🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1056@mgse.UUCP>, marks@mgse.UUCP (Mark Seiffert) writes:
> In article <2124@bnr-rsc.UUCP> mwnorman@bcarh332.bnr.ca (Michael Norman) writes:
> -I've been following this group and I am interested in building
> -my own 68k-based system.  Some people have mentioned the PT-68K.
> -What is it, where is it, how much is it? etc ...
> Please post, i am interested too. Does someone have a phone number for them?
> are they on the net?

The PT-68K is a system described in Radio-Electronics starting with issue
October 1987 with a series of monthly installments by Peter A. Stark that
continued at least until July 1988.  Referring to that last article,
there is a BBS at 914-241-3307; hardware questions can be handled by
Peripheral Technology, 1480 Terrell Mill Rd. #870, Marietta GA, 30067 [Phone:
(404) 984-0742].  The software it ran was the HUMBUG monitor program
and SK*DOS disk operating system by Star-K Software Systems Corp. P.O.
Box 209, Mt. Kisco NY 10549 (914) 241--0287.  The system itself could be
ordered from Peripheral Technology.  In mid-1988, pricing for the full system
was running around $500.  The Star-K address/contact information is the
same in their ad in the May'89 68 Micro Journal; In the same issue, Peripheral
Technology shows the same phone but a different street address: 1710 Cumberland
Point Dr. Suite 8.

As described in the first article, the system could be modularly incremented
starting with a $200 base:
      PC board, MC68000 (8 MHz ($20 extra for 10 MHz and $70 extra for
       12 MHz)), clock oscillator, 2K static RAM, two serial ports, power
       and signal connectors, IC sockets, resistors, capacitors, and
       other components.
To which could be added more memory:
       1st 512K for $90: included DRAM controller and 512K of 150-ns
                         DRAM with sockets.
       2nd 512K for $50: 512K of 150-ns DRAM with sockets.
       A floppy controller for $100: the controller and related chips,
                            connectors and sockets, and SK*DOS which included
                            editor, assembler, BASIC, RAM disk, disk cache, 
                            and utility programs [disk extra]
       Parallel port and clock/calendar for $50: the parts.
       PC-compatible slots for $40: stuff for first 3 bus slots and compatible
                                    keyboard.  another 3 slots for $10
       Recommended 3rd party parts:
                       Baby AT cabinet for $45
                       150 watt power supply for $60
                       AT-style keyboard for $60
                       Samsung 1252G amber monitor for $90
                       Hercules-compatible monochrome text/graphics
                                  card for $50
                       Western Digital hard-disk controller card for $90
                       80-track double-sided 720K floppy drive for $120
                       20 megabyte half-height hard disk for $295.

All prices October 1987, who knows what it would cost to build
now-a-days -- or what sort of improvements one could pull off to take
into account some of the advances in the chip world [like: would using
SIMMS help, how best to factor in an MMU and with which CPU, ...]. If
I understand things right, one could get color graphics by just choosing
from the available PC-boards.  The authors leave the impression that running
faster than 12Mhz would drastically change the design.

--- BOB (webber@athos.rutgers.edu ; rutgers!athos.rutgers.edu!webber)