Computers & Peripherals: July 18, 1996

Alpha processor chip powers desktop computer.

The Summit desktop computer employs a DEC 21164 Alpha processor running at 266-, 300-, or 333-MHz on a baby-AT 8.9×13-in. motherboard. System RAM with 256- or 128-bit-wide access and as many as 16 Mbytes of 10-nsec secondary cache make the Summit useful for memory-intensive applications. The system handles a wide range of peripherals through its two full-length 64-bit PCI connectors and two dedicated 32-bit PCI connectors. It runs under Windows NT Workstation or NT Server, DEC Unix (OSF/1), OpenVMS, and Linux. A base configuration includes 2 Mbytes of cache memory, 32 Mbytes of DRAM, 4× CD-ROM drive, 17-in. monitor, floppy-disk drive, Ethernet PCI adapter, and Windows NT Workstation V3.51. Prices start at $12,366. Aspen Systems Inc, Wheat Ridge, CO. (303) 431-4606.

Large-screen monitor enhances multimedia presentations.

The ViewSonic 29GA PerfectSound monitor's 29-in. screen and multimedia capabilities enable its use for large group presentations, videoconferencing, training, and dem-onstrations. The monitor serves as both a television screen and a computer display, providing resolutions as high as 1024×768 pixels with a refresh rate of 80 Hz. The 29GA accepts RGB and S-Video formats, as well as NTSC (National TV Systems Committee) and PAL (phase-alternation-line) video standards. Dual 5W speakers deliver stereo sound, and a wireless remote lets you control the monitor's functions. The 29GA costs $3995. ViewSonic Corp, Walnut, CA. (909) 869-7976.

12-in. flat-panel display goes only 1.5-in. deep.

Intended for space- or weight-constrained applications that require a large image size, this 12.1-in. flat-panel display offers the same graphics-capability and image-size of a 14-in. CRT monitor. The 8-lb, 1.5-in. deep PowerScreen provides a resolution of 1024×768 pixels and a palette of 4096 colors on an active-matrix LCD. The LCD refreshes at a rate of 60 Hz and has a dot pitch of 0.24 mm. The display requires 30W at full brightness, 70% less than most standard 14-in. monitors. PowerScreen works with Sun workstations and standard 1024×768 VESA timing platforms without additional hardware or software. The single-unit sample price is $4995. RDI Computer Corp, Carlsbad, CA. (619) 929-0992.

Serial-port controllers run under Unix and Windows NT.

The PCI-4 and PCI-8 controllers for the PCI-bus provide four and eight asynchronous serial ports, respectively, for IBM AIX and Windows NT platforms. The devices support data rates of 230 kbaud. Both boards offer full modem control on all ports and come with operating-system drivers that automatically install. The PCI-4 has four RJ-45 ports mounted on its faceplate; the PCI-8 uses two octopus cables that break to either eight RJ-45 or eight DB-25 connectors. Respective prices for the PCI-4 and PCI-8 are $495 and $695. Central Data Corp, Champaign, IL. (217) 359-8010.

Touch monitor presents 20-in. color screen.

The AccuTouch P274-20CM five-wire resistive touch screen and the IntelliTouch P284-20CM surface-wave touch screen are integrated with Magnavox's 20CM64 20-in. color monitor to provide a Windows-, Macintosh-, and DOS-compatible touch monitor. Both monitors offer a 50,000-hour MTBF. Display resolution is 1024×768 pixels with a refresh rate of 72 Hz. The devices come with RS-232C controllers. The AccuTouch P274-20CM costs $2655, and the IntelliTouch P284-20CM costs $2600. Elo TouchSystems Inc, Fremont, CA. (800) 356-8682.

Short-haul modem tracks communication status.

The Model 221, a modem that transmits data at a rate of 19.2 kbps over distances of two miles, integrates the DataSpy LCD to provide on-line status of the communication link. The display indicates when the transmit or receive data signal is active or passive and when control signals such as the clear-to-send (CTS), request-to-send (RTS), and data-set-ready (DSR) signals are active. The unit is powered from the transmit data (TD) signal applied to its RS-232C connector. Offered with a male or female DB-25 connector, the 2×4.25×0.75-in. modem costs $95. Telebyte Technology Inc, Greenlawn, NY. (516) 423-3232.

Three-platter hard drive stores 2.0 Gbytes.

With an average seek time of <12 msec, the 7200AP/A three-platter 3.5-in. hard-disk drive offers a formatted storage capacity of 2.0 Gbytes and either 64- or 128-kbyte buffers. The drive incorporates an Enhanced IDE interface and has an end-user price of approximately $370. Maxtor Corp, San Jose, CA. (408) 432-1700.

