Hmmmm, sometimes these extra I/O chips cost more than the micro they
hang off. I try to choose a micro that has all the I/O lines on-board as
these usually cost only a little more. An MSP430F149 or better still the
LPC2106 with it's 32-bit I/O will knock over the IDE interface
lickety-split. At around $8 even here in oz the 'baby' LPC2104 has 128K
flash, 16K ram, peripherals galore and 60Mhz 32-bit operation. Why would
I bother with less?
Peter Jakacki
hamilton wrote:
>
>
> Peter Jakacki wrote:
>
>> It's not really as hard as it seems, in fact you can drive it directly
>> from your I/O ports using 16-bits for data and 8-bits for control. You
>> would run it in programmed I/O mode as opposed to DMA. This is usually
>> the method that the PC BIOS boots up in before the O/S kicks in.
>>
> I have built two of these:
> <http://www.pjrc.com/tech/8051/ide/>
>
>
> Lots more where this came from:
> <http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=8051+ide&btnG=Google+Search>
>
>
>> The ATA interface looks like a stack of 8-bit registers with 16-bits
>> for the data register. Write an 8-bit READ SECTOR instruction to the
>> command register and there it is, the sector data is ready and waiting
>> for you to pick out a word at a time, in your own time. So really, the
>> hardware interface is simple because the IDE (Integrated Drive
>> Electronics) does all the real work. It's just if you want it to be
>> FAT32/NTFS PC compatible that you will need a <<<<little>>>>> more
>> software to interpret and interface to properly.
>>
>> I just had a look at the GIDE/Z80 interface that someone mentioned.
>> Yes, if you want to design with a CPU that might be older than you are
>> then you will need all those extra chips. This is just the way someone
>> did it 10 years ago with archaic technology even at that time. It's
>> funny how people make it hard for themselves just because they think
>> it is more complicated than it is.
>>
>> Peter Jakacki
>>
>> Alex Wisnieski wrote:
>>
>>> Just a little curious - Does anyone know of any small interface
>>> boards, that would allow a microcontroller to access an IDE hard disk
>>> drive, or ATAPI device (cdrom drive)? Not any kind of combo-board
>>> (SBC, MP3 player capable, etc), just a single, small board that
>>> connects an ATA device to an MCU.
>>>
>>> If not...Would there be any interest in such a board? I know the
>>> applications might be a little limited, but it seems like such an
>>> interesting project that I can't help but wonder...
>>>
>>> If there is interest, what kind of specifications would be usefull?
>>
>>
>>
>
Reply by hamilton●May 10, 20042004-05-10
Peter Jakacki wrote:
> It's not really as hard as it seems, in fact you can drive it directly
> from your I/O ports using 16-bits for data and 8-bits for control. You
> would run it in programmed I/O mode as opposed to DMA. This is usually
> the method that the PC BIOS boots up in before the O/S kicks in.
>
> The ATA interface looks like a stack of 8-bit registers with 16-bits for
> the data register. Write an 8-bit READ SECTOR instruction to the command
> register and there it is, the sector data is ready and waiting for you
> to pick out a word at a time, in your own time. So really, the hardware
> interface is simple because the IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) does
> all the real work. It's just if you want it to be FAT32/NTFS PC
> compatible that you will need a <<<<little>>>>> more software to
> interpret and interface to properly.
>
> I just had a look at the GIDE/Z80 interface that someone mentioned. Yes,
> if you want to design with a CPU that might be older than you are then
> you will need all those extra chips. This is just the way someone did it
> 10 years ago with archaic technology even at that time. It's funny how
> people make it hard for themselves just because they think it is more
> complicated than it is.
>
> Peter Jakacki
>
> Alex Wisnieski wrote:
>
>> Just a little curious - Does anyone know of any small interface
>> boards, that would allow a microcontroller to access an IDE hard disk
>> drive, or ATAPI device (cdrom drive)? Not any kind of combo-board
>> (SBC, MP3 player capable, etc), just a single, small board that
>> connects an ATA device to an MCU.
>>
>> If not...Would there be any interest in such a board? I know the
>> applications might be a little limited, but it seems like such an
>> interesting project that I can't help but wonder...
>>
>> If there is interest, what kind of specifications would be usefull?
>
>
Reply by Peter Jakacki●May 10, 20042004-05-10
It's not really as hard as it seems, in fact you can drive it directly
from your I/O ports using 16-bits for data and 8-bits for control. You
would run it in programmed I/O mode as opposed to DMA. This is usually
the method that the PC BIOS boots up in before the O/S kicks in.
The ATA interface looks like a stack of 8-bit registers with 16-bits for
the data register. Write an 8-bit READ SECTOR instruction to the command
register and there it is, the sector data is ready and waiting for you
to pick out a word at a time, in your own time. So really, the hardware
interface is simple because the IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) does
all the real work. It's just if you want it to be FAT32/NTFS PC
compatible that you will need a <<<<little>>>>> more software to
interpret and interface to properly.
I just had a look at the GIDE/Z80 interface that someone mentioned. Yes,
if you want to design with a CPU that might be older than you are then
you will need all those extra chips. This is just the way someone did it
10 years ago with archaic technology even at that time. It's funny how
people make it hard for themselves just because they think it is more
complicated than it is.
