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From: papa@bacall.UUCP (Marco Papa)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: CLtd 20M hard disk
Message-ID: <2306@bacall.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 6-Mar-87 13:40:23 EST
Article-I.D.: bacall.2306
Posted: Fri Mar  6 13:40:23 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 8-Mar-87 12:49:29 EST
References: <256@mcdsun.UUCP> <1479@cbmvax.cbmvax.cbm.UUCP> <1158@sfsup.UUCP>
Organization: CS&CE Depts, U.S.C., Los Angeles, CA
Lines: 41

Perry writes:
> All ASDG memory boards have a fully functional Zorro back  plane built ONTO
> each and every board. We are completely Zorro spec, in fact, we've designed
> in no wait state performance for even the worst case timings.
> 
> We offered to send Fred a Mini-Rack-D to replace his Mini-Rack-C in the small
> hope that it might help his C Ltd problem  (no more politeness bull shit - it
> IS a C Ltd problem) by  shortening trace lengths by about half an inch (since
> the Mini-Rack-D buffers bus signals  right at  the connector while our memory
> boards buffer the signals  at their connector -  the difference is about half
> an inch).
> 
> Traces on the aMega expansion board are unbuffered and add FEET to trace length
> not just inches. 
> 
> Dave Haynie has said above what we've been saying all along. If an expansion
> product is designed properly it will not require any bogus pal changes.
> 
> Perry S. Kivolowitz

Just for the record, I'd like to say that I (and all other "official" Amiga
developers) received a letter from Cltd  offering the aMEGA board and hard
disk at the following developer's prices:

aMEGA Board 1M	$275
20-Megabyte Hard Drive with SCSI controller $735

I was almost ready to buy, when the Ctld problems and bad design issues
were raised on the NET.  Note that their flyer states that "The aMEGA
contains a fully automatic installation routine, which reduces the work
to two clicks of the return key and a simple one-line statement. Pretty
simple, huh?"  NO MENTION of the fact that, because of their #$%^*&^ design
I might have to open up my AMIGA and solder CHIPS on it!  On the other
hand,  there is NO statement in the product announcement that says that
the aMEGA and HD+SCSI are "fully ZORRO compatible".  Obviously, given
the recent user experiences, they are NOT.

Sorry, but I'll definetely pass over the offer.

-- Marco Papa
   Felsina Software