Commander X16

I seem to recall someone saying they didn't plan to incldue one, but it's been too long. If you really want an I/O shield, it should be possible to make your own out of various materials. I like corrugated plastic for things like that.

 

On 10/22/2022 at 1:45 AM, BruceMcF said:

What is "an IO shield" in the context of a retro 8bit computer?

It's a misnomer that seems to stem from the Arduino world. In essence an interface or expansion card but which can be attached by other means than a computer bus.

Arduino Shield, Raspberry Pi HAT, that sort of thing then.  Not an RF shield or a tin foil hat ?

On 10/22/2022 at 4:26 AM, neutrino said:

It's a misnomer that seems to stem from the Arduino world. In essence an interface or expansion card but which can be attached by other means than a computer bus.

That's why I was unclear which sense of the term was meant, but it turns out @kelli217 meant an RF shield.

On 10/22/2022 at 1:26 AM, neutrino said:

It's a misnomer that seems to stem from the Arduino world. In essence an interface or expansion card but which can be attached by other means than a computer bus.

Wrong.

On 10/22/2022 at 5:35 AM, x16tial said:

Arduino Shield, Raspberry Pi HAT, that sort of thing then.  Not an RF shield or a tin foil hat ?

Nope.

On 10/22/2022 at 7:56 AM, BruceMcF said:

That's why I was unclear which sense of the term was meant, but it turns out @kelli217 meant an RF shield.

No, that's not an RF shield. 

 

Kelli is asking about this...



If you don't recognize what this is, I'm going to respectfully suggest that you should wait for the pre-assembled version of the computer, rather than buying the kit...  ?

 

it covers the empty space around the I/O connectors on the back of an ATX motherboard. Since it stops fingers, errant plugs, and peanut-butter sandwiches from being incorrectly inserted into the computer... it's a shield. 

Hence the term "I/O Shield."

 

On 10/21/2022 at 5:54 PM, BruceMcF said:

I haven't heard of an announcement of that.

This motherboard is an ATX form factor and will be installed in an ATX computer case. So it's natural to assume it will ship with an I/O shield designed for the connectors on the back.

Whether that actually gets done is another issue... it's not necessary, strictly speaking, and its primary purpose is to keep debris out of the computer. 

On 10/22/2022 at 6:27 PM, TomXP411 said:

it covers the empty space around the I/O connectors on the back of an ATX motherboard. Since it stops fingers, errant plugs, and peanut-butter sandwiches from being incorrectly inserted into the computer... it's a shield. 



Hence the term "I/O Shield."

Aha, I never stored peanut butter sandwiches behind any of my desktop or tower PC's over the years.

But in any event, yes, that thing, not the board that plugs into the pin block header on a Arduino that is called a "shield" and so is sometimes called an "IO Shield" if it contains I/O for the Arduino (etc.).

On 10/22/2022 at 3:40 PM, BruceMcF said:

Aha, I never stored peanut butter sandwiches behind any of my desktop or tower PC's over the years.

...kids... 

My favorite was having to open a VCR to remove a peanut butter and jelly sandwich from the tape slot... 

Then there's the time my kid crawled up to the PC, saw the button on the front, and said "What does this do?" and pressed it, turning my computer off while I was in the middle of a project. 

Kids get into, around, and behind everything, if you let them. I guarantee that if those shields had not been invented, PC repair shops would be removing coins, toy cars, toy soldiers, and food of all sizes and shapes from dead computers. 

 

On 10/22/2022 at 7:06 PM, TomXP411 said:

... Kids get into, around, and behind everything, if you let them. ...

Most of mine have been office PCs, but "I/O anti-kid shield" does amplify the odds of peanut butter sandwiches substantially.

On 10/22/2022 at 3:27 PM, TomXP411 said:

If you don't recognize what this is, I'm going to respectfully suggest that you should wait for the pre-assembled version of the computer, rather than buying the kit...  ?

Jokes on you, I'm gonna buy the kit and put it together while wearing my tin foil hat, thanks very much!