╘HIS ARTICLE IS REPRINTED BY PERMISSION FROM THE ═AY, 1988 ISSUE OF ═IDWEST
╬EWS, THE MONTHLY JOURNAL OF THE ═IDWEST ├OMMODORE ╒SERS ╟ROUP.
╨╥╧─╒├╘ ╥┼╓╔┼╫
┬Y: ╚OWARD ╦ILLINGBECK
┴PROSPAND
╞OUR SLOT CARTRIDGE PORT EXPANDER
┴VAILABLE FROM:
$29.95 + TAX
╘HE ├OMPUTER ╥OOM
20 ╫. 79TH ┴VE.
═ERRILLVILLE, ╔N.
219-738-3203
$29.95 + ╙HIPPING & ╚ANDLING
┴PROTEK
1071-┴ ┴VENDA ┴CASO
├AMIRILLO, ├ALIF. 93010
1-800-962-5800
╞EATURES
╘HE ┴PROSPAND-64 IS AN EXPANSION MODULE ADVERTISED IN MANY ├OMMODORE MAGAZINES AND FEATURES THE FOLLOWING CLAIMS:
┴. ╞OUR SWITCHABLE (SINGLY OR IN COMBINATION) EXPANSION CONNECTORS.
┬. ╥ESET BUTTON
├. ╞USE PROTECTION
╠ET ME BEGIN BY SAYING THAT ╔ PURCHASED MY SLOT EXPANDER FROM THE ├OMPUTER ╥OOM. ┴NXIOUSLY ╔ WENT HOME, UNWRAPPED THE PACKAGE WITH GREAT EXPECTATIONS, FOLLOWED THE "INSTRUCTIONS", AND POWERED UP WITH THREE OF MY FAVORITE CARTRIDGES INSTALLED. ╔ HAD "╚ESWRITER 64", "═ACH 5" BY ┴CCESS, AND "╘HE ╞INAL ├ARTRIDGE" BY ╚&╨ ├OMPANY, OF ╚OLLAND...--- ╔'M WAITING, WHY IS THE SCREEN BLANK? ═AYBE ╔ MISREAD THE INSTRUCTIONS? ╬O, EVERYTHING IS ACCORDING TO THE PRINTED INSTRUCTIONS.
╔ KNOW, LET'S CHECK THE CONNECTIONS, CLEAN THE TERMINALS WITH ALCOHOL AND REATTACH. ╟OOD, NOW LET'S POWER UP ONCE MORE (SHOULD HAVE CLEANED THOSE TERMINALS BEFORE ╔ STARTED). - - - ╚MMM, MAYBE MY 64 IS KAPUT! ╔'LL TAKE OUT THE EXPANDER AND AND DOUBLE CHECK. ╥EMOVE EXPANDER AND POWER UP WITH NO DIFFICULTY. ╧╦, NO EXPANDER IS GOING TO GET THE BEST OF ME! ╔'LL REMOVE ALL BUT THE ═ACH 5 CARTRIDGE. ╠ET'S SEE ALL SWITCHES ARE OFF EXCEPT THE ═ACH 5. ├ONTACT, EVERYTHING WORKS PERFECTLY. ╙O, POWER OFF AND ADD THE ╚ESWRITER 64 CARTRIDGE. ├ONTACT - ALL SYSTEMS GO, AND ╔ AM ABLE TO SWITCH BETWEEN EITHER OF THE CARTRIDGES WITHOUT DIFFICULTY. (╨ROBABLY DIDN'T MAKE GOOD CONTACT WITH THE CARTRIDGE SLOTS. ┘EAH, THAT'S IT!) ┴DD ╘HE ╞INAL ├ARTRIDGE - - - SCREEN BLANK. ╙TRANGE, BUT IN ANY COMBINATION, WITH ANY CARTRIDGE, IN ANY SLOT CONFIGURATION, WHEN ╔ ADD ╘HE ╞INAL ├ARTRIDGE NOTHING WORKS... ┴ LITTLE MORE TROUBLE SHOOTING AND ╔ FIND VERY FEW CARTRIDGE COMBINATIONS THAT WILL ALLOW POWER UP WITH ALL FOUR SLOTS FILLED, EVEN WHEN THEY ARE "SHUT OFF"!!! ╘IME TO CALL THE ├OMPUTER ╥OOM, MAYBE ╔'VE GOT A DEFECTIVE PRODUCT.
┴FTER ABOUT HALF AN HOUR AT THE ├OMPUTER ╥OOM, WE COME TO THE SAME CONCLUSION, - THAT WITH THE COMBINED RESISTANCE OF THE CARTRIDGES IS ADDED TO THE SLOT EXPANDER, THE COMPUTER WILL NOT POWER UP. ┬UT ╔ DO SO MUCH CARTRIDGE SWAPPING ╔'M GOING TO KEEP MY INVESTMENT ANY HOW. ╙UGGESTED RETAIL FOR THE ┴PROSPAND IS $29.95 (═ARVIN, AT ╘HE ├OMPUTER ╥OOM, MIGHT DO YOU BETTER IF HE SEES YOU COMING).
