Acorn Econet - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

7 Oct 2003

On Oct 7, 19:08, Tony Duell wrote:
...
  >
 > On Oct 5, 18:20, Tony Duell wrote: 
...
  > Ideally, twisted quad stranded with an overall
screen and stranded
 > drain wire, but Cat 3 or better is fine so long as you have the fifth
...

 RIght. And presumably you can 'get way' with more on shorter networks.

Indeed.  I once ran a whole classroom (about 16 Beebs, I think) using
cables made up of a short length, about 6", of thin screened 4-core
with a DIN inline socket on one end, the other end going to a DIN plug
to which I also soldered a longer (3'-6') length of the same wire,
ending in another DIN plug.  A daisy-chain of those worked fine at full
speed.  Later Econet starter kits used Y-adaptors (3 DIN sockets in a Y
shape) and low-cost DIN cables (as often used for low-end MIDI systems,
cassette recorders, etc).

...
  > Level 2 Filserver -- runs on a Beeb with a 6502
Second Processor, uses
...

  Level 3 Fileserver -- runs on a Beeb with Beeb
with a 6502 Second
 Processor, ADFS, and a 10MB or 30MB winchester. The winchester is 
 I do have a 6502 second processor, so these are possible...

 Does it _have_ to be the 10 or 30 Mbyte unit? What about a 20Mbyte ST225,
...
  for example. The Acorn hardware certainly supports
that. 
No, I don't remember ever trying to install one on a 20MB or any size
other than 10MB or 30MB, but I don't see any reason to suppose it might
not work.  You just partition the disk in the propotions you want for
ADFS and Econet FS, and then install the fileserver software.

...
  > partitioned, and the Econet Fileserver partition
has a unique
 > filestructure.  Needs a dongle, which is also a TOD clock.  Most
 > dongles are now dead (and weren't Y2K compliant) but there's a patch
>
...
  What fails in them, or isn't it known? 
*I* don't know, but I'm sure someone does.  You might find something
...
 from Google.  I *think* there may be a battery of some
sort, but that's not the whole problem.

...
   The A/B/B+
interfaces are a bag of components. 
 Ohterwise known as 'there are spare spaces on the PCB for the Econet
 components, get soldering' :-) 
There are a couple of tracks to cut/jumper on some PCBs, but basically,
yes.

...
   The System one
is a Eurocard, the Atom one is a plug-on 
 One of my Atoms has the genuine Atom interface, another has a System
 Econet card hooked up to the expansion bus (which is basically compatible
...
  with the System bus). 
Very nice :-)

...
  The B+ (in the ACW) has PCB positions for the
collision-detect comparator
...
  chip, etc, but they're not fitted.... 
It's worth doing.

...
  I think the Acorn clock and terminator share the same
PCB, just with
 different components fitted. 
The old ones do, yes.  One of mine has both sets of components, you'll
not be surprised to hear.

...
  Incidentally, if you use Acorn hardware throughout, do
you need 3
 'veroboxes' -- a clock and 2 terminators? 
See above :-)  In theory, yes, but on a very short net, you might not
even need the second terminator.

...
  If you use SJ, I assume you use the clock and 2
terminator plugs. 
Yes, though it doesn't matter which clock you mate with which
terminators.

-- 
Pete						Peter Turnbull
						Network Manager
						University of York