Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!datran2!smb
From: smb@datran2.uunet (Steven M. Boker)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next
Subject: Re: Two headed cube?
Summary: Could be a third party opportunity here.
Message-ID: <472@datran2.uunet>
Date: 14 Nov 90 05:09:48 GMT
References: <1990Nov7.135636.27424@sctc.com> <56192@brunix.UUCP>
Distribution: comp
Organization: Data Transforms, Denver, CO
Lines: 40

In article <56192@brunix.UUCP>, rca@cs.brown.edu (Ronald C.F. Antony) writes:
> What you want is technically possible but should not be done. Although NeXTStep
> 2.0 supports two displays, the monochrome Megapixel display draws its current 
> from the cube. Thus two of these displays need too much power from the 
> internal power supply of the cube. What you therefore would also need is a
> external power supply for the second display or a monochrome Megapixel 
> display that is developed for this purpose.


I propose that it would be a _very_ easy task to interpose an adapter at
the cube end of the Megapixel monitor cable that terminated the power pins
coming from the cube and shunted in a power supply from a free standing 
box.  Trivial task for you bright young EE's out there.  And you can bet
you'd be able to sell those things like hotcakes.  If you didn't put the
NBIC chip in the additional board, you'd be able to hook it to the ethernet
and boot right off of the other board.  Think about this.  You are looking
for low cost per seat stations in a lab?  The update board is $900 and the
monitor is $700.  The power supply could be sold for a gouging $300 and
be worth the price.

Does NeXT limit the number of upgrades that you can order?  Isn't it in
their interest to "let a thousand flowers blossom?"

> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> "The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists
> in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the
> unreasonable man."  Bernhard Shaw | rca@cs.brown.edu or antony@browncog.bitnet
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yeah.  And we should call it the unreasonable adapter in honor of Ronald.


Steve.


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 #  Steve Boker                #    Algorist: Adept at calculations -OED    #
 #  datran2!smb@uunet.uu.net   #           En Chaos Veritas  -SMB           #
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