Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!sun-barr!oliveb!amiga!cbmvax!higgin From: higgin@cbmvax.UUCP (Paul Higginbottom) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga Subject: Re: Amiga in the real world - a real application Message-ID: <7108@cbmvax.UUCP> Date: 21 Jun 89 13:03:44 GMT References: <24218@srcsip.UUCP> Reply-To: higgin@cbmvax.UUCP (Paul Higginbottom) Organization: Commodore Technology, West Chester, PA Lines: 82 [Seems like ages since I posted anything... it's good to be back] In article <24218@srcsip.UUCP> carpent@coltrane.SRC.Honeywell.COM (Todd Carpenter) writes: [His employer is interested in `letting' him use an Amiga for a project...] $What we *need*: $1) Minimum of 5 RS232 ports. So, where is the ASDG multi serial card? Is it $out? How much? Does it work? Any others out there? Yes this is available - call ASDG. $2) What about 488 cards? Are they available? Same company! I've used their Twin-X for connecting to the Sharp Scanner with their software, and it worked flawlessly. It's a bit of engineering overkill for an IEEE488 (that sounds good coming from a software guy :-), but hey, it works great! $3) Small hard drive (40-80MB). I can probably handle this, unless someone has $some favorites. Or flames. I'm not getting in on this one, except maybe an A2500 to start with might settle things. $4) Monitors. See (3) I am using a multi-sync type monitor with a flicker fixer in a demo machine I have here. It looks very good, although that adds some considerable cost. $Now, I have never really paid attention to the I*M half of the machine. Do we $*really* have compatibility? In same demo machine, I have an AT Bridgeboard. I've configured the machine to use 10Mb of the 40Mb hard disk for PC stuff and the PC boots off the Amiga hard drive. I can use the Amiga mouse and parallel ports for PC programs. I can easily move files back and forth between Amiga and PC formats. I've installed Microsoft Windows and Excel, DPaint (for grins), and Flight Simulator 3.0. People are amazed at the fact the PC can be running FS and yet I can still be using Amiga DPaint at the same time! Not much of a real world use I grant you, but impressive. Actually, I often show Excel under MSDOS and Professional Page or something like that on the Amiga side. $If I get the AT Bridgecard, could I plug in (and $have function properly) most/many/some/few/none PC accessaries? Is the PC bus $pin/plug compatible? Yes, and yes. We've tested many many cards. My next trick is to put in a VGA adaptor on the PC side and connect its output along with the flickerFixer's to a 9 pin switching box, the output of which will go to the multi-sync monitor! $If we don't get the AT card, do we still have access to the PC bus? Not really, although products like the Magni Genlock use a PC slot (in addition to the video slot) since all they need from the PC side is power and not a bus. $This may have to go "out in the field." Has anyone had good/bad experience $moving their beast outdoors? How shock proof is it? (If it is as good as your $typical PC, it is certainly good enough) Well, my demo units have been through hell and back. They've been through worse than a marine basic training course :-). $Todd P. Carpenter Honeywell Systems and Research Center $voice: (612)782-7229 paper: 3660 Technology Drive, Minneapolis, MN 55418 $UUCP: carpent@srcsip.uucp bang-style: {umn-cs,ems,bthpyd}!srcsip!carpent $Internet: carpent@src.honeywell.com or carpent@altura.honeywell.com $No, my employer has no opinions about this, one way or another. I represent $myself. My employer endorses only what it endorses, and this may or may not $fall under that catagory. Those who endorse or have opinions are probably not $aware of the existance of the net, anyway. Therefore, I speak for myself. And $even then, I'd rather not endorse things, since I probably don't know enough to $form an opinion. $ (sorry about the long disclaimer, but this is getting close to business) Disclaimer: While specific products are mentioned in this article, it does not represent any endorsement of them, nor implies that those products are better than similar products. This article simply gives observations based upon experience with those products. My opinion does not necessarily reflect those of my employer. Regards, Paul.