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Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!umcp-cs!jim
From: jim@umcp-cs.UUCP (Jim Williams)
Newsgroups: net.micro
Subject: ST520 connector conspiracy?
Message-ID: <1211@umcp-cs.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 13-Aug-85 17:33:34 EDT
Article-I.D.: umcp-cs.1211
Posted: Tue Aug 13 17:33:34 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 15-Aug-85 00:46:02 EDT
Distribution: net
Organization: U of Maryland, Computer Science Dept., College Park, MD
Lines: 24


	In looking at my friend's Atari ST/520 I noticed that
the Hard Disk / DMA connector is a DB-19 (i.e. just like
everyone's favorite terminal connector, but with 19 pins
instead of 25).  I did not recall that being one of the DB sizes
and checked my catalogs.  I find DB-9 -15 -25 -37 and -50 (the
50 has 3 rows of pins) in every catalog, but NO DB-19.  Did Atari
invent it?

	This machine also has a few zillion-pin DIN style
plugs.  Are they custom or standard?  It appears that Atari
wanted to use a different connector for everything, so you
couldn't plug something into the wrong socket and fry it.  This
is fine, but I hope they didn't invent connectors!

	Several people (not all on the net) have pointed out
that the Atari ST/520 and the Amiga are open architectures,
unlike the MAC, and are thus potential (hardware) hacker
machines.  This will be a little less true if they have non-standard
(and therefore expensive) connectors.

	The list of ST/520 connectors sent out by pete@tekig
was very useful.  Is it too early to ask for a similar   
list of connector pin-outs for the Amiga?