Computers & Peripherals: February 1, 1996

Optical drive grabs 2.6 Gbytes. The Jupiter 1 optical disk drive packs a 2.6-Gbyte capacity in a 5¼-in. form factor. The half-height magneto-optical (MO) drive uses ISO-, ANSI-, and ECMA-standard erasable media and CCW WORM media. It is also backward-compatible with ISO-standard 1.3-Gbyte and 650-Mbyte cartridges, so you can use the drive with previously recorded data. Controlled via a SCSI port, the Jupiter 1 has an average seek time of 24 msec and a sustained-read-transfer rate of 2 Mbytes/sec. MTBF is rated at more than 100,000 hr. The drive costs under $2600. Mass Optical Storage Technologies Inc, Cypress, CA. (714) 898-9400.

Laser printers sport RAM and hard disk. Equipped with a 40-MHz RISC-based controller, the QMS magicolor CX/8 color laser printer produces 300-dpi color and 600-dpi black-and-white documents, while the CX/20 produces 600 dpi in both color and monochrome. Each of the printers accommodates up to 64 Mbytes of RAM and up to 2.1 Gbytes of internal IDE hard-disk storage. System utilities and drivers are supplied with the unit, including drivers for QuickDraw GX and Windows. The CX/8 costs $5799 with 8 Mbytes of RAM; the CX/20 sells for $6499 with 20 Mbytes of RAM. QMS Inc, Mobile, AL. (334) 633-4300.

PCMCIA cards offer up to 4 Mbytes of flash storage. The D series of PCMCIA flash disk cards stores from 1 to 4 Mbytes and is fully compatible with M-Systems’ TrueFFS and the FTL standard jointly established by M-Systems and Intel. The cards work under Windows 95 using a protected-mode Plug-and-Play VxD driver. Prices start at $35 for the 1-Mbyte version (high OEM quantities). M-Systems Inc, Santa Clara, CA. (408) 654-5820.

CD recorders slip into PC. The Master CD Plus and Master CD Pro are 2× and 4× CD recording systems, respectively. Each of the recording drives can be installed into the half-height 5¼-in. bay of any standard PC. The Master CD Plus transfers data at rates of up to 300 kbytes/sec in the 2× mode, while Master CD Pro transfers data at up to 600 kbytes/sec in the 4× mode. Respective prices for the 2× and 4× versions are $979 and $2595. MicroNet Technology Inc, Irvine, CA. (714) 453-6000.

Fibre Channel RAID controller transfers 100 Mbytes/sec. Intended for emerging Fibre Channel applications, a RAID controller and subsystem provide a burst-mode data transfer rate of 100 Mbytes/sec and a transfer range of up to 10 km. The Series 3 Fibre Channel RAID controller supports arbitrated-loop, switched, or point-to-point topologies on the Fibre Channel host interface, as well as RAID levels 0, 1, 3, and 5. It also has five Fast-20 SCSI ports and accommodates up to 128 Mbytes of cache memory. The Series 3 subsystem offers up to 80 Gbytes of storage using 20 4-Gbyte SCSI drives in either a rack-mount or desk-side enclosure. In OEM quantities, the controller costs $4995. Symbios Logic Inc, Wichita, KS. (800) 862-7729.

Industrial keyboard has office-like touch. A sealed industrial keyboard combines a full ASCII layout with an integral pointing device that guarantees Windows compatibility. The Magnum 84 provides the snap-back feel of an office keyboard and is completely sealed to the environment. Each key contact has a life of 10 million cycles. An optional Parylene coating adds acid resistance. Prices start at $400. Dolch Computer Systems, Fremont, CA. (510) 661-2220.

Rack-mount keyboard includes trackball. A PC/AT-compatible keyboard, complete with a 1.5-in. trackball, requires 1.75 in. of rack height. The Model K2010 has a 101-key layout and connects to a standard serial port. The keyboard can be removed from the rack assembly to fit on your desk or lap. The trackball is enclosed in a separate assembly and can be removed for cleaning. It costs $425. Micro Alliance Inc, Vista, CA. (619) 598-1900.

Ruggedized computer is Pentium-powered. Housed in an environmentally sealed NEMA 4 enclosure and powered by a 90-MHz Pentium processor, the K7 industrial computer provides mission-critical performance under severe conditions. The K7’s chassis and electronics are protected against shock and vibration through a two-stage damping isolation system. An IrDA-compliant serial port allows communication without compromising the sealed enclosure. The K7 enclosure meets NEMA 4, 12, and 13 requirements. A NEMA 4X version is optional. The system costs $6400. Digital Dynamics Inc, Scotts Valley, CA. (408) 438-4444.

