From: andyf@yama.uk.sun.com (Andrew Fox - Sun UK - Answer centre)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: RISC OS 3.10
Date: 4 Sep 92 05:03:11 GMT
Reply-To: andyf@yama.uk.sun.com
Organization: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
NNTP-Posting-Host: yama.uk.sun.com

In article <9209040307.AA18976@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU> lithgow@usl.com (Malcolm Lithgow) writes:
>I'm reading these messages of people with RO 3.10 upgrades and slowly
>getting greener and greener.
>
>I've already asked this once, but no-one replied so I'll try again:
>
>Can the #30 upgrades for the older machines (I have an A440) be fitted
>by someone other than a dealer? Can they be mail ordered? What are
>they? (Alternatively, does someone know of an Acorn dealer in Tokyo. ;->)
>
>Also, which is the better buy for (primarily) controlling a 200MB hard
>disk -- a SCSI card or an IDE card?
>
>Are there IDE cards that also have an HD floppy interface that either
>(a) can use the RO3.1 drivers or (b) has RO3.1 compatible drivers?
>
>I hope someone will deign to answer these simple questions this time.
>
>-Malcolm.  lithgow@usl.com  These are merely my questions.

In reply to your questions...........

The upgrade for the older machines consists of a ROM carrier board which enables
your machine to address the new higher capacity ROM chips used for RISC OS 3.10 (and 
3.0).

The upgrade itself is easy to fit for anyone competent with a soldering iron.
You simply remove the existing RISC OS 2.00 roms, fit the carrier board into their
now vacant sockets and make a couple of soldered connections to the motherboard to
provide the extra addressing lines needed for the new roms. Some machines do also 
require that tracks be cut. Full instructions are included with all the third party
upgrades that I have come across. 

You then fit the RISC OS 3.10 roms as directed by the Acorn fitting instructions.

I believe that Acorn do supply an adapter board for approx #30 as you have already
mentioned. I have seen boards for as little as #19 but these would invalidate your
warranty .......... ;-)

On the question of SCSI vs IDE, I would suggest that this very much depends on the 
individual user. IDE maybe cheaper but it is slower (generally) and does not allow
the connectivity that SCSI does. If you don't think that you are likely to need
a tape streamer, a CD rom drive or a magneto-optical ... :-) then go for IDE, but if
speed and expandability are your thing, think seriously about SCSI.

On the question of IDE interfaces with HD floppy controllers I'm afraid I can't help.
I don't know of such an interface..... but that's not to say one doesn't exist.

If you need the names and addresses of companies who would be willing to send you
both RISC OS 3.10 and the carrier board please feel free to e-mail me and I will
provide those interested parties with the details.

Cheers for now,

Andy F.


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Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn