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From: rjg@meccts.UUCP (Robert J. Granvin)
Newsgroups: net.micro.amiga
Subject: Re: Yet more sidecar questions
Message-ID: <504@meccts.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 31-Aug-86 00:46:49 EDT
Article-I.D.: meccts.504
Posted: Sun Aug 31 00:46:49 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 31-Aug-86 05:37:05 EDT
References: <1274@uwmcsd1.UUCP>
Reply-To: rjg@meccts.UUCP (Robert J. Granvin)
Distribution: net
Organization: MECC Technical Services
Lines: 28


The current issue of Amiga World (September, on the store shelves
now), contains a preview article on the Sidecar.  Unforunately,
I don't have the copy handy to quote from, but basically, the sidecar
is an emulator.  It must be run via control of the Amiga, but it
will operate simply as a separate task.  The sidecar will
contain a built in 5.25" drive formatted to 360K.  It will also be
able to contain 512K of it's own ram, and Commodore will be releasing
a 2MB expansion board that will plug into the sidecar.  While the
Amiga cannot use the sidecars memory, and the sidecar cannot use the
Amigas memory, they can both use the expansion memory.  Sidecar will
have three expansion slots, one is reserved for a hard-disk interface,
and any hard disk you install can be partitioned for both Amiga DOS
and MS-DOS.  (Also, your 3.5" drives on the Amiga can be formatted as
MS-DOS diskettes with a 760K storage capability.  The Sidecar also
contains its own power supply, so it won't draw power from the Amiga.
It can use the Amiga's serial and parallel port, but you can add them
to the sidecar as well.  (No, the sidecar does not have a built in
clock, you will need to add that through an expansion board.  The
sidecar will be emulating a true PC-XT as closely as possible, which
means that it will not be adding any non-PCXT standard features.

The sidecar is scheduled to be available this December at a price of
"under $1000.00".  Rumor says between $400 and $600.

All information paraphrased without permission from September Amiga
World, from a preview article with information supplied by
Commodore-Amiga, Inc.