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Author Topic: Q&A with Werner Lindner (technical director of the ENTERPRISE Computers GmbH) (Read 80764 times)

Offline lgb

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Does it mean, there would be no planned Nick/Dave ("EP custom chips") development too much, but using the "Super Z80" and some additional hardware (MIDI interface, network), and softwares (EXOS3, EGI)? Just I wish we know how that network and MIDI interface would work exactly and how the Hitachi CPU would be connected exactly (the extra address space is how to related to the EP address space), and we can try to make it ourselves to really have the next EP model :)

Offline Zozosoft

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how the Hitachi CPU would be connected exactly
This also would be a interesting for me :-)

But:
Quote from: WernerLindner
Finally EC UK did not have the money for additional versions of NICK and DAVE, and there was no money for major changes to EXOS too. Their only chance was doing some development with the existing two chips and therefore the only option was to take a Z80B, running at 6 MHz. There never was a 64180-machine.

Offline lgb

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Quote
Finally EC UK did not have the money for additional versions of NICK and DAVE, and there was no money for major changes to EXOS too. Their only chance was doing some development with the existing two chips and therefore the only option was to take a Z80B, running at 6 MHz. There never was a 64180-machine.

:(

However there can be still hope there were plans (even just by "rumour") or even written plans (eg documents etc) about future versions of Nick and Dave ...

Offline Zozosoft

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However there can be still hope there were plans (even just by "rumour") or even written plans (eg documents etc) about future versions of Nick and Dave ...

Quote from: WernerLindner
The 6 MHz machine was their last option, based on the existing hardware design. Originally they planned to produce the 64k machine for at least one year and they hoped to sell them quickly and in big volumes (Michael Shirley was talking about 500.000 - 600.000 units). Then it was planned to place the 128k machine in the market and sell even more. The faster machine was planned to come out not before at least two to three years of selling the base models. This didn't work at all - as we know - and they were forced to bring out the 128k earlier as planned. And they started with the the development of the big machine in late 1985, just one year after they had started production of the 64k.

Developing new versions of the chips was probably planned for a later stage, but never done. There even were no concepts for that or any documents about it as far as I know. And without new money from the financiers and with no money coming back out of the sales of the existing products there was nobody interested in that too.

Offline Zozosoft

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About the Hungarian business:
Quote from: WernerLindner
The initial deal was about the full number (appr. 20.000), but shipping was done in several lots. The English stock came directly from England and was put together with the German stock at MIDI-DATA  in Frankfurt. From there there were several trucks going to Hungary. The OMEGA recorders came from Hong Kong. I personally know about one shipment of 5000 units, but I don't know whether there were more. The management side (contracts, shipments, ...) was done by H.M.Windisch ("Mike" Windisch) at that time, who later became MD of ENTERPRISE Computers GmbH. I already tried to contact him (for details about Hungary, Almaty, Dhezkazghan and Moscow) but unfortunately he is abroad at the moment. He will be back somewhere in mid April and I think there will be no chance to get more information earlier.

Then I asked about the tape recorders, who had made this nice design. And why do the other versions exist (Cloud 7/Omega)?
Quote from: WernerLindner
all recorders that were shipped to Hungary came from Hong Kong as far as I know. The order/shipment was arranged by the HK branch of Locumals Ltd., the trading company of the Mathani family. The black/green housing was our idea and we sent films for the logo to Heny Mathani, who arranged everything with the supplier. The inital order was 10.000 I think, but I cannot remember exactly.
 
When we had to reorder, Heny told us that the original supplier/design was not available anymore. He had to take a different supplier (these were the Cloud 7 / Omegas finally) and searching for the alternative was time consuming. There was no time for a black housing and inividually printed logo. Furthermore the transport was a mess: long and expensive: Shipping from Hong Kong went over Rotterdam and then by truck via Germany to Hungary, but there was no other alternative at that time. The overall quantity was not high enough to send a 40" container and our container always had to wait for some other stuff going in the same direction.
« Last Edit: 2015.March.27. 11:28:01 by szipucsu »

Offline Zozosoft

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Some ultra rare cartridges:
ELAN case, with early prototype PCB:
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Cartridge of the Mephisto PHC:
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Quote from: WernerLindner
Quasar-Pascal
written by R.J. Horst in the Netherlands was offered to us in 1986. He wanted to produce the boards by himself and sell them to us. There was no contract between us and it was never sold. Quasar Pascal is also available for MSX-Computers and you can still find Mr. Horsts name on the internet.
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Offline BruceTanner

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Some ultra rare cartridges:
ELAN case, with early prototype PCB

Wow I think that is my 30 year old handwriting on the "Elan" eproms! (Not many people write '1' like that). I remember the red dots but I can't remember what they signify :( As you can see we had a big mix of various manufacturers eproms!

Offline Zozosoft

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Wow I think that is my 30 year old handwriting on the "Elan" eproms! (Not many people write '1' like that).
Great!

I remember the red dots but I can't remember what they signify :(
See the previously uploaded EPROM photos.
As I see 2 dots on EXOS 2.1 and 3 dots on BASIC 2.1. Not see any with only one dot :-)

Offline BruceTanner

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As I see 2 dots on EXOS 2.1 and 3 dots on BASIC 2.1. Not see any with only one dot :-)
Maybe dots=number of bugs! :lol: :smt083

Offline Zozosoft

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Offline Zozosoft

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Another thing is that we have never seen: 64K RAM expansion in a EXDOS style case! :shock:

Quote from: WernerLindner
64k Memory Expansion:
This is the only known expansion (apart from the EXDOS-Controller), that was produced (in prototype quantities). After they had taken the decision not to produce the expansion systems, there was no need/purpose for it and it vanished.
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Offline Tuby128

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I don't understand. EP-Expansion connector is a card-edge (male), on this picture I see the same. How can it be connected to the EP?

Offline Zozosoft

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I don't understand. EP-Expansion connector is a card-edge (male), on this picture I see the same. How can it be connected to the EP?
Look the original EXDOS card with the System Bus Bridge! It is totaly same.
Originaly planned 6 slot Expansion Unit, but finaly only the 1 slot version released with the EXDOS card, this is called as System Bus Bridge.

More documents and schematics will coming about this topic.

Offline Tuby128

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I think my misunderstanding based on that I don't know the exact name of the things.
So the right side of the EP there is the System Bus Connector, which is a male connector. The EXDOS card has the same male connector, and if I want to connect these things, I need a System Bus Bridge which has 2 female connectors. Am I right?

Offline Zozosoft

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So the right side of the EP there is the System Bus Connector, which is a male connector. The EXDOS card has the same male connector, and if I want to connect these things, I need a System Bus Bridge which has 2 female connectors. Am I right?
Yes. But it is also have a +5V regulator, and add the Slot Address lines for the address decoding. The original concept are "plug and play", the expansions can't conflict. Unfortunatelly in Hungary we don't know anything about this system, then the Hungarian expansions using fixed address decoding.