RE: A85: Disk Drive for the 85

To: "'assembly-85@lists.ticalc.org'" <assembly-85@lists.ticalc.org>
Subject: RE: A85: Disk Drive for the 85
From: Christopher Kalos <raptorone@stuytech.com>
Date: Wed, 3 Dec 1997 19:03:52 -0500
Reply-To: assembly-85@lists.ticalc.org

With a microcontroller, ASM driver, and a load of firmware on the drive itself, but most importantly, why not have it just write standard .85? files?  as long as you're controlling the link port, might as well make a good use of it.  However, now we're talking DOS compatibility as well.
Christopher Kalos
raptorone@stuytech.com
Executive Director/Administrator
Virtual Technologies Developer's Group


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From: 	Jonathan Kaus[SMTP:jkaus@coleman.k12.wi.us]
Sent: 	Wednesday, December 03, 1997 3:14 PM
To: 	assembly-85@lists.ticalc.org
Subject: 	A85: Disk Drive for the 85

I Have the awesomest Idea in the world!
This idea is to have a disk drive connected to the calculator, and then
have the calculator be able to read information off the disk.  I know
that this would be extremely slow, but I have a few ideas that could
speed it up drastically:

    1) This idea would be awsome, not only for this, but for any other
peripheal device for the calc, but it is also the one that would be the
hardest to do and the one most likely not to work:  Open the calc and
get access to the I/O bus going to the Port 7 and intercept it, taking
over all data lines and making use of them to connect to an outside
peripheal. (In this case, the disk drive) However, a microchip on the
disk drive would have to be able to read the I/O messages, etc. and I
don't know if this is feasible.

    2) The second Idea is the one probably easiest of the two(I don't
know) and would be the one to actually be done.  It would be to have a
2MB RAM buffer on the disk drive unit and all disk reads and writes
occur to and from the buffer.  When you insert a new disk, you put the
contents of the disk into the buffer by either pressing a button or by a
command on the calc.  Then another button (or command from the calc)
would write the buffer contents back to the disk just before it is
removed.  This also allows for easy disk copying and stuff.

The second idea could work because the Expander III will thing is going
to have a 2meg model available, and its speeds are OK. (I never used the
Expanders, but that's what I heard)

This might be kind of expensive to make, but not unreasonable for the
functionality it would give.

The disk would also be easily able to be read by a PC (with some
software), and so you could put programs on the disk from the PC, then
just bring the disk to the calc.
Everything would be so much easier.

Jonathan Kaus

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