Stephen J. Carden Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 (edited) 'The Orginal BOB PUFF Muliplexer' ONE of the old Atari products I managed to bring back to life for the hard core Atari 8-bitters! For more info e-mail 'sjcarden@bellsouth.net' Each board costs $75.00. Beginner setup, 1 master and two slaves are $200.00. or $325.00 for 5 boards configured like you want. About a month ago I purchased Bob Puff entire stock of blank multiplexer boards. I managed to find all the chips and have assembled 35 of the 50 boards. Don't worry I have all the parts for all 50 in stock. What is a Multiplexer? The Multiplexer This device brings the power and flexibility of larger systems to your 8-bit. The Multiplexer is a collection of cartridge interface boards that allow up to 8 Atari’s to read and write to the same drives (typically a hard disk), access the same printer(s), and talk to each other. It is the first practical networking system for the Atari 8-bit computer. One "master" computer (any 8-bit) is equipped with the master multiplexer interface. Then up to 8 "slave" computers hook up to this master, each having their own slave interface. The slave interface consists of a cartridge that plugs into the cartridge port. It has its own socket on the top so you can use whatever cartridges you desire with the system. The "common" peripherals (things that are to be shared) are connected to the master. On each slave, all disk and printer I/O is routed through the master so no extra disk drives are needed. The master computer can be configured in any manner you wish. You may have certain peripherals local to the slave or routed to a different number on the master. Note that serial ports (R: RS232 interfaces) are not multiplexed. All slaves are independent and do not need to have the same program running on them. This system is excellent for BBS SysOps. You can be using your hard disk(s) while still running your BBS uninterrupted. Another example for its use is in a classroom situation or anywhere a disk needs to be shared by many people. This is an excellent programming and debugging tool as well! The Multiplexer is compatible with these pbi devices: 256k or 1 Meg MIO, all versions of the Black Box, Supra/KPI. It is also compatible with APE, MYDOS, and Some versions of SpartaDos, all versions of REAL.DOS, Tucker FLASH carts, OSS carts, and r-time 8. It will NOT function with any of the MY-IDE interfaces. Bob Puff sold me the last 50 ORGINAL boards he had left IN STORAGE! I also inquired if he had any Black Box's and he did not reply. Anyone who wishes to share his or her pbi hard drive out to more than one Atari may want to look into this. Right NOW each board is costing me $75.00 US to produce the quality that I would want to use for myself. If you wish to purchase 5 or more it is reduced to $65.00. I also have a limited supply of the original cases they are $8.00 each. I will pay shipping on any order over $250.00. These are fully functional and tested Mux’s with MUX OS Rom & software. Tests included mixing Puff mux's and ILS mux's in every possible configuration. I am also using matched parts! I want to make this plan and clear. THESE ARE ORGINAL Bob Puff PRODUCED MUX BOARDS with NEW parts. :!: You will also notice from the graphic I used dip switches not punch pins, so that it is easy to add or change your MUX configured system. Out of the 50 ORGINAL Boards I only have 25 left! I original wanted to provide this product at the same price Bob Puff did however the cost of PIA chips and CART connectors and DIP switches, terminating resister pack quickly nixed that. If you would like to see a Multiplexer in action you can telnet or hyperterm my bbs 'tcpipexpress.com' port 8888, 8889, 8890. I am sorry but my web site is not finished yet. I hope to have it up and running soon. If you have any question you can e-mail me at 'sjcarden@bellsouth.net' you log into my bbs and leave feedback to sysop. Stephen J. Carden Edited August 14, 2006 by Stephen J. Carden Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEtalGuy66 Posted August 13, 2006 Share Posted August 13, 2006 (edited) Ok. Thats a misprint.. The 5-mux card setup is $325.00, not $560. basically, the cards are $75.00 each. But if you buy 3 or more, they are $65.00. 1 card.....................$75.00 2 cards................. $150.00 3 cards..................$200.00 4 cards..................$260.00 5 cards..................