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PicoMEM Project : Pi Pico on an ISA Board.

Trixter said:
Forums are good for ensuring the information discussed can be found by search engines. Google etc. cannot archive the information discussed in a discord server. When using google to search for "picomem", the top results are forums.

So, you might want to post regular updates somewhere that isn't discord.
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Not to mention, some people don't and/or won't use Discord. :)
 
This would be nice to replace some things on my Model 30 8086 system.
Using the lotech 2mb EMS card and XIRCOM LPT network adapter.

I waaaaant :)

Plus with my new riser card from Peter Basset, my EMS card hangs off the back side of it. A good place for a PicoMem board instead :p
 

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Hi, now it gets interesting! Did you have already the idea to make a network connection for SMB/CIFS servers, that one can access those like a normal local drive? Redirect printing from LPT1: to a modern network printer would also be something.
 
1ST1 said:
Hi, now it gets interesting! Did you have already the idea to make a network connection for SMB/CIFS servers, that one can access those like a normal local drive? Redirect printing from LPT1: to a modern network printer would also be something.
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It is seen as a standard ne2000, so, file sharing is working (mtcp, novell...) See the Retrotech chriss twitter post above.

Just finished another news : Post Code working with a 4 Digit LCD plugged on the Qwiic.
 
Not like NE2000 where then you have to install TCP/IP-Stack, SMB V2/3 client (if that exists: no...) under DOS, but a "translated drive" where the Ra-Pi does all the complex network protocol and DOS only sees the files. CosmosEx and some other new project for Atari ST is doing this, both are also based on a RaPi.
 
1ST1 said:
Not like NE2000 where then you have to install TCP/IP-Stack, SMB V2/3 client (if that exists: no...) under DOS, but a "translated drive" where the Ra-Pi does all the complex network protocol and DOS only sees the files. CosmosEx and some other new project for Atari ST is doing this, both are also based on a RaPi.
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My Board use a Pi Pico.
These boards use Pi that has linux and all the disk sharing/OS done by the OS.
Code Wifi and disk sharing on a Pico Bare metal C++ is another story.

Samba/File sharing need an interface at DOS Level (Emulate all the DOS functions) and translate the data to simulate various File system (FAT12/16).....
Heavily complexe.
Or I need to study more how the actual PC Disk network mount software work.
 
I think that emulating an NE2000 was a pretty neat trick, and doing it (along with everything else) on such minimal hardware is pretty cool too.

While the NE2000 is nearly universal, it has configuration registers and other complexities to deal with. Have you considered a stripped down version of the code that doesn't bother with all of that? It would be similar to what the virtual machines do when they provide a general network interface; it's simpler and cleaner because you are not trying to emulate something specific. It would require a new packet driver, and that would also be smaller and simpler than the existing NE2000 packet driver.
 
mbbrutman said:
I think that emulating an NE2000 was a pretty neat trick, and doing it (along with everything else) on such minimal hardware is pretty cool too.

While the NE2000 is nearly universal, it has configuration registers and other complexities to deal with. Have you considered a stripped down version of the code that doesn't bother with all of that? It would be similar to what the virtual machines do when they provide a general network interface; it's simpler and cleaner because you are not trying to emulate something specific. It would require a new packet driver, and that would also be smaller and simpler than the existing NE2000 packet driver.
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mtcp author himself ?
Cool :)

I would like to do this, but I don't have sufficient knowledge on how ne2000 work to know what and how to reduce all the complexity.
I already wrote a PM2000 driver and My plan is to simplify.

Another adwantage is that kevin did test the ne2000 PicoMEM under windows 95 (Working with windows ne2000 driver)
Be not ne2000 compatible will force to rewrite multiple drivers...

Anyway, what is done in the ne2000 driver is quite simple and the slow down is negligable.
Ultimately, I plan to have the packet transmitted via memory, not I/O to speed it up for DOS/ne2000 packet driver.

The source of my pm2000 driver is available here:
github.com

GitHub - FreddyVRetro/ISA-PicoMEM: PicoMEM Doc and Firmware

PicoMEM Doc and Firmware. Contribute to FreddyVRetro/ISA-PicoMEM development by creating an account on GitHub.
github.com github.com
 
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Hi there,

If you want to know more about my project or discover it,

Here is a New Video about the PicoMEM done by Retro Erik :
 
Would love to try out the picomem and get it up on my yt channel. I have a 5160 to set it up on. UAT testing for anything you'd like me to test
 
Hi @FreddyV - I've hooked my new PicoMEM up to my Book 8088 v2. I'm using @n0p BIOS 1.0.6 - I'm getting a halt / ROM skip with POST code BP62 on my QWIIC display.
Could you give me config info of how you get your Book8088 to boot into the PicoMEM?
 
Interesting.... I now have a bootstrap for the picomem but I'm not sure how I access the setup programme? I'm on IRQ5.
 
Betamax80 said:
Hi @FreddyV - I've hooked my new PicoMEM up to my Book 8088 v2. I'm using @n0p BIOS 1.0.6 - I'm getting a halt / ROM skip with POST code BP62 on my QWIIC display.
Could you give me config info of how you get your Book8088 to boot into the PicoMEM?
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Hi,
The XTIDE is replacing the PicoMEM Interrupt because it start after the PicoMEM BIOS.
We can't change this as the Book8088 ROM is in segment F, then, at the enf of the memory.

I have a Book8088 Now and will test it (not a priority)
 
FreddyV said:
Hi,
The XTIDE is replacing the PicoMEM Interrupt because it start after the PicoMEM BIOS.
We can't change this as the Book8088 ROM is in segment F, then, at the enf of the memory.

I have a Book8088 Now and will test it (not a priority)
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Thats fair enough. I did wonder if the XTIDE was overtaking. It's intriguing - the bootstrap was there but simply said the strapline and then... end, before the XTIDE loaded.
Is it something @n0p could create an option for in the BIOS?
 
Betamax80 said:
Thats fair enough. I did wonder if the XTIDE was overtaking. It's intriguing - the bootstrap was there but simply said the strapline and then... end, before the XTIDE loaded.
Is it something @n0p could create an option for in the BIOS?
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Probably, it require to have the XTIDE loading first, and a simple BIOS update can do it.
 
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