Re: An USB interface for Disk2?

[David Schmenk <dschmenk@sbcglobal.net>]

Mike Willegal wrote:
> Hi folks,
>
>     
> Now that my rev 0 project is more or less complete, I'm looking for more 
> challenges.
>
> I'm kind of annoyed with having to move files to my Apple II via the 
> serial port.  Sneakernet has it's advantages.
>
> I'm thinking that reading and writing sectors could be done with a fast 
> modern micro-controller, though I expect that there might be issues with 
> some copy protected software.  Power could come from a spare Apple II 
> power supply and the connection to a modern PC could be through USB 
> using a FTDI chip.  Seems like with a little additional effort, a real 
> disk II could even be driven directly by one of those Apple II emulator 
> programs.
>
> Has anyone tried making a PC/MAC<-->USB<-->DISK II interface and is 
> there anyone interested in this?
>
> Regards,
> Mike Willegal

Mike-

A really dirt-cheap and effective USB microcontroller is the Cypress 
EZ-USB FX2.  It has an 8051 programmable core with some very 
configurable I/O ports and dead-simple USB interfacing. I wrote some 
astronomy CCD camera firmware using this device and sdcc, a very nice 
OSS 8051 C compiler (sdcc.sourceforge.net).  Why not turn it around and 
make a smartport connector on one end with USB on the other?  We could 
attach our IIc's to our PC's then.

Dave...