jgb@prism.gatech.EDU (James G. Baker) (10/13/90)
My lab currently uses IBM PC's (XT) for students to get experience interfacing to the IBM bus. We have cards and protoboards that extend all the PC bus signals so that students can attach projects to it. I am currently doing research do see if the PS/2 might be our next platform vs ISA-AT or EISA. Has anyone every used a similar device to allow access to the MCA bus? Thanks. -- BAKER,JAMES G - Lab Technician, School of Electrical Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta Georgia, 30332 uucp: ...!{decvax,hplabs,ncar,purdue,rutgers}!gatech!prism!jgb Internet: jgb@prism.gatech.edu
bank@lea.ncsu.edu (Dave The DM) (10/13/90)
The problem with using MCA in the setting you desire is the radical change in bus design between it and ISA. ISA had little in the way of bus arbitration. A card on the bus would, in many cases, simply assert the bus request line and hold it until the controller responded. Device arbitration is virtually non-existent...whoever gets there first wins. MCA, on the other hand, maintains relatively rigid control over the bus. The machine knows what devices are where, how many slots it has, and so forth. The bus controller uses all of this information to arbitrate the bus. Ergo, it is very difficult to extend the MCA bus. I do know os (of) a box that, thru black magic and witchery, can do so...it was reviewed a number of months ago in PC Magazine. It can only extend the MCA bus by using ISA cards, and you must inform the MCA bus machine os the location and identity of each and every ISA card in the external bus. PC Magazine concluded that for the price (in excess of three digits) it was better to get an MCA machine with more slots. In short, I'd suggest that you stick to ISA. If you want to add the concept of "real" bus arbitration and other goodies, try EISA. Dave The DM
bdb@beach.cis.ufl.edu (Brian David Bisson) (10/23/90)
Does anyone know of sounds cards made for the Microchannel bus? If not does anyone know of some kind of adapter card such that an AT bus card can be interfaced with Microchannel? ADlib only makes sound cards for AT bus, and Rolands only MC BUS card is like over 600 bucks (steep) thanks bdb -- In Real Life: UUCP:{codas|gatech}!uflorida!beach.cis.ufl.edu!bdb Brian D. Bisson Internet: bdb@beach.cis.ufl.edu Software Support Consultant Resident GB Addict/Nethacker/Jabberjaw Business Admin. Computer Lab University of Florida (Gainesville, FL 32612)