7 Dec
2006
7 Dec
'06
1 a.m.
Comments, anyone? Has this been done? Would
people see it as an
abomination or boon? Who would be interested in (and capable of)
producing a USB interface card for "their" computers?
Well, there are common USB master chips you can find for less than $10.
Something like you are thinking can be made in three "layers" for easy
modification for each machine
- Layer one: Interacts with the USB pen drive.
- Layer two: intelligence between the USB pen drive (master controller)
and the LOGIC part of the media controller for the old puter
- Layer three: digital/analog circuits needed to interface the original
'puter media
I'll give an example:
- L1: Philips USB Master chip, controlled thru SPI
- L2: Atmel Atmega32 or Atmega 128 doing the bridge between the USB
Master and the computer itself
- L3: TTL/ECL/CMOS/etc interfacing to the microcomputer
Why three layers? Because in the level one, I can use compactflash, MMC,
SD, Memory stick or ferrite cores (:oD) as the medium. The Level two can be
reprogrammed at will, and level three can be a simple "cartridge" that can
be changed to make it usable for any old computer. And all modules can be
independently developed.
With proper help and a nice qty done, all this can be less than $50 to
build, and a fun to develop.
Comments, suggestions, rocks and apple (ueba!) pies!?
Alexandre Souza
www.tabajara-labs.com.br