PCI floppy interface

[Dave McGuire]

On Oct 16, 2007, at 1:36 PM, Chuck Guzis wrote:
>> Is anyone here qualified to design PCI cards?  This morning I got the
>> bright idea that since PCI floppy interfaces don't seem to exist,  
>> one of
>> us ought to make one.  I'm aware of the Catweasel, but it doesn't  
>> appear
>> to behave as a bog-standard floppy interface.  This wouldn't be a
>> replacement for the Catweasel, more of a compliment, especially for
>> machines that lack a floppy interface entirely or can't handle
>> double-density 5.25" media.
>
> While I can support your idea, one might as well make the floppy
> controller a standalone device, given the availability of
> microprocessor cores.  In either case, new software drivers weill be
> needed, as the legacy floppy depends on the old ISA-style DMA (does
> that exist for any other reason in modern systems without ISA
> slots?).  One could supply local RAM instead, but what with the PCI
> interface logic, the drivers and the board cost, it might as well be
> a USB, Firewire or ethernet device that could hook to darned near
> anything, not just PeeCee boxes.

   PCI doesn't imply PeeCee.  I have a metric buttload of PCI slots  
around here, and not a PeeCee to be seen.  (well, except a Sun-badged  
Opteron box)

           -Dave

-- 
Dave McGuire
Port Charlotte, FL
Farewell Ophelia, 9/22/1991 - 7/25/2007