$325.00 6 cards..................$390.00 7 cards..................$455.00 8 cards..................$520.00 9 cards..................$585.00 Need more than 9? Email Steve for special pricing... These prices DO NOT include shipping. ILS does accept PayPAL. email: sjcarden@bellsouth.net Edited August 14, 2006 by MEtalGuy66 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEtalGuy66 Posted August 14, 2006 Share Posted August 14, 2006 I just purchased the "Beginner" setup from Steve. It consists of a single MASTER card, and 2 SLAVE cards. This thing totally ROCKS.. My XEGS and My 800XL can access the MIO hardrives on my 130xe, as well as all 4 XF551s that I have attatched to the 130xe, at full speed. If you've got multiple ATARIs, and you only own one "REAL HARDISK CONTROLLER" (myIDE doesn't count,) YOU NEED THIS!! Please support this great product, so that it can be further developed and supported. We need more stuff like this available for the 8-bit ATARI. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen J. Carden Posted August 14, 2006 Author Share Posted August 14, 2006 Ok. Thats a misprint.. The 5-mux card setup is $325.00, not $560. basically, the cards are $75.00 each. But if you buy 3 or more, they are $65.00. 1 card.....................$75.00 2 cards................. $150.00 3 cards..................$200.00 4 cards..................$260.00 5 cards..................$325.00 6 cards..................$390.00 7 cards..................$455.00 8 cards..................$520.00 9 cards..................$585.00 Need more than 9? Email Steve for special pricing... These prices DO NOT include shipping. ILS does accept PayPAL. email: sjcarden@bellsouth.net ken Jones post is corrct.. That was a typo on my part. Stephen J. Carden Sr. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen J. Carden Posted May 6, 2007 Author Share Posted May 6, 2007 I have deside to put the Multiplexer on sale. This sale will last until May 31,2007 or I run out of them. Basic Multiplexer, One Master and two slaves are 149.99 Want to find out more about the Multiplexer? Visit 'tcpipexpress.com' Stephen J. Carden Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndusGT Posted May 7, 2007 Share Posted May 7, 2007 Order placed!! I'm glad you're still supporting the 8 bit. Have any plans to do anything with the Black BOX? Bob Puff is no longer producing them either, I don't think any 8 bit stuff for that matter... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allas Posted May 7, 2007 Share Posted May 7, 2007 If you've got multiple ATARIs, and you only own one "REAL HARDISK CONTROLLER" (myIDE doesn't count,) YOU NEED THIS!! What does mean with REAL HARDISK CONTROLLER. Why MyIDE dont count? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen J. Carden Posted May 7, 2007 Author Share Posted May 7, 2007 If you've got multiple ATARIs, and you only own one "REAL HARDISK CONTROLLER" (myIDE doesn't count,) YOU NEED THIS!! What does mean with REAL HARDISK CONTROLLER. Why MyIDE dont count? Here is the deal. The Multiplexer Master must use a Stock Atari OS or a UltraSpeed Plus OS. The My-IDE must use it's OS to function. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdh Posted May 8, 2007 Share Posted May 8, 2007 Looks really cool. I have some dumb ass questions. I have a 1200 XL and a 130XE, my DOS of choice is MYDOS, with this is it will be possible to share an APE drive and my 1050 between the 2 systems? That would be great as I sometimes need to use my 130XE to play some PAL only games. How are the master and slave linked, is it a standard IDE cable? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen J. Carden Posted May 8, 2007 Author Share Posted May 8, 2007 Looks really cool. I have some dumb ass questions. I have a 1200 XL and a 130XE, my DOS of choice is MYDOS, with this is it will be possible to share an APE drive and my 1050 between the 2 systems? That would be great as I sometimes need to use my 130XE to play some PAL only games. How are the master and slave linked, is it a standard IDE cable? Yes, you can use MyDos with the Multiplexer. Yes, if the ape is hooked up to the master, the software could be configured to share the ape with up to 8 slaves. The multiplexer buss cabel is a 34pin ribbon that can be up to 50 feet away. The orginal software that Bob Puff supplyed with the Multiplexer was My-Dos. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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