PC/AT-compatible computer has 5.25-in. drive footprint. The PC/AT-compatible single-board computer footprint measures 5.75×8.00 in. The Little Board/486i offers the equivalent functions of a PC/AT motherboard and six expansion boards. Along with a 50- or 100-MHz 486DX CPU, the board comes with up to 64 Mbytes of DRAM, embedded PC BIOS, keyboard and speaker interfaces. Also included are four serial ports, an IEEE-1284 parallel port, floppy- and enhanced-IDE drive controllers, display controller, SCSI-II host adapter, and an Ethernet interface. Respective prices for the 50- and 100-MHz versions are $899 and $999. Ampro Computers Inc, Sunnyvale, CA. (408) 522-2100.

Low-profile trackball tackles industrial environments. A panel-mount trackball designed for industrial keyboards and control consoles supports all standard mouse protocols. Using a 1.5-in. phenolic ball, the LP150 requires 1 in. of space below the panel and fits into a 2.5 in.² area. The trackball can be mounted at angles of up to 90° and has a mechanical life of at least 5 million 180° rotations. Options include a delron ring for dust protection and a rubber gasket that resists liquids. The LP150 costs $149. CH Products, Vista, CA. (619) 598-2518.

TIM-40 module provides video I/O. Packaged in a single-width TIM-40 format, the VPT-40 video I/O module for the TMS320C4x family of DSPs can be used for machine vision, medical imaging, and process automation. The module accepts one of four software-selectable NTSC, PAL, RS-170, and CCIR monochrome-interlaced video inputs. Input resolution is 640×480 (NTSC) or 690×580 (PAL) at 8 bits/pixel. The VPT-40 produces an RGB (RS-343A) video output with a 4-bit overlay. The 2.5×4.2-in. daughterboard costs $1995. Ariel Corp, Highland Park, NJ. (908) 249-2900.

CD-ROM drive transfers 1000 kbytes/sec. The XM-3701 series of CD-ROM drives offers a 1000-kbyte/sec sustained data-transfer rate, along with a 120-msec random seek time. A variable-speed playback system allows the drive to read data before the disk reaches a specific rotational speed of 1, 2, or 6.7× that of standard rotational speeds. Variable-speed playback also reduces average power consumption to 5.9W. Both internal and external versions of the XM-3701 are available with SCSI-2 ports. The internal model costs $415; external versions sell for $515. Toshiba America Information Systems Inc, Disk Products Division, Irvine, CA. (714) 457-0777.

Graphics accelerator provides 3-D virtual reality. The 3-D Symphonic Vision board equips 486- or Pentium-based PCs with 64-bit graphics acceleration, 3-D stereo vision, and Spatializer surround sound. The system comes with stereoscopic 3-D glasses that present each eye with a slightly different view of the on-screen graphics. Compatible with Windows 95, the graphics accelerator delivers resolutions of 640×480 to 1280×1024 pixels in 16 and 256 colors, respectively. 3-D Symphonic Vision costs $299. Ahead Systems Inc, Fremont, CA. (510) 623-0900.

85-Mbyte Type-II flash card operates from 3.3V supply. A Type-II PCMCIA card provides 85 Mbytes of flash storage and also works in both 3.3V and 5V systems. The SDP3B-85 flash card has an industry-standard ATA interface and an MTBF of 1 million hours. Its operating shock rating of 1000G (equivalent to a fall from 8 ft) makes the card practically impervious to the shock and vibration typically encountered in a mobile computing environment. Volume OEM pricing is $1495. SanDisk Corp, Santa Clara, CA. (408) 562-0500.

Frame grabber snares 140-MHz analog video. With a programmable analog sampling rate of 2 to 140 MHz, the HI*DEF Plus frame grabber locks onto most incoming signals with less than 1-nsec of jitter. An Auto-Sync utility measures incoming video signals and automatically sets up video timing parameters. One HI*DEF Plus ISA bus board accepts up to four different analog video inputs, including those from continuous tone, magnetoresistive, ultrasound, and nuclear-medicine systems. Images are stored in 2 Mbytes of dual-port RAM. HI*DEF Plus software libraries are available for Microsoft Visual C and include Windows DLLs. The board costs $2995. Imagraph Corp, Chelmsford, MA. (508) 256-4624.

