Date: Wed, 31 Jan 1996 11:39:58 -0600 (CST) From: Joe Greco <jgreco@brasil.moneng.mei.com> To: msmith@atrad.adelaide.edu.au (Michael Smith) Cc: hackers@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Watchdog timers (was: Re: Multi-Port Async Cards) Message-ID: <199601311739.LAA07197@brasil.moneng.mei.com> In-Reply-To: <199601310226.MAA16885@genesis.atrad.adelaide.edu.au> from "Michael Smith" at Jan 31, 96 12:56:42 pm
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> Joe Greco stands accused of saying: > > Actually, besides this being very ugly, I was referring to building > > production models, not prototypes... I need about six. :-) Since I don't > > have the facilities here to do any sort of PC boards, that leaves me with > > the ugly option of using PC prototyping cards (or other "build-n-go" > > solutions). All of which are expensive. > > I can do PCBs. The real problem being that even if I sell one to > everyone here, I still won't be competing pricewise with a large > manufacturer. I'm not sure anyone cares... I for one understand the economy of scale, which is why I'm not toasting Dennis into the floor over his $169 board. > At a guess, I'd say that a bare board (no parts) would > come to ~$30 if I were to do 10 or more. (This is assuming that there > was very little actually on the board). If this is desirable and nobody's > got anything more attractive, I guess I can come up with something. > > Depending on what parts were required, I'd guess at ~$60 or so (assembled). > (My guess is a GAL and an 8254 would be the order of the day). Hmm. This goes along with one of my other "wish list" items that I've been meaning to work on "someday"... a built-in POST code decoder. Now before you write me off as crazy, let me explain further... I don't know how many of us had seen IBM's PC-RT from the late '80's, but one nice feature it had was a POST code display on the front panel. Useful for debugging. However, once AOS (IBM's 4.3BSD UNIX) was up and running, something cute happened: UNIX started putting out the current load average on the POST display. This tended to give a really warm fuzzy about what was happening (or not happening) on the box, and when you have a machine room with a dozen systems racked and stacked it would be nice to have it. A POST code reader was described a few years back in one of the computer/electronics rags, and I still have a copy of it. Basically a GAL(?) or two tossed on a PC card. Just another nice feature missing from your average PC. Wanna build an "all-in-one" card? :-) ... Joe ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Joe Greco - Systems Administrator jgreco@ns.sol.net Solaria Public Access UNIX - Milwaukee, WI 414/546-7968
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