🚀 go-pugleaf

Well, after having waited with bated breath for the CMI accelerator board, I
would like to share my experiences with the rest of the net...

*** FLAME ON ***

When I first called the folks at CMI (after their first press release), I was
glad to hear that they had a product that not only SOUNDED good, but was
ready to be released very shortly.  So much for first impressions.

As a faithful developer for the ST, I decided that any boost to compile or
assemble times would be great.  Little did I know that I was in for a shock!

Double Click Software is a strong supporter of the local user's group (HASTE),
and I thought it would be nice to show the accl. at our July meeting, and
according to CMI, they would deliver by the first week of July.  Great, I
thought, the meeting isn't until the next week.

CMI missed the first deadline, but promised that the board would go out in the
second week.  This is not unusual (missing a release date) so I waited.  By
the middle of the second week, I called ~rCMI to confirm everything was on
schedule for me to receive my board.  "No problem, we will ship by Friday."

Friday July 14 rolls around, and I call CMI.  "Your board has been shipped
second day (blue label) UPS.  You should get it Tuesday."  Finally, I thought.
Tuesday rolled around, and no delivery.  The people at work were getting tired
of my ranting "Come on U.P.S. lady. (We have a female carrier)"  So, I thought,
maybe it will get here Wednesday, you know how things are.

By Wednesday, July 19, at 5 pm, when the UPS lady made her final pickup, I
had *NO* accelerator board.  So, I called CMI.  I spoke with Mark something-er-
other (Lilliane Carter's boss -she has been pleasent when I spoke to her), and
he said, "All boards were shipped today."  Sure, I thought, sure.  "But I was
told they shipped Friday."  "They didn't and I was the ***hole who told Lilliane
to tell everyone they did."  "How do I know you shipped today?"  "You don't, and
I don't care if you don't believe me."  Hmmph!

Friday rolls around, and after a delay from UPS, I got the board.  Looks nice,
although they used the Amiga box cover (no big deal).  Instructions, all parts,
can't wait to get home and install it.

Begin the trouble.  The directions are clear enough if you want to do
a piggy-back method, but my ST already had a socket for the 68000, so now what?
According to the manual, you have to cut 3 pins for the piggy-back, and use
"fly-wires" to connect the board to the ST.  Do I need this for the socket
installation?  No answer in the manual.  Trial and error, showed that they
were not needed.

Easy, I install the board in my 68000 socket and turn the baby on.  Everything
looks ok.  Familiar bootup pattern (I didn't install the FAST ROM option just
yet), and then the desktop.  But wait!  My hard disk didn't boot.  Ok, dig out
the floppy drive and boot off that.  Nope, sorry, the disk drive}i didn't
boot either.  Just a desktop and two drive icons.  When I try opening drive A,
I get (output device is not responding).  Hmmm.

I remove the accel. board, pop in the 68000, everything boots.  Pop in the
accel. hard disk and floppy drive don't read data.  Pop out the 68000/16,
plug that directly into the motherboard, all works ok.  Plug in the accel.
board, nothing.

Point of story:  I have a $300 paper weight.

So, I figure, might as well try installig in my other ST (using piggy-back).
Be very careful!  Almost all the diagrams in the manual show the ROMs and
68000 oriented 180 degrees from how you would normally view them in the ST.
(Pay attention to your chip orientation).  Installation took about 1 1/2
hours, including doing the FAST ROM hack.

Turn on the machine.  Same thing.  So, now I have two paper weights.
Not only that, but my ST (the second one), no longer has a 68000 chip in it.
I cut the sucker out, so I can put a socket in.  Today, I am buying another
68000, and a socket so I can have my ST back in working order.

I don't know about you, but when someone ships a product like this, I expect
it to work.  Instead, I get a desktop, but no access to the drives.  A lot of
good that does me.  Not to mention that the board itslelf has jumpers, and
hacked TTL chips (some cut and piggy-backed, another so the pins are twisted
so that it can fit in their board).

If you want beta-testers for your product, then don't make us pay for it!
Now I have to spend more money just to get my ST back into original condition!

Now what?  I guess I'll buy a FAST-16 board, since it looks like it will do
the job (I know someone who has a prototype and may eventually manufacture
it and distribute it -- I learned this AFTER I ordered my CMI board).

Sorry for the long post.  I'm pissed!  I get lied to, and then I get a product
that doesn't work.  And they have my money!}i

*** FLAME OFF ***

The opinions expressed are my own, and do not necessarily reflect Double Click
Software (but I guarantee no one else here will buy one of these).

See you at the Dallas WOA show.  Please drop by our booth (unless you are CMI).

- Michael B. Vederman

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