Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!mephisto!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!swrinde!cs.utexas.edu!asuvax!noao!sunspot!boss
From: boss@sunspot.noao.edu (Steve Keil)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Recommendations needed about A2500/30 as research workstation
Keywords: workstation, research
Message-ID: <3270@sunspot.UUCP>
Date: 2 Mar 90 16:43:19 GMT
References: <6623@cps3xx.UUCP> <2017@sauron.Columbia.NCR.COM> <22494@pasteur.Berkeley.EDU> <9900@cbmvax.commodore.com> <9903@cbmvax.commodore.com>
Reply-To: boss@sunspot.UUCP (Steve Keil)
Distribution: usa
Organization: Solar Research Branch, AFGL, Sunspot NM 88349
Lines: 52

Just a brief note on using an Amiga as a workstation.  We have an Amiga
2000 with a Hurricane board running a 68030/68882 with 4MB of 32bit
memory that we are using as both a workstation attached via ethernet to
a Sun 4/280 and as a video workstation.  The amiga is often used as a
4010 emulator to capture plots that are later incorporated into
viewgraphs for scientific and "sales" presentations/publications.
Hardcopy is made via a Xerox 4020 printer or a Tektonics 4693D printer
or often by just photographing the amiga screen (Zenith flat screen).
The system contains a Flicker Fixer to drive the flat screen.  The other
major use of the amiga is to produce video tapes of data that have
usually been processed on the Sun.  The Sun disks are mounted on the
amiga via ethernet and are read directly by C-programs written for the
amiga.  Typically, a time sequence of 2-d images of a solar flare or
some solar velocity field is loaded into the 32 bit memory directly
from the sun disk. Byte arrays (8bits) on the Sun are displayed by
taking either the highest 4 or 5 bits and stuffing them into fast
memory on the amiga.  Hunks of fast memory are then blittered to chip
memory sequentially to show the movie.  A Vidtech genlock is used to
write the movie to video tape or optical disk.  These tapes have been
used at presentation as several American Astronomical Society meetings
and, if color tables are chosen carefully can be of very high quality.
Headers describing the movie sequences have been produced using the
Director, Dpaint+slideshow, Deluxe Video and Video Titler programs.
I have also used the system to produce nice color viewgraphs for
presenting our work at program reviews.  Work that used to take many
days and interations through the photolab now takes just a few hours on
the amiga.  Finally, the system has a 80MB GVP hard disk that is used 
primarily for program storage since data can be kept on the Sun hard disks.  
We have been very satisfied with the amiga system.  Costs were:

	Amiga 2000 computer -                   $1581
    Ronin Hurricane 68030/68882 -           $4627
	GVP Impace HC/80R -                     $1378
	Zentih Flat Screen -                     $700
	VidTech Scanlock Model VSL-1-N           $995
    External Power for VidTech -              $55
	Commodor 3.5 floppy -                    $148
    Ameristar Ethernet Card - 			     $809
    Micro Way Flicker Fixer -                $596
    ---------------------------------------------
	Total -                                $10889

Note that almost everything was purchased through a local dealer (New
Horizons Computers in Alamogordo, New Mexico, so you could probably do
better on prices.  However, they did an excellent job setting up the
system and service has been good.  In addition, we purchased close to
$1500 worth of manuals and software.  I am willing to make the C-code
used for movie display available to anyone who is interested.

Hope this information is of use to anyone thinking about a workstation.
Note that we have not yet taken advantage of having the 68882 present in
the system..... but I have plans :-).