ISA USB board

[Ruud]

Ruud,
There is a good article on this board at this URL:
http://www.toughdev.com/content/201...8-bit-isa-bus-using-ch375-isb-to-usb-adapter/

There is supposed to be source in the link in the article.

Larry

Thank you!

 

[VERAULT]

No, Mass storage only, USB Flash drive, hard drive, SD / CF in a USB adapter though YMMV with the Chinese driver's. Google for CH375B and CH376S data sheets.

Isn't a CD-ROM a mass storage device as well? I can use my backpack external CDrom on my 5160 with Dos drivers.

 

[Malc]

Isn't a CD-ROM a mass storage device as well? I can use my backpack external CDrom on my 5160 with Dos drivers.

I tried a CD-ROM drive on mine a long time ago and it was a no-go, AFAIK it's USB Flash devices / Hard drives for the CH375B, I have heard the CH376S can handle HID devices like USB Keyboard / Mouse, CD-ROM i dunno, May do if you can write / find compatible drivers ?

 

[VERAULT]

Ok so from what I am hearing its a limitation of the chipset/controller than.

 

[Malc]

Ok so from what I am hearing its a limitation of the chipset/controller than.

Yep, I'm realy only interested in the USB Flash drive / Hard drive support, It would be nice if there were better / faster driver's available though.

 

[sorphin]

@Ruud

I'm referring to the zipfile CH375X86.zip mentioned prior and in the other mentioned thread (and on archive.org)

 

[sorphin]

Yep, I'm realy only interested in the USB Flash drive / Hard drive support, It would be nice if there were better / faster driver's available though.

I forgot most of the x86 ASM I knew in the 90s.. the only one(s) really that I know of with that skillset are Ruud, Chuck(G) and James (pearce_jj.. who seems to have dropped off the planet)..

 

[Hak Foo]

in the aformentioned zipfile(s) there's source (how much is disassembled vs original, I have no idea)

Another good reference source is the BIOSes for the EMM mainboards (https://github.com/homebrew8088/8088-PC-Compatible and https://gitlab.com/hakfoo1/v40-bios (Disclosure: I contributed a fair bit to this one))

These boards use a CH376S module (which is supposed to be compatible with the CH375), as a hard disc substitute. If you take a look at disc.asm on the Gitlab link, it's pretty much boxed up as a full option ROM.

It will likely not be compatible as-is with the ISA card, because that lives at a different address, and operates in polled mode rather than using the module's ability to assert an interrupt. There's also a lot of duplication because it has code paths for "real" 8088/8086, and a faster path for V20/V40/186+. But if you're just interested in how to talk to the chip, it should be very useful.

I looked at the Toughdev site while working on one of the EMM boards, and didn't get very far with it. I don't know what that BIOS does internally, but it was not just a matter of "change the port number and hope it works".

 

[sorphin]

LGR appears to have done a Blerb on the cards.. so expect them to start selling more.. lol

 

[Malc]

LGR appears to have done a Blerb on the cards.. so expect them to start selling more.. lol

Haha, He should have used a PC/XT, If folk buy them expecting to play games they are going to be disappointed. A 486 would have been a better choice but i'm not a gamer.

 

[Malc]

FYI, I'm using a 2G USB stick w/ a 512M image i created and dumped onto it

Have you done a speed test ?, I just did another speed test using a 512Mb CF and a 4Gb flash drive ( 2Gb Partition ) I'm getting about 14 KB/s using the DOS driver in my 5160 with stock CPU. Not great i know but better than the floppy.

 

[creepingnet]

Hehe, cool. I saw LGR posted a video on this card yesterday (he put it in his IBM PC AT), and apparently now Kevin Moonlight (YYZKEVIN) from Vogons did a "proof-of-concept" for a PCMCIA version. Probably would not put it in my Tandy 1000 (not enough slots) but it's tempting to grab a few for the Versa Dock, my Deskpro, and my 486 desktop if trying one out proves useful as a way of spoon-feeding over software without floppies.

 

[sorphin]

Have you done a speed test ?, I just did another speed test using a 512Mb CF and a 4Gb flash drive ( 2Gb Partition ) I'm getting about 14 KB/s using the DOS driver in my 5160 with stock CPU. Not great i know but better than the floppy.

I haven't.. though I use io speed setting 3 (default).. I guess I'll do a crude test later today.

 

[sorphin]

Hehe, cool. I saw LGR posted a video on this card yesterday (he put it in his IBM PC AT), and apparently now Kevin Moonlight (YYZKEVIN) from Vogons did a "proof-of-concept" for a PCMCIA version. Probably would not put it in my Tandy 1000 (not enough slots) but it's tempting to grab a few for the Versa Dock, my Deskpro, and my 486 desktop if trying one out proves useful as a way of spoon-feeding over software without floppies.

my Tandy 1000sx has a parallel port sd card for aux storage... so bout similar speedish.

 

[NeXT]

I'm a little salty here because I goddamn know I talked about these here five or six or so years ago and nobody cared. I couldn't get anyone to get motivated to even try them out because everyone was getting hung up on it not working out of the box.
Now suddenly, they're hot.

 

[creepingnet]

I'm a little salty here because I goddamn know I talked about these here five or six or so years ago and nobody cared. I couldn't get anyone to get motivated to even try them out because everyone was getting hung up on it not working out of the box.
Now suddenly, they're hot.

I vaguely recall years ago someone posted a 16-bit ISA USB card on here and I was all about going out to get one, then struggled like heck to find that card so I gave up.

 

[Caluser2000]

More than likely 10 years ago guy. I know it was well before my break down 7 years ago.

 

[Plasma]

I'm a little salty here because I goddamn know I talked about these here five or six or so years ago and nobody cared. I couldn't get anyone to get motivated to even try them out because everyone was getting hung up on it not working out of the box.
Now suddenly, they're hot.

Well if it helps any I remember that. And I'm still not interested.

Frankly 14 KB/s is pathetic. It's half the speed of a floppy drive.

 

[Malc]

I haven't.. though I use io speed setting 3 (default).. I guess I'll do a crude test later today.

I had mine on 2 but just changed it to 0 and re-ran the test's about 18.50 KB/s now and seem's stable.

 

[Malc]

Frankly 14 KB/s is pathetic. It's half the speed of a floppy drive.

In a 5160 ???????