Top Document: Atari 8-Bit Computers: Frequently Asked Questions Previous Document: 5.3) How can my Atari utilize my PC's modem/network? Next Document: 5.5) How can I connect my Atari to a high-speed/Ethernet network? See reader questions & answers on this topic! - Help others by sharing your knowledge ==> CSS Deluxe Quintopus Share SIO devices between 2 computers. The Deluxe Quintopus consists of a box with two switched SIO ports and 4 unswitched SIO ports. http://www.nleaudio.com/css/products/quintopus.htm ==> Supra MicroNet Supports the connection of one SIO chain of peripherals to up to 8 computers. When one computer accesses a peripheral device, the entire bus is occupied so that the other computers on the "network" must wait. The bus is freed five seconds after a computer finishes interacting with the peripheral. A printer/data buffer can make the MicroNet more practical. Supra also provided a modified Atari DOS 2.5 that would re-try disk accesses repeatedly in response to SIO timeouts. http://www.atarimagazines.com/v4n10/productreviews.html ==> CSS Multiplexer ("MUX") Description from the CSS online catalog: The Multiplexer is a collection of cartridge interface boards that allow up to 8 Ataris to read and write to the same drives (typically a hard disk), access the same printer(s), and talk to each other. It is the first practical networking system for the Atari 8-bit computer. One "master" computer (any 8-bit) is equipped with the master Multiplexer interface. Then up to 8 "slave" computers hook up to this master, each having their own slave interface. The slave interface consists of a cartridge that plugs into the cartridge port. It has its own socket on the top so you can use whatever cartridges you desire with the system. The "common" peripherals (things that are to be shared) are connected to the master. On each slave, all disk and printer I/O is routed through the master so no extra disk drives are needed. The master computer can be configured in any manner you wish. You may have certain peripherals local to the slave or routed to a different number on the master. Note that serial ports (R: RS-232 interfaces) are not multiplexed. All slaves are independent and do not need to have the same program running on them. http://www.nleaudio.com/css/products/multiplexer.htm ==> GameLink and GameLink II This text by Andreas Koch: In the late 80`s and early 90`s Chuck Steinman and Jeff Potter ("The ADGA Group") developed some networking-computer-hardware to link two or more Ataris together, so that multiplayer games are possible, where each user has its own computer and tv/monitor screen. The hardware was/is computer independent and will run fine on any Atari 8Bit computer (whereas most software for it will only work on XL/XE computers). During a 3-4 year period of development two different hardware add-ons were developed: a) Gamelink-1: This hardware was developed in 1989/90. It links two computers together via the joystick ports. It is limited to a maximum of 2 computers and thus 2 or 6 players, meaning one free port per XL/XE computer and 3 free ports per 400/800 computer. However, the few existing games for this hardware merely support 2 players, no matter, which computer you have... b) Gamelink-2: This hardware was developed in 1991/92. It links 2 to 8 computers together via the SIO-port. One computer will then act as the master and has to boot up the software (from tape, disk, hard disk, etc.) first. Then all other "slave" computers connect to it and boot off of this master computer (one after another of course). In Europe we call this device "Multilink", mostly because of the games written by Bewesoft (Jiri Bernasek) called Multi-Dash, Multi-Race, Multi-Worms. A two-computer link-network can easily be done with one SIO cable, just open the end of the SIO cable and exchange cables number 3 and 5. You now have an easy two-computer (2-4 players) network-cable. For some available software, that supports this networking-computer hardware, see 8.16 which programs support networking computer hardware... ==> AT-Link (Alphasys) Arianne Slaager writes: I was actually surprised to read about the Gamelink-1, as I made a similar cable myself, called the AT-Link. This cable could also be used to communicate with Commodore 64 computers, and I made driver software for both systems at the time. There were 2 drivers. One as relocatable machine code, and another as device driver. Also in the package was a 2 player Battleships type game where Side A had the Atari version, and Side B the Commodore 64 version. ...wasn't more than two old joystick cables in a crosslink configuration, (Pin 1 and 2 linked to pin 3 and 4 of the other cable respectively) ==> EightLink (Alphasys) Arianne Slaager writes: I also made a special high-speed Atari to Atari cable, called the EightLink. This one was cartridge based system, with a PIA inside, which boasted a 8 bit bidirectional, parallel databus, and a 4 bit crosslinked control bus. Transfer speeds were such that two Atari's on opposite ends of a large hall could transfer disk data faster than it could be read or written. The actual cable connecting the two was a flatcable with 33 leads, alternating ground and a dataline across the width to minimise crossover disruption of data. Also for this link system, I made drivers both in relocatable code, as well as a device driver. User Contributions:Top Document: Atari 8-Bit Computers: Frequently Asked Questions Previous Document: 5.3) How can my Atari utilize my PC's modem/network? Next Document: 5.5) How can I connect my Atari to a high-speed/Ethernet network? Single Page [ Usenet FAQs | Web FAQs | Documents | RFC Index ] Send corrections/additions to the FAQ Maintainer: Michael Current <[email protected]>
Last Update March 27 2014 @ 02:11 PM
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