Well, okay, that’s a 100mbps connection – so just the one reason, then.
Elesar Ltd launched a new product at the London Show last month1, a 100baseT NIC (with patch lead) for the RiscPC and A7000/A7000+ machines.
The new NICs feature an optimised design, using an ASIX AX88796 fast Ethernet controller with a built-in 16kB buffer memory, which allows network packets to be handled locally inside the chip. There’s also 128kB of flash memory containing the driver software – which is both 26 and 32-bit compatible, so it’s as suitable for machines running RISC OS 3.6 to 4.x (26-bit) as it is for machines that have been upgraded to run the 32-bit RISC OS 5.
The card will work with both 10baseT (10Mbps) or 100baseT networks – just plug in the supplied cable (after first plugging the NIC into the slot at the rear of the case, and securing it with two screws, obviously – instructions to so are supplied) and you’re good to go. The card auto-negotiates all link settings with the device at the other end, so it’s a breeze to set up – and the speed and data activity are indicated on two LEDs on the rear panel, so you can see (perhaps with a bit of effort, depending how your computer is positioned) that it’s all working.
Elesar notes, however, that limitations on 16-bit connection to the computer’s motherboard means you’ll typically only see something more like a two-times speed-up compared to a 10baseT-only design.
The 100baseT card is available for £102.00 including VAT, plus a small amount for delivery.
!ReadMe
- Due to timing, it wasn’t possible for Elesar to make an announcement about this before the Show, and instead one was sent out a few days after – whereupon it was unfortunately picked up by the RISCOSitory bunker’s spam defences, and diverted to a junk folder. By pure luck, I spotted it there and pulled it out just a day before it would otherwise have expired. Apologies to Elesar for not spotting and dealing with it earlier.
