perry@madnix.UUCP (Perry Kivolowitz) (02/23/89)
As has been discussed here on this network, ASDG's Twin-X based Serial/2
module is the Amiga's first multiple serial port solution. The price of
this solution has also been discussed as being too high ($525 for a Twin-X
and a Serial/2 module).
You spoke, we listened.
At AmiExpo in New York, March 3 thru 5, we will take orders on our response
to your views: The DSP (Dual Serial Board). The list price is $299. At
AmiExpo we will offer the board at $220 including shipping in the United
States (excluding New York city and state sales tax).
The board contains two independent serial ports which can be programmed for
operation at up to 78.6KBaud. The board (which fits in a single slot
including rear connector mounting) comes out with 2 DB-9 ``AT'' compatible
ports which include:
RxD Receive Data Line
TxD Transmit Data Line
DCD Data Carrier Detect
DTR Data Transmit Ready
DSR Data Set Ready
RTS Request To Send
CTS Clear To Send
RI Ring Indicator
The board comes with our fully serial.device compatible driver and our own
recently completed DOS handlers (it was nice to run our laser printer
through Professional Page on port 5). The board will also come with
several new versions of shareware and public domain communications software
which have been modified to support multiple/alternative lines.
Orders taken at AmiExpo (cash or check) will be filled in the third week of
April. As mentioned above, shipping via UPS in the U.S. is included in
the price.
Thanks for prodding us to build this product. We think affordable multiple
serial ports has finally arrived. At half the price (or less) than our
previous solution (which is still available for industrial users) we think
we've responded to your needs.
pk
--
Perry Kivolowitz, ASDG Inc.
ARPA: madnix!perry@cs.wisc.edu {uunet|ncoast}!marque!
UUCP: {harvard|rutgers|ucbvax}!uwvax!astroatc!nicmad!madnix!perry
CIS: 76004,1765 (what was that about ``giggling teenagers''?) erd@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu (Ethan R. Dicks) (02/24/89)
In article <503@madnix.UUCP> perry@madnix.UUCP (Perry Kivolowitz) writes: > >At AmiExpo in New York, March 3 thru 5, we will take orders on our response >to your views: The DSP (Dual Serial Board). [ stuff about DSP deleted...] >-- > Perry Kivolowitz, ASDG Inc. >ARPA: madnix!perry@cs.wisc.edu {uunet|ncoast}!marque! >UUCP: {harvard|rutgers|ucbvax}!uwvax!astroatc!nicmad!madnix!perry >CIS: 76004,1765 (what was that about ``giggling teenagers''?) Yayyyy! Now if I only had some Zorro II slots to plug this into. Honestly, I applaud Perry and company (literally) for manufacturing this product. If I had a 2000, I would buy it sight unseen. The PD/Shareware software is a nice touch. Keep up the good work, Perry. -ethan -- Ethan R. Dicks | ###### This signifies that the poster is a member in Software Results Corp| ## good sitting of Inertia House: Bodies at rest. 940 Freeway Drive N. | ## Columbus OH 43229 | ###### "You get it, you're closer.
bader+@andrew.cmu.edu (Miles Bader) (02/24/89)
perry@madnix.UUCP (Perry Kivolowitz) writes: > The board contains two independent serial ports which can be programmed for > operation at up to 78.6KBaud. The board (which fits in a single slot > including rear connector mounting) comes out with 2 DB-9 ``AT'' compatible > ports which include: This sounds all very nice, but... why are you using connectors that are incompatible with what the amiga's serial port uses? I'm tired of making strange adaptor cables! -Miles
cmcmanis%pepper@Sun.COM (Chuck McManis) (02/24/89)
In article <503@madnix.UUCP> perry@madnix.UUCP (Perry Kivolowitz) writes: > You spoke, we listened. Glad to hear it. >At AmiExpo in New York, March 3 thru 5, we will take orders ... ^^^^^^^^^^^ As soon as someone receives one of these let me know, at that time I would be interested in ordering one. --Chuck McManis uucp: {anywhere}!sun!cmcmanis BIX: cmcmanis ARPAnet: cmcmanis@sun.com These opinions are my own and no one elses, but you knew that didn't you.
