Business seeas first ACT

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