NEWS

TURBO ARM

Cambridge based Aleph One Ltd. are developing a plug-in board that allows Acorn's new ARM-3 RISC processor to be fitted to a standard Archimedes. The ARM-3 is fully compatible with the existing ARM processor, but can run at a clock speed of 24MHz as opposed to the 8MHz used in existing Archimedes. The main feature of the ARM-3 is a 4K on-chip instruction cache which allows the most recently used instructions to be stored in very fast memory, greatly reducing the execution time of program loops. Aleph One say that this increases the Archimedes speed by a factor of, on average, two to three, and as much as five on certain operations (particularly graphics intensive programs). The ARM-3 upgrade board is expected to sell for around £595, which will include an enhanced version of the floating point emulator, and a RISC OS utility which will allow the system to be switched back to the standard Archimedes speed. The release date of the upgrade is not yet known due to the small supply of ARM-3 chips currently available, but for more details contact Aleph One Ltd., The Old Courthouse, Bottisham, Cambridge CB5 9BA, tel. (0223) 811679.

PAL ENCODERS

For budding movie moguls the Datavid-Arc PAL encoder from Interactive Media Resources is a must. The unit takes the RGB monitor output from the Archimedes and encodes it into the PAL (Phase Alternative by Line) format needed for composite video systems. The resulting output can be recorded on any video recorder (for example a home VHS system or a professional U-Matic device), or displayed on any monitor that takes a composite colour input. It should be noted that the Datavid-Arc is only intended as a high-quality PAL encoder, and doesn't offer Genlock. Therefore, the unit cannot be used directly for tasks such as overlaying titles on videos. The Datavid-Arc costs £179.99 inc. VAT (plus £1.50 p&p), but for a limited period is available to RISC User and BEEBUG members for the special price of £160 inc. VAT. (plus £1.50). To order the Datavid-Arc, or for more details, contact Interactive Media Resources, 8 North Street, Wolverhampton, West Midlands WV1 1RD, tel. (0902) 25444.

DISCTREE

DiscTree from Mitre Software is a multi-tasking utility which replaces the company's Desktop Enhancer (DTE), which is not applicable to RISC OS. DiscTree provides facilities to display the directory structure of a disc and find given files. A backup and retrive utility is also provided, and the package is particularly suited for use with hard disc systems. Disctree costs £49.95 (inc. VAT and postage), or £39.95 for owners of DTE provided that they return the original disc.

Also new from Mitre Software is TimeWatch - a desktop based Filofax. TimeWatch is fully RISC OS multi-tasking, and allows you to keep track of your appointments, tasks in hand, anniversaries etc. The appointment manager allows you to enter details of the time, estimated duration and nature of any appointment, and you will be automatically reminded of it. There is also a day-to-day notebook feature, and a calendar to allow you to jump quickly to the appointments list for any day. The stored information can also be searched and printed, and for users of the Arthur 1.2 Notepad, files can be imported into TimeWatch. The complete package costs £29.95 (inc. VAT and postage). For more details of both packages contact Mitre Software Ltd., International House, 26 Creechurch Lane, London EC3A 5BA, tel. 01-283 4646.

MULTIPLE EXPANSION

The Multiple Input/Output Podule from Brainsoft must hold the record for the most features fitted onto a half width podule. The board contains an eight-bit stereo sound digitiser, a mode 12 or 15 video digitiser for still frames, an additional RS232 serial interface, an analogue joystick interface, and three ROM sockets each of which can accept ROMs up to 128K in size, allowing a complete ROM filing system to be implemented. Software for controlling all the hardware is provided in the form of star commands and SWI calls by an additional on-board ROM. The whole podule costs £123.05 (inc. VAT). Also available is a 'Break-out box' which allows composite colour images to be digitised, and this costs £63.25 (inc. VAT). Finally, if you don't already have a backplane, Brainsoft can supply a four-slot version for £63.25, or £74.75 with a cooling fan (both prices inc. VAT). All the items can be ordered directly by sending a cheque for the cost, plus £3 for postage, to Brainsoft, 106 Baker Street, London W1M 1DF, tel. 01-486 0321.

A PORPOISE WITH A PURPOSE

Porpoise Viscometers Limited, a worldwide name in viscometers, use an Archimedes as a central part of their control system. The viscometer (pictured) measures the viscosity of the polymers used in the production of plastics and resins, and uses this data to control the flow rate and temperature. The Archimedes takes its input from the meter via a special IO podule (see advert in this issue) and both controls flow-rate stepper motors and temperature controllers, and produces an on-screen display of the process. For more information on the viscometers, or the role played by the Archimedes, contact Porpoise Viscometers, Peel House, Peel Road, Skelmersdale, Lancashire WN8 9PT, tel. (0695) 50002.

BETTER COMMUNICATION

ArcComm, the long awaited terminal package from BBC Soft has finally been released. The system, which is only compatible with RISC OS, is not multi-tasking and uses BBC Soft's own window layout, this being substantially different from the standard RISC OS appearance. ArcComm will work with a wide range of modems including Hayes compatibles (for example the Pace Linnet and the Amstrad SM2400), and 'dumb' modems. There is a VT102 scrolling text terminal which supports X-modem file transfer, and a full viewdata terminal. This supports not only the CEPT level 1 standard used by Prestel, but also the European level 2 and 3 standards, making ArcComm the first package to support the French Minitel and German Bildschirmtext systems. ArcComm costs £31.45 (inc. VAT and postage), and is available from BBC Soft, PO Box 234, Wetherby, West Yorkshire, LS23 7EU.

TYPE DOUBLE DUTCH

New from Kador are do-it-yourself key top kits called Keytops. Sets of stick-on keytops are available for many languages, including French, Spanish, Italian, German, Arabic, Hindi, Hebrew and Russian. Additionally, Kador can manufacture Keytops with any legends of your choice. Keytops are held on by a strong adhesive, but can easily be removed if needed, and an obvious application is where the Archimedes is being used for language teaching. Keytops start from £17.50 (inc. VAT) a set, and more details can be obtained from Kador, Unit 4, Pontynon Industrial Estate, Abercynon, Mid Glamorgan CF45 4EP, tel. (0443) 740281.

A GOOD SOLUTION

Software Solutions is a new company set up by two former Acorn employees - David Tee and Gary Stephenson. The aim of the company is to produce a number of high quality software products for the secondary education and home/hobby market. All software will be fully integrated into the RISC OS multi-tasking system, and will follow Acorn's detailed guidelines on software presentation. For details of forthcoming products from Software Solutions, contact them at 4 Prince Henry Court, Victoria Road, Cambridge, CB4 3NT, tel. (0223) 351380.

PRESTEL GROWS

Micronet users who want a break from reading about computers can take advantage of four new on-screen magazines launched by Dialcom - the owners of Prestel. The magazines are Newsday containing the latest news and in-depth stories, Look! for leisure and the arts, SportsEye for competitors and spectators alike, and Games City which provides a wealth of quizzes as well as a gateway into the multi-user game Shades. To browse the new magazines simply log on and go directly to page 1.

RISC OS REFERENCE

Acorn has announced that the revised Programmer's Reference Manual, which will contain all the new information relevant to RISC OS, will run to four volumes. The new manual should be available from the autumn, although the exact date and price have yet to be announced.