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POLL: Assembled XT-CF Boards

POLL: Assembled XT-CF Boards

  • Lo-tech ISA CompactFlash

    Votes: 1 10.0%

  • Lo-tech XT-CF-lite

    Votes: 2 20.0%

  • Lo-tech XT-CFv3 (with 3.3v regulator)

    Votes: 4 40.0%

  • I prefer soldering myself, thanks

    Votes: 3 30.0%
  • Total voters
    10
  • Poll closed .
P

pearce_jj

Veteran Member
Joined
May 14, 2010
Messages
2,808
Location
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Hi All

There seems to be steady demand for PC(/XT) ISA IDE type controllers.

I'm wondering (again) about a short run of assembled (i.e. ready-made) boards... so would very much welcome opinions on which of my boards would be preferred (even funding one run will be a stretch).

Please vote above!

Links to my lo-tech boards: ISA CompactFlash, XT-CF-lite, XT-CFv3
 
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Thank you for providing these boards! I bought two a couple months ago, and without much soldering experience I soldered them myself and had them flashed and running in a day.

A simple 512mb compact flash is enough to partition drives C to Q!
 
I'm glad you're running!

Probably the next plan for this project then is to offer kits (PCB+components).
 
Kits would be an awesome option. Buying pieces parts and maybe from two sources is a challenge...and shipping costs add up. Not to mention buying in slightly more bulk affords cheaper prices it seems.

Thanks for all your work on this project. I just got the other boards from you in the mail yesterday...looking forward to soldering them up and having SSD's in more of my vintage machines. :) Also just got a Tandy 1400, though it appears to have issues. If I can get it going, I'll be in the market for one of those boards too!

Thanks,

Wesley
 
Thanks for posting :) More PCBs are on the way... and I'm going to do component kit bags for the ISA CompactFlash adapter too. I'm in two minds about an assembly service... there's certainly demand, but then it becomes a whole different animal in terms of time required.

Re the 1400... I'd suggest changing the electrolytic capacitors in the internal PSU first!
 
Thanks for the tip on the 1400. I bought it on ebay saying it turns on. It was packed in a box barely bigger than it with nearly no packing. It powers on, seek tests both floppies, but then doesn't even think about trying to boot from one of them when it throws up a boot error. Haven't had time to investigate further yet...and of course who knows if it was that way or the potentially rough trip did something to it...

Your web page mentioned possibly also putting a floppy BIOS on the card to support both drives along with the CF drive...any luck with that? Though at this point, I probably should be corresponding off-list or starting a new thread...

Thanks,

Wesley
 
Hi, sorry no I've not looked any more at the 1400 machine still. We really need to properly understand the BIOS initialisation process in that machine to properly troubleshoot it.
 
I would like to see a kit as well. This would be perfect for IBM 5155 and Compaq Portables that don't have HDDs and limited space inside.
 
For the surface mounted connector and chip of the XT-CFv3 board, I would think that using a chisel tip on the soldering iron and dragging it across the pins method of soldering would work well. Would you agree James?
 
That would be an awesome service to those like me who no longer have the fine motor skills required to assemble the boards. Count me in. I'll start saving my nickels and dimes.
 
arrow_runner said:
I would like to see a kit as well. This would be perfect for IBM 5155 and Compaq Portables that don't have HDDs and limited space inside.
Click to expand...

I put an XT-CF-lite in my 5155 just last week. So cool! Ideally though, I would like to have it rigged up with a compactflash slot in the lower 5.25" drive bay...but the only IDE Compactflash adpaters I've seen in a drive bay format are significantly more expensive than others. Still trying to scheme a way to modify the expansions slot type converters to attach to a drive bay cover sort of thing... I could probably just use them in the slots in the back, but my 5155 is missing the back/top cover that protects the expansion slots, etc...

Wesley
 
Just putting my name in the hat for DEFINITELY want to buy a pre-built CF-lite of some kind. Have an XT that needs some loving, and not much time or skill to build things myself.
 
Also i would like to have a CF-lite pre-built, and that way it also would be 100% easier to transfer files to my XT!
 
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I'm currently working on a few things... but generic board assembly service is one of those things :)
 
I have assembled two of the boards and struggled attaching the CF-Card holders. The other SMC I did okay with. Maybe when I was younger it would have been easier but at 65 my eyes and hands are not what they used to be.
 
I would also be interested in a pre-built CF-lite. I'm starting to collect a few disk drive replacement solutions for my old machines. Time is limited for me though (as demonstrated by my FreHD kti, bought months ago and still not assembled) and providing the price is not too outrageous I'm happy to pay for a pre-built one.

Tez
 
I'd be interested in two or three XT-CFv3 or XT-CF-lite boards the next time there's another run, thanks.
 
I just built a couple of Sergey's XF-CF-Lite v4.1 boards and have some more to be assembled that could be sold as kits.
$50 per kit $80 per assembled board. USPS Flat rate shipping is $5.80 anywhere in US. Will ship internationally but email me so we can figure out what it costs.
Will also combine shipping, etc if interested in more than one.
I'm listing completed ones on ebay but at an inflated price to compensate for the ebay/paypal rape charges.
 
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