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8-Bit IDE Controller

Assembly Pics

Assembly Pics

I thought I'd share my pics of the board assembly process. Click the images for a closer look. Perhaps someone would like to add these to the Wiki?


I like to start with the lowest-profile components and work toward the highest. Here is the installation of R1 through R7.


Next are the bypass caps, resistor packs, and sockets. If you bend the legs of the caps at right-angles for installation they are just shy of the socket height, so you can do the caps, resistor packs, and sockets at the same time.


After the sockets are in place, in goes the DIP switch.


The next-tallest component happens to be the LED, so it comes next.


After the LED, it's time to solder in the headers. Here, 3 of 4 are installed, leaving the 3-pin for last.


Next is the 3-pin header. I opted to use one I had on hand from Futurelec, but you can make do as shown in the next image.


If you don't have a 3-pin header on hand, cut two chunks off the remaining double-row, then cut one of those in half, for a total of 3 pins.



After the headers are finished, solder in your last (and tallest) component, C0. Then carefully install the chips in their sockets.


Once everything is installed, give the back side of the board a thorough inspection to check for cold or missing solder joints.
 
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I have just realize that the card says "Rev 01" on it, but its actually Rev 02.

A minor thing, but should be tweaked before the mass order that is coming up.

*Edit: I just checked the Wiki, and I was wrong it is Rev 1 (version 2)
 
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hargle said:
Has anyone mounted a bracket yet? I'd like to see some pictures of a totally finished card. That's the one thing I have not done yet.
Click to expand...

Here is the pre-build card with bracked installed. I didn't find proper screws so i had to use those D-connector ones. It was really easy to install. I first installed the bracket alone to a computer. Then i installed XTIDE and drew two dots through screw holes. First i drilled 1.5mm hole, then 2.5mm hole and finally 3mm hole. I probably could have just drilled 3mm hole right after the 1.5mm hole but i wanted to be careful. Anyway, the bracket fits perfectly.
 
Awesome... Could I etch one myself, you reckon?

Awesome... Could I etch one myself, you reckon?

Wow...

I'm pretty late in the game here, but I too would like to congratulate all the people involved in getting this done. Excellent job, people! :)

I have a question: if the board is of a 2-layer design, wouldn't it be possible for us to recreate it ourselves using DIY etching methods, as described on many sites, such as this one? Or would that somehow be impractical in this case? Perhaps it has something to do with the required thickness of ISA boards?

If I can't etch one myself, then I would love to buy one. I intend to test it in an Olivetti M24 (identical to the AT&T 6300). Since, like the Tandy 1000 that caused you so many headaches, this machine is also of the "quasi-compatible" variety, it should be interesting to see if and how it works.

It would be awesome to design a variant of this card specifically for the M24/6300's proprietary 16-bit bus. I wonder how much (if any) performance increase that would bring. But of course, that is way too much of a niche for most people to put serious effort in...
 
Hi! I am sure you could etch your own PCB. However you are most likely not going to save any time or money. IMO the cost of these PCBs are so low as to make etching your own impractical. You can have the Gerber files if that's any help.

On the N8VEM project I've encouraged builders to etch their own PCBs but I have yet to know of anyone who has done it. Especially with low cost PCB manufacturers like batchpcb.com PCBs are cheaper than ever.

Thanks and have a nice day!

Andrew Lynch
 
Hi Andrew,

I understand that DIY etching would not have an "economical" advantage, if you factor in "labor costs". But I was also considering it for the "fun" and "cool" factor... The idea of etching and soldering my own ISA card from scratch, being able to simply download everything I need (aside from the components that I can buy locally). ;)

That being said (and this no doubt has already been discussed somewhere, but this thread is just too darn long to read all of it): how would the DIY soldering kits (with prefabbed PCB) be shipped (in one of those envelopes with air bubbles that would still fit in most mailboxes, I presume?), and how would shipping to Europe add to the costs?

If this (current cost of kit plus international shipping fees) is explained elsewhere in the forum, just point me in the right direction. Thanks. :)
 
Hi! OK, I'll be glad to send you the Gerber files or PDFs of the PCBs. Please let me know what you need and keep us informed of your progress! I think its great you want to make your own PCBs!

Thanks and have a nice day!

Andrew Lynch
 
digger said:
Wow...

I'm pretty late in the game here, but I too would like to congratulate all the people involved in getting this done. Excellent job, people! :)

I have a question: if the board is of a 2-layer design, wouldn't it be possible for us to recreate it ourselves using DIY etching methods, as described on many sites, such as this one? Or would that somehow be impractical in this case? Perhaps it has something to do with the required thickness of ISA boards?
Click to expand...