ISA-bus board meets ISDN requirements.

The Datavoice 16-bit ISA-bus board lets you simultaneously talk and transfer data on the same telephone line. The card conforms to international ISDN standards, enabling global communications throughout North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia and provides access to the Internet. A fax/modem option supports common protocols, including V34, V32terbo, V27ter, and V29. The Datavoice, which comes with Transfile II software, costs $1250. SCii Telecom, Riverdale, MD. (301) 779-1368.

PCI-bus monochrome frame grabber sends data to RAM.

Designed specifically for imaging applications that require acquisition and transfer without display, the Pulsar-LC PCI-bus frame grabber captures data from nonstandard video sources at a resolution of as much as 1k×1k×8 bits at 30 frames/ sec (or the equivalent). The board serves as a PCI-bus master, transferring data to system RAM at rates of as high as 60 Mbps. The device digitizes 8- or 10-bit data at as much as 45 MHz. A 16-bit TTL interface is standard; an optional input module accommodates 16-bit RS-422 data. The Pulsar-LC costs $1695, including a C development library. Matrox Electronic Systems Ltd, Dorval, PQ, Canada. (514) 685-2630.

PC speaker system delivers 3-D sound.

A compact audio-speaker system for personal computers incorporates SRS Labs' Sound Retrieval System 3-D stereo technology, which replicates the human-hearing system and creates panoramic, crystal-clear 3-D sound. The three-piece system consists of two lightweight satellite speakers and a subwoofer. Separate power amplifiers drive all three components, which have vibration-isolated circuitry to minimize distortion. Frequently used controls are located on the right speaker. A bypass switch lets multimedia software packages control volume and balance. The SP-3d speaker system costs $199. Nakamichi America Corp, Torrance, CA. (310) 538-8150, ext 255.

Industrial video monitor responds to touch.

Offered in rack-, panel-, and chassis-mount configurations, the CM2010 houses a digital-video monitor and a resistive, capacitive, or surface-acoustic-wave touch screen in a sheet-metal en-closure built for the factory floor. The 20-in. CRT display has a noninterlaced resolution of 1600×1200 pixels with a 0.28-mm dot pitch. Dual-fan positive-pressure cooling allows operation to 50°C. The multisynchronous monitor is compatible with IBM and VESA standards, as well as with Apple Macintosh II. Touch-software drivers are supplied for DOS, Windows, Windows NT, and OS/2. Prices start at $3095, including a serial or ISA-bus touch controller. Nortech Engineering Inc, East Walpole, MA. (508) 668-3490.

Bar-code printers operate at 203 dpi.

The K4200 and K4300 thermal-transfer and direct-thermal printers feature fast bar-code, graphic, and text printing. The K4200 offers thermal-transfer and direct-thermal printing and prints as much as 2-in./sec at 203 dpi with a 4-in. print width max. The K4300 prints 6-in./sec at 203 dpi in 1- to 4-in. widths. The K4200 operates on a variety of media, including roll-fed, die-cut, continuous, or fan-fold labels, tags, and tickets. Both units also print on polyolefin shrink tubing. Memory-management functions let you store and retrieve label formats, graphics, and smooth scalable fonts. The K4200 costs $995, and the K4300 costs $1995. Kroy Inc, Scottsdale, AZ. (602) 948-2222.

Converter boots computer without keyboard.

Plugging a computer's keyboard and mouse ports into the Guardian emulator/converter lets the computer boot and run without a connected keyboard. The 4×4×1-in. device lets you remove the keyboard and mouse to prevent unauthorized use or accidental misuse of the device, to conserve space, and to ensure error-free booting and operation of computers connected to a mechanical A/B switch. Versions for PC/AT and PS/2 computers cost $85; Macintosh and Sun versions cost $150. Raritan Computer Inc, Belle Mead, NJ. (908) 874-4072.

FDDI concentrator serves as Plug and Play desktop hub.

With a desktop footprint of only 8.08×6.25 in., the M100 concentrator provides a FDDI connection over unshielded twisted-pair cables. The single-attach unit is configured with one S port and four M ports and is fully compliant with ANSI X3T9 and TP-PMD 2.0. Plug and Play connectivity makes the M100 easy to install and operate. All connectors, except power, are on the front of the console. The M100 lists for $1995. Interphase Corp, Dallas, TX. (214) 654-5000.

Short-haul modem transmits status signal.

