20 Oct
2006
20 Oct
'06
2:20 p.m.
As long as we're talking about it; here are a few more ideas to
consider.
1. The Catweasel uses a selectable clock rate to obtain a clock
count that will fit in 7 bits. My gripe with this is that I have to
read a track or two (if different densities on the same disk) to
determine the correct clock rate. There's little worse than finding
out that you've guessed wrongly and your image is worthless.
If we're going to employ a dedicated MPU/MCU to handle this stuff,
why not go with a 10- or 11-bit clock rate and get rid of the rate
selection? One of the spare bits could be used for index detection
on hard-sectored disks.
2. Some drive diagnostics should be incorporated. Particularly with
5.25" drives, old sticky floppies can really drag the rotational
speed down. I'd really like to know that it's happening.
3. I can envision this device as a small box, powered by a wall wart
with an RJ-45 ethernet connector and on or two DC-37 female
connectors for drives. Given that this thing's going to be used for
all manner of drives, there's no compelling reason to provide drive
power as part of it.
4. DHCP is a nice feature, but not all vintage networks support it.
The option of a fixed IP address (192.168.x.x) would be a plus.
5. Should the box also supply the drive for older 8" drive 3-phase
steppers? How about the head-load signal?
That's it for now--I'm sure I'll think of something else!
Cheers,
Chuck