NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #20/NN_1992_20.iso/spool/comp/sys/atari/8bit/4627

Internet Message Format | 1992-09-12 | 1.8 KB

Path: sparky!uunet!nntp1.radiomail.net!portal!cup.portal.com!Rick_Michael_Cortese
From: [e-mail]
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.8bit
Subject: Re: Adding a 2nd PIA
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Date: Sat, 12 Sep 92 10:17:25 PDT
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
Distribution: world
References:  <[e-mail]>
Lines: 21

I HATE!@#$ PIGGY BACKING CHIPS! Almost every time I do it, I ruin both chips!
That's a major reason why I picked the 6520, it's cheap & everywhere if I
blew it. Try finding an ANTIC at your local Radio Shack <G>. Just mindless
ramblings, but... I consider myself a true hobbyist => I do things I don't
really need for reasons no one else can fathom. I've got two direct connect
printers for my 8-bit as well as an 850 & P:R: connection. I just like the
smell of solder & saying "Atari should have done it this way!" Intellectual
honesty makes me do it before I say it. For Ex. if Atari would've spent the
extra $3 for the 2nd 6520 & $.69 for a connector they could've had a built
in printer port plus about another spare 8 lines. Say you use two for a
feable RS232, you still have 6 left for bank switching & all four original
joysticks. I think the lack of a printer port really hurt sales/functionality
of the system. It would've added 1% to 3% to the cost of a system, but
made them much more suitable for light WP etc. Some of the other stuff I
regard as near sighted was not tying the A7 line to the 74LS138's other
!E line & perhaps spending the extra $.20 to add a 2nd '138. You sort'a
have to remember: I'm really not that bright & have never had a single
electronics class of any kind. If I can sit here and figure it out, it
makes me wonder what was going on at Atari.
Anyway, I'll keep plodding along. If you guys are following my chain of
thought, you'll probably guess where this is going.