of the board (820-0418A_t.jpg, 820-0418A_b.jpg) and ROM images 341-0873.bin and 92F5754.bin (retrieved 2026-10-04). Part markings read from the photographs.


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