pdbeam@watserv1.waterloo.edu (T.C.) (06/08/90)
In my discussions with people about my original TT post I've realised that I have a few more facts which people might find interesting. According to Atari GM Geoffery Earl, the TT 030 is packed very tightly inside its case. The single VME slot is attached to the motherboard by a ribbon cable and folded over so that the VME card is parallel to the motherboard (as opposed to perpendicular as it is in a PC). When I told Mr. Earl that I suspected the single VME slot to be inadequate (what if we want a GENlock card and have the TT hooked into a Enthernet, or something?) he told me that one would have to use a SCSI Ethernet device and not a VME one. I suspect that the kind of expansions that we currently do with STs that involve wiring boards to the motherboard (like PC-Ditto II) will not be possible in the TT. Also, according to Mr. Earl the TT 030 will be packaged with the 28ms 40Mbyte drive as standard (no option). Mr. Earl also said that there will be a software PC emulator for the TT and that Atai may liscence a hardware PC emulator by a third party (yet another card for that VME slot). Mr. Earl said that Atari will also be liscencing VME boards from companies that sell them at very high prices and selling them themselves at very (comparatively) low prices. (By the way, that 1/3 speed increase figure also came from Mr. Earl) Travis Capener c/o pdbeam@watserv1.waterloo.ca --