8-bitters and multi-whatever

[Gordon JC Pearce]

On Thu, 2007-09-13 at 22:15 +0100, Tony Duell wrote:

> The termination resistors were built into all the machines, connected up 
> using the 'break contacts' of the 3,5mm jack sockets (OK 'mini phone 
> socket' across the Pond'. You connected a cable from one machine to the 
> next, and the empty sockets on the 2 'end' amchines automatically 
> connected the resistors to the network.

Except when the sockets were too slack and didn't make contact with the
NC terminal properly.

> > I think, compatible with the networking of the later Sinclair QL. Also
> > there was Acorn's Econet, of course.
> > 
> > I think Econet saw a *lot* of use tho' I've never seen a system
> 
> Econet was available on just about all the Acorn computers -- 'Systems', 
> Atom, BBC micro, Electron (? the Advanced User Guide for the Electron 
> mentions it), ACW, Archimedes. I wouldn't be suprised if it wasn't 
> available on the RiscPC too. Presumably it was used, or Acorn wouldn't 
> have persisted with it.

I've seen an Electron expansion box with what I'm lead to believe is an
Econet interface.  I haven't seen it working.

> > outside of a show stand. I don't think enough Sinclairs got used in
> > schools to make the Sinclair network worthwhile.
> 
> I've never seen it used.

A friend of mine who had a QL and a Spectrum with an Interface 1 and I
tried it - one QL, two Spectrums.  It sort of worked.  If you knew what
you were looking for you could share files, kind of.  You could also
redirect streams from one machine to another.  In total we played with
it for about an hour, then his Mum called us down for dinner.  That was
nearly^H^H^H^H^H^H over 15 years ago now, we've never got back to it.

Gordon