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From: perry@madnix.UUCP (Perry Kivolowitz)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Serial Ports
Message-ID: <459@madnix.UUCP>
Date: 2 Feb 89 12:13:01 GMT
References: <171@algedi.UUCP> <4092@omepd.UUCP> <431@madnix.UUCP> <02iBI04nc91010g=iwo@amdahl.uts.amdahl.com>
Reply-To: perry@madnix.UUCP (Perry Kivolowitz)
Organization: ASDG Incorporated
Lines: 62

Kim,

Your facts are all basically correct concerning the serial port solution
provided by the Twin-X General Purpose I/O board. Let me clarify a few
points:

The list prices are:

Twin-X board (supports 2 modules): $329
SBX-Serial/2 (dual serial ports):  $199
SBX-Serial/4 (quad serial ports):  $299 * you might have missed this one.

There's also

SBX-GPIB     (ieee-488 interface): $199

You might have missed the information on the SBX-Serial/4 which will
allow up to eight serial ports on one Twin-X card. 

I agree with you that the general approach of the Twin-X concept comes
with some added cost. Our goal was to be able to make the Amiga available
to many hundreds of different input/output modules with one broad stroke.
It is true that while providing the capability for adding rather esoteric
i/o functions, we've caused the price of basic i/o functions to be a little
higher (do keep in mind the average discount a dealer gives so the prices
are actually a little lower).

Wouldn't it be nice though to be able to combine an esoteric function like
a VPI interface (Versatec Plotter Interface) with a 16 bit a to d converter
for that otherwise impossible application your boss may have just handed 
you? Or maybe you need a stepper motor controller and a 32K static battery
backed up ram module. Or......

It is no secret that ASDG has always provided industrial grade equipment (as
opposed to consumer grade). And, we've never pretended our hardware products
were the cheapest, either.

It is also no secret that we aren't consumer oriented when it comes to hardware
(software is a different side of our business altogether). We 
certainly don't entertain any false hopes of going one on one with consumer
oriented producers competing solely on a basis of price. Especially with a white
bread type function as serial ports.

But then... we do have the advantage of being first you see. And another
advantage of high reliability and performance. So there'll be a large
amount of consumer sales of even this product. When these advantages are
gone (perhaps in 6 to 12 months) we still have our primary customer who
requires some extra serial ports AND an i/o function that only Twin-X
can provide.

So, in summary...sure our serial port solution might be higher in cost
than some. But then again...its available now...and it works.

See ya.

Perry

-- 
Perry Kivolowitz, ASDG Inc.
                          
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