Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/17/84; site cwruecmp.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!bellcore!decvax!cwruecmp!pjd
From: pjd@cwruecmp.UUCP (dr. funk)
Newsgroups: net.micro.atari16
Subject: Reliability.
Message-ID: <1475@cwruecmp.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 7-May-86 11:45:45 EDT
Article-I.D.: cwruecmp.1475
Posted: Wed May  7 11:45:45 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 10-May-86 19:55:38 EDT
Organization: CWRU Dept. Computer Eng., Cleveland, OH
Lines: 42



I'd like to offer the following statistics/info on 520 and 1040
reliability based on our experiences.

  520ST: We took delivery on twelve 520ST's last Fall. One (1)
  keyboard/computer unit was VERY DOA. Our dealer (and on up the
  chain!) couldn't figure out how to fix it so they replaced the
  whole PC board. One (1) monitor was flaky -- probably a thermal
  problem. This was fixed.

  1040ST: We just took delivery on twelve (12!) 1040ST's last
  week. Six out of six work fine so far. We are about to unpack
  and test the other six, but I would anticipate only one failure
  based upon our earlier experience.

A few side comments are in order.

  1040ST availability. Units are out there. Finding them,
  ordering from a reliable dealer and getting them is another
  matter. Frankly Atari (Neil?), distibution in Ohio is a disaster.
  I can only encourage you to look into this situation as a large
  market is currently going unsatisfied. If a big advertising
  push is in the works, this will only frustrate Midwestern
  customers. (We ordered ours through a dealer on the other coast.)

  The high frequency 1040 noise reported in an earlier message is
  NOT from the floppy disk drive. It is caused by the switching
  power supply. I'm going to find some way to damp the sound as
  it is driving me CRAZY! I am particularly sensitive to high
  frequency sounds [audiophile comments to /dev/null :-)] and
  some of our machines are worse than others.

  I've been living with a 1040 and 20Mb developer's hard drive.
  This is a SUPER combination with Micro C Shell, microEmacs,
  DEGAS, etc. Can't wait now for OSS Prolog and eventually a
  68020 product (prod, prod.... )

-- 

paul drongowski				decvax!cwruecmp!pjd
case western reserve university		pjd%Case@CSNet-relay