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From: dltaylor@cns.SanDiego.NCR.COM (Dan Taylor)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.hardware
Subject: Re: A silly question...
Keywords: IBM-PC, Bridgeboard, silly
Message-ID: <897@cns.SanDiego.NCR.COM>
Date: 22 Apr 91 19:51:11 GMT
References: <3216@oucsace.cs.OHIOU.EDU>
Organization: NCR Corp. SE-San Diego
Lines: 33

In <3216@oucsace.cs.OHIOU.EDU> cdavis@oucsace.cs.OHIOU.EDU (Charles Davis) writes:

>Would this work?  A system like this could be put together as follows:

>	286 motherboard, 16MHz		$125
>	1 MB RAM			$100
>	monochrome w/printer port	$ 20
>	serial/game I/O ports		$ 25
>	hard/floppy cntroller		$ 70
>	3.5" drive			$ 65
>	40MB hard drive (slow)		$250
>	--------------------------	----
>		total			$655

It's not really silly, BUT, those clone on a card things aren't that
cheap.  I've not seen a new one for under $1000.  Remember, the CPU card
has to fit in an AT(ISA) expasion form-factor, then drive the bus.
Several companies make industrial CPUs and card cages to do just that.
However, they are relatively low volume, so more expensive.  An alternate
source might be trade-ins from some company that packages "upgradable"
CPUs on their clones, AST, maybe.

I looks like you plan to A-B switch the keyboard and monitor, since you
don't list them.  There are compatible monitors, just choose carefully.
The keyboards put out different scan-codes, so switching them isn't
likely to work.

I saw an announcement of lower prices for the BridgeBoards.  Maybe,
if you don't need a blazing (well, they could all go to blazes ;->) PC
an A2088 would do.

Dan Taylor
/* My opinions, not NCR's. */