Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!amdahl!pacbell!att!cbnewsc!psfales
From: psfales@cbnewsc.ATT.COM (Peter Fales)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: NEC equivalent of 8086????
Summary: Works with AT&T 6300/EMS
Message-ID: <1949@cbnewsc.ATT.COM>
Date: 24 Jul 89 13:39:20 GMT
References: <2962@uwovax.uwo.ca> <8710@attctc.Dallas.TX.US> <1691@neoucom.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories
Lines: 39

In article <1691@neoucom.UUCP>, wtm@neoucom.UUCP (Bill Mayhew) writes:
> 
> The V30 will work in the AT&T 6300 with the exception that the
> slight difference in timing makes it incompatible with AT&T's own
> 16 bit EMS board.  If you use a geneic LIMS memory board, you
> shouldn't have any problems.

Actually, the problem is in software, not in hardware, and AST (the
people who actually make the AT&T EMS card) released a new
driver some years ago.  I use the copy that came with Microsoft 
Windows - I assume it would be available from AT&T or AST as well.

I have been using the V30 in my 6300 for several years and the 
AT&T EMS card in the same machine for about a year - no problems
at all.

> The V30 is a much more potent upgrade than the V20.  The V30 knows
> about '186 instructions, which make it more potent if you are
> compiling your own programs.  

Both the V20 and V30 contain the same instruction set.  The V30
uses at 16 bit data bus (like the 8086) while the V20 uses an
8 bit bus.

> The V30 and V20 also contain virtual
> 8088 modes that can be used by a couple of public domain programs
> to boot CP/M on your DOS system.

This was actually the problem with the original driver (as I understand
it).  The driver executes some non-8086 instructions (80186/80286
instructions) and if they work, it assumes it is running on a 6300plus.
Apparently the initialization on the 6300plus is different than on
the 6300.

-- 
Peter Fales			AT&T, Room 5B-420
				2000 N. Naperville Rd.
UUCP:	...att!peter.fales	Naperville, IL 60566
Domain: peter.fales@att.com	work:	(312) 979-8031