Derek Johnson plugs a Swiss TOS‑based computer, reveals plans for more Atari shows, and sets the record straight on Atari hard drives...
The web site run by UK Atari specialists System Solutions got a quick mention in last month's column, but we've now had some time to explore it properly. The most interesting news that comes from the site is of a super‑fast, TOS‑based machine called Hades, developed by Swiss Precision in Switzerland. There are two versions — the standard 68040 processor‑based machine and the even faster 060‑equipped version. Swiss Precision produce the main processor board, which is then packaged by System Solutions, and the final computer can be assembled according to a customer's requirements — so if you need a huge hard drive or rack‑mounting capability, the finished computer will be built to suit.
A Hell Of A Computer
Although this could well be the fastest TOS‑based computer around, the designers have made TOS/GEM compatibility a priority. The operating system is a version of TOS 3.06, which allows up to 1Gb of RAM to be fully recognised by the computer. In speed terms, the 60MHz processor behaves as if it were running at 120MHz, since it actually executes two instructions per clock cycle, and because the Atari operating system is very compact, in common with most Atari‑specific software, the computer apparently actually feels as if it's running more speedily than that — System Solutions claim that the 060 Hades is roughly equivalent to a 200MHz Pentium PC.
The Hades features a vast array of ports and interfaces: it's the first TOS‑compatible computer to possess four PCI slots, and is also equipped with two ISA busses, a VME buss, an enhanced IDE buss, a SCSI buss, standard MIDI interface, modem, LAN and printer ports. All that's missing is a dongle port, but an expansion card that can accommodate up to four dongles is apparently in the works. Other cards in development include an 18‑bit VME audio card, with S/PDIF and AES/EBU digital connections, excellent noise figures and bundled software. Since VME‑compliant products can be chained in a manner similar to SCSI, it will be possible to cascade several of these audio cards, via an external rack adaptor. The card should cost around £600‑£700, with availability around March. Expect news of more developments in the near future, especially in the field of direct‑to‑disk digital audio. A basic Hades 040 costs £1995 inc VAT, and a Hades 060 costs £2395; for more information, contact System Solutions on 0181 693 3355, or visit www.ssolutions.com/ on the Internet.
The Shows Go On
Following the success of the London and Birmingham Atari shows run by Goodmans PDL (01782 336222) on September 28 and 29 of last year, there are plans to run another pair in April this year. Venues and dates are yet to be finalised, but once again it's planned to run a show in London on a Saturday, followed by one in Birmingham on Sunday. There are rumblings about a possible Glasgow show, but these are as yet rather vague. We'll fill you in nearer the dates. Staying with Goodmans for a moment, the library is producing the Atari Reference Guide to Public Domain & Shareware. Running to 80+ pages, and presented in a loose‑leaf format for easy updating, the guide will include detailed descriptions and sample screen shots of a wide range of the best software currently available. All areas of ST and Falcon endeavours will be covered, including, of course, MIDI and music. The guide will cost a mere £2.95, plus postage; contact Goodmans for details.
Take Your Atari For A Drive
Warrington‑based Keychange Music Services, specialist in Atari hardware supply, spares and repairs, were concerned at the implictions of our item regarding the SCSI Burster in last month's column. They'd like to point out that, contrary to popular belief, it is possible to add hard disks to the Atari economically without messing about with old PC cases: for example, their own ready‑to‑go, pre‑configured hard drives start at £160 for 80‑100Mb. The company also take time to gauge a customer's requirements first, regarding partition size and any additional requirements such as NVDI, the crucial ST screen accelerator. Keychange's drives also take up less room: a basic drive is described as "toaster size", while a combined hard drive/CD‑ROM package is about the size of a standard shoe box. Keychange will also be supplying a new Mega‑type external keyboard, for use with a rack‑mounted ST — prices should be known shortly. Contact Keychange on 01925 266120.
News & Tips In Brief
- TOS 2.06 ADVANTAGES
You may recall my recent article (Long Live the ST, October 1996) where I described my reasons for sticking with the Atari ST as my computer of choice. I ordered a new 105Mb SCSI hard drive and was very happy with it. There was one inelegant niggle, which was merely that the ST needed to be booted twice to access the SCSI drive. Having now upgraded my ST's operating system to TOS 2.06, the double boot is no longer necessary. For the unititiated, TOS 2.06 is the last operating system to appear for the Atari ST, giving many advantages over its older incarnations. Notable improvements are the lifting of the four open windows restriction, which certainly helps when a hard drive is in use. The desktop becomes a much friendlier place to work, with a healthy array of configuration options, including the ability to link a file extension to an application program, DOS‑compatible disk formatting, and function key access to specific applications. Better still, I've also found that a couple of irritating errors in Steinberg Cubase's Studio module have now magically disappeared. The version of the upgrade that I bought includes a switch that sits on the side of the ST's case, allowing the older TOS 1.04 to be used should any program refuse to behave under 2.06. For anyone looking to keep their Atari going towards the next millennium, the TOS 2.06 upgrade (available from most Atari specialists) makes a lot of sense.
• DUMP‑IT UPGRADE
Dump‑It, the utility that permits the ST to make use of those SYX SysEx files that seem to be breeding on the Internet, has undergone a transformation. From the simple send‑only version, Dump‑It has now blossomed into an all‑dancing SysEx utility, with full send and receive capabilities. For a registration fee of £5, the unrestricted program will save and load in a variety of file formats, including raw SysEx, Satellite and MIDI File, and allows the user to create a library of SysEx request commands to support any MIDI device. Other features include buffer display, data analysis and a SysEx file split capability. For such a modest outlay, this program is a well‑written, useful addition to any musician's armoury and I can recommend it unreservedly. Dump‑It is to be made available for FTP soon, but in the meantime you might like to contact Ben Hall, the author, at benj@city.ac.uk, or you can visit his personal home page (www.city.ac.uk/~cb170/home.html). Paul Ward
Quick Tip: Cubase Score
Keychange's Barrie Heywood offers us this tip: "If when using the selector module on Steinberg's Cubase Score v2, you find the item line disappears, cancel the operation, go to the Modules menu and remove the file selector module. This should restore the standard file selector — at least it does on my TT." Thanks, Barrie. Anyone else got any bug fixes or work‑arounds?