Replace the 9010A base with an IBM Parallel port?

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Looking over the requirements and commands for the pod, I think it is
"possible" to use the parallel port to handle data transfer and
handshaking. There are only a few interface lines "MainStat" (MS),
"PodStat" (PS), "Reset" (R), "Sync" (S), and "Power Fail" (PF). And 8 data
lines...

Now most of these lines are run through a 6520 (similar if not identical to
a 6821 PIA), thus the data lines and control lines MS, PS, PF and R all
come out of the PIA. Thus NONE of these are very fast at all! I strongly
suspect the ECC Parallel port can handle them, now there remains, Sync, and
I don't know how fast it runs, but it is for timing the Probe and Probe
Signature generator and is not used anywhere else. Perhaps we can ignore it
for now....it appears to run at 1/2 the pod Z80 write speed, but I'll have
to check that further.

So, we need some bright person to handle the software, the hardware looks
like, well just a jumper cable with some power (+5, +12 and -5) and the -5
could be created with a simple 555 driving a small negative bridge
recitifer. Looks like minimal current, in fact as far as I can see (at
least for the Z80 pod) the -5 is only to bias the voltage sense circuit.

Comments? Is ANYONE interested in this? I'mm not getting a lot of feedback
on these ideas I'm chucking out into the void...

John :-#)#

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Received on Mon Feb 25 19:05:52 2002