INFO-ATARI16 Digest         Wed, 15 Nov 89       Volume 89 : Issue 659
 
Today's Topics:
          Gadgets by Small - Possible new '030 add-on board!
                              panarthea
                       Re~2: Random Dribble...
                            SH 204 Upgrade
                 TOS 1.4 Incompatibility List Request
                     What's going on at COMDEX???
----------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Date: 15 Nov 89 20:21:43 GMT
From: sdcc6!sdcc13!pa1323@ucsd.edu  (Some call me...Tim)
Subject: Gadgets by Small - Possible new '030 add-on board!
 
In article <2278@hudson.acc.virginia.edu> gl8f@astsun.astro.Virginia.EDU (Greg
 Lindahl) writes:
>In article <23970@cup.portal.com> Xorg@cup.portal.com
>(Peter Ted Szymonik [ quoting dave small ]) writes:
>
>[ Dave Small's blurb about this maybe-030 upgrade for the ST... ]
>
>> We will also "clock" the 68030 processor at a much higher speed
>> than the ST's 68000. The ST runs at 8 mhz (millions instructions /
>> second); we'll go for at least 16 Mhz and possibly more.
>
>This is wrong. ...
[Rationalization deleted]
>Gosh, I don't really remember anymore. Anyway, it isn't 8 million
>instructions per second.
 
The 68000 processor takes about 8-16 cycles per instruction, on the
average.  The minimum instruction time is 4 cycles, up to a worst
case of 170 cycles for one instruction (a signed divide on an
absolute memory address).
 
The ST therefore operates at about .75 million instructions per
second, or MIPS.
 
With a 68030, however, there are three speed improvements without even
changing the clock--the instructions take fewer cycles, memory
is accessed in 32-bit chunks instead of 16, and the 68030 has a
cache, meaning that it reads data and instructions before they are
needed, while it's doing other things.
 
Result: You can get a 4-8 times speed improvement without even
changing the clock rate, and with twice the clock, 8-16 times...
 
These numbers are approximate, and if you want to argue them with
me, don't waste net bandwidth, please!  Respond via email and we can
hash it out there...
 
-------------
Tim Mensch.
Internet: tmensch@ucsd.edu
Bitnet:   UCSD!TMENSCH
 
P.S. I agree that the Atari vs. the world bickering has gone on too
long, and should be rerouted to either email, alt.flames, or
/dev/null.  I'm not picky.
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 15 Nov 89 20:25:47 GMT
From: clyde!db6!kenneth@bloom-beacon.mit.edu  (KWONG)
Subject: panarthea
 
Hello netters... anyone know the full address for panarthea archive?  Any help
 is welcome!
 
Agostino
"I wanna Unix box!"
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 15 Nov 89 21:46:57 GMT
From: landon@apple.com  (Landon Dyer)
Subject: Re~2: Random Dribble...
 
From article <24088@cup.portal.com>, by Bob_BobR_Retelle@cup.portal.com:
> Er... read up on your Atari Inc/Atari Corp history... Jack Tramiel obtained
> control of the Atari company with VERY LITTLE cash outlay...   essentially
> he took over control of a bankrupt division of Warner Communications and
> sold off the existing warehouse stock at a fraction of its list price value
> to raise cash...  he then used that cash to finance the debut of the ST onto
> the marketplace.
 
Alleged by Leonard Tramiel several years ago (and paraphrased):
 
CASH?  The Warner deal was closed with Jack's American Express card (it was
a friday in New York, and it was after five...).
 
 
The Warner Atari wasn't precisely _bankrupt_ -- that's a technical (legal)
term.  Rather, it was simply hemmoraging cash; IMHO it wouldn't have
survived another month or two without SOME kind of drastic intervention.  In
Warner's shoes, with losses to the tune of a million bucks a day, I'd want
to be rid of it *fast* -- wouldn't you? :-)
 
--
 
-----------------------------------------  "Mmmph!  Urghurmph!  Grugmph!"
Landon Dyer, Apple Computer, Inc.          "What's he trying to say?"
Development Systems Group (MPW / DSG)      "I dunno -- there's a lawyer
NOT THE VIEWS OF APPLE COMPUTER              crammed in his mouth."
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 15 Nov 89 19:17:57 GMT
From: shlump.nac.dec.com!engage.enet.dec.com!oldtmr!wallace@decwrl.dec.com  (Ray
 Wallace)
Subject: SH 204 Upgrade
 