Peter Jakacki
Alex Wisnieski wrote:
> Just a little curious - Does anyone know of any small interface
> boards, that would allow a microcontroller to access an IDE hard disk
> drive, or ATAPI device (cdrom drive)? Not any kind of combo-board (SBC,
> MP3 player capable, etc), just a single, small board that connects an
> ATA device to an MCU.
>
> If not...Would there be any interest in such a board? I know the
> applications might be a little limited, but it seems like such an
> interesting project that I can't help but wonder...
>
> If there is interest, what kind of specifications would be usefull?
Reply by R. Steve Walz●May 9, 20042004-05-09
Alex Wisnieski wrote:
>
> Howdy all.
>
> Just a little curious - Does anyone know of any small interface
> boards, that would allow a microcontroller to access an IDE hard disk
> drive, or ATAPI device (cdrom drive)? Not any kind of combo-board (SBC,
> MP3 player capable, etc), just a single, small board that connects an
> ATA device to an MCU.
>
> If not...Would there be any interest in such a board? I know the
> applications might be a little limited, but it seems like such an
> interesting project that I can't help but wonder...
>
> If there is interest, what kind of specifications would be usefull?
>
> -Alex
>...a way to interface a microcontroller to those USB flash drives...
I keep wondering if there isn't some clever way to tell an EZ-USB
8051 chip to be a host.
--
Guy Macon, Electronics Engineer & Project Manager. http://www.guymacon.com/
Reply by Philip Gevaert●May 9, 20042004-05-09
Hi,
Check this out : http://www.elektor-electronics.co.uk/
Recently a similar project was published.
Good luck,
Philip
"Alex Wisnieski" <REMOVEnostromo@xecuREMOVE.net> schreef in bericht
news:bpSdnR0bhpFNXgDdRVn-tw@adelphia.com...
> Howdy all.
>
> Just a little curious - Does anyone know of any small interface
> boards, that would allow a microcontroller to access an IDE hard disk
> drive, or ATAPI device (cdrom drive)? Not any kind of combo-board (SBC,
> MP3 player capable, etc), just a single, small board that connects an
> ATA device to an MCU.
>
> If not...Would there be any interest in such a board? I know the
> applications might be a little limited, but it seems like such an
> interesting project that I can't help but wonder...
>
> If there is interest, what kind of specifications would be usefull?
>
> -Alex
>
Reply by johannes m.r.●May 9, 20042004-05-09
"Daniel Watman" <pywo@optushome.com.au> wrote:
>I don't know of one, but something I think that would be much more useful is
>a way to interface a microcontroller to those USB flash drives, or to a CF
>card (probably been done?).
Reply by Tech Support for IDE-CF●May 9, 20042004-05-09
"Daniel Watman" <pywo@optushome.com.au> wrote in message news:<409dc805$0$27657$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.au>...
> "Alex Wisnieski" <REMOVEnostromo@xecuREMOVE.net> wrote in message
> news:bpSdnR0bhpFNXgDdRVn-tw@adelphia.com...
> > Howdy all.
> >
> > Just a little curious - Does anyone know of any small interface
> > boards, that would allow a microcontroller to access an IDE hard disk
> > drive, or ATAPI device (cdrom drive)? Not any kind of combo-board (SBC,
> > MP3 player capable, etc), just a single, small board that connects an
> > ATA device to an MCU.
If you have approx. 20 spare pins (16 Data, IRQ, CS, R, W), you can
just program the micro to talk in IDE mode. You don't need any
external hardware. If you are short on pins, you can always multiplex
the pins.
> >
> > If not...Would there be any interest in such a board? I know the
> > applications might be a little limited, but it seems like such an
> > interesting project that I can't help but wonder...
It is very software specific to the micro.
> ...
> I don't know of one, but something I think that would be much more useful is
> a way to interface a microcontroller to those USB flash drives, or to a CF
> card (probably been done?).
> For most applications, if its big enough and
> needs enough memory to use a hard drive then its better to use an embedded
> PC anyway.
>
> To interface to a flash drive it might be a problem because they all seem to
> need different drivers (eg for win98) so it would depend on what chips are
> in the flash drive.
If one of the maker (Sandisk?) gets big enough to kill off all others,
then there will be a standard for USB flash drives.
>
> -Daniel
Reply by Alex Gibson●May 9, 20042004-05-09
"Alex Wisnieski" <REMOVEnostromo@xecuREMOVE.net> wrote in message
news:bpSdnR0bhpFNXgDdRVn-tw@adelphia.com...
> Howdy all.
>
> Just a little curious - Does anyone know of any small interface
> boards, that would allow a microcontroller to access an IDE hard disk
> drive, or ATAPI device (cdrom drive)? Not any kind of combo-board (SBC,
> MP3 player capable, etc), just a single, small board that connects an
> ATA device to an MCU.
>
> If not...Would there be any interest in such a board? I know the
> applications might be a little limited, but it seems like such an
> interesting project that I can't help but wonder...
>
> If there is interest, what kind of specifications would be usefull?
>
> -Alex
www.edtp.com used to sell one
with an Avr Atmega128 and ethernet that interfaced to an ide hdd.
Still have code and schematics on their download page.
Some one made an avr dos.
Could use ethernut for this as well
www.ethernut.de you may class this as a combo board though
can find a few via a google search
Alex