11.1.5 Barracuda & Hawk

Barracuda & Hawk

Who needs a Barracuda 040?
--------------------------

   Anybody that wishes to accelerate their Falcon
   030 computer.

What will a Barracuda 040 do for me?
------------------------------------

   The Barracuda 040 will greatly enhance the
   performance of the Atari Falcon 030 computer
   system. It will give you the speed, performance
   and options unparalleled to any other accelerator
   available today. It will increase productivity, by it's
   raw processing power alone.

Specifications and Features:
----------------------------

   * 68040LC-33MHz or 68040-33MHz
   * Performance increases to 900%
   * Fully 68030 compatible
   * 8 Kilobyte on board cache
   * 1 wait state operation
   * Memory expansion from 1 Megabyte to 128
     Megabyte of 32 Bit Local RAM
   * Memory Management unit
   * Floating Point Instruction Unit 040 only
   * Enhanced video output, software driven for
     higher video resolutions up to 1280 by 1024
   * Enhanced DMA control and access
   * 32 Bit Flash ROM (for easy OS upgrades)
   * Full system control logic supported by on board
     custom ASIC design
   * Video Expansion Buss
   * 2 VME busses (96 pin) for use with plug and
     play options

Options:
--------

   * 68040-33MHz with FPU
   * RAM Card memory expansion from 1 Megabyte to
     128 Megabyte of 32 Bit Local RAM
   * 486DX-33 MHz PC Emulator
   * Video Funnel - Video Frame Grabber
   * Ves 2000, 3000, 5000 - Video Editing System

Availability - February 1995


Some Commonly Asked Questions:
------------------------------

Q: Will the Barracuda 040 fit in my stock Falcon case?
A: No, because of the limited power supply included with the
   Falcon 030, as well as space restrictions, the user will need to
   use an alternate mounting enclosure with larger power
   supply.

Q: Is the Barracuda compatible with my existing software?
A: Yes the Barracuda is 100% backwards compatible with all
   current software packages.

Q: Are there many problems with the Falcon's DSP?
A: NO, Extensive testing has been done to assure proper
   operation with the internal DSP, all timing associated with the
   DSP will now be handled by the Barracuda 040.

Q: Can I install the Barracuda 040 myself?
A: Yes, although some technical knowledge will be necassary,
   the installation has been mad fairly simple, some soldering will
   be required.

Q: What do I need to know about the RAM option?
A: The RAM card supports from 1 Megabyte to 128 Megabyte of
   local RAM, (TT compatible). The only restriction placed on you,
   is all 8 banks of memory must be occupied by memory of
   the same type. E.G. If bank on uses a 1 Megabyte
   SIMM, then the entire board will need to use the 1 Megabyte SIMMs,
   giving you a total of 8 Megabyte of local RAM. 4 Megabyte
   SIMMs will give you 32 Megabyte, and 16 Megabyte SIMMs 128
   Megabyte.

Q: What about RAM speed?
A: 60 to 70 ns is recommended.

Q: Does the extra RAM help system performance?
A: Yes, local RAM increases system performance greatly.


               PRICES M.S.R.P.

* Barracuda 040              from  $800.00 US
* 68040-33MHz Proc. Upgrade        $150.00 US
* RAM Expansion                    $300.00 US
* 486DX-33 PC Emulator             $400.00 US
* Video Funnel                     $600.00 US
* Video Editing System       from $1500.00 US


--------------------------------------------------------------
                W  I  Z  Z  T  R  O  N  I  C  S
 We Specialize in new Innovations in electronics and software

  31 Hewes Street
  Port Jefferson Station, New York 11776-4003
  USA
  Telephone/Fax: 516-473-2507
--------------------------------------------------------------

Atari, Falcon 030 are Registered Trademarks of Atari Corporation.
Barracuda, Video Funnel and Ves 2000, 3000 5000 are Trademarks of Wizztronics.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Hawk Accelerator is coming

As development continues we now have a target date for the release of the
Hawk Suggested Retail $599.00 and falling

February 02 1997-- The Hawk Accelerator is expected to reach the shelves by
the middle of May with many new changes.

A bit of Bad History

The long history of our Accelerators have not been the pretty picture all
manufactures would like, it started in 1993 with the Barracuda 040, even
after we completed this tedious project we encountered many problems with
the TOS operating system. Wizztronics finally gave in to the pressures and
started a simpler task of an very fast 68030 50MHz accelerator, now it gets
interesting. Once the main unit was completed successfully we decided to
make it hard on our selves again, how ? we added 32 bit access, now since
the Atari Falcon030 is only a 16 bit computer (32 bit processor) it was not
designed to handle the new 32 bit architecture. We were left with the task
of fooling the Propriety chipset into thinking we were not doing what we
were doing. confusing, well it was to us not to mention the Atari Chipset.
It took 11 long months to solve many of the problems, The main reason is
Atari Corp. could offer little help in the technicalities of the chipset.
Sometime in November we had a working proto type and decided to once again
make it hard on ourselves, (to the users benefit of course) Why not reduce
the part count on our PCB, saves the customer money, so it seemed like a
good idea. Logic does not always work as well in a smaller package, as a
mater of fact, the biggest problem we had was the high failure rate amongst
the Custom IC on our board. Now let me sum things up. (!nl)

The Good News

The new Hawk is scheduled for BETA release on March 21st, at that time if
all changes work as planned production will start the following week
allowing 6 weeks for production that puts release dates into the middle of
May. We will post the success or (failure not likely this time no more
changes) as soon as it's completed. At that time, we will start taking
orders from end users as well as several (not all) Dealers and distributors.

Some Specs:

Microprocessor Motorola 68030 50MHz

Bus 32 Bit

Socket for optional 68882 50MHz CO-Processor

Socket for 1 72 pin Simm on board, and a through port for anyone with an
existing memory board Factory or third party.

Memory expansion slot for up to 64 Megabyte of Fast Ram (Optional) if
ordered with the Hawk only $75.00

Speed Enhancement nominal 350% increase of performance up-to 500% on
specialized well optimized code.

100% code compatible with existing software

32 Bit Flash ROM's on board (more speed) and easy OS upgrades beyond 4.04


For More Information Contact:

Wizztronics
PO Box 122 Port Jefferson Station, NY 11776
Tel: 516-473-2507
FAX: 516-331-3841
Internet: info@wizztronics.com


Copyright (c) 1997 Wizztronics
Last modified: February 16, 1997

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