I have done this, and I can say that it works, I had to transfer the schematic to Eagle, and re-layout route it but it is logically the same circuit. The reason for re-doing it was that the current design seems to have lots of small vias in a small area which would have been inpractical to do by hand, it also meant that I could do optimisations like taking a top placed track and soldering it to the top side of a turned pin IC socket instead of drilling another hole to via it etc.

Other reason was that I was impatient to try it and at that time they where still waiting for delivery of the boards. I guess when the thing goes into production, I'll prolly buy a couple of the pre-made boards as they'll look neater in the long run.

I'll post some pics tonight if you want.

Cheers.

Phill.
 
This sure seems like a fun and challenging sub-project for me. :)

I have been fascinated by the idea of home-made PCBs since I saw the guides explaining this method on the internet. Transferring toner from a laser printer printout with a basic household iron. Whoever came up with that idea is a genius. :biggrin:

I guess in the case of double layer PCBs, the really tricky part will be lining up the transfers on both sides of the PCB juuuuust right.

I only crafted a circuit board once before in my life, years ago back in my early college days, and that was using professional equipment. My fellow students and I were given the assignment to build a working 8051 microcontroller. I remember that the one my group made ended up not working for some reason... :(

So in a way, this will also be something of a vindication for that first effort, almost 15 years ago (if I'm successful, of course). :D

I guess PDF format would be the most convenient for me. I have a laser printer, and printing the transfers out with that should be possible without the need for any additional software tools. As long as I print it out at its actual size, of course. Or am I missing something?

Oh, and just to be sure: the current design consists of no more than 2 layers, right? Otherwise, the home brew etching option is a no-go, of course.
 
prime said:
I have done this, and I can say that it works, I had to transfer the schematic to Eagle, and re-layout route it but it is logically the same circuit. The reason for re-doing it was that the current design seems to have lots of small vias in a small area which would have been inpractical to do by hand, it also meant that I could do optimisations like taking a top placed track and soldering it to the top side of a turned pin IC socket instead of drilling another hole to via it etc.
Click to expand...

Hmmm... That is an important caveat to be aware of, especially for a relative n00b like me...

Other reason was that I was impatient to try it and at that time they where still waiting for delivery of the boards. I guess when the thing goes into production, I'll prolly buy a couple of the pre-made boards as they'll look neater in the long run.
Click to expand...

Personally, I think the "Guerrilla" home-made look has its charms as well. ;)

I'll post some pics tonight if you want.
Click to expand...

That would be interesting. Also, could you please post your modified layout design as well, for everyone who wishes to go the home-brew etching route? I think that would be a very valuable addition. Thanks! :)
 
digger said:
That being said (and this no doubt has already been discussed somewhere, but this thread is just too darn long to read all of it): how would the DIY soldering kits (with prefabbed PCB) be shipped (in one of those envelopes with air bubbles that would still fit in most mailboxes, I presume?), and how would shipping to Europe add to the costs?

If this (current cost of kit plus international shipping fees) is explained elsewhere in the forum, just point me in the right direction. Thanks. :)
Click to expand...

Page 109, at the bottom, but I'll summarize.

$30 for a kit, postage paid in the USA and europe.
$40 for an assembled and tested card.
USA ships in a cardboard box, typically in 2-3 days.
Europe ships in a padded envelope, 6-8 days.

Price includes a bracket, but there is a shortage. I have 3 brackets left, and 10 kits. If you absolutely don't need a bracket, please don't take one. Let me know in the paypal message in your order. Feel free to take $3 off the price w/o a bracket, but I am also encouraging people to round up and donate that $3 to future projects. (and to cover my paypal fees, which are almost $2 per order)

paypal to: jeff at silent dot net
 
digger said:
That would be interesting. Also, could you please post your modified layout design as well, for everyone who wishes to go the home-brew etching route? I think that would be a very valuable addition. Thanks! :)
Click to expand...

As promised pictures can be found at :-

http://protein.bio.warwick.ac.uk/~phillhs/xtide/

I was going to post them directly but when re-sized for the forum you wouldn't have been able to see any detail :(

The problem with releasing the layout design is that I use the registered hobby version of Eagle which specifically prohibits comercial use. So it would have to be released in a way to take reasonable steps to prevent this.

Cheers.

Phill.
 
that is so cool. really sort of weird, but not in a creepy way to see a thing I'm really familiar with to be a different color and obvious different layout.

