Universal Floppy reader, was : Re: Extracting CDOS and CP/M) files

[e.stiebler]

Chuck Guzis wrote:
> On 12 Oct 2007 at 12:18, e.stiebler wrote:
> 
>> I was wondering about it for a while already.
>> Why not just take any of the old FDCs, put it with an 8051 on a board.
>> Make the software open source, transfer the files via V24 (or for the 
>> weird ones, use USB). No PCI, no PC ISA, just a plain cheap board, which 
>> is even usable with old Mac/Vaxes/whatever ...
> 
> It's been discussed before here.  I wonder if the whole shebang could 
> be wrapped up in an FPGA.

You could. But the Tony would complain, as he doesn't like FPGAs ;-)

> The Backpack drives pretty much did that via the parallel port.  The 
> unit had an FDC (National 8477), a uP and a few K of RAM.  You sent 
> it commands to program the ports on the FDC directly, which seems to 
> me like the best way to go for maximum flexibility.  Let the host 
> figure out what to do with the raw data.

Really don't understand all the talks about catweasels secrets, etc.
Just make few boards for the classiccomp group,  and be done with the 
subject ;-)