Aspect --> Mac data transfer -- responses

Gina Miner (gina@acornnmr.com)
Thu, 06 Jun 1996 10:17:34 -0700

Thanks to those who responded to my request. Below are the replies I
received, somewhat edited for brevity.
Briefly, Bruker's NMRLink requires the Mac Nu-Bus. The recommended solution
seems to be to find an older-type Mac that has this bus, or use a PC instead.
There are a few different methods for transferring to PCs (MR Resources sells
one, and there is also something called ZZNet), but NMRLink seems to be the
only means of connecting to a Mac (other than putting ethernet on the Aspect,
which is possible -- see below).
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NMRLINK uses a National Instruments NB-DIO-24 interface card which plugs
into a Nu-Bus slot in the Mac..... I suppose you could get a Nu-Bus to PCI
adaptor, but that still begs the question as to whether the software,
running in 68K emulation on the Power Mac, would still be able to talk
to it.
You might be better to buy an old Mac 2, Centris, or Quadra as a
download machine and then get at your data via an ethernet connection.
NMRLINK is not a sophisticated product, but it doesn't crash and it
shifts a 16K FID through 100feet of cable in about 8 seconds. I've got
automatic daily archiving transfers running between my AC200 and a
Centris 650, and I find it entirely satisfactory....

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We are probably one of just a few sites using Mac-Winnmr. We were told by
the developer, Joe Laughlin that NMR-link only works with nu-bus interface,
and they had no plan to improve the product. So, we were forced to buy
only those old Macs that come with nubus interface board.
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for whatever it is worth: there is a small company in Germany (founded by an
ex-Bruker employee, Lutz Schneider - the guy who designed the ASPECT) which
manufactures an"ethernet-interface" for the ASPECT which is supposedly very
reliable (several customers have bought it and are very satisfied). I
don't think he has email, anyways his fax number is:+49-7243-536041. The name
of the company is INKA computers
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Bruker's NMRlink was specifically for Nubus Macs.
There aren't any third party solutions that I know of that run at high
speed into a Mac.
There are third party solutions that will work very nicely on an
inexpensive PC (a "PC" will in fact work! But a better choice is a 386 or
486 plus WFW3.11). In fact, it will cost less to setup and run an
inexpensive PC with this 3rd party software then it would cost to buy the
Mac version of NMRlink from Bruker.

************************************************************
Virginia W. Miner, Ph.D. gina@acornnmr.com
Acorn NMR Inc. (510) 683-8595
46560 Fremont Blvd #418 (510) 683-6784
Fremont, CA 94538
ftp site: ftp.acornnmr.com
web site: http://www.acornnmr.com