So, if you don't mind saying, what are your costs for doing PCBs like this?
Ours cost $9 each, when I did 25 of them.

I've also got a solder mask, which I assume you don't, and you've got no silkscreen. All of those are livable without.

What I'm really curious about, is (and this is a whole new thread I'm sure) can we utilize this process to generate a PCjr version of the XTIDE? We'd absolutely need 2 or 3 prototypes, and skipping the $70+ setup fees for a one-of like that would be wonderful.
 
Given that the home-brew etch design isn't a commercial proposition, there really shouldn't be any issues with your Eagle license.
 
hargle said:
So, if you don't mind saying, what are your costs for doing PCBs like this?
Ours cost $9 each, when I did 25 of them.

I've also got a solder mask, which I assume you don't, and you've got no silkscreen. All of those are livable without.
Click to expand...

I will let Prime speak for himself, but when I do boards I like to use the pre-sensitized positive-resist kind. Print out the design on transparency, expose with UV light, then etch in H202 + HCl. These boards vary greatly in price, but if you are happy with paper phenolic they can be had quite cheap, on the order of $4.00 or so. The etch is self-renewing with an aquarium bubbler so there's no significant cost there.

The biggest cost - as with all homebrew-type things - is one's time. Everyone puts a different value on that, so it depends on the individual. For me, $9.00 for a professionally-produced board in quantity is a no-brainer, so I have only self-etched for things I am prototyping (and would be cost-prohibitive to send out due to low quantity).

As for the resist - there are methods for doing this at home that are effective, but time consuming. Certain lacquer paints are essentially the same thing, and the biggest hurdle is keeping it off the solder pads.

The other thing worth noting is that for a lot of hobbyists these days, it's all about the surface-mount. Drilling holes and worrying about screwing up pads can be tedious, and homebrew surface-mount is really straightforward once you're set up for it. If you don't want to hand-place the solder paste, you can even get mylar solder stencils pretty cheap, or can roll your own if you are friendly with your local laser engraver. Also, a really cool trick is to use the solder stencil to stencil on melted paraffin first (petroleum jelly might also work) to mask off the pads prior to spraying the aforementioned lacquer paint for the resist coating.

To answer the PCjr prototyping part of your question, 2 or 3 boards is no big deal at all. It's just when you start getting into quantity that it gets tedious.
 
In case you didn't know, version 0.11 of the BIOS has been released:
http://wiki.vintage-computer.com/index.php/XTIDE_project

Here's the highlights.
0.11 - 12 oct 2009
* changed memory allocation to use 0:300 for FDPT instead of EBDA
* removed multicard support (due to the above, and having less space to work with)
* fixed bug with boot swap where booting to B: caused the C: drive to disappear!
* fixed INT 13 fn 25 (ID drive) not drive selecting at start of call
todo/notes:
1) possible drive translation issue with drives ~2G in size.
Some bioses report cylinders-2, whereas we report cylinders-1 in INT13 fn 8
Still investigating
2) is 0:300 the right place to store FDPT? It may conflict with BASIC usage.
3) INT13 hooking not quite right when there are no HDDs installed. no biggie

--------------------------

I have also released "helltest" which is also available at the above wiki link, documentation for it is there too. What this test does is it spews a lot of random data to different sectors on the hard drive and reads it back and compares it. This can be used to verify that what was written by the XTIDE is readable by the XTIDE, which allows you to verify that you don't have any signal/noise issues in your build or cable.

The test can also be used to verify that what is written by XTIDE is readable on *other machines*, and what was written on another machine is readable by XTIDE. Both of these are important tests as well, if you are ever planning on building the drive on a modern computer and moving it over to your XTIDE. Good to know your data is valid!

Details in the documentation on the wiki.

Gotta say this again, just to make sure, **The above test is destructive!**
 
These work in EX/HX machines. All you need to do is build a simple adapter. Worst part about the adapter is finding the correct connectors. Hargle may be able to explain the adapter better than I can. I know how to make them, but no one seems to be able to understand what I am saying.
 
kb2syd said:
These work in EX/HX machines. All you need to do is build a simple adapter. Worst part about the adapter is finding the correct connectors. Hargle may be able to explain the adapter better than I can. I know how to make them, but no one seems to be able to understand what I am saying.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I know you can make an adapter. I was thinking it'd be cool to have a PCB that was directly Plus connector compatible though.
 
I might go the adapter route anyway. I've got a spare right angle card edge connector from another machine I can steal, but I'll have to find the pin connector to mate with the HX.
 
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