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INFO-ATARI16 Digest         Thu,  5 Apr 90       Volume 90 : Issue  409
 
Today's Topics:
                 How to create a senseless flame war
                    MIDI at 500KHz ... IT WORKS!!!
               NEC 3D and NEC GS multisync monitors...
                    POOLFIX4 and the XBRA Standard
                     Problems with dutch TOS 1.4
                 Upgrading Mega 2 to Mega 4 (3 msgs)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Date: 5 Apr 90 05:42:19 GMT
From: oliveb!amiga!cbmvax!valentin@apple.com  (Valentin Pepelea)
Subject: How to create a senseless flame war
Message-ID: <10607@cbmvax.commodore.com>
 
Sometimes computer wars are initiated by users who have an inferiority complex
about their computers and therefore get defensive. But most often they are
created by users who simply never took a good look on the other side of the
fence. Let's analyse such a typically uninformed poster...
 
In article <1990Apr4.235543.24355@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> cs325ec@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu
(Gregory Lemperle-Kerr) writes:
>
> Just wondering why all these lame Amiga users are posting and not
> many Atari users...
 
First of all, the user must use insults. This is a good tactic. Not only
does it ensure to attract attention, but it also hides a lack of technical
information.
 
> The Amax from what I have heard (that is the Amiga's mac emulator)
> is like a tadpole in the pond of mac emulators whereas Spectre on
> the Atari approaches the bullfrog.
 
Here the user will not take the risk of judging a product all by himself.
He will claim "I heard that...", "it is well known..". If he makes a statement
about these products which could be interpreted to be his own, then he risks
being provent as incompetent.
 
> Atari has the added bonus that many of its users are hacks (like
> me) who know much about computers in general.  I don't know of
> many other computers with as many cheap ways to enhance it.
 
Of course, the fellow has never made a survey and therefore does not know
that Usenet, by nature, is inhabited by hackers. He therefore does not know
that more than 30000 other users read the Mac, Amiga and Atari groups. And
of course, how could he know how many Amigans on Usenet still have Amiga 1000's
on their desk? I'm sure there are such perpetual hackers for other
microcomputers too.
 
> e.g. The mod to expand the screen to 832x512(about), memory upgrade
> without cards... etc.
 
And how could he know about the "expand your memory" and "build your own
accelerator" project published in magazines years ago in such magazines
as Amazing Computing and The Transactor?
 
> Dave Small apparently has a 68030 card working for an ST that he
> will market...?
 
When the competing microcomputers already have numerous accelerator offerings,
it is sometimes a good strategy to recall vaporware products, to be available
Real Soon Now. I wonder how come he never noticed the Amiga 2500 and the Mac II.
 
> The Amiga is also in another price range.  (higher)
 
Just like the precise user survey he made, he also hired Gallup to survey
the list price and market price of the various computers.
 
> 4096 colours are real pretty, if that's what makes your motor run.
> 512 are good enough for me.
 
Ah, relating the virtues of his computer...
 
> There is another hardware mod from Germany for the atari that allows
> the monochrome monitor to work in the colour resolutions using
> grey scales.
 
Isn't that a technical marvel? Now he can finally get rid of his RGB monitor!
 
> Insight:  You had a Mac...  you'll probably get an Amiga except...
>       You ditched a Mac... you should get an Atari ST.
 
Remember these words of wisdom; a true Salomon!
 
Valentin
--
The Goddess of democracy? "The tyrants     Name:    Valentin Pepelea
may distroy a statue,  but they cannot     Phone:   (215) 431-9327
kill a god."                               UseNet:  cbmvax!valentin@uunet.uu.net
             - Ancient Chinese Proverb     Claimer: I not Commodore spokesman be
 
------------------------------
 
Date: Thu, 05 Apr 90 13:16:56 BST
From: Kevin Maguire <SA44%liverpool.ac.uk@NSFnet-Relay.AC.UK>
Subject: MIDI at 500KHz ... IT WORKS!!!
Message-ID: <9004051235.AA00350@Argus.Stanford.EDU>
 