In article <212@trwrb.UUCP>, root@trwrb.UUCP (root) writes...
>I want to upgrade my 20 meg SH 204 harddrive to about 40 meg.  I hoped I
>could do this by simply replacing the Drive Mechanism
You can.
>   * Should I install a 40 meg Tandom hard drive?
The replacement drive does not have to be a Tandom. It can be any hard drive
with a ST506 or ST412 interface. These are "standard" drives/interfaces (ie:
most hard drives fit this description unless they are specified as a SCSI
drive/interface).
>   * Can I install a Seagate drive?
Yes!
>   * Which models?
Any model as long as it does not have a "N" suffix which indicates it is a
SCSI drive (ie: has an embedded SCSI controller).
>   * Will I need more parts?
No.
>   * Can I daisy chain the SH 204?
You can add a second drive to the SH204 by running cables from the second
drive into the SH204 box and connecting to the controller.
>   * Will I need different software?
What ever software you use you will need to know some specs on the HD (# of
heads, # of cylinders/tracks, etc..) in order to configure/re-configure the
formatting program. It's been a while since I used the Atari HD software so I
don't recall if it can be re-configured. You could use the software from Supra
or ICD (pre-V4 versions) which can both be easily configured for any drive.
Both Supra and ICD software already know the parameters to a lot of different
drives so all you have to do to configure for your drive is click on the make
and model number (if your drive is listed). Otherwise there is a .DAT file you
will have to edit and add a line for your drive (not difficult to do).
 
You should also be careful to get a drive which does not use more than
2 Amps of current on the 12 volts. Some half height 5 1/4 drives will be okay,
most 3 1/2 drives will be fine, most full height 5 1/4 drives will draw too
much current and are likely to ruin the power supply inside the SH204.
 
Actually you can use a SCSI drive but a SCSI drive must be connected directly
to the host adapter board (the smaller of the two boards) inside the SH204
instead of being connected to the controller board like your current drive is.
 
Replacing the existing drive is just a matter of pulling out the old one and
plugging in the new one, and then configuring the formatting software to be
able to configure your drive.
 
Adding a second drive is a little more work but not difficult. The second
(non-SCSI) drive needs to be connected to a second power supply. There are
two cables to connect between the second drive and the controller. The
controller has a "spare" connector for the smaller of the two cables but for
the larger cable you will have to "tap into" the existing cable (clamp a new
connector onto the middle of the cable, a small vice works good for this if
you are careful).
 
---
Ray Wallace
                (INTERNET,UUCP) wallace@oldtmr.enet.dec.com
                (UUCP)          ...!decwrl!oldtmr.enet!wallace
                (INTERNET)      wallace%oldtmr.enet@decwrl.dec.com
---
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 15 Nov 89 12:30:52 GMT
From: philmtl!philabs!ttidca!woodside@uunet.uu.net  (George Woodside)
Subject: TOS 1.4 Incompatibility List Request
 
In article <5440079@hplsla.HP.COM> andyc@hplsla.HP.COM (Andy Cassino) writes:
>I guess I have an entry for the TOS 1.4 incompatibility list - Turtle 3.0!
>There seems to be a problem creating and deleting folders in TRAMDISK (as
>reported by TTLEXEC). I have tried the newest TRAMDISK from GENIE and
>it doesn't work either.
 
There must be more to this than TOS 1.4. I have been using 3.0 with TOS 1.4
for several months, without so much as a hiccup.
 
Incidentally, the new RAMdisk on GEnie is aimed at a single specific
problem, which occurs with version 4.0 and higher of ICD's disk driver.
It has no impact on anything else. It is backward compatible with all
other systems.
--
*George R. Woodside - Citicorp/TTI - Santa Monica, CA
*Path:       ..!?philabs|csun|psivax?!ttidca!woodside
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 15 Nov 89 20:21:18 GMT
From: uci-ics!bonnie.ics.uci.edu!jvance@cs.ucla.edu  (Joachim Patrick Vance)
Subject: What's going on at COMDEX???
 
        Could some kind soul please tell us what has been going on at
COMDEX and specifically what the Atari community is showing.  I'm sure
all us information mongers on the Net would like a short summary as to
what has been going on. Thanks.
 
 
 
--
 Joachim
 jvance%bonnie@ics.uci.edu
  ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
  | What do my .sig and UCI have in common?  --                      |
 
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End of INFO-ATARI16 Digest V89 Issue #659
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