From: tai@starbird.WPI.EDU (Lisa Taikitsadaporn)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.thai
Subject: PostDatabase: LOCAL R&D TEAM EMBARKS ON WORKSTATION PROJECT
Date: 12 Nov 92 18:26:12 GMT
Organization: Worcester Polytechnic Institute
NNTP-Posting-Host: starbird.wpi.edu

Sawadee Kha Everyone,
	Here's the latest from the Bangkok Post's weekly Post Database, the 
Wednesday, November 4th issue.  For some mysterious reason I did not receive
my October 28th issue.  Titles of other articles are listed below.
Those will be sent out or posted (based on number of requestors) by request 
only.  Send requests to me along with the article name.


with regards,
Lisa Taikitsadaporn
tai@wpi.wpi.edu

***********************************************************************

LOCAL R&D TEAM EMBARKS ON WORKSTATION PROJECT

Kulcharee Tansubhapol
Post Database, November 4, 1992


Local microcomputer manufacturer, Tavon Computer, in conjunction with the
National Electronic Computer and Technology Center (NECTEC), and Kasetsart
University has embarked on a long-delayed project to develop a locally
designed workstation, and expects to have a prototype ready by early 1993.

The project was delayed for about a year after Fujitsu that was supposed to
supply the necessary technology backed out.  LSI Logic was then recruited to
supply the workstatoin's processor technology.

Kasertsart Assistant Dean for Research and NECTEC's Director of Computer
System Technology Lab, Dr Pansak Siriruchatapong, who is supervising the R&D
team, told Post Database that last month Tavon Computer had signed a
purchase contract with LSI Logic, worth about US$40,000 (1 million baht),
for a Sun Sparc chip license to develop the workstation around this
architechture.

The agreement with LSI Logic, he explained, allowed them to sell their
design to thrid party developers for production.  LSI Logis is a US-based
semiconductor firm.  LSI Logic has bought the rights from leading
workstation maker Sun Mw3icrosystems to sell Sparc licenses to developers
wishing to design systems based on Sun's Sparc architechture.

Among third party developers that make workstations based on the Sparc
architecture are Solbourne, Sidus, Tatung, GoldStar, Samsung and Sampo.

Dr. Pansak said that the workstation mainboard that would be developed here
would featuer the Sun Sparc II architecture, with a CPU running at 40MHz
providing about 29 MIPs.  It will have eight 84 megabytes of memory,
Ethernet control, SCSI, two serial ports, and three SBus slots.  And the
final system would include a 3.5 inch floppy disk drive, hard disk and
colour monitor, noted Dr. Pansak.

He added that Tavon Computer needed to purchase some equipment to support
surface mount chips that would allow both sides of the printed circuit board
to be used.

The development of this workstation is expected to cost about 3.2 million
baht, said Dr. Pansak.  He said that the R&D team would have five engineers
from Kasetsart University and the expect to complete a prototype by early
next year.

Asked why the project was delayed, Dr. Pansak replied that they had
contractual difficulties with Fujitsu that had initally agreed to supply the
Sparc technology and license.  Therefer, they decided to look for another
supplier.

He noted that because the Thai market was rather small, suppliers were
generally reluctant to deal with companies here.

However, the long delay was not expected to affect the project because bothe
NECTEC and Tavon were fully behind the project, he said, adding that budget
would not have to be increased much more than what was initially planned.

He stressed that this project could not be delayed any longer if Thailand
wanted to catch up to countries in the region like Taiwan and Japan that
were already producing such workstations.

"Workstation development here is new and the market is still small, but it
is a promising project," said Dr. Pansak.

He added that although workstation sales would not match PCs, local
production of workstations would force overseas vendors to reduce their
prices here.

Dr. Pansak added that after the workstation was developed, it would be sent
for testing at Sparc International in the US.  Provided it passes their
tests, it would get a Sparc trade mark and Sparc Complaint label, he added.


Other articles of interest from this issue:
(send your requests to me directly, please specify article by name)

"Ministry (of Transport and Communications) supports idea of promoting
telecoms."

"ATCI will propose changes in computer price assessment rules."

"To communicate: a basic human right."  - commentary from the editor

"ThaiSoft launches Lotus 1-2-3 R.2.3/Thai"
Newsgroups: soc.culture.thai