Chuck Guzis wrote:
While a 50MHz processor may seem fast, a 400MHz 32-bit
CPU can
probably run Z80 emulation faster, while hosting Linux.
Certainly quick enough for handling a raw data stream...
I suspect that most people who have a need to handle
floppies
regularly already have the gear in some shape, even if it's a
Catweasel.
Well, I've got PC hardware that'll read/write FM (including at 128b/s), but I
still want something that'll give me raw data to play with in order to handle
the really alien stuff (and allow a bit more interpretation of marginal media).
Catweasel's a bit off-putting because it's an internal board, and something of
a black-box. I expect I'll buy one at some point soon, but I'd still prefer an
external, 'open' device.
A while back, I made a nice crate containing the aforementioned PC hardware
and a bunch of drives - it proved to be a huge pain in the butt, because I
forever had the thing in bits to swap cables and drives around (not to mention
the need to keep cleaning drive heads). A small external box hanging off an
Ethernet, with whatever drives I needed at the time hanging off *that* would
be far more practical.
(Random off-the-wall dreaming: 400MHz is perhaps fast enough to process an
analogue signal direct from a drive head rather than going through the drive's
own electronics)
My real question is "Does this fall under the
"good idea" category or
is there a real demand for this?" And "Is there enough demand for
someone to invest time and money getting a model to a point where he
won't go broke when few purchase it?"
That's the thing. It's the sort of project where someone has to just do it
because *they* need it (because it does something that whatever's currently
out there doesn't offer), and the turning it into a saleable product comes
almost as an afterthought, probably on an as-and-when ordered basis.
Unfortunately my "just do it" time ended up being rather non-existent this
year :-(
cheers
Jules