Date   : Tue, 26 Jul 2005 17:55:06 +0100
From   : Rob <robert@...>
Subject: Re: Econet-Ethernet bridge

At 17:34 26/07/2005, Phil Blundell wrote:

>On Tue, 2005-07-26 at 16:21 +0000, Jules Richardson wrote:
> > How obtainable is the chip likely to be in three years, or ten, when
> > someone might want to build one of these?
>
>I imagine it will still be around in three years.  In ten, who knows,
>but we can cross that bridge easily enough when we come to it.  Its
>interface is basically standard ISA, so it would be pretty trivial to
>make a variant of the PCB that strips off the CS8900 chip and replaces
>it with another part, or even an ISA card socket.

How about, design the PCB with a row of holes to accommodate an ISA socket, 
and route the relevant signals past this?  If the ethernet chip becomes 
unavailable, leave it off and install ISA socket instead?  Mind you, it's 
getting hard to find ISA NICs nowadays, never mind in 10 years time..  I 
struggled when kitting out my TiVo.. (The first ethernet adapter board for 
it used an ISA socket & you supplied the NIC.  Second type has a 10/100 
chip onboard, and cost me slightly less...)

As long as the design and PCB is well documented, and available in digital 
form, surely in umpety years time when the current chips are have 
transformed into unobtanium, it can just be edited to accommodate the new ones?


Rob