burman@BRL-TBD.ARPA (TBD-PMB-MRL) (08/28/85)
Thank you to all out there who responded to my request for use of 8" SSSD
CP/M facility to assist in my acquiring modem program(s) for my CP/M machine.
I have now obtained copy of Modem7 suite of programs and am configuring
overlay patch for my system.
Some of you requested details of my CP/M system and I have included the
details below:
System is a "PULSAR" Little Big Board LBB computer which runs a 4 Meg
Z80 under CP/M 2.2, 3.0 or TurboDos 1.3 operating systems. Board size
5" X 8". LBB has two serial ports and 50 pin floppy connector on board
and requires a serial terminal for operation.
Floppy disc drives are 1 x 8" and 2 x 5 1/4" (8" lookalikes) which can
read/write to standard IBM 3740 SSSD or 1.2 meg Quad DSDD formats.
System uses STD bus but Little Big Board can be used stand alone if
there is no expansion facility required.
I have a 10 Meg 68k"CHS" Co-processor system attached through my Z80
running CP/M 68 with a 3/4 Meg Ram card. This allows me to toggle back
and forth between my Z80 and 68K systems quickly. The Ram card is
accessible to both systems and makes for very fast processing.
The facility to still use my old Z80 CP/M software, especially
Wordstar, and other CP/M utilities on the same machine as the 68K is
certainly extremely handy. The 68K CPU card talks to the outside world
via an interface card which is plugged into the Z80 CPU (LBB) socket.
The Z80 then plugs into the interface card and the 68K board uses all
the Z80's IO facilities. I have not had any experience with a
dedicated 68K system so I can make no comparisons as regards speed
but it certainly works extremely well.
Now for the plugs
1. I have no association with CHS but I recommend their add on 68K systems.
They now have a 3 Meg Ram card (same as mine with 256K chips which I must
get around to doing too one day??) and in addition to the Z80 coprocessor
for all of you who are sick of your slow old IBM PC or clone there is a 68K
plug in for those machines called the PRO 68. The claimed performance is
out of this world. I have some benchmark data for any interested parties.
Operating systems which are supplied with all CHS boards are CPM68K and
OS9/68 (UNIX look alike).
For anyone who requires a faster machine (state of the art CPU ?) but does
not want to fork out for a 68K Sage or Pinnacle (I am not sure of spelling)
and who is attached to their old CP/M machine and software this may be an
alternative. I purchased mine in Australia and consequently cannot help
you with where to get more information on systems performance, prices or
whereabouts of CHS. (somewhere in or near NEW YORK city or state ?????)
( If CHS is listening all donations to the make N.M. BURMAN a millionaire
fund will be graciously accepted )
2. I have an association with PULSAR COMPUTERS. It is run by a friend of mine.
I can recommend their systems but I am *biased* they make a range of STD
BUS and stand alone Z80 A, Z80 B and 80186 single board computers and
associated system boards in board only, fullkit and A&T form. These single
board system are available from Pulsar Australia and I can give any
interested parties limited documentation and approximate prices as well as
an address to write to for enquires.
Finally I hope that during my 15 month stay here in the US I can get to meet
or at least converse on the net with as many people as possible. My apology to
anyone who may feel the above comments are too commercial for INFO-CPM.
Someone did ask about my system, however, and I was only too happy to comply.
Norbert Burman @BRL
(Isolated Aussi)