Re: Pseudo-disk *almost* ready for the big time.

["Alex Freed" <alexf@mirrow.com>]

"Polymorph" <polymorph69@hotmail.com> wrote in message
1162119707.540602.151360@b28g2000cwb.googlegroups.com">news:1162119707.540602.151360@b28g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
> Sorry if this question has been answered already, but I was unable to
> determine from this thread or your FAQ if your design supports multiple
> ProDOS partitions? If it does, how many ProDOS partitions can you have
> and is there software to select between partitions upon boot? I noted
> that you had software for the nibble mode, but was wondering is the
> same was available for ProDOS mode?

The hardware design is very flexible and supports just about anything.
The limitation is the firmware. The first version supports a single ProDOS
partition.
By the time I have the production boards done, I'll add support for 4
partitions.


>
> Further to this, could you please detail what partition schemes are
> supported. For example, can you have a number of ProDOS partitions
> before the nibble images - or are the two modes mutually exclusive?

The divice always boots in ProDOS mode. Then the software running on Apple
(loaded from the ProDOS "disk") optionaly switches to nibble mode.
It would be trivial to add a command to switch to a different ProDOS
partition.

The project is open source. Anyone is more than welcome to add features
to the firmware.

>
> BTW, I just received a bit of cash for my b'day so it would seem that I
> am now in the market for a flash card based storage device. I'm just
> weighing up the pro's and con's of each before I decide which way I'm
> gonna go. But I am definitely interested in your solution, as it would
> be really neat to do away with floppies!

There are pros and cons of my device vs. a compact flash interface:

Pros:
1. unique nibble mode support
2. very fast ProDOS mode reading

And most importantly a lot of room for experimentation and enhancements.

Cons:
very new and not tested a lot


The bottom line is my device is best if you either want to experiment or
need the floppy replacement mode.

If you mostly need a ProDOS storage device, CFFA is a bit more expensive but
well
tested and a "proven technology".


-Alex.