MEM11 Status Update

[Noel Chiappa]

    > From: Guy Sotomayor 

    > I'm using FRAM.  They have unlimited write cycles

Although I hear the latest flash have very, very large numbers of write
cycles. But if you can get large enough FRAMs, yeah, they seem like a better
alternative.

    > I didn't want to have any sort of removable media as that bring its own
    > sets of challenges.

Oh well, back to loading all the bits in over a serial line (although I
suppose if one has some other removable media drive, e.g. a RX02, one could
get the bits in that way).


    >> (Or perhaps even a front-end running on a PC which is connected to
    >> the MEM11 over the serial line.)

    > That was my original thought (command front end) but that would mean
    > writing/supporting a bunch of different programs for different
    > OS/platforms

Well, probably only at most two (Windoze and Linux), and maybe only one (since
there are Windows emulation packages for Linux). Although if one stuck to a
line-oriented interface, something like CygWin would allow one to have only
one version.

    > and I want the MEM11 to pretty much stand on its own

Oh, I agree that that's a worthy goal - the front-end would only be to make it
'user-friendly', instead of cryptic and terse.


    > the realistic limit will be on the Unibus interface ICs. I have (at
    > last inventory) enough for ~25 boards. After that I'll have to see if I
    > can either source additional parts or re-design that part of the board
    > to use something else.

Yes, that _is_ a problem...

	Noel