stevenm (12/02/82)
I have heard from a reliable source that Ann Arbor Terminals will soon be offering a graphics retrofit option for Ambassador Terminals. This option will allow 580x768 directly addressable dots on the screen. The interface will be Tek 4010 compatible. The cost is reported to be in the vicinity of $1000. It will be a separate box which sits under the standard E-case, with its own power supply, etc. It will intercept the RS232 cable and the cable from the logic board to the monitor board. It will provide a completely separate, scrollable plane of graphics, in addition to the standard character plane. Availability is supposed to be sometime in the next 6 months. Also, Ann Arbor will soon be making 'twisted mode' a standard option. [Twisted mode is an Ambassador with the screen on its side, for a longer, narrower screen.] They have designed a new bezel for this, and the option should be available very shortly. Also, newer Ambassadors (firmware release 1;16) have a new feature which displays a numan-readable explanation of each bit in the setup line as the cursor is positioned over an option position. So if you are buying a new Ambassador from a dealer, make sure is has 1;16. You can do this by typing '<esc>[c' in local mode, the response will be '<esc>[>1;16c'. S. McGeady