Path: menudo.uh.edu!usenet From: davebirdsong@delphi.com (David J. Birdsong) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.reviews Subject: REVIEW: MultiFaceCard III Followup-To: comp.sys.amiga.hardware Date: 10 Mar 1994 01:58:17 GMT Organization: The Amiga Online Review Column - ed. Daniel Barrett Lines: 184 Sender: amiga-reviews@math.uh.edu (comp.sys.amiga.reviews moderator) Distribution: world Message-ID: <2llurq$hie@menudo.uh.edu> Reply-To: davebirdsong@delphi.com (David J. Birdsong) NNTP-Posting-Host: karazm.math.uh.edu Keywords: hardware, serial, parallel, Zorro II, commercial PRODUCT NAME MultiFaceCard III ("MF3") BRIEF DESCRIPTION Adds multiple "high-speed" serial and parallel ports to your Amiga 1500, 2000, 2500, 3000, 3000T, or and 4000. AUTHOR/COMPANY INFORMATION Name: Alfa Data US Address: P.O. Box 6990 Champaign, Il 61826 Telephone: ++49-89-357130-80 E-mail: mfc@bscmuc,bsc.sub.com LIST PRICE $119.00 (US). I paid $79.95. SPECIAL HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS HARDWARE 1 MB RAM required. I recommend a hard drive. SOFTWARE Kickstart 2.04 or above. COPY PROTECTION None MACHINE USED FOR TESTING A2500/020, 1 meg Chip RAM, 6 megs Fast RAM Kickstart 2.04, Workbench 2.1 Trifecta controller with 2 IDE drives. 386 Bridgeboard INSTALLATION Installation was rather easy. Turn the machine off and put the card into a slot. You'll need to find a place to put the extra ports that are on extra card end (or what ever they call the metal thing that screws into the back of the case to keep the card from falling out...). Then came the best part: I turned the machine on, and it works. (COOL, no smoke!) [MODERATOR'S NOTE: If you are not comfortable opening up your Amiga, then you should have the work done by an authorized Amiga service center. Opening your Amiga yourself may void your warranty, and careless work may even damage the machine. - Dan] The software uses the Commodore installer, complete with removal of software in case you need to reinstall. I did twice, and I guess I should have read the manual a little better the first time. I must be honest: reading documentation is not my favorite thing to do (is it anyone's?), but I read the first few pages and then went for it. The Installer asked me if I wanted to set the card up for PiaNet (their version of Parnet), and I said no. Next, it asked if I wanted to direct the printer port to the MultiFace port, and to that I said yes. Next, it asked if I needed to add any drivers, and this was the sticky part! Make sure you read the documentation well on this part. I installed mine about 2 months ago, so I am going by memory now, but I made a mistake in the drivers part and I could not get the system to boot all the way from the hard drive. So I had to interrupt the startup, remove the software, and redo the installation. REVIEW The reason I wanted a Multiface III was that I had just started running a BBS (MidiLand -- shameless plug (810)887-4357). I had connected my CDTV to my A2500 with Parnet and wanted to be able to print something while the CDTV was being used by BBS users. After hearing that the GVP I/O Extender card doesn't support Parnet, I decided to check out the Multiface III card. After posting on USENET about it, I received several replies saying that it was the best thing since sliced bread. I called the local Amiga dealer and asked if he had any. He said that he had sold a couple and had more on order. 3 days later he called to say that my card was in. The installation was easy (as long you know how to plug in a card), as described in the INSTALLATION section, above. I had Parnet working really well, and I didn't want to chance that it wouldn't work for me with the MF3, so that was the reason for not using the MF3 for that. The first test was to try printing something, and it WORKED! Hot DOG! Next was to get the serial ports changed to see the new device. and that was easy from the Prefs, as it put in the Duart Prefs and you just opened it and set it up the way I wanted it. Then came time to set up Term. Being a Point and Click kind of guy, I looked for the Duart.device the same way I did with Serial and Baud-Bandit, and guess what.. it is not there! Oh boy, what did I do wrong? NOTHING -- it seems that the Duart.device is in memory from the startup of the system. So I typed it in, and it worked. COOL! Next, I set up the BBS for the new Duart.device. That went easy. Now to check and see if it works. For some reason that I never figured out, it took some doing to get the Supra 14.4 modem to answer on the Duart.device, yet it worked fine if I went back to the serial.device, and the next thing I knew it was working. HOW? I don't really know, but it started working. The real test would be next to have someone on line downloading from the CDTV via Parnet and to try and print something. IT WORKED!! COOL! I am a happy camper now, and Peace has returned to my house. I can have the BBS, and my wife can call her favorite BBS and use the printer. Now all I need is one of those new 28.8K modems to really test the thing out. The card can handle up to 115200 baud, and that would be really cool to have working for a BBS.... DOCUMENTATION Book (95 pages English and 95 pages German?), about half an inch thick. I have to say that the book could have been written a little better; but if I could get it to work, anyone can. LIKES AND DISLIKES I like the thing a lot. I have no dislikes other than easier documentation. COMPARISON TO OTHER SIMILAR PRODUCTS From what I have read about the GVP I/O card, the MF3 is the way to go. Not only does it work well with Parnet and as a printer port, but also it costs a lot less. BUGS None that I have found. VENDOR SUPPORT I have had not reason to contact them. WARRANTY 1 year. CONCLUSIONS Would I buy another? YOU BET! The MF3 is great. On a scale of 1 to 5, I would give it a 5. COPYRIGHT NOTICE No copyright. - David J. Birdsong davebirdsong@delphi.com --- Daniel Barrett, Moderator, comp.sys.amiga.reviews Send reviews to: amiga-reviews-submissions@math.uh.edu Request information: amiga-reviews-requests@math.uh.edu Moderator mail: amiga-reviews@math.uh.edu Anonymous ftp site: math.uh.edu, in /pub/Amiga/comp.sys.amiga.reviews