jmpiazza@sunybcs (Joseph M. Piazza) (04/01/88)
E x p a n s i o n B o x e s
The the article all you expansion minded 500 and 1000 users have been
waiting for.
I'm pretty settled on fulfilling my hard disk expansion dreams
for my 1000: the Commodore 2090(A) Hard disk controller, and an inexpensive
ST506 PC-style hard disk. I also have my eye on the same for a friend's 500.
Great. All I need now is a slot to shove it in. Where to get
the slot?
The ultimate expansion box promises to be ASDG's 2000-and-1 which
will give us 1000 owners almost everything the 2000 has with the exception
of the video slot. Not too large a loss since the 500 doesn't provide for
a video slot either. My approach then is to buy a slot that will let me buy
an inexpensive hard disk n o w and be able to slip it into the 2000-and-1
later, since the 2001 itself will exhaust all of my hard drive funds and
then some.
I'll use Amiga World's Hardware Buyer's Guide (March 1988, p50)
as a good baseline. Here's the list:
COMPANY COMPANY PRICE For: FEATURES
---------- -------- ------ ---- ---------
2000-and-1 ASDG $799 1000 5 Z-2, 2 Z-1, CPU slot; power
Escort 3 Expansion Tech $279 500# 3 Z-2 Slots
Escort 500 Expansion Tech $249 500# 2 Z-1; no power supply
Expansion Chas. Compu-U-Save $599 1000 3 Z-1, 3 Z-2; power supply
Mini-Rack C ASDG $195 1000 2 Z-subset slots; +5v power
Mini-Rack D ASDG $325 1000 2 Z-"complete"; +-5v, +-12v
Single-Slot ASDG $95 1000# 1 Z-2; no power
Sub System Pacific Periph. $249 both* 2 Z2; power supply
(Not Appearing in same Article)
PPI-1000 Palomar Periph. $1395!! 1000 Zorro; Ram; supports 2 drives
--------- ----------------------------- -----------------------------
[# Claim to "Pass the Buss"]
[* Two Versions: one for 500 and one for the 1000]
[!! Price includes 2 Meg RAM and 20 Meg hard disk]
Some immediate questions raised by this list:
(I'll use the phrase "The Board" to represent the 2090(A) or any similar
controller/board).
* Will the The Board be usable in a Z-1 slot?
* Will the The Board be usable in a Mini-Rack C? How about the D?
How do the mini-racks' power supplies meet The Board's needs?
* What kind of power supply am I looking for in the first place?
* Does my 1000 with external floppy drive and the Insider 1 Meg
internal expansion be enough power? (I doubt it) What if I ditched
the Insider? The floppy? Both?
* IF I were to get a separate power supply (like for the Single Slot
adaptor), how much would it cost and how simple would it be to
install? Would a power supply and enclosure be more likely?
like, from Integrand?
* Can the PPI-1000 be purchased bare? Price? How many slots?
General questions:
* Anybody out there own any of these beasties?
* Any others to be added to the list?
Some Specific Questions:
* In their ad for the Escort 500, Expansion Tech. states:
"There's a bus return for future products like a 4-slot card
cage for 2000 type expansion cards."
Does it have any Zorro slots now? Do they mean "4 additional slots?"
Summary and Additional musings:
The dream expansion box for me now would cost $175, have two Z-2 slots,
and an enclosure including power supply for the slots and (if necessary) for
the drive.
The best bet among these contestants seems (to me) to be the
Sub System 1000 from Pacific Peripherals. I would like to see what it looks
like; I have some doubts about having the Sub System sitting u n d e r
one's 500 but then, I don't have a 500. I hope I like the 1000 version.
The ASDG Mini Rack C or the Single Slot adaptor have great prices
but doesn't appear to have the right features.
The Expansion Chasisse from Compu-U-Save: I can't find any other
references on this sucker --- no adds, nothing. This may be the 2001's
only real competition.
The next real question is where am I gonna put the beastie?
Flip side,
joe piazza
---
In capitalism, man exploits man.
In communism, it's the other way around.
CS Dept. SUNY at Buffalo 14260
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