This is an archive of CompuServe forum messages from 1985 to 1995, as saved in transcripts by John Foust.
Search Results (135 messages)
MicroBotics Questions
Message #8567
He's Ba-aack! For those of you who don't know me, I'm Rick Stevens. I represent MicroBotics (and my own little company, Small Scale Systems) here on CompuServe's AmigaFora. If you have questions, requests, or complaints (nah, not possible! 😎 ) about MicroBotics equipment or software, please drop me a line.…
MicroBotics Questions
Message #17882
He's Ba-aack! For those of you who don't know me, I'm Rick Stevens. I represent MicroBotics (and my own little company, Small Scale Systems) here on CompuServe's AmigaFora. If you have questions, requests, or complaints (nah, not possible! 😎 ) about MicroBotics equipment or software, please drop me a line.…
MicroBotics Questions
Message #6812
He's Ba-aack! For those of you who don't know me, I'm Rick Stevens. I represent MicroBotics (and my own little company, Small Scale Systems) here on CompuServe's AmigaFora. If you have questions, requests, or complaints (nah, not possible! 😎 ) about MicroBotics equipment or software, please drop me a line.…
Well, yes, it's entirely possible that grounding is a problem. Early A500s were plagued by similar problems that early A1000s had which was inadequate grounding or weak PALs (meaning that they didn't supply adequate drive capabilities). I'm sure that others here on CIS may have more experience with this than…
MicroBotics New Address
Message #113366
To all MicroBotics users and owners: MicroBotics has moved into larger quarters. We had to, because no one makes bunk desks! 😎 Our new address is: MicroBotics, Inc. 1251 American Parkway Richardson, TX 75081 (214) 437-5330 Note that only the street address changed. The phone number, city, state, and zip…
MicroBotics New Address
Message #36333
To all MicroBotics users and owners: MicroBotics has moved into larger quarters. We had to, because no one makes bunk desks! 😎 Our new address is: MicroBotics, Inc. 1251 American Parkway Richardson, TX 75081 (214) 437-5330 Note that only the street address changed. The phone number, city, state, and zip…
Uh, here in California, you're not allowed to have anything video in the vehicle that the driver can see while operating the vehicle. This precludes a monitor, TV, whatever. Apparently it _is_ OK to have video stuff that acts like a heads-up display — that is, if it projects the…
Ah, yes, but does it close the lid and make a flushing sound? (Hey! There's an idea for 2.0!!) If it doesn't lower the lid, I can hear MANY, MANY female users complaining about "leaving the lid up". (of course, a large accompanies this message) Rick Stevens/MicroBotics
Judd, What do you mean by "crash"? Does it guru or merely hang? Can you give me a syndrome? There are several things possible. If you have an "Obese Agnus" (the 1M version), make sure you're doing a "SetPatch r" in your S-S. That can cause lots of problems. Give…
So will ours. (HardFrame, that is) Rick Stevens/MicroBotics
Well, for one thing, we "certdevs" have signed a non-disclosure agreement. "Joe User" hasn't. In other words, if we leak, we get plugged.
DMA ChitChat
Message #92513
Well, it shouldn't affect the DMA times at all. Remember, a DMA burst comes off a disk a byte at a time. DMA fills RAM with the information desired (conversely, it pumps stuff out of the RAM on a write operation) as quickly as the bus will allow, normally as…
Clark, Fight? Me? Awwwwww! 😎 No, I agree that non-DMA may be fairly fast, but there are a few tricks to it. I also agree that DMA is not necessarily a good thing for the Amoeba, primarily due to some bad design practices at C=. But, DMA is generally faster…
#92222-
#Microbotics 8up-dip
Message #92430
Well, Pete, it's possible. I had a similar problem on my 4.2 motherboard until I upgraded it myself to 4.5. So far, no problems. I don't know of any compatibility problems with old motherboards, but stranger things have happened. Oh, BTW, that's "SetPatch r" _not_ "SetPatch -r". Rick Stevens/MicroBotics
On any system, a well designed, well behaved DMA interface will outrun any non-DMA design over the long haul. There are times where a non-DMA design can have a faster throughput (particularly in small block size transfers), but disks typically move much larger blocks, and a DMA design really shines.…
#68033-
MBotics time to ship…
Message #68099
Glad to hear it, fella. I'll help if I can. Rick
Hi, Steve. Yes, ARC can be a bit cryptic. First off, download ARC.EXE from LIB 4. When you get it onto your system, put it into the C: directory and name it ARC (delete the ".EXE" part). Next, download some ARCed file. Once you have it, change to the directory…
#65526-
2 SCSI's in 1 Amiga?
Message #65714
Werner, I use both a TrumpCard and HardFrame (though the TrumpCard disappears when I finally can nab a 1.3 ROM 8-). They work just hunky. Autoconfig is kinda…cute! Rick Stevens/MicroBotics
Craig, I will check on it Monday. I've been offline for a while, sorry to say. Rick Stevens/MicroBotics
We try, Gabe, we try 😎 Rick Stevens/MicroBotics
Well, we don't ever intend to build something that "isn't pretty". So far, we have a good reputation for solid engineering and reliability. We want to keep it that way.
