On 24 Apr 2007 at 10:12, Allison wrote:
At a minimum. FDC interfaces are more involved as the
interface has to
include data and drive interfaces unless one can find a chip like 2793
or 37C65.
My personal favorite is the WD1770/1772 series. It doesn't do
500Kbps drives (no big deal for CP/M); interface logic is very
minimal. Very simple to program; a 4MHz Z80 should be able to keep
up with the data transfer without breaking a sweat. And it fits in a
reasonably small (28 pin) DIP package.
But a minimal system might incorporate nothing more than a PIIO or
SIO and simply pass mass-storage requests and console I/O over the
same path to a PC using a formatted message scheme. Makes the CBIOS
coding a walk in the park.
Or, one could build the Z80 onto a PC prototype board with its own
local memory as a coprocessor and conduct mass storage and console
I/O over a pair of I/O ports. For many, that may be the best of all
worlds as it relieves one of the problem of terminal and disk
interfacing, power supply and enclosure. Of course, the folks who
want to put their project into a mahogany case with glass front may
not be taken with this idea. :)
Cheers,
Chuck