sandra@utah-cs.UUCP (Sandra J Loosemore) (05/11/88)
On the subject of clock chips, does anybody have recommendations for a clock chip that plugs into the cartridge port? I don't really want to have to mess with the innards of my machine, or do a great deal of programming to get the thing to do anything useful. I saw one such beast at a local dealer several months ago, but it appeared to have a limited lifetime and no way to replace the batteries. It also set up a bunch of useless (to me, at least) desk accessories. Is there anything better on the market? -Sandra Loosemore (sandra@cs.utah.edu, sandra@utah-cs.uucp)
saj@chinet.UUCP (Stephen Jacobs) (05/13/88)
In response to Sandra Loosemore's request for experiences with clocks for the cartridge port: I use a LogiKhron module from Shanner International. It can be operated with or without a single desk accessory. It does the job. I have not been motivated to remove the screws and see if the battery can be replaced. Of course, a big hard disk with a clock in the host adaptor is the way to go :-)
Roland_Henry_Pesch@cup.portal.com (05/15/88)
Sandra Loosemore (sandra@cs.utah.edu, sandra@utah-cs.uucp) asks: >On the subject of clock chips, does anybody have recommendations for >a clock chip that plugs into the cartridge port? > [ . . . ] Is there anything >better on the market? I was long a satisfied user of Navarone Industries' "TimeKeeper" cartridge. It plugs into the cartridge port, uses a battery in a removable holder, and even has another cartridge port so that you can use other cartridges piggybacked on it. The DA it comes with can be used or not, at your option---it was fairly decent, but eventually I switched to a freeware clock that was floating around the local BB's. The only reason I quit using my TimeKeeper is that I acquired a Magic Sac cartridge, which as part of its Mac emulation has a clock... it's not quite as good a clock as the one in the TimeKeeper, but the Magic Sac does a number of other things for me too-- 8-) . Can't give you Navarone's address; they've moved since I bought my TimeKeeper. But I think they're in Mountain View, CA, somewhere. Oh: I should mention that the first cartridge I had quit working mysteriously after several months---maybe even a year, I forget. The people at Navarone (At least the ones doing it then: this is when they were in Sonora CA) were extremely helpful and rushed me a new cartridge immediately in exchange for the bad one. As I recall, it was only some time after the exchange that I realized the warranty period had actually expired when this happened---Navarone never even brought up the issue. Good folk. /Roland Pesch (pesch@cup.portal.com)
stone@amc-vlsi.UUCP (Glen Stone) (05/17/88)
Hi, I use DeskCart! I don't use the desk acc. much but I do enjoy the clock. Works well. Replacing the batteries may be a problem. When they go I'll just rip it apart and put'em in! How about a battery operated clock chip that attaches to the Hard Disk port? I may build that next. Glen Stone
jpdres13@usl-pc.UUCP (John Joubert) (05/19/88)
-------------------------- I own a Logikron Clock Card and it is one of the types that supposedly cannot be opened for battery change. This is not true. Logikron had two types of cards which looked very similiar, the first models were sealed and could not be gotten into, and the second model came out as a response to some griping. The second type can be opened with a small standard screwdriver, the battery is then easy to change. This was a little shocking to find, because even the manual that came with the product mentioned that the battteries could not be changed, and the cartridge should be sent back to the factory in 4 or 5 years to be fixed. I think that the manual was never updated to the new cartridge. A friend of mine has the Navarrone "Time-Keeper" cartridge, it has a slot on the outside of it to allow you to still put things in the cartridge slot of your ST even though you have the clock cartridge in. After the time is read from the cartridge, it disconnects itself and runs the lines straight out of the back of the cartridge to the next cartridge. I spotted this one in an ST magazine (Atari Explorer 2 mos ago I think) for $20 from a mail order company. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- John Joubert | /\ | /\ | _ jpdres13@usl-pc.USL or ... | \|<>|>|> \|<>|>|><`|`| ut-sally!usl!usl-pc!jpdres13 |-----/|-------/|---------------------- GEnie: J.JOUBERT | \/ \/ -----------------------------------------------------------------------------