papa@pollux.usc.edu (Marco Papa) (02/24/89)
In article <503@madnix.UUCP> perry@madnix.UUCP (Perry Kivolowitz) writes: > [....] >You spoke, we listened. You sure did, Perry. >At AmiExpo in New York, March 3 thru 5, we will take orders on our response >to your views: The DSP (Dual Serial Board). The list price is $299. >[...] >The board contains two independent serial ports which can be programmed for >operation at up to 78.6KBaud. The board (which fits in a single slot >including rear connector mounting) comes out with 2 DB-9 ``AT'' compatible >ports [...] >The board comes with our fully serial.device compatible driver and our own >recently completed DOS handlers (it was nice to run our laser printer >through Professional Page on port 5). The board will also come with >several new versions of shareware and public domain communications software >which have been modified to support multiple/alternative lines. Needless to say that A-Talk III Release 1.1 will work with the DSP right off the box. >Thanks for prodding us to build this product. We think affordable multiple >serial ports has finally arrived. At half the price (or less) than our >previous solution (which is still available for industrial users) we think >we've responded to your needs. I am surely surprised by the quick timing of your response. Making multiple serial ports finally affordable, fills one of the gaps that the Amiga suffered compared to the P-Cees. I hope everyone is satisfied. Perry, how about a few details on the DSP design (UART chips used, buffering, etc...). Can I expect the same performance as with the TwinX-based serial card? -- Marco Papa 'Doc' -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= uucp:...!pollux!papa BIX:papa ARPAnet:pollux!papa@oberon.usc.edu "There's Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Diga!" -- Leo Schwab [quoting Rick Unland] -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Doug_B_Erdely@cup.portal.com (02/24/89)
Sounds GOOD!!! I'll make double sure to place my order at AmiExpo New York
for the A1000 version of the serial board! :> HAY! I can dream!! :<
- Doug -
Doug_B_Erdely@Portal.Cup.Comerd@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu (Ethan R. Dicks) (02/24/89)
In article <oY15sUy00Uka4CRLxN@andrew.cmu.edu> bader+@andrew.cmu.edu (Miles Bader) writes: >perry@madnix.UUCP (Perry Kivolowitz) writes: >> The board contains two independent serial ports which can be programmed for >> operation at up to 78.6KBaud. The board (which fits in a single slot >> including rear connector mounting) comes out with 2 DB-9 ``AT'' compatible >> ports which include: > >This sounds all very nice, but... why are you using connectors that >are incompatible with what the amiga's serial port uses? I'm tired of >making strange adaptor cables! > >-Miles Notice how he said "single slot including read mounting." Measure the width of a DB-25 connector head and compare twice that value (plus some intervening space for mechanical stability) with the height of the metal bracket on A2000 slots. Ta Da... Two DB-25s won't fit comfortably on one of those brackets. The cable solution he proposes is not "odd." Why do you think C-A changed the serial connector for the A2000 and A500? To allow Amiga users to hook things up with "industry standard cables." (newspeak for IBM compatible ;-) Notice how Perry then mentions that the DB-9 connectors are "AT" compatible.... Ta Da... Still "IBM compatible," although a different standard. The only reason wh have been using DB-25 connectors for RS-232 is because we have been using them for years. The original Macs used DB-9s, and now use DIN-8s. Some of DEC's equipment uses DB-9 and DB-15 connectors for use with a special cable (the other end has a DB-25) Even Ataris use a funny RS-232 connector on the machine. The overall reason these odd connectors are being used is to save I/O panel space. When you are cramping multiple connectors onto a small bulkhead, you need to use small connectors. Since RS-232 has lots of pins which are defined but rarely used, most designers use a common subset of signals, allowing the connectors to be non-standard. About the only other option Perry has is to use up two I/O slots with his card. How many people who have a Bridgeboard also have spare slots? I can't see him cutting down a potential market. Since you have to buy additional cables anyway, you might as well buy the ones that work. In closing (to a reply which has grown far longer than intended), I would like to repeat my support to Perry and ASDG, and to say that I don't think the DB-9s are a hinderance. The only recomendation I might have is that one have been a DB-25 and the other a DB-9. Since the board is already built, there is no reason to change it. -ethan -- Ethan R. Dicks | ###### This signifies that the poster is a member in Software Results Corp| ## good sitting of Inertia House: Bodies at rest. 940 Freeway Drive N. | ## Columbus OH 43229 | ###### "You get it, you're closer.