I read the recent Midi discussion with interest. I too noticed in my ST
internals book that the Midi (and the keyboard) ACIAs could be run at
500Khz in stead of the normal MIDI 31250baud. I experimented with this
in pure 68000, writing my own MIDI interrupt handlers that were as quick
as they possibly could be, as I knew the TOS handlers would be much too
slow for the job.
   I proceeded to send a copy of one ST's screen over to the others. WIth
my interrupt handler bytes were still being dropped.
   SO, I changed the code to do away with interrupt routines altogther
and wrote a very tight polling routine. THIS DID WORK and sent across
a screen correctly.
    Of course, this can only be done synchronously and is at the bounds
of the 68000's speed, so nothing else AT ALL can be done at the same time
as reading the MIDI port. A keyboard interrupt/VBL interrupt will cause
the polling loop to drop bytes. 500000 bits per second = 50000 bytes
(1 start bit/8 data bits/1 stop bit) which means only 160 clock cycles
for the 68000 to get the byte, any delay will be disasterous.
  I hope this encourages someone.
 
NSFnet : sa44%liv.ac.uk@nsfnet-relay.ac.uk
JANET  : sa44@uk.ac.liv
UUCP   : ...!mcvax!ukc!liv.ac.uk!sa44
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 5 Apr 90 13:08:41 GMT
From:
 pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!samsung!cs.utexas.edu!news
 -server.csri.toronto.edu!utgpu!watserv1!watdragon!tiger!achowe@tut.cis.ohio-sta
 te.edu  (anthony howe)
Subject: NEC 3D and NEC GS multisync monitors...
Message-ID: <22911@watdragon.waterloo.edu>
 
How does one connect the nice NEC 3D monitor so that you can switch
between mono and colour?
 
- ant
 
  achowe@tiger.waterloo.edu     | "It is hard to make the world go away
   _     -|-|_   _              |  when it has decided to notice you."
  (_\ |\| | | | (_) |\| \/      |  - Spock's World
                     ___/       |                        disclaimer...
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 5 Apr 90 13:17:41 GMT
From:
 zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!samsung!cs.utexas.edu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!ut
 gpu!watserv1!watdragon!tiger!achowe@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu  (anthony howe)
Subject: POOLFIX4 and the XBRA Standard
Message-ID: <22912@watdragon.waterloo.edu>
 
Hmm. I think I have not been paying attention again and missed
something important on the net. Being a developer and not having a
complete set of docs bothers me to no end.
 
What is the XBRA standard as mentioned in the POOLFIX4 article? Is
there a blurb on how to it is done? Can some kinf soul send it to me
please.
 
- ant
 
  achowe@tiger.waterloo.edu     | "It is hard to make the world go away
   _     -|-|_   _              |  when it has decided to notice you."
  (_\ |\| | | | (_) |\| \/      |  - Spock's World
                     ___/       |                        disclaimer...
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 2 Apr 90 01:47:20 GMT
From:
 imagen!atari!portal!cup.portal.com!Henry_Burdett_Messenger@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU
Subject: Problems with dutch TOS 1.4
Message-ID: <28516@cup.portal.com>
 
Chris Evelo writes:
 
> -Did anybody have the same kind of problems? (I was already informed
>  of one case, with US ROMs).
 
> -Is there a hardware explanation. Is there anything in the hardware that
>  could fail and give this kind of errors? The mega that gave the problems
>  here was a new machine, it just might have given the same problems
>  with another TOS version.
 
> -Is it possible to install the ROMs in a wrong way? Can it be that the
>  shop just did a poor job in the installation(s). Since they told me
>  that problems had also occurred with a used mega-4 after the ROMs
>  were changed, I think this would be a more likely explanation.
 
        It just occurred to me: this may be the well-known Mega/EPROM
        problem. TOS 1.4 was originally released as a 6 EPROM set, but
        the Megas use two higher density PROMs. So, when the six EPROMs
        were installed, a driver chip ("SGS" 74LS373) that was marginal
        before ran out of oomph. Solution was to replace the faulty driver
        with a higher power unit (74AS373).
                                - hbm
------------------------------------------------------------------------
henry_burdett_messenger@cup.portal.com
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 2 Apr 90 06:35:19 GMT
From: imagen!atari!portal!cup.portal.com!Bob_BobR_Retelle@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU
Subject: Upgrading Mega 2 to Mega 4
Message-ID: <28523@cup.portal.com>
 
Paul Zwan asks:
>Has anyone ever tried upgrading a Mega 2 ( late 1987) to 4 MB. ?
 