We haven't decided to bring one to market. We hear lots of "God, yes! Do it!" responses. But, it's not simply extending the bus and adding connectors. The timing on the A1000 bus is different slightly, and not all A1000s are built the same. We have to take all that…
#51929-
#SCSI vs ST-506
Message #52090
ST-506 drives do NOT have a controller on them. Rather, they are similar to floppy drives in that aspect. SCSI drives DO have an imbedded controller. However, to use them, you must have a SCSI port on your computer. This is normally provided by what is known as a "SCSI…
#51769-
HardFrame/A2620
Message #52084
HardFrame is compatible with 2620s. The problem is with ANY DMA device and (as I understand it) ANY accelerator board. It is caused by a pokey rise in the AS* line and can be fixed "fairly easily" by a minor mod to the motherboard (adding a pull-up resistor to a…
If you have our StarBoard II product, we make a SCSI adaptor for it called the StarDrive. Works well and isn't very expensive: $129.95 list. Rick Stevens/MicroBotics
You're on the list. Rick Stevens/MicroBotics
I'll check with our engineers. Rick
Gotcha. Rick Stevens/MicroBotics
We'll look at it, Khalid. Rick Stevens/MicroBotics
It came out when you could pick up SIM modules for (ugh!) Macintoshes fairly easily. 8-Up! SIM can use Mac SIM modules. Rick Stevens/MicroBotics
Yes, they're commercial. But they do exist, that was my point. You might leave a message to Steve Ahlstrom (our head Sysop here) or Vic Wagner of Metadigm. Those two guys, myself, and a few others form a very loose association we lovingly (laughingly?) refer to "DAS-Devil's Advocate Software". Rick…
NewSweep-ish programs do indeed exist in several Amiga programs. Look at CLIMate, Zing!Keys and others. Rick Stevens/MicroBotics
Har!
John, There are several differences between the DIP and SIM versions of 8-Up!: SIM version is configurable in 1/2 MB increments, DIP in 2 MB increments. SIM can use 256K or 1M SIMs, DIP 1M DIPs only. The primary reason for the DIP version is that the SIMs aren't as…
Kelly, Sun Microsystems uses VME busses in the Sun 3/xxx line. Also in the SPARCStation, I think. (Larry?) Rick Stevens/MicroBotics
Watch it, luv. I make GREAT tea. 'Course, I was born in London, but it was merely a timing error (I was two weeks late). I was, am, and will continue to be a 3rd generation Los Angeles County native. [O O] Rick "Kensington High Street" Stevens ? V
'Sok, Mike. I'll do it. I remembered how to do it as soon as I saw Whap! put my reply to you up. Sheesh! Is my face red! Rick Stevens/MicroBotics
How about the "soft pillows?" [O O] Rick "No one expects the Span– oh bloody heck!" Stevens ? V
Another vote in the plus column. Thanks, Ernie. Rick Stevens/MicroBotics
Ok, one vote in the plus column. Thanks, Ariel. Rick Stevens/MicroBotics
Well, we knew that the 2090 was out, but we made HardFrame. We knew that the 2058 was coming out, yet we did TWO versions of 8-Up! "It is the nature of man to build better mousetraps. It is nature's nature to build better mice. It is MicroBotics' nature to…
Ethan, I understand that it would go in the video slot. We'll have to see what they really meant. Rick Stevens/MicroBotics
Don, perhaps. I'll have to get more info on it. Rick Stevens/MicroBotics
I said that Motorola designed it with the intent that it would be the standard. It didn't become THE standard, just one of many. But, no, Macs and Amoebas use their own busses, but VME _IS_ used in Suns. Heck, the PC bus was to be THE bus standard for…
Dean, I'll check into it. Rick Stevens/MicroBotics
Lee, yup. It'd go in the 2000 video slot. Rick Stevens/MicroBotics
As I understand it, Khalid, you'd plug your Amiga monitor into it. No multisync needed. The engineers just said that it'd work in all Amiga modes. I'm not 100% sure they thought of PAL, though. I'll talk to them about it. Rick Stevens/MicroBotics
Art, Well, not fully equiv. to the flicker fixer, but close. Lower price. A PVA? Hmmm…now there's a thought…. Rick Stevens/MicroBotics
Russ, Well, we're hoping for a price in the $199-$299 range. It'll be a full Amiga 2000 buss, and we'll probably have a couple of AT slots in it. When? Well, we still haven't fully committed to doing it. We'll do a version for the A500 first, then the 1000…
AH! But it can! The Vax does it, RSX does it, UNIX does it, etc, etc. And they have much less capable MMUs than the Motorola one. Why do you think AmigaDOS has memory allocation routines which have flags such as "MEMF_PUBLIC", etc.? Rick Stevens/MicroBotics
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