In a situation that could have brought the economy stumbling to its knees, for a while there were no Econet Clocks in stock at 4D, having sold the last of the existing i-Cubed stock some time ago. However, the company is pleased to report that there is now a batch of new devices in stock and available to buy.
An open source design by Simon Inns, the version two clocks come in a small, neat enclosure and feature two on-board 5-pin DIN sockets, with provision for two extra Econet connections by way of a pair of 0.1″ connectors for additional 5-pin DIN sockets or plugs.
For a mini-network, therefore, consisting of a fileserver and one station, all that’s needed is the clock, a pair of drop leads, and a pair of terminators – and, helpfully, 4D will optionally supply half-price terminators with the Econet Clocks. The clock will also need a 5V DC PSU (delivering a minimum of 500mA) with a 2.1mm barrel – and one of 4D’s pricing options include this:
- Econet Clock with UK or EU PSU: £43.50
- Econet Clock without a PSU: £38.50
4D is not VAT registered, so the only thing to add to those prices is postage, depending where the items are headed: Postage to mainland UK is included because the item is over a tenner, but add £2.50 for European postage, and £4.50 for the rest of the world.
The terminator set is usually priced at £23.00, but when purchased with the clock the price is just £11.50, and of the 0.1″ connector to 5-pin DIN socket/plug, 4D currently says “Price TBC”.
4D’s Chris Evans says they can also supply interface modules and econet cables (both straight and ‘Y’ cables, which are an alternative to the rare ‘T’ pieces). And also that they have found a few BBC B Econet Interface Kits, which will become available from the company’s website once they have checked them for completeness.