Digital CCD cameras bring imaging to PCs. When linked to a PC running under DOS or Windows, each of three digital cameras offer software control of gain, offset, and color balance. The EDC-1000M, EDC-1000L, and EDC-1000D have resolutions of 324×484, 753×484, and 751×484 pixels, respectively. Each camera uses a frame-transfer CCD detector and comes with an ISA-bus interface card. The high-end EDC-1000D 24-bit color camera has an rms noise rating of 35 electrons/pixel and exposure times ranging from 1 msec to 20 sec, enhancing its performance in low-light-level imaging. The EDC-1000M, -1000L, and -1000D cost $550, $800, and $900, respectively. Electrim Corp, Princeton, NJ. (609) 683-5546.

System board packs Pentium Pro on Baby AT form factor. In addition to both ISA and PCI bus expansion slots, the M6Pi system board provides a 32-bit operating environment based on the Pentium Pro processor, while retaining the standard Baby AT form factor. Both level 1 and 2 cache memories (256 or 512 kbytes) are built into the CPU, freeing up board space for other functions. In OEM quantities, the M6Pi costs less than $500. Micronics Computers Inc, Fremont, CA. (800) 577-0977.

Color ink-jet plotters increase ink capacity. TechJet Color GT plotters use ink cartridges that hold about three times more ink than the original cartridges. The GT series also plots on more media types and comes with a variable-width, roll-media adapter. Full color images are produced at a resolution of 360×360 dpi, while black-and-white renderings are drawn at 720×720 dpi. The D-size model costs $5295; E-size, $5995. A PostScript version of the E-size model, the TechJet Color GT/PS, comes with a PostScript-compatible interpreter and 16 Mbytes of RAM. It sells for $6995. Calcomp Inc, Anaheim, CA. (714) 821-2000.

Magneto-optical drive rotates disk at 3600 rpm. Doubling the capacity of its predecessor, the SMO-F541 magneto-optical (MO) drive stores 2.6 Gbytes and has a disk rotation speed of 3600 rpm. The 5.25-in. ISO-compliant internal drive combines near-hard-drive speed with the high-capacity, archival capability and safe portability of MO media. Equipped with a 4-Mbyte buffer, the SMO-F541 offers sustained transfer rates of between 2.0 and 4.0 Mbytes/sec via an SCSI-2 port. Burst transfers are handled at 5.0 Mbytes/sec. The drive costs $2495. Sony Electronics Inc, San Jose, CA. (408) 955-6572.

Unix modem server offers SCSI connectivity. Communicating over the SCSI bus, this modem server for Unix environments combines up to 16 PCMCIA fax modems in a single chassis. The scsiModem Server is configured with 8 or 16 Type-II PCMCIA slots, allowing both 14.4- and 28.8-kbps transmission speeds. It is compatible with Unix workstations and servers from Sun, HP, IBM, DEC, and Silicon Graphics. The SM-5008 (eight slots) costs $1695; the SM-5016 (16 slots), $2395. Central Data Corp, Champaign, IL. (217) 359-8010.

100-MHz 5x86 CPU board is industrially hard. An ISA bus-compatible CPU board for industrial environments packs an on-board 100-MHz 5x86 CPU and up to 64 Mbytes of DRAM. By using the processor’s built-in power-saving features, the IND-586 reduces power consumption and eliminates the need for a fan. The half-size board comes with a 256-kbyte cache (expandable to 512 kbytes), a PC-104 connector, an IDE interface for two hard-disk drives, dual floppy-disk drive controller, two serial ports, bidirectional parallel port, and a watchdog timer. It sells for $684. Indocomp Systems Inc, Waterford, MI. (800) 466-9715.

RAID storage system speeds network access. The Network Direct RAID storage system permits direct access to 27 Gbytes of data storage without overloading traffic on the server. The system appears as a file-sharing device on the network and is immediately available as a network resource whether the server is on-line or not. It supports NFS and IPX/SPX protocols and lets you hot-swap up to seven 3½- or 5¼-in. half- or full-height drives. The storage system costs $15,900. Trimm Technologies, Las Vegas, NV. (702) 263-2310.

Internal tape drive backs 400 Mbytes of data. Mounted in either the 3½-in. or 5¼-in. bay of a desktop computer, a tape backup system stores 400 Mbytes of uncompressed data or 800 Mbytes compressed on 3M Travan TR-1 cartridges. The MyTape 800 drive is housed in an aluminum frame and comes with software for DOS and Windows. Expected price is $159. Pertec Memories Inc, Scotts Valley, CA. (408) 461-6080.