Parallel-IDE interface for CP/M

From: Ward Donald Griffiths III <gram_at_cnct.com>
Date: Mon Aug 24 19:13:20 1998

Bob Stek wrote:
>
> Allison -
>
> IIRC, you were about to write some code to hook up one of these
> parallel-IDE HD kits to a CP/M machine with an EPP. Could this be made into
> a more generic project to allow file transfer over any CP/M parallel port?
> I for one would like to be able to transfer CP/M files from a variety of old
> systems to a portable IDE drive which could also be read on my PC in order
> to make archival copies of software for CD-ROMs. And I think there would be
> other interested parties as well.

Problem is that most of the older 8-bit systems don't have any way
to read information coming back on the parallel port -- at best, it
would involve using some of the status lines instead of data lines,
which IIRC is the way Laplink used to use the parallel ports before
EPP. And all by itself, that would probably involve writing a
different chunk of BIOS interface for each brand of system, as
there was some variation in how the interface was used from one
manufacturer to another. It would probably be easier to build a
ST-506 (or SASI) hardware (with firmware) adapter to IDE than to
do the work to adapt uni-directional parallel ports. (For instance,
those drives don't work well with old-style IBM parallel ports in my
experience -- I have not been able to connect my Zip drives to my
ancient Heath, my Tandy 1000 TL/2 or my AT -- though the software
tries its best before it tells me to give up -- and I _have_ used
Zip drives successfully on 386's and such that I _know_ predate EPP).

(Then again, Allison's a lot smarter than I am and possibly a bit
more stubborn -- I tend to stop banging my head against a brick wall
when I've barely reached the empty space in the cinderblock).
-- 
Ward Griffiths <mailto:gram_at_cnct.com> <http://www.cnct.com/home/gram/>
Bill Gates has this situation where the federal government wants him
convicted for attempting a monopoly.  Has Bill considered responding
with a question as to why there's only one Justice Department?
Received on Mon Aug 24 1998 - 19:13:20 BST

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