Rick, These are the questions I have about the AMI Gate Array for the
Vector Generator (Atari p/n 137179-001) and about their letter
of 4/3/86:


A. Will the new part be compatible with the old part? I mean electrically,
mechanically, pin-for-pin compatible?

B. What do we get for our money? 

For Option I: 

  1. What do they do and what do we do? 

  2. How is "J flow tooling and manufacture in 5 micron technology" different 
     from the technology used in the old part? 

  3. They indicate that they are going to scrap this part too. When?

For Option 2:

  1. What do they do and what do we do? Do I just hand them a schematic and 
     they do the rest fot $13.5K ?
 
  2. If, as I suspect, their advice to "Design complete circuit from scratch"
     means "Atari designs complete circuit from scratch" how is this to
     be accomplished? Are they going to provide us with a complete CAD system,
     at no cost to Atari, or will we have to pay for it? And how much? And
     who is going to work on my game while I am designing the Gate Array? 

  3. If Atari bears the cost for redesigning this part why in the world would
     we choose AMI, a company that has already screwed us once? (And on the
     same part.)

C. Pricing:

     The way their prices are listed, if we were to go with Option I and
buy 15K would we pay $5.50 each for 5K (the First 5K) and $5.25 each for 10K 
(The Next 10K) or would we pay $5.25 each for $15K ?

     Either they are using a nonstandard method of quoting prices or they
are using a language other than English. Perhaps they are using AMI English.


			Jed

cc: Rick Moncrief