dillon@ucbvax.ARPA (The Sherif "Matt D.") (02/04/85)
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* Product Warning -- Cardco B,PS, S *
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Cardco Inc. has a new line of printer interfaces out. Unfortunatly they
do not meet the high quality standards most people have come to expect from
cardco. Specificaly: The Cardco B,PS and S have the following problems:
1> Will not work properly with 2 1541 disk drives.
2> Will not work at all with a MSD disk drive. Crashes the MSD, no output.
3> Very sensitive to programs: Paperclip works fine. WordPro has some trouble
and the MAE assembler will not work at all. Changing printer interfaces
solves the problems.
4> Will not work with 1541 Flash! disk speedup. Adding Flash! has the same
end effect as 2 1541 disk drives or a MSD. Disaster.
5> Very 'cheap' construction. Among hardware pitfalls is a trace that is
too close to a pin, and a very poor quality pot (variable resistor) that
is better off being replaced with a standard resistor. The cardco PS,B and S
all have a tendency to fry themselves, and potentialy fry the computer or
printer or both. Many of these die within a few days/weeks of purchace.
6> Even in the optimum system (one 1541 disk drive, no other hardware except
the computer and printer) The interface has problems, crashing, hanging
and not working with all software.
All in all I give a strong recomendation AGAINST the purchace of a
Cardco B, PS or S printer interface. What do I recomend??
MW-302
*MW-350
Cardco A
Cardco +G
Tymac 'connection'
With the favorites out of the bunch being the MW-350 and the Cardco +G.
-Hope it saves you some frustration!-
-Bryce Nesbitt, Author of 1541 Flash-