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From: grr@cbmvax.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: A2000 serial port != A1000 (ackkkk!)(and 500 || <> 1000 ||)
Message-ID: <2651@cbmvax.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 29-Oct-87 01:52:57 EST
Article-I.D.: cbmvax.2651
Posted: Thu Oct 29 01:52:57 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 31-Oct-87 18:51:00 EST
References: <1907@crash.CTS.COM>
Reply-To: grr@cbmvax.UUCP (George Robbins)
Organization: Commodore Technology, West Chester, PA
Lines: 43

In article <1907@crash.CTS.COM> haitex@pnet01.cts.com (Wade Bickel) writes:
> 
>         This is really irritating.  The PARALLEL PORT on the A500, and
>       perhaps the A2000, is unpowered.  This means devices built to
>       use the A1000 PAR port probably won't work on the new machines.

	The parallel port has +5 volts, current limited by a resistor available
	on one of the pins.  Enough for low power CMOS devices.  The real IBM
	parallel port has no power whatever and we refused to have something
	that was almost IBM compatible, but might fry whatever periphral you
	plug in.
 
>         C= could have:
> 
>                 1)  Maintained compatablility between the PARALLEL and
>                    SERIAL ports of all machines.

	We've covered this issue.
> 
>                 2)  Have designed the A500 to accept A1000 expansion
>                    boxes.

	Mechanically this wouldn't be possible unless you made the case
	several inches thicker.  There is also the issue of which side to
	put the disk drive on, which is perhaps pretty arbitrary.

	If I haven't mentioned this lately, the connector is electrically
	and pin compatible.  If you feel the compulsion, you can make up
	a little extender and make many of the slap on the side type
	peripherals work.
 
>                 3)  Included a A1000/A500 type expansion connector on
>                    the A2000 in addition to the internal slots.

	Yet another mechanical disaster.  Also tantamount to having an
	expansion bus with another bus or slap on the side peripherals
	daisy chained off of it.  Only terminal optimism could make
	this work reliably.

-- 
George Robbins - now working for,	uucp: {ihnp4|rutgers|allegra}!cbmvax!grr
but no way officially representing	arpa: out to lunch...
Commodore, Engineering Department	fone: 215-431-9255 (only by moonlite)