Commodore VIC-Switch by Handic
Il VIC-Switch consente di connettere di 8 computer Commodore ad una singola unità disco, stampanti, plotter ecc.
Il VIC-Switch tiene traccia di chi sta attualmente utilizzando il dispositivo e impedisce l’accesso a tutti gli altri computer che potrebbero richiederlo allo stesso tempo. Una volta che il primo computer ha finito di utilizzare la periferica il VIC-Switch darà quindi accesso al computer successivo.
La periferica e’ stata realizzata in Svezia dalla Handic e alcuni modelli portano il logo Commodore ma non sembra essere molto in stile Commodore
e per questo motivo penso che fossero marchiati Commodore ma non prodotti da Commodore.
Gallery:
Download: Commodore VIC-Switch by Handic Manual (621)
Nice!
Worth knowing is that there were a later version produced which has logic to enable the C128 burst mode. This is interesting as Hansic/Datatronic at that time had lost the contract to distribute Commodore computers and Commodore had founded their own daugher company in Sweden.
There were a IEEE488 version for the PET range of computers called MBS100, in the same kind of case but different connectors and labels. Strangely enough the name MBS100 seems to be a german abbrevation, MehrBenutzerSYstem = multi user system. That system used smaller client boxes at each compuer with a daisy chain 25-pin d-sub cable system between the clients and to the “server” box. I’ve seen two different versions of the “client boxes”. Both connects directly to the edge connector so won’t work (without an adapter) with the 8096SK, 8032SK and the B/P series.
Datatronic also made another product in the same kind of case, called SCIP, which has an IEEE488 port and a serial port, to be able to connect serial port devices to a PET.
The relationship between Commodore and Datatronic/Handic seems to had been a bit strange as Datatronic/Handic used the Commodore brand on various stuff they made themself, and they also made clones of various Commodore carts. On the other hand, Commdore at least in a list of programming languages for their computers acknowledged Datatronic/Handic by stating “Sweden has” regarding Forth. In addition to importing Commodore products Datatronic/Handic is prehaps mostly known for Calc Result and somewhat also their Forth implementations for the PET, VIC 20, C64 and the B series (although I’m not sure if they actually sold Forth for the B series or only used it for their internal software developement). They also did a range of business software for the PET and the B series, like book keeping, inventory database, invoice handling and similar stuff. They also renamed the separate keyboard PETs and the B series, the 8032SK got named PET 200, the 8296 and maybe also the 8096SK got named PET 600 and the B series high profile computers got named PET 700.
@MiaM
Many thanks for the detailed explanation.
Dave.
Could I get a list of the chips in the unit to see if it can be duplicated.