Parallel drive (was: USB 5.25" floppy drive - do it - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

11 Jun 2004

Hi Steve
 Sure, but I have a DSP and I know how to program it.
I've not done CPLD's or FPGA's. It is just a matter
of what resources I have handy. I still think the
DSP is a little more flexible and friendlier environment.
Dwight

...
 From: "Steve Thatcher"
&lt;melamy(a)earthlink.net&gt;

actually don't need a DSP (digital signal processor). A CPLD or FPGA could do 
most (in some cases, all) of the entire logic required except for the buffering 
of track data.
...

best regards, Steve Thatcher

-----Original Message-----
From: "Dwight K. Elvey" &lt;dwight.elvey(a)amd.com&gt;
Sent: Jun 11, 2004 8:35 PM
To: cctalk(a)classiccmp.org
Subject: Re: Parallel drive (was: USB 5.25" floppy drive - do it

Hi
 I doubt one can fetch data with most PC's from the parallel
port fast enough to keep from being overrun, even on a byte
wise basis. That is why I've suggest the DSP. May of these can
run fast enough to do it on a BIT wise basis and
require no external hardware, other than buffers.
Dwight

 From: "Steven Canning"
&lt;cannings(a)earthlink.net&gt;

I've been looking into this for some time. The parallel port lacks the
"through-put" to take the data on and off the floppy as serial data (as it
comes off the drive "raw") but if you added some hardware (like a Western
Digital FD controller) it will separate the data and convert it to
"parallel" data which the parallel port can support. The inverse is also
true (parallel data back to serial to fed the drive). The FDC can handle the
Single density issue. Processing power of the computer is not an issue
unless you have a painfully slow machine. I wish I had more time to work on
this project. Anyone have the Kilobaud article were someone connected a FDD
to a Heathkit ET-3400 ?

Best regards, Steven

----- Original Message -----
From: "Fred Cisin" &lt;cisin(a)xenosoft.com&gt;
To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts"
&lt;cctalk(a)classiccmp.org&gt;
Sent: Thursday, June 10, 2004 2:55 PM
Subject: Parallel drive (was: USB 5.25" floppy drive - do it

  On Thu, 10 Jun 2004, Jules Richardson wrote:
  Not sure if such as a PC parallel port is fast
enough to cope with the
 data rate of a floppy drive and leave enough time for the CPU to do the
 processing though... but that'd be nice; little more than a cable and a
 bit of glue logic hooked up to a parallel port that could be quickly
 swapped between machines. 
 MicroSolutions (DeKalb IL) in their "BackPack" line, made parallel port
 floppy drives.  I have a 2.8M 3.5" from them, but they also made a lot of
 other models.