IF.. your Mega 2ST has the printed circuit positions for the extra RAM chips,
then an upgrade to 4 Megs isn't toooo hard.  It requires carefully sucking th
solder out of alllll the RAM positions (18 pins times 16 chips) plus the
decoupling capacitor positions (16 capacitors times 2 leads each).  Then you
solder in 16 sockets and plug in your new RAM chips..
 
If you've got one of the "redesigned" Mega 2ST boards with no extra
positions, then Atari has you by the balls..  you have to trash your Mega 2ST
and buy a new Mega 4ST... the "Atari Upgrade Path"
 
Welcome to the Atari way of doing things...
 
BobR
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 5 Apr 90 13:22:42 GMT
From:
 zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!samsung!cs.utexas.edu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!ut
 gpu!watserv1!watdragon!tiger!achowe@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu  (anthony howe)
Subject: Upgrading Mega 2 to Mega 4
Message-ID: <22913@watdragon.waterloo.edu>
 
>Hopefully, you mean 16 more RAM chips, right?  Supposedly one can just solder
>16 dip sockets onto the motherboard then fill them up with 1mbit rams, and
>the ST will automatically recognize the additional memory.  I have been
>meaning to try this for a while, but haven't gotten around to doing it yet.
>It should work, since the motherboards for the Mega2 and Mega4 are the same.
>If someone who knows more about this sees that I am mistaken in some of the
>above, feel free to correct anything.
 
I heard something to the effect that this could not be done because
the speed of the Mega 2 chips are slower than that of a Mega 4 and
so the entire 4M would have to be the same speed or better (which I
do not know) in order to keep up with memory refresh.
 
Did I hear wrong or could I have updated long ago to 4M?
 
- ant
 
 
  achowe@tiger.waterloo.edu     | "It is hard to make the world go away
   _     -|-|_   _              |  when it has decided to notice you."
  (_\ |\| | | | (_) |\| \/      |  - Spock's World
                     ___/       |                        disclaimer...
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 5 Apr 90 13:04:56 GMT
From: matthews@umd5.umd.edu  (Mike Matthews)
Subject: Upgrading Mega 2 to Mega 4
Message-ID: <6360@umd5.umd.edu>
 
In article <1990Apr4.212147.3676@athena.mit.edu> jdroh@athena.mit.edu (Jae D.
 Roh) writes:
>In article <1090@olnl1.UUCP>, paulz@olnl1.UUCP (Paul v.d. Zwan) writes:
>Hopefully, you mean 16 more RAM chips, right?  Supposedly one can just solder
>16 dip sockets onto the motherboard then fill them up with 1mbit rams, and
>the ST will automatically recognize the additional memory.  I have been
>meaning to try this for a while, but haven't gotten around to doing it yet.
>It should work, since the motherboards for the Mega2 and Mega4 are the same.
>If someone who knows more about this sees that I am mistaken in some of the
>above, feel free to correct anything.
>Jae D. Roh
>MIT, Cambridge MA.
>CS.
>jdroh@athena.mit.edu
 
Whoa.... There are a whole lot of different Mega 2 motherboards ALONE!!!
Some have the pads for extra RAM chips already, some don't.  Some have MMUs
that won't recognize any more memory.  And some, a VERY few, came with the
4 megs of DRAMs already, and only needed a new solder connection... (only one
of those has shown up, to my knowledge).
 
Best thing to do is take your computer to a dealership that you trust, if you
don't feel like finding this out for yourself.
 
My Mega 2 has the pads for the extra RAM chips.  I'm almost willing to bet
money that my MMU won't take it, though... it's a rev. 5.0 motherboard.
 
Mike
 
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End of INFO-ATARI16 Digest V90 Issue #409
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