Msg: 3513 *Conference*

12-05-92 11:38:05

From: TRACY ALLEN

To : GARY WEBER

Subj: REPLY TO MSG #3487 (XR4 <--> NEC 8201?)

Dear Gary,
  I guess I was mixing the 8300 up with another machine that NEC had produced
for a while, that had several memory banks, kind of like the   strategy Tandy
took with the T200, but with the form-factor of the 8201.  There was a fellow
who wrote some enhancements for that machine that were kind of like Paul
Globman's XOS-C for the T200.  Do you know what the number of that NEC machine
was, or am I imagining it?
   
  I'm not sure if the Datapac was ever made for the 8201. I'll check into it.
The early datapacs were made to plug into the bus socket on either the M100 or
on the T102 or T200.   I think the bus socket wiring on the M100 is the same as
on the 8201.  The 8201 had that memory expansion called the "sidecar", I think,
but those don't come up too often on the used market.  If the datapac was ever
introduced for the 8201, that would have been during the days that NODE was
selling it along with the ROM chip.  The current software for the T100/102/200
was written by Paul Globman.  
 
   
  The XR4 circuit is pretty  complicated.  And the mechanical problems of
wiring that circuit into the 8201 would be formitable.  The extRAM would be
less of a problem, for a hacker, but probably not something that could be sold.
The extRAM circuit would fit into the options compartment without sticking out.
You could probably make one on a molex carrier.   The bank-switching software
would be a snap.  Is there a network of 8201 users?  How many of them do you
think would be interested in the extRAM?  Who is Daniel Cohen?  
   -- Tracy