Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!wuarchive!emory!hubcap!ncrcae!ncr-sd!se-sd!cns!dltaylor
From: dltaylor@cns.SanDiego.NCR.COM (Dan Taylor)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.misc
Subject: Re: How PC compatable is a PC-XT Bridgeboard ?
Keywords: Bridgeboard
Message-ID: <944@cns.SanDiego.NCR.COM>
Date: 8 May 91 19:26:43 GMT
References: <1991May7.145054.2740@hemel.bull.co.uk>
Organization: NCR Corp. SE-San Diego
Lines: 40

In <1991May7.145054.2740@hemel.bull.co.uk> igreenaw@hemel.bull.co.uk (ian greenaway) writes:


>I would also be interested in knowing the specification of the Bridgeboard, if
>anyone out there has it, and also info about what s/w comes with it (if any).

Quick summary:  the A2088 is a 512k CGA/MDA XT clone.  I have yet to find
a program that runs on an XT of those specs, that won't run on my bb.  The
included software is MS-DOS, 3.3, or later, and GW-BASIC on the XT side,
and a library on the Amiga side.  The XT side has utilities for copying
files between the processors, each to it's own filesystem.  The bb can
access both the parallel port and the mouse, through Amiga server programs.
The standard configuration does not allow either processor to directly
access a floppy attached to the other, just pass files back and forth.

An XT-compatible hard drive controller is plug-and-play.  Virtual filesystems
can be supported by either processor, for the other (or both at once).  I
use a completely formatted autoboot XT disk, which is a file on one of my
Amiga hard drives, as drive "C", and a second virtual XT drive, "F", as a
file in RAM:.  The latter is wonderful for compiler temp files.  I do
not have an XT hard drive, so I cannot comment on how well the bb supports
Amiga filesystems, but the hd virtual drive I use seems faster than ST-506
XT drives.

I bought my A2088 to support a Xeltec EPROM/PAL/Micro programmer, which
uses an XT-bus interface card.  Works beautifully.  I have been cross-
compiling PDC, using my inexpensive PC "C" compiler.  I have found that
keeping the source on the Amiga side, so I can use multiple windows to
edit, search, etc., and a batch files that copy from the Amiga, then
compile, work really well.

There has been some discussion of the necessity to "reseat" the pluggable
chips on the A2088.  I have not had the problem, but enough postings have
been made to suggest it is real.

Since you accept that the 8088 bb will not be faster than a real XT, I
would only suggest a bit of additional RAM, to get to 640k, and serial
ports, probably combined on one expansion board.

Dan Taylor