From: thecurse@newton.pconline.com (Byron Patterson)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.reviews
Subject: REVIEW: Micronik Infinitive 1300Ti tower Amiga
Followup-To: comp.sys.amiga.misc
Date: 17 Sep 1998 18:01:47 -0400
Organization: The Amiga Online Review Column - ed. Daniel Barrett
Lines: 172
Sender: barrett@relativity.cs.umass.edu
Message-ID: <6ts0sb$21a@relativity.cs.umass.edu>
Reply-To: thecurse@newton.pconline.com (Byron Patterson)
Keywords: hardware, computer, A1200, commercial
X-Review-Number: Volume 1998 Number 14
NNTP-Posting-Host: relativity.cs.umass.edu
X-NNTP-Posting-Host: relativity.cs.umass.edu
Path: rcfnews.cs.umass.edu!not-for-mail
PRODUCT NAME
Micronik Infinitive 1300Ti.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
An Amiga 1200 in a tower case.
AUTHOR/COMPANY INFORMATION
Name: MicroniK Computer Service
Address: Brckenstrae 2
D-51379 Leverkusen-Opladen
GERMANY
Telephone: +49-02171-72 45-0
Tel.Intl : +49-02171-72 45-24
FAX: +49-02171-72 45-90
E-mail: bestellung@micronik.de
World Wide Web: http://www.micronik.de/
LIST PRICE
Not known.
I PAID
Base Micronik Infinitive 1300Ti = $599 USA
PCMCIA adpater = $ 39.95
AT-BUS 4 device Adapter = $ $49.95
top case = $ $54.95
UPS ground shipping = $ $23
Total = $757
DEMO VERSION
None.
SPECIAL HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS
None.
COPY PROTECTION
None.
MACHINE USED FOR TESTING
Micronik Infinitive 1300Ti 2 MB Chip RAM.
MBX expansion card 030/50/fpu 16 MB Fast RAM.
Micronik AT-BUS 4 device adapter.
Micronik top case.
Micronik PCMCIA adapter.
1 internal 880K floppy.
I-Card PCMCIA Network card.
IBM 2.1 GB 2.5inch internal hard drive.
Iomega ATAPI Zip internal drive.
IDE-Fix 97 (demo version).
NEC 8x ATAPI internal CDROM drive.
C= 1950 monitor.
AmigaDOS 3.1.
INSTALLATION
Installing the machine was a nightmare.
The case is 100% pure plastic making it fun to completly
take apart to add in the optional PCMCIA adapter and the
top case adapter (needed to use a 1200 expansion card).
I think the designers of the case went to Denmark and played
with LEGOs (tm) for ideas on howto build the case as screws
are not used to hold the all plastic case together.
REVIEW
After translating the AT-BUS 4 device adpater manual I figured
I was all set for smoth sailing.
I was wrong. I had weird keyboard problems. I tried a peecee
keyboard and had the same problems.
I called the distributer that I bought the system from and and
it is going back so they can look at it :(
DOCUMENTATION
Printed out of date documentation.
The documentation was for an Amiga 1200, not a Micronik tower
system.
The documentation for the Micronik AT-BUS 4 device adapter was
in German that I ended up translating to English myself.
LIKES
Can add on a Zorro II expansion board.
All of my hard drives/CDROM drives are internal.
DISLIKES AND SUGGESTIONS
Micronik AT-BUS 4 device adapter requires third party software
(ie IDE Fix 97) which is not included.
Micronik AT-BUS 4 device adapter does not come with cables.
I have yet to figure out how to screw in the internal ZIP and
CDROM drive.
I had to drill a hole to be able to use I-Card PCMCIA network
card as there was no spot to access the network card otherwise.
Other PCMCIA devices such as a modem or Surf Squreil will have
the same problem.
No out spot for an Amiga 1200 expansion card that goes though
an Amiga 1200 backdoor.
Hard drive not included.
100 % plastic case.
COMPARISON TO OTHER SIMILAR PRODUCTS
The Micronik Infinitive 1300Ti is remarkably simular to an
Amiga 1200.
BUGS
VENDOR SUPPORT
I had to contact the distributer I ordered the system from twice
so far. One time for the AT-BUS 4 device adapter manual being
in German (which I ended up translating myselt), and the second
time for the keyboard problem.
WARRANTY
Unsure.
CONCLUSIONS
Overall I give the Micronik Infinitive 1300Ti 6 LEGOs(tm)
out of 10 LEGOs(tm).
If the case was metal I would give it 8.5 stars out of 10.
In both cases the rating would go up by 1 if IDE-Fix97 was
included, even if it added $30 (about the cost of ordering
the software myself) to the cost of the AT-BUS 4 device adapter.
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
Copyright 1998 Byron Patterson.
---
Accepted and posted by Daniel Barrett, comp.sys.amiga.reviews moderator
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
Web site: http://math.uh.edu/~barrett/reviews.html