Whats Wrong With The Excellon Mini-Server System?
The Excellon Mini-Server is a DNC systems developed in the mid 1980s to run on the original IBM XT personal computer. Nothing much has changed since then. It requires a special printed circuit board with either four or eight serial COM ports. We have been told that you can install up to four of these boards in a single computer (32 COM ports) but we have never seen it done. Each machine requires two short haul modems, one at the Mini-server and one at the machine. If you can picture in your mind one computer connected to 32 external modems, each with its own AC power cord, you have an idea of what the thing looks like. It is tricky to setup, difficult to expand, and wants to be the only program running on the computer. So whats wrong with the Excellon Mini-Server. Its’ difficult to setup, technically obsolete, and Excellon no longer supports the product.
