Re: A new pseudo-disk for Apple 2.

["Terry Olsen" <tolsen64@hotmail.com>]

Do you have any pictures?


"Alex Freed" <alexf@mirrow.com> wrote in message 
fc-dnXO3i4lkySLZnZ2dnUVZ_sqdnZ2d@comcast.com">news:fc-dnXO3i4lkySLZnZ2dnUVZ_sqdnZ2d@comcast.com...
>I have finished a prototype of a new mass storage device for Apple 2 that
> uses MultyMedia Cards.
> So what, you'll ask. There is already a CF interface.
>
> Yes and no. My toy has a small AVR microcontroller on board and 2 modes of
> operation.
> The trivial mode simply interfaces the MMC to Apple as yet another ProDOS
> storage device.
> The fun starts with the "smart" operating mode. The device looks to Apple 
> as
> a Disk ][ controller.
> So Apple happily reads nibble images as if they were real 5 1/4" floppies.
> This allows using
> images of DOS 3.3 disks or any other .nib images. For example a couple of
> games that do not
> use DOS work fine.
>
> The software is not quite finished: I need to add an application that will
> run on Apple
> and select one of many .nib images to use. My prototype just uses a single
> image, but that is
> not very difficult.
>
> The firmware can use a lot of improvements too. Currently I feed Apple a 
> new
> byte every time
> it asks for one instead of changing it every 32 msec. Seems to work for
> quite a few images, but
> won't work with many protection schemes.
>
> The big question is is there any interest in this device? If there is, I 
> can
> make a small production
> run and offer for say $100. If not, I'll be the only owner of the only
> prototype.
>
> The board has an AVR micro and a CPLD for fast interfacing. Originaly I
> though that an AVR
> running at 16 MHz is fast enough to do everything in software, but it is
> not. In addition the
> CPLD acts as a perfect 5v to 3.3v converter - MMC uses 3.3 V. I can add an
> EPROM
> to make this card bootable. Currently I boot from a real disk and DOS can
> see the other
> "disk" in another slot.
>
> The MMC card can have up to 4 partitions. Some partitions up to 32 MB can 
> be
> seen
> as ProDOS volumes and one can have any number of .NIB images.
> Future driver will be able to see 2 images at once as drives 1 and 2.
>
>
> -- 
> -Alex.
>
> 



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