gsteemso
Newbie
48 bits or bust!
Posts: 19
|
Post by gsteemso on Oct 21, 2008 16:24:52 GMT -5
IDE+SDHC+Ethernet Boards available soon??¿? ;) Regrettably not. I'm not the best coder in the world and I'm still trying to get up to speed with the rest of the uIEC project. Rest assured I will post here when we have something to vend.
|
|
|
Post by Jim Brain on Oct 22, 2008 18:59:09 GMT -5
I have added support for enabling/disabling IDE drives at runtime. The link will be sent to the uIEC mailing list for the new firmware.
Jim
|
|
|
Post by vk4akp on Nov 2, 2008 3:24:09 GMT -5
Can someone send me some links as to where I can buy the uIEC products? And perhaps where I can see pictures and info of the different variants? I've been monitoring the NKC Electronics web site but I was recently told by the owner that he doesn't handle the uIEC?? Instead only the older design (SD2IEC). He even has a new batch coming in soon. What I don't understand is isn't that design now old and redundant? I thought the uIEC was a newer chip with more memory etc? With the idea of adding Ethernet to the uIEC. Could the hardware side be designed and implemented on the PCB layout so at least the PCB's could be populated later? This way a person would at least have a PCB that the extra parts could be added to once the design starts to expand? Once the hardware exists, you might find others start to help with implementing the networking side in software. `If you build it they will come` approach! .-.-.
|
|
|
Post by robertb on Nov 2, 2008 13:24:31 GMT -5
Can someone send me some links as to where I can buy the uIEC products? Contact Jim Brain right here on this mailing list. Instead only the older design (SD2IEC). He even has a new batch coming in soon. Did Tony Kim give you a date as to when the new batch will be ready? Truly, Robert Bernardo Fresno Commodore User Group CommVEx v5 info - www.commodore.ca/forum and click on ComVEX
|
|
|
Post by Jim Brain on Nov 2, 2008 23:04:31 GMT -5
Can someone send me some links as to where I can buy the uIEC products? And perhaps where I can see pictures and info of the different variants? I apologize, but the web site stuff has been low on the priority list. Pics are available at www.jbrain.com/vicug/gallery/uIEC/ and I'll see if I can put some prices and information under the pics. SD2IEC isn't an "older" design, just a different design. SD2IEC (as the name implies) supports SD cards, while the current uIEC offerings (uIEC/IDE+CF and uIEC/CF) support IDE and CF media. I have a design for a uIEC/SD on the web site, which I will be producing soon, but you can see the designs differ considerably. It is true that NKC and the SD2IEC designs use the smaller 64kB FLASH/4kB RAM AVR, while all uIEC variants use the 128kB/8kB AVR variant. It's a matter of debate. Obviously, I feel the added cost and size of the larger AVR is worth it, considering my plans for uIEC. However, it's larger and more expensive than the smaller version, and there is merit in choosing a smaller CPU that costs less. You'll have to decide which is more important. Some issues: - It takes time to add Ethernet into a design. It's part analog, which requires a different set of design criteria.
- It would be folly to design the hardware portion without at least a nominal amount of test firmware to ensure the design works. Otherwise, when the firmware was ready, the boards would not work.
- The uIEC is not a DIY design, so I doubt people would install ICs after the fact.
- If the design included all of the layout for Ethernet, that's a lot of additional size/cost of the board for possibly no benefit.
Besides, I don't think Ethernet will be added to the main PCB on uIEC. If it develops, it would be a daughterboard that plugs into the main board, at least on initial runs. If someone wants to work on the Ethernet option, they can access the Ethernet IO pins on the uIEC at CONN2. I am happy to help them wire up an Ethernet prototype board. Jim
|
|
|
Post by vk4akp on Nov 6, 2008 13:15:39 GMT -5
OK, Thanks for all that info. Sorry for my late reply. THis board doesn't seem to notify me of new msg's.
OK, Well that all sounds very good. I guess unless there is a SD adapter for CF cards, I'll just have to wait for the uIEC to come out with SD card slot.
Also if I read correctly, at a latter point a sub network PCB could be added to an expansion connector on your existing designs? If so that great. I guess thats all that is needed. A person can buy a current model and look forward to any future network expansion if it becomes available. Fantastic.
I'll keep monitoring this thread. Please let me know when the SD version is released.
Also is there a DIP version of the main IC. Could one play around with the design at home with out having to resort to surface mount soldering?
.-.-.
|
|
|
Post by Unseen on Nov 6, 2008 15:20:24 GMT -5
OK, Well that all sounds very good. I guess unless there is a SD adapter for CF cards, I'll just have to wait for the uIEC to come out with SD card slot. Do you mean an adapter to use an SD card in a CF slot? There are a few on the market, the one I have (labelled "Delock Compact Flash Adapter für SD/MMC") works fine with uIEC. There is no DIP version of the main IC used by uIEC (the ATmega1281), but there is one of the ATmega644 which is used by some other hardware targets of sd2iec. Some people already designed breadboard-layouts around the DIP version of that, see www.pitsch.de/stuff/mmc2iec/index.htm#A7 for an example. Just substitute the "ATmega32" in the picture there by "ATmega644" (the software outgrew the mega32 a few months after the picture was drawn) and use the sw1-m644 firmware files available at www.sd2iec.de.
|
|
|
Post by vk4akp on Nov 6, 2008 15:40:15 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by 65coupei6 on Nov 6, 2008 21:57:27 GMT -5
That looks like the exact same one I am using. No problems so far.
|
|
|
Post by Jim Brain on Nov 7, 2008 23:08:35 GMT -5
Also if I read correctly, at a latter point a sub network PCB could be added to an expansion connector on your existing designs? If so that great. I guess thats all that is needed. A person can buy a current model and look forward to any future network expansion if it becomes available. Fantastic. I make no promises, of course, but I tried to bring all of the uC pins out on headers, so folks could add other modules (or their own design or of mine), and could even re-use the HW for completely different projects.
|
|