BUS102.THD --- Copyright 1987 by Phil Wheeler An original compilation of Compuserve Model 100 Forum messages for use by Forum members only. This file contains recent messages regarding a change in the electrical configuration of the Tandy 102, and the impications of this change on the user. A previous THD file on this subject is 102BUS.THD Message range: 148723 to 149157 Dates: 5/25/87 to 5/31/87 Fm: Bert Cohler 70065,204 To: ALL I've picked up gossip that M102 Buss has changed in most recent models. Is this so and why ? What are the implications for available products ? What are the advantages of the new Buss, or disadvantages ? Thanx Fm: Tony Anderson 76703,4062 To: Bert Cohler 70065,204 Yes, the buss has been changed again in the second series of Tandy 102's. Tandy Corporation does not discuss why they do things, nor justify their actions in response to questions such as "Why did you do that?". We don't know why they did it, nor what ramifications it will make in the third-party support companies, but I'd speculate that they aren't happy with a second set of buss changes! The first changes rendered all the Model 100 peripherals incompatible with the 102. There were lots of protests at the time, and Tandy's official response was "Oh, we didn't realize that.".... Maybe the change was a change "back". Who knows? I'm sure that since we don't know what changes were made, nor why, that we couldn't reasonably speculate what the implications may be. Nor would we know what advantages, disadvantages, or conflicts now exist. That's rather technical information, and without access to the technical information, and the facilities to test, we know about as much about it as you do. We're users, not technical representatives for Tandy Corp., and are in pretty much the same boat you are as far as "official" information goes. Fm: Bert Cohler 70065,204 To: Tony Anderson 76703,4062 When is the second series of machines going to be released. I guess we need a disassembler for the new 102 series and find out what is going on. I am a long time sig member (since 1983!), and have always found that the sig knows more than Tandy about its machines. I look forward to additional exhchanges on this. I'll try and call some vendors I know and see if they have "unearthed" anything. Fm: Tony Anderson 76703,4062 To: Bert Cohler 70065,204 I have no idea when the second series of machines will hit the market, or if they already have. I have no inside contacts at Tandy Corp to fill me in on such details. I doubt that a disassembler would do much good, since we're talking about a harware change here. Maybe a disassembler of the hammer and screwdriver kind? (grin) Fm: Denny Thomas 76701,40 To: Bert Cohler 70065,204 From a conversation I had with Glenn at Holmes Microsystems (Chipmunk), it seems Tandy is trying to make up for the error they made in making the system bus unuseable for most of the 3rd party hardware. If all goes well, the T102 will have a bus similar to T200. Perhaps that will help mend the bullet wound in their foot! Fm: Will Tompkins 76011,667 To: Bert Cohler 70065,204 Well, mending "the bullet wound in their foot" at the expense of those of us that purchased the 102's early on is equally unexcusable! If what you say is true, where does that leave the early buyers of the 102? Fm: Bert Cohler 70065,204 To: Will Tompkins 76011,667 That is my thought entirely. One guy's wound is another guy's wallet! Fm: Denny Thomas 76701,40 To: Will Tompkins 76011,667 That problem will only come up if you need one of the peripherals that require the bus. In that case, your only outlay will be in time. The time that is required to send the computer to the peripheral vendor for modification. (hopefully waranty authorized) So far I have not seen any reports of trouble from this process. Once this modification is done, you'll then be upwardly compatible with the rest of the T102 owners. Fm: Will Tompkins 76011,667 To: Denny Thomas 76701,40 That's good information. But knowing that the peripheral manufactures will make modifications, is only partially comforting. Making system hardware modifications to an already shipping piece of equipment (and using the same designation at that!) displays a definite lack of long term thought. My feeling is that Tandy is obligated to modify, at the owner's request, ALL early versions of the 102 to make them compatible with what they are now shipping. Fm: Wayne Day 76703,376 To: Will Tompkins 76011,667 That's probably not a bad feeling to have -- but the question is "Do you think Tandy feels the same way?" Fm: Will Tompkins 76011,667 To: Wayne Day 76703,376 You've raised the key issue -- Does Tandy feel that they owe the early buyers of the 102 an upgrade to 'whatever' they determine will be the final buss configuration? We could only guess at that one for now.