imsal 2

From: Cini, Richard <RCini_at_congressfinancial.com>
Date: Thu Aug 19 11:34:18 1999

Hello, all:

        I had several conversations with Tom Fischer over the last few
months. And I can understand the underlying premise of introducing a "new"
old computer to, IMHO, capitalize on the wave of nostalgia and the desire to
move down the power curve a bit.

        I would have no problem buying a new-old machine. I understand,
though, that it's not an "as-issued" original, but a newly-manufactured unit
based on original engineering drawings with some enhancements. Yes, it's not
original, but, hey, it looks great from the front!

        I don't necessarily agree with the use of a PC power supply, but
that feature makes it easy to add PC peripherals such as hard drives,
floppies, or CD-R drives, should the need arise. My concern would be using
legacy S100 cards on a new power buss. And this step-up regulation scheme
concerns me. Why not just use a transformer from Stancor???

        My other concern is cost. For $999, one gets a bullet-proof case,
new terminated, large, partially-filled backplane, a snazzy front panel, and
a power supply of dubious quality. No boards. Nothing. Non-functional, but
pretty.

        And, could the "mainframe" actually cost that much?? Switches:
22_at_$5=$110. PS=$50. Backplane=$75. Sheetmetal=$250. FP=$100. Maybe I have a
warped idea of what this stuff costs, but I was expecting a lower number.

        I have some old S100 cards to play around with, but I only have a
non-working Northstar Horizon. So, I would be Tom's target audience. I would
prefer a kit, though, since I have the skill level and interest to assemble
one myself.

        Also, Imsai-2 is vaporware.

        Conclusion: although I want an IMSAI badly, I don't think that I'm
prepared to spend $1k for an out-of-the-box non-functional machine. If I
were buying an "old" non-functional IMSAI, at least I could restore it to
functioning status. I wouldn't pay $1k for that one, either.

Rich

        

--------------------------------------------------------------
Richard Cini
Vice President
Congress Financial Corporation
1133 Avenue of the Americas
30th Floor
New York, NY 10036
212-545-4402 / 212-840-6259 (fax)
rcini_at_congressfinancial.com
Received on Thu Aug 19 1999 - 11:34:18 BST