Hard disc interfaces

PET C o m m u n i c a t o r The Communicator from Mektronic Consultants is designed to allow the PET computer to accept external inputs and outputs and to perform controller applications. These include domestic and industrial control, timing and sequencing operations, burglar alarms, component and circuit testing, information collection and presentation and more advanced tuition in real-time BASIC control progrmming.

Wave Mate Inc. 's Series 2000 microcomputer system, is a complete standalone system which includes double minif/oppy disc drive and controller, two microprocessors, 64 kbyte of dynamic RAM, boat ROM, 2 serial ports, and provision for Winchester rigid disc. The UCSD PASCA L system software package, adapted to operate on the system has a disc operating system with file handier, full screen and character editors, conditional macroassembler and utility library. A complete system and PASCAL package with 64 kbyte of RAM costs $3,450. A 32 kbyte RAM system without PASCAL costs $2,995. (Wave Mate International, 159 Ch. de Vleurgat, 1050 Brussels, Belgium. Tel: 02 649 1070)

Business sees first A C T Applied Computer Techniques (ACT) have launched their first microcomputer, the Series 800, designed for business applications. Based on a 2 MHz hybrid 6502 microprocessor it provides more than 108 kbyte of semiconductor memory, of which 46 kbyte are user RAM. Online data storage ranges from 800 kbytes on two 5¼ inch dual density floppy disc drives, to 4.8 Mbyte on four 8 inch drives. The processor, VDU, standard-sized keyboard and numeric keypad are all packaged in a single desktop unit. The floppy discs are supplied in freestanding modules and a complete system can be configured with a range of printers manufactured for ACT by Centronics. ROM-based operating software from

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Compu/Think includes microsoft BASIC, an extended disc operating system, including random access data files, a FIFTH language microprogrammed interpreter and a complete machine language monitor. System prices begin at £3,950 for a System 808 with 800 kbyte of online memory. A System 824 with 2.4 Mbyte online is £4,950. A fully compatible ACT 702 printer is £1,709 while the ACT 779 80-column printer is £1,163. Complete business systems with ACT's own software are available from £7,450 for a System 808 with ACT 702 printer. All prices are exclusive of VAT. (Applied Computer

Techniques (Holdings) Ltd., 5-6 b%arage Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham BI5 3ES, UK. Tel: 021 454 5341)

It plugs into the user port to provide 8 channels, and each may be used as an input or an output. Suitable inputs are switches, push buttons, thermostats and alarms: suitable outputs are lamps, relays and D/A converters. LEDs indicate the status of each I/O channel. It is supplied ready-built complete with connector and software examples in BASIC for £79 plus VAT. (Mek-

tronic Consultants, 116 Rectory Lane, Prestwich, Manchester M25 5DB, UK. Tel: 061 798 0803)

Hard disc interfaces Additions to the range of Microcomputer Systems Corporation's MSC-1080 series, which interfaces Shugart SA4000 series disc drives to various microcomputer buses, are now available. These are the MSC-1086 Multibus interface and the MSC-1088 interface for the ]EEE 488 bus. There are three versions of the Multibus board: •

MSC-1086A - controlling up to four SA4000 series Winchester drives, thus giving storage capacities from 14.5 to over 200 Mbyte MSC-1086B - controlling four SA4000 drives plus four SA850 (or equivalent) double-sided doubledensity floppy disc drives for backu p storage MSC-1086C - controlling four SA4OOOs plus a 3M HCD-75 70 Mbyte tape unit for backup

microprocessors and microsystems

The MSC-1088 can interface the IEEE 488 bus to two SA4000 series drives, each of which can store up to 58 Mbyte. All controllers are based on a bipolar microprocessor, giving high performance, low CPU overhead and increased reliability. Error checking and correction, write protection and relative addressing are among the standard features, and for OEM and other volume applications Microcomputer Systems Corporation will develop custom firmware to provide systemoriented features. The boards can be used in new systems or, with simple modification of system software, for floppy disc replacement. The boards are available on 90-day delivery schedules and US prices are $2700 for MSC-1086 and $2650 for MSC-1088 in single quantities, dropping to below $2000 in OEM quantities.

(Microcomputer Systems Corporation, 432 Lakeside Drive, Sunnyvale, CA 94086, USA)

Emulator for P I C General Instrument Microelectronics Limited has introduced an incircuit emulation system, PICES, designed to support the company's PIC Series of 8-bit, single-chip microcomputers. It may be used for testing, troubleshooting and modifying software programs for both the PIC circuit and the total system application. PICES is a self-contained benchtop unit with two communications ports. It can operate either in a stand-alone configuration (with Teletype), or as a peripheral device to a host computer accepting either RS232C or current loop serial I/O channels at various baud rates. The system contains two processors. The user processor is a PIC 1664B microcomputer without ROM but with external RAM. When the RAM is loaded with the user's application program, the PIC 1664B emulates the operation of a PIC 1650A, PIC 1655A or PIC 1656. The control processor is a CP1600 16-bit microprocessor with 8k of program ROM

vol 4 no 3 april 80

R O M simulator from Technitron Technitron are marketing a hand-held ROM Simulator capable of emulating both bipolar and MOS memory devices up to a capacity of 2 kbyte. Made by Micro Link Corporation, the Model 2700 ROMAID Simulator has five basic modes of operation controlled from an integral hexadecimal keyboard and display. In the duplicate mode the internal RAM can be completely or partially loaded from a preprogrammed ROM which is inserted into a socket on the unit. After each duplicate operation, the simulator calculates and displays the checksum for the data. Data contained in the RAM can be compared with the ROM data using the verify mode and any copying errors can be corrected using the edit mode which permits any address in the RAM to be loaded from the keyboard. A further aid is the 'find' mode which allows the RAM to be searched for either a specific 8-bit byte or 2 or 3 sequential bytes with the address being displayed when the selected data are located. In the 'run' mode the host CPU can access the simulator's RAM as if it were the ROM being emulated. Battery backup ensures that the RAM content is preserved in the event of

and 1 k of RAM. This processor controis the functions of the entire PICES system, including I/O interfacing, manipulation of the user processor and interpretation and execution of the system command set. (General

Technitron ROM simulator power failure in the host system. Personality modules are available which adapt the Model 2700 to operate with most TTL compatible ROMs. The single unit price of £545 includes 24-pin connector cable, one personality module and a rechargeable battery pack. Additional per~nality modules are available as options. (Technitron Inc. (UK),

Doman Road, Yorktown Industrial Estate, Camberley, Surrey GU15 3DH, UK. Tel: Camberley (0276) 26517)

In brief SPCC for 8080/6800

Instrument Microelectronics Ltd, Regency House, 1--4 Warwick Street, London WIR 5WB, UK. Tel: Ol 439 Z89Z)

A synchronous-protocol communications controller is available from Fairchild (UK) for use in data communications terminals, controllers and computers. It is designed to satisfy the major interface requirements for bit-oriented and byte control protocols. It interfaces an 8- or 16-bit CPU bus with serial synchronous communications lines. The F3846 version interfaces with the 8080 family of microprocessors, the F6856 with F6800 processors. (Tel: 0707

PICES emulator

51111, UK)

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