21 Sep
2014
21 Sep
'14
5:10 p.m.
On Sep 21, 2014, at 16:06 , Chuck Guzis <cclist at sydex.com> wrote:
Anyone really interested in a DIY Kyroflux-like
device? I suspect that given the speed of today's MCUs, one might also handle ST506
interface drives. Mostly, it takes a little interface logic and a bunch of coding.
I think the software for decoding and encoding the flux transitions is the hard part, so
compatibility with the Disk-Utilities software would be a Good Thing. I wonder if Keir
would be interested in branching out into hard disk formats if somebody donates suitable
hardware to him?
I agree that a modern MCU ought to be able to do the job. If I was designing it I'd
probably use an FPGA since that's what I'm more familiar with. And that's why
they don't let me do product definition at work. :)
I think that the ImageDisk file format could be a good starting point for storing
sector-level images of hard disks. It's presently just defined for floppy disks with
up to two surfaces, but there's room in the format to extend it for more surfaces,
more encoding types, etc.
--
Mark J. Blair, NF6X <nf6x at nf6x.net>
http://www.nf6x.net/