From: jlavin@cie.uoregon.edu (Jeff Lavin)
Subject: Re: Multiport IO, what are my options?
Organization: The Puzzle Factory
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 92 16:54:48 GMT

In article <1992Sep7.212950.14914@sbcs.sunysb.edu> lmsobier@csws18.ic.sunysb.edu (Linette Sobierajski) writes:
>In article <drew.030m@bootrom.MtRoyal.AB.CA> drew@bootrom.MtRoyal.AB.CA (Steve Drew) writes:
>>In article <18cl11INN63m@matt.ksu.ksu.edu> strat@matt.ksu.ksu.edu (Steve Davis) writes:
>>> I need at least two parallel ports and two serial ports IN ADDITION to
>>> the ports on my stock Amiga 3000.  What are my options?
>>> 
>>Me Too. (an others I know of). A board with 2 serial & 2 parallel ports would
>>be a real hot seller. Why can't someone realize this and make one. If there
>>is such a beast please let us know.
>>
>>-- 
>>-Steve
>
>
>	What ever happened to the multi IO expansion project from the
>	Puzzle Factory.  I have a huge archive with parts list, drivers,
>	and schematics...but I heard they are no longer producing the
>	boards...does anyone know of another supplier of these boards?
>
>	For anyone who never heard...this project supplies 2 or 4 more
>	serial AND parallel ports...with device support and test progs.
>	with complete instructions...
>
>	What do you think?
>
>
>	lmsobier@ic.sunysb.edu
>	lmsobier@SBCCVM
>	lmsobier@ccvm.sunysb.edu
>
>	lmsobier%ic.sunysb.edu@sunysb.edu
>
>	One of them should work...
>	
>-- 

Just to set the record straight, the I/O Expansion Board was *NOT* a
commercial product, and was *NOT* in any way affiliated or connected
with The Puzzle Factory.  The Puzzle Factory accepted orders so as to
make it easy for people to get the board.  The board was the work of
me, Jeff Lavin, and *NOT* The Puzzle Factory.
 
That out of the way, what happened to the I/O Board is pretty simple.
I put this project together for 3 reasons:

  1. It could be done.
  2. It was needed (still is).
  3. It was a thank you gift to the Amiga community.
 
About point #3 -- I basically sold the I/O Board kits at *cost*.
Yes, you read that right.  It was a lot of work, but I got a lot out
of the Amiga community in the way of software, education, etc., and
I wanted to give something back.

So far so good.  I started making the kits, and after the article in
Amazing, orders started to roll in.  I tried to make *real* sure that
nobody could miss the statements that this was a hack, and expertise
in both hardware & software areas were required to get the thing
running properly.
 
Well, first people would call up and want to know if we guaranteed that
the board would run on their machine.  Then after a while, when more
boards were sold, total neophytes (read: which pin on an IC is #1?)
called up and demanded large chunks of my time for support and debugging,
and became abusive when it was not forthcoming.
 
The final straw came when someone was verbally abusive, on the phone,
to my wife!
 
After a couple of months, I calmed down a little, and thought that
the I/O Board was still needed by some people, so rather than just
drop it, I did a really stupid thing: I let someone else sell the boards.
The first thing that happens, is they stop returning my calls.  Then
I find out that they ripped off the PC house for $250.  If that wasn't
enough, they started keeping people's money (for the board) and not
filling their orders.
 
Now you know why the I/O Expansion Board is no longer available.
Anyone planning to do any PD hardware hacks, take this as a warning.

Once again, The Puzzle Factory is *NOT* now, or ever has been, connected
with the I/O Expansion Board.  Any products The Puzzle Factory sells now
or in the future will be full commercial products, entitled to the usual
quality Puzzle Factory customer support.

Thank you for reading this diatribe.  Please pass it along -- we still
get requests for I/O Boards.  There aren't any more.  Period.

-- 
The Puzzle Factory, Inc.  | Jeff Lavin -- jlavin@cie.uoregon.edu
Veneta, Oregon            |-------------------------------------
Voice : (503) 935-3709    | Remainder of signature line
Data  : (503) 935-7883    | under construction.
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.hardware