╘O SUMMARIZE, SOME CARTRIDGES SIMPLY WILL NOT WORK IN COMBINATION WITH OTHERS. ╔ FIND ╔ USE MY WORD PROCESSOR, ═ACH 5, AND ┼XPLODE ╓3.0 MOST OFTEN, AND HAVE HAD NO PROBLEMS. ╔ DO RECOMMEND THE PRODUCT, ONLY IF YOU ARE WEARING OUT YOUR SLOT THROUGH CONSTANT CHANGES. ╨╙ - IT IS NICE TO BE ABLE TO INSERT CARTRIDGES WITHOUT STANDING ON MY HEAD TO ENGAGE THE CARTRIDGE PORT. ┴LL CARTRIDGES STAND LINE UP VERTICALLY, BUT FOR IDENTIFICATION (THEY ARE SO CLOSE TOGETHER) YOU NEED TO LABEL THE TOP OF EACH CARTRIDGE! ╘HE MANUAL STATES THAT THE CARTRIDGES MAY BE SWITCHED INTO USE IN COMBINATION (IF THE CARTRIDGES ALLOW IT) - - - SOUNDS FOOLHARDY TO ME! ╔'M AFRAID TO TRY IT ╘HEY WON'T STAND BEHIND REPAIR COSTS. ╫ELL THAT'S ABOUT ALL ╔ HAVE TO SAY, - NOW ╔ SWITCH IN ┼XPLODE TO ╚YPER ╠OAD THE NEXT *@#&<.
┼─╔╘╧╥'╙ ╬╧╘┼╙:
┴FTER READING THE ABOVE ╔ PLACED A CALL TO ┴PROTEK ├USTOMER ╙ERVICE. ╔ SPOKE WITH ┬EN ╚OLMES, THE ├USTOMER ╙ERVICE ╘ECHNICIAN. ╚E EXPLAINED TO ME THAT THE ┴PROSPAND MAY NOT BE COMPATIBLE WITH ALL VERSIONS OF ├OMMODORE ╥╧═╙. ╚IS COMPANY HAS A TWO WEEK SATISFACTION OR YOUR MONEY BACK ON ┴╠╠ THEIR PRODUCTS (EXCEPT RIBBON EXTENDERS FOR THE CARTRIDGE PORT). ╔F YOU PURCHASE THIS PRODUCT AND IT DOES NOT WORK FOR YOU RETURN IT FOR A 100% REFUND.
┴NOTHER FACTOR IN THE USE OF THIS DEVICE IS THE TIMING OF THE INPUT/OUTPUT LINES. ╙OME CARTRIDGES WILL ONLY WORK WHEN THEY ARE IN THE SLOTS CLOSER TO THE COMPUTER BECAUSE OF THIS. ╫HEN YOU ARE DEALING WITH THE SPEED OF ELECTRONS VERY SHORT DISTANCES ├┴╬ MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
═R. ╚OLMES ALSO STATED THAT IF THE COMPUTER WOULD NOT POWER UP WITH THE EXPANDER IN PLACE AND ALL SWITCHES OFF THAT THE UNIT SHOULD BE RETURNED FOR REPAIR, IF THIS OCCURS WITHOUT CARTRIDGES IN PLACE. ╔F IT DOES NOT POWER UP WITH CARTRIDGES IN PLACE THEN THAT PARTICULAR COMBINATION IS SIMPLY NOT USABLE.
┼VEN THOUGH THE ┴PROSPAND WILL ALLOW MORE THAN ONE CARTRIDGE TO BE ON AT ONCE ═R, ╚OLMES STATED HE WAS NOT AWARE OF ANY TWO CARTRIDGES THAT WOULD WORK TOGETHER.
╘HIS PRODUCT IS ALSO COMPATIBLE WITH THE ├=128. ╘HERE ARE SOME ├=128 OWNERS USING THIS OR A SIMILAR PRODUCT TO ALLOW FOR THE USE OF BOTH A ╥┴═ ┼XPANDER AND VARIOUS CARTRIDGES. ╘HE ╥┴═ ┼XPANDER IS PARTICULARLY SENSITIVE TO ╔NPUT/╧UTPUT TIMING. ╔F YOU USE AN EXTENDER WITH THE ╥┼╒ KEEP THE ╥┼╒ AS CLOSE TO YOUR COMPUTER AS POSSIBLE.
╔ WOULD LIKE TO THANK ═R ╚OLMES OF ┴PROTEK FOR HIS TIME ANSWERING MY QUETIONS. . . ─ALE
