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From: ferwerda@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu (James Ferwerda)
Newsgroups: comp.graphics,comp.periphs,comp.sys.dec
Subject: Re: Need Eikonix help
Keywords: Eikonix, Q-BUS
Message-ID: <5434@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu>
Date: 8 Jul 88 15:15:39 GMT
References: <248@granite.dec.com>
Reply-To: ferwerda@tcgould.tn.cornell.edu (James Ferwerda)
Organization: Cornell Theory Center, Cornell University, Ithaca NY
Lines: 34

Well I've got some good news and some bad news. First, we are using a model
EC850 with a MicroVax II under VMS with the interface (board and driver)
provided by Eikonix. From the looks of it the board is just a repackaged
DEC product (DRV11-W?). The driver software works fine and seems stable.
So far so good right? Well the big problems start when you try to do anything
but run the demo programs provided with the system. The documentation on the
user level software library is hopelessly muddled, and the frontline user
support is even worse. As I see it the problem stems from the fact that the
software for the 850 (an 8 bit system) was simply hacked from the software
from the earlier 12 bit 78/99. Incongruous references abound in the
documentation and source code examples, and no one you can get to at Eikonix
has any idea of what's going on. If you haven't bought your 850 yet I'd
recommend getting an EC1000 instead. The 1000 is the first post-Kodak product
Eikonix has brought out and from the looks of it it is a much more together
system because they broke with their past and reworked the interface, the
library and the packaging. 

As for the Ultrix interfacing issue my guess is that you're on your own.
I'd try to get source code for the driver from Eikonix (they might be ok
about letting it out since I think they see the 850 as a dying product)
and hack it into something you can use. If you get something that works
I'd be interested in seeing it.

Finally, we're using our 850 as an array radiometer and colorimeter
and have delved deeply into the issues of color balancing and radiometric 
calibration of the beast. If anyone out there in comp.graphics land 
is involved in similar work I'd like to hear from you.

Jim Ferwerda
Program of Computer Graphics
120 Rand Hall
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853
jaf@squid.tn.cornell.edu