The Model 224 optically isolated modem/transceiver transmits full-duplex data at as much as 19.2 kbps over distances of as many as 10 miles. The transmission includes a handshake signal in each direction to determine the status of the remote device. A DTE/DCE switch simplifies connection to computers, multiplexers, and printers. The Model 224's built-in DataSpy LCD indicates live operating status, and a loopback switch aids in testing and troubleshooting. The unit costs $129 and comes in a small plastic case. Telebyte Technology Inc, Greenlawn, NY. (516) 423-3232.

Notebook computer sports 133-MHz Pentium processor.

The TravelMate 5300 notebook computer uses a 133-MHz Pentium processor with a 32-bit PCI-bus architecture and 256-kbyte L2 cache. An 11.3-in. active-matrix SuperVGA display gives 65,000 colors at a resolution of 8003600 pixels. The system includes a 1.2-Gbyte hard-disk drive, 1.44-Mbyte floppy-disk drive, 8 Mbytes of RAM (expandable to 32 Mbytes), and integrated multimedia capabilities. A PCMCIA slot accepts one Type III or two Type I or II expansion cards. Windows 95 and Windows for Workgroups are preinstalled. The TravelMate 5300 has an estimated price of $5499. Texas Instruments Inc, Temple, TX. (800) 848-3927.

Portable PC has room to grow.

The StealthBox portable computer supplies as many as seven ISA card slots and expansion for a CD-ROM drive; tape backup; and Syquest, Bernoulli, and large-capacity disk drives. Configured in a lunchbox-style housing, the StealthBox offers a choice of a 486 or a Pentium processor running at 90 to 133 MHz; ISA-, EISA-, and PCI-bus options; and 4 to 128 Mbytes of RAM. Disk drive options start at 1 Gbyte. You can also choose an active-matrix thin-film transistor (TFT) or dual-scan color display. The price of a 486-based system with 4 Mbytes of RAM, 1-Gbyte disk, and dual-scan display is $4700. Stealth Computer Corp, Toronto, ON, Canada. (416) 674-3800.

Control panel simplifies PLC programming.

Connected to any of the vendor's FP series programmable logic controllers (PLCs), the ATM-100 intelligent operator panel lets you program complex machine operations with minimal programming experience. Equipped with a numeric keypad and a 20-char32-line backlit LCD, the ATM-100 provides 487 storage/ display screens for you to custom design a control interface for a variety of functions. The keypad offers 24 programmable function keys with four types of action: momentary, alternate on/off, set, and reset. The ATM-100 reads and writes registers in the PLC by address number or by description. The unit costs $570. Aromat Corp, New Providence, NJ. (908) 464-3550.

TFT LCD panel connects directly to VGA port.

When plugged into the standard VGA port of a personal computer, the Slimplicity 10VLCD 10.4-in. thin-film transistor (TFT) LCD panel displays as many as 256,000 colors at a resolution of 640×480 pixels. The backlit display, which doesn't need a plug-in card or a software driver, works with any bus type, including ISA, EISA, and PCI. The panel even works with laptops equipped with an external monitor connector. In addition to contrast and brightness controls, the unit features an on-screen display for full setup of the monitor. The 1.25-in. deep Slimplicity 10VLCD costs $2995. The Saelig Co, Victor, NY. (716) 425-3753.

PRML hard drives store as much as 4.3 Gbytes.

With a height of only 0.75 in., the Bigfoot 5.25-in. hard drive fits in the mass-storage bays of desktop and deskside PCs to give you 1.2 or 2.5 Gbytes of storage on one or two disks, respectively. The 3600-rpm drive incorporates a PRML read channel and a Fast ATA-2 interface. Another PRML drive with a Fast ATA-2 interface, the 3.5-in. 4500-rpm Fireball offers storage capacities of 1.0, 2.1, and 3.2 Gbytes. Aimed at Unix workstations, PC-based servers, and disk arrays, the Viking 3.5-in. 7200-rpm PRML family stores as much as 4.3 Gbytes and offers a selection of Ultra SCSI-3 interfaces. Prices start at $270, $266, and $475 for the Bigfoot, Fireball, and Viking, respectively. Quantum Corp, Milpitas, CA. (408) 894-4000.

RAIDs sustain data rates of 70 Mbytes/sec.

The 7000 series of Fibre Channel RAIDs supports sustained data rates of >70 Mbytes/sec and burst rates of 100 Mbytes/sec. Using standard SCSI-2 disk drives, the 7000 stores approximately 72 Gbytes in a single array. Redundancy capabilities include hot-swapping of disk drives, power supplies, and cooling modules. The unit connects to the host via the Fibre Channel arbitrated loop interface implemented with a SCSI software layer. A 34-Gbyte configuration costs $49,950. Ciprico Inc, Plymouth, MN. (612) 551-4000.