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Amiga News and Community Announcements => Amiga News and Community Announcements => Amiga Retail News / Sales => Topic started by: redrumloa on July 02, 2002, 09:29:01 PM

Title: New Zorro based USB card.
Post by: redrumloa on July 02, 2002, 09:29:01 PM
http://thylacine.boing.net/ (http://thylacine.boing.net/)

The Australian Designed and Manufactured Zorro 2 USB card known as Thylacine in currently in production. Those of you wanting to get a pre-order discount better get in quickly as this price will not last. Their are also a couple of pre-order bundles available featuring: a 4 port Bus/Self-Powered USB Hub or USB Hub,FXScan4.0+IOScan1.0.

Title: Re: New Zorro based USB card.
Post by: redrumloa on July 02, 2002, 09:58:30 PM
Ever notice Amiga users go without something for what seems like forever, and then when it is finally available the market gets multiple versions? Look at PCI, nothing forever and then the market gets 3 all at once.

I hope that means the A1G3, SharkPPC and other solutions ALL start flooding in very soon:-D
Title: Re: New Zorro based USB card.
Post by: Colmiga on July 02, 2002, 10:17:26 PM
Robert (the designer) came around to our user group meeting tonight with his Thylacine cards. They look great and he's currently in the process of making USB ethernet adaptor drivers for it as well (no modem or camera drivers yet though). We're going to be testing these cards for him in our Amiga's (including mine) at our next user group workshop meeting (July 14). Once I've seen it in action I might actually buy one as I would like USB in my A4000. At AU124.95 it's quite reasonable for classic Amiga hardware and it would show appreciation for his effort if he sold a few as the guy appears to have used his own time and money to design it.
Title: Re: New Zorro based USB card.
Post by: PhatAgnus on July 02, 2002, 11:06:22 PM
Red: Yeah, ain't it the truth! Only, I think this might be a bit too late. Anyone really wanting USB for their classic big box got the Highway/Poseidon combo from E3B. They promoted it early on and hit the release target. Thylacine should have promoted the project back when in order to make a real race of it. I wish them well with their kit (might I get egg on my face being a Highway/Poseidon owner?).
Title: Re: New Zorro based USB card.
Post by: amigau on July 03, 2002, 12:27:35 AM
assuming Software Hut and other dealers didn't run out on the first production run.  I (also a Highway owner, of course) think there's still a market for these if they get plenty of them to the USA, and, with a decent set of drivers or a bundle with VHI Studio, Turboprint, etc., because I'm sure everyone that wants a USB card wasn't able to get one yet.  I might even buy one of these for a different amiga I have, who knows?  :)

kevin orme
amiga university
www.amigau.com
Title: Re: New Zorro based USB card.
Post by: Kronos on July 03, 2002, 12:37:08 AM
USB-Stack No 3 (or was it 4 ?) (http://vgr.com/cybergfx/)
Title: Re: New Zorro based USB card.
Post by: PhatAgnus on July 03, 2002, 12:48:33 AM
Hmmm....point noted. I'd like a second card too, but the other machine needs some other mods first (bigger HD, more memory, etc). There's no big rush...unless production is shut down on the thing! The Poseidon stack software is gonna be some stiff competition for Thylacine to match.
Title: Re: New Zorro based USB card.
Post by: Hammer on July 03, 2002, 07:24:21 AM
Nice to see some Amiga hardware completion…
Title: Re: New Zorro based USB card.
Post by: amiga2000 on July 03, 2002, 08:31:11 AM
Yeah - I notice this too - but it really really sucks that these USB z2 cards were not available 5 years ago. now that I have a job though - I intend to get a Highway/Norway card.

I was wondering: will there be any difference between the Highway and the Thylacine? Performance-wise? Will they share the same USB software? or will different software have to be written to take advantage of the different USB hardware cards with different USB devices? I am hoping that they share the same USB base software.

Also - how did they derive the name Thylacine?

was also wondering: do usb tv tuners exist? I would love it if somehow one of these USB controllers would allow for video reception, and the ability to capture video... since at the moment, I cannot get a pci busboard for my a2000.


Quote
Poster: redrumloa Date: 2002/7/2 14:58:30

Ever notice Amiga users go without something for what seems like forever, and then when it is finally available the market gets multiple versions? Look at PCI, nothing forever and then the market gets 3 all at once.

Title: Re: New Zorro based USB card.
Post by: Desmon on July 03, 2002, 05:46:10 PM
@amiga2000

Quote
Also - how did they derive the name Thylacine?


Thylacine is/was the now extinct Tasmanian Tiger.

http://www.dictionary.com/search?q=thylacine

Cache Ya,
Craig.
Title: Re: New Zorro based USB card.
Post by: Colmiga on July 03, 2002, 07:04:15 PM
I've posted a pic I took of the Thylacine at last night's meeting on our user group's website:

http://home.iprimus.com.au/colmiga/meetings.html

I'll be taking some more pics of it actually running at our next meeting (July 14).
Title: Re: New Zorro based USB card.
Post by: Colmiga on July 03, 2002, 07:13:31 PM
amiga2000 wrote:

> I was wondering: will there be any difference between the Highway and the Thylacine? Performance-wise?

According to Robert (the designer), there should be no difference in speed.

> Will they share the same USB software? or will different software have to be written to take advantage of the different USB hardware cards with different USB devices? I am hoping that they share the same USB base software.

I will ask Robert more in depth about this but the impression I got last night was that it will use similar software (don't quote me on that).

If it runs as well as he says it does than I'm definately putting in a pre-order.
Title: Re: New Zorro based USB card.
Post by: PhatAgnus on July 03, 2002, 07:21:39 PM
Amiga2000: You must have read my mind with those questions (I'm wondering too!). I'd think there might be some contractural agreement with the Highway and the Poseidon creators to disallow the software to be 'supplied' with another manufacturer's boards, but I'm no lawyer and I wasn't in the agreements meeting ;) Will Poseidon & it's drivers work with Thylacine?? I dunno and never will without a Thylacine board. For now Highway is gaining leaps and bounds. There's developer files available too (for all you C experts out there!!). Time will tell.
Title: Re: New Zorro based USB card.
Post by: Kronos on July 03, 2002, 11:24:54 PM
@Phatagnus

The author of the Poseideon-stack (Chris Hodges) made some
comment on amiga-news.de.

Everybody who wants to licence Poseidon may do so.
Currently this includes Highway and MorphOS (+Amithlon_2.0 ?).
He is also in contact with the guy who does OpenPCI to support PCI_USB-cards.

But he won't make the low-level-dev info fully public because he fears copy-cats
(Elbox ? :-x )