elg@killer.DALLAS.TX.US (Eric Green) (02/25/89)
in article <36918@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu>, erd@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu (Ethan R. Dicks) says: $ In article <oY15sUy00Uka4CRLxN@andrew.cmu.edu> bader+@andrew.cmu.edu (Miles Bader) writes: $>perry@madnix.UUCP (Perry Kivolowitz) writes: $>> including rear connector mounting) comes out with 2 DB-9 ``AT'' compatible $>> ports which include: $>This sounds all very nice, but... why are you using connectors that $>are incompatible with what the amiga's serial port uses? I'm tired of $>making strange adaptor cables! Note that this is standard Pee-Cee stuff, a two-port RS232 card (although it sells for $50 in PC-land :-}. Every dealer in Computer Shopper carries funny-looking cables to go from two DB9s to two modems or whatever. -- | // Eric Lee Green P.O. Box 92191, Lafayette, LA 70509 | | // ..!{ames,decwrl,mit-eddie,osu-cis}!killer!elg (318)989-9849 | | \X/ >> In Hell you need 4Mb to Multitask << |
peter@sugar.uu.net (Peter da Silva) (02/26/89)
In article <503@madnix.UUCP> perry@madnix.UUCP (Perry Kivolowitz) writes: >You spoke, we listened. Cool. Now how about a minimum Zorro-2 expansion box for the Amiga 1000. Not the all-singing all-dancing superbox you were doing before... just something with 3 or 4 Zorro-II slots. Repackage the Minirack-D, maybe, though 2 slots isn't really enough (1 or 2 ram cards, hard disk card, serial ports). -- Peter "Have you hugged your wolf today" da Silva `-_-' Hackercorp. ...texbell!sugar!peter, or peter@sugar.uu.net 'U`
perry@madnix.UUCP (Perry Kivolowitz) (02/27/89)
In article <oY15sUy00Uka4CRLxN@andrew.cmu.edu> bader+@andrew.cmu.edu (Miles Bader) writes: >perry@madnix.UUCP (Perry Kivolowitz) writes: >> including rear connector mounting) comes out with 2 DB-9 ``AT'' compatible >> ports which include: >This sounds all very nice, but... why are you using connectors that >are incompatible with what the amiga's serial port uses? I'm tired of >making strange adaptor cables! By using DB-9's, for once you'll be able to purchase inexpensive cables since the IBM world uses that configuration. The difficulty in using DB-25's on the Amiga rear panel is that only one DB-25 can fit on the rear panel in any one slot. -- Perry Kivolowitz, ASDG Inc. ARPA: madnix!perry@cs.wisc.edu {uunet|ncoast}!marque! UUCP: {harvard|rutgers|ucbvax}!uwvax!astroatc!nicmad!madnix!perry CIS: 76004,1765 (what was that about ``giggling teenagers''?)
mkd@mtunh.ATT.COM (Mark Darby) (02/27/89)
In article <503@madnix.UUCP>, perry@madnix.UUCP (Perry Kivolowitz) writes: > > At AmiExpo in New York, March 3 thru 5, we will take orders on our response > to your views: The DSP (Dual Serial Board). The list price is $299. At > AmiExpo we will offer the board at $220 including shipping in the United > States (excluding New York city and state sales tax). > > The board contains two independent serial ports which can be programmed for > operation at up to 78.6KBaud. The board (which fits in a single slot > including rear connector mounting) comes out with 2 DB-9 ``AT'' compatible > ports which include: > > [] > If this product performs as great as it sounds, it will be a potential winner in the AMIGA market. I only have one thing to request.... PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE Have someone check to see if the board works in an Amiga 500 configuration using some hardware expansion cage other than the ASDG racks!! I understand their availability to use in testing the board, but I don't think the average customer would really want to cut away the sides of an ASDG rack to get a A2000 card to work with an A500. Perry, could you get someone (in ASDG, outside ASDG, ???) to test this (or the twin-x solution for that matter) on one or more of the commercially available expansion racks for the 500 which specifically fit "2000-style" cards and could this info then be posted here on the net? Mark K. Darby AT&T Bell Laboratories AT&T: (201)957-2706 200 Laurel Ave. uucp:..!att!mtunh!mkd Middletown, NJ 07748
aegnor@bsu-cs.UUCP (David C. Powell) (02/27/89)
