Re: FlashPath floppy flash memory adapter (IIGS?)

[mjmahon@aol.com (Michael J. Mahon)]

Supertimer wrote:

>I noticed there is a flash memory adapter for
>floppy disk drives called FlashPath.  There
>are versions for Compact Flash, Memory
>Stick, and SmartMedia cards.
>
>You plug the flash memory into the floppy
>adapter and the adapter into a PC or Mac's
>floppy drive and from the desktop you can
>access the flash memory as a disk drive.
>
>Would it be possible for a GS/OS driver to
>be written to support this adapter?

Maybe for a Superdisk 3.5" Controller-equipped IIgs,
with a Superdisk.  I expect that it communicates
to the PC using HD MFM signalling.

And it apparently takes quite a driver even on a PC.
(The one I have certainly didn't "look" like a floppy
without a good-sized driver being installed.)

>In the PC world, this adapter is great for
>computers running Windows 95 which did
>not fully support USB.  If a GS/OS driver
>could be written, just think of the storage
>possibilities.  A 256MB flash card could
>replace a hard disk drive for IIGS storage.
>An entire System 6.0.1 plus practically
>all the useful IIGS software in existance
>can almost fit onto one of these memory
>cards.

This would, of course, require that the driver support
partitions.  The SmartMedia all seem to use the FAT-12
disk format, and I presume that the FlashPath adapter
passes this along to the host.

FWIW, I was thoroughly unimpressed with its speed,
as well.  It's about floppy speed, which is a real come-down
after using even a USB 1.0 card reader.

-michael

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