> Does "oem" mean some sort of reverse engineering or simply to buy them ?
> Original Equipment Manufacturer - ie : do what everyone else did,
> and clone National Semi 8390 eval boards...
I see. Finally this *is* reverse engineering, but I don't mind...
> I like to see ethernet on board. People can leave the sockets empty
> if want.
> Agreed. However, how are you going to socket pulse transformers, the
> DC->DC convertor, etc? IMHO, this is a good argument for propriety
> slots on the low speed bus!
Ok, putting transformer in sockets is not a good idea, but I think
the most expensive parts are the controller chips. Am I right ?
> Leaving empty sockets on some boards will reduce the cost for these
> people. However, sockets still cost money, as does the realestate
> lost to the sockets, so it's an imperfect solution.
>
> [...]
>
> Having the SCSI, ethernet, serial ports, etc. on daughter cards
> on the propriety bus would keep everybody happy and solve all these
> problems.
But daughterboards cost money too, probably more than sockets.
And we still need connectors then.
> Also :
>
> - Bigger circuits (ie, ethernet) eat space on cheaper 2-layer
> boards rather than the expensive mainboard.
We have to figure that out.
> - If we use the left rear of the motherboard (adjacent to the ISA
> slots) for the bus, everything is next to a hole in the
> case and our connector mounting problems disappear.
This is a good idea anyway.
> You don't have to refresh DRAM, and for an 8K chip the price difference
> won't be that noticeable.
You mean SRAM, right ?
> Please correct me if I'm wrong: What other supplies do
> we need than +5, -12 and +12 ? All these come out of
> a standard PC power supply.
> 15V.
Ok. What current ? If it's not that much, there might be
a cheap solution. I'm gonna ask our analogue guys.
Andy
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