In article <3515@sugar.uu.net> peter@sugar.uu.net (Peter da Silva) writes: > >Cool. Now how about a minimum Zorro-2 expansion box for the Amiga 1000. Not >the all-singing all-dancing superbox you were doing before... just something >with 3 or 4 Zorro-II slots. Repackage the Minirack-D, maybe, though 2 slots >isn't really enough (1 or 2 ram cards, hard disk card, serial ports). >-- >Peter "Have you hugged your wolf today" da Silva `-_-' Hackercorp. >...texbell!sugar!peter, or peter@sugar.uu.net 'U` Add my vote to this, the folks at ASDG (Perry et. al) seem to be VERY responsive to our requests/suggestions, so ALL you Amiga 1000 owners out there let them know that you want Zorro-II slots at a reasonable price, size configuration (I have never seen the Minirack-D, but assume it went off of the Expansion Bus and looked like the other Ram Card boxes out in the market [Alegra, StarBoard II etc.] ) So, how bout it Perry, could you please let your people know that we DESPERATELY WANT a product like this and would be willing to pay good $$$ for it, and besides, build something like this and you add MORE Serial Port buyers, with yours being (as of now..) the only and cheapest Multi-Serial board, we will buy IT to put in our brand spanking new 'ASDG Amiga 1000 Zorro-II Expansion Box' I can see it now...... David C. Powell M.I.S. Senior Ball State University Muncie, Indiana *-David Powell :ARPA: aegnor@bsu-cs.bsu.edu--------------------------* | \/ President :UUCP: <backbones>!{iuvax,pur-ee}!bsu-cs!aegnor | | /\etwnk Industries, Ltd. : | *-"If it doesn't work, we DIDN'T do it!"-----------------------------*
perry@madnix.UUCP (Perry Kivolowitz) (02/28/89)
In article <15518@oberon.USC.EDU> papa@pollux.usc.edu (Marco Papa) writes: >Perry, how about a few details on the DSP design (UART chips used, buffering, >etc...). Can I expect the same performance as with the TwinX-based serial >card? The new board (DSB) is completely compatible with the SBX-Serial/2. Actually, the DSB was designed to be identical to the SBX-Serial/2 from a software perspective. Exactly the same driver is distributed with both products. (The fact that the DSB is based upon a finished shipping set of hardware and software should give people a better feeling about our target ship date). The driver distributed with DSB will support multiple DSBs if you happen to have more than one of them in your system. Software performance will be exactly the same as the Serial/2. The driver we supply has a compiled in limitation of 78.6KBaud per channel. Each channle is completely independent. In testing here we have achieved error free sending and receiving at the 78.6KBaud setting. The DSP employs a Z8530 as the serial controller. This provides 1 byte of transmit buffering and three bytes of receive buffering per channel. All handshake/status lines are provided as per the serial.device. We decided upon coming out with two nine pin connectors since these are a standard cable assembly in the IBM world which means cables should be easy to find and cheap to buy. -- Perry Kivolowitz, ASDG Inc. ARPA: madnix!perry@cs.wisc.edu {uunet|ncoast}!marque! UUCP: {harvard|rutgers|ucbvax}!uwvax!astroatc!nicmad!madnix!perry CIS: 76004,1765 (what was that about ``giggling teenagers''?)
perry@madnix.UUCP (Perry Kivolowitz) (03/01/89)
In article <648@mtunh.ATT.COM> mkd@mtunh.ATT.COM (Mark Darby) writes: >Perry, could you get someone (in ASDG, outside ASDG, ???) to test this >(or the twin-x solution for that matter) on one or more of the commercially >available expansion racks for the 500 which specifically >fit "2000-style" cards and >could this info then be posted here on the net? >Mark K. Darby Will try this out at AmiExpo if possible. -- Perry Kivolowitz, ASDG Inc. ARPA: madnix!perry@cs.wisc.edu {uunet|ncoast}!marque! UUCP: {harvard|rutgers|ucbvax}!uwvax!astroatc!nicmad!madnix!perry CIS: 76004,1765 (what was that about ``giggling teenagers''?)
mkd@mtunh.ATT.COM (Mark Darby) (03/06/89)
In article <3515@sugar.uu.net>, peter@sugar.uu.net (Peter da Silva) writes: > In article <503@madnix.UUCP> perry@madnix.UUCP (Perry Kivolowitz) writes: > >You spoke, we listened. > > Cool. Now how about a minimum Zorro-2 expansion box for the Amiga 1000. Not > the all-singing all-dancing superbox you were doing before... just something > with 3 or 4 Zorro-II slots. Repackage the Minirack-D, maybe, though 2 slots > isn't really enough (1 or 2 ram cards, hard disk card, serial ports). Ditto for the Amiga 500. Two slots for the 500 would be sufficient as long as there was passthrough available as well. All four voltage supplies are necessary (+5, -5, +12, -12). I know there are others on the market now as I have mentioned frequently, but one with an ASDG label would most likely be a favored product. Mark K. Darby AT&T Bell Laboratories AT&T: (201)957-2706 200 Laurel Ave. uucp:..!att!mtunh!mkd Middletown, NJ 07748