Date   : Mon, 02 Sep 1991 12:38:58 GMT
From   : comp.vuw.ac.nz!actrix!ewen@uunet.uu.net (Ewen McNeill)
Subject: Re: SASI for Big Board (Xerox)

In article <e4mL81w164w@gnat.rent.com> cmcewen@gnat.rent.com (Chris McEwen)
 writes:
> del@fnx.UUCP (Dag Erik Lindberg) writes:
> > I recently acquired a DTC SASI->MFM bridge adapter.  I was thinking
> > that it might be easily hooked up to the parallel ports on a BB.
> > Has anybody written a driver to do this?
>
> Wayne Sung wrote an article on interfacing a Bournelli drive to a CP/M
> computer in the January/February 1991 issue of The Computer Journal. It
> included both schematics and source code and involved adapting the
> parallel port to a SCSI port. Since SASI is the forerunner of SCSI, I
> would think you could get a headstart with Wayne's approach.
>
Let me add my independant recommendation of TCJ, and that particular
article.  Issue 48 of TCJ was the very first I had ever seen, and I was
really impressed.  That article was the one that started me thinking
about a hard drive for my Amstrad again.  With some kind help of the
net (esp. people in sci.electronics) I found a source of bridge boards,
and bought one.

That article contained enough information for me to get my host
controller up and going.  The hardware for my drive is now almost done.
The parts used by the circuit described in the article are the sort of
thing that any self-respecting hardware hacker would have in his/her
junkbox... I don't think I actually bought anything to get the host
circuit up and going.

The software listed is sufficent for a CP/M 2.2 setup, but I am going to
have a little more fun writing the software for my banked (CP/M Plus)
setup.  The source listing provided is a good starting place though.  I
think it is even possible to get a copy of the source on magnetic media,
which should make things nicer for those who want to use it "as is".

> Chris McEwen      Internet: cmcewen@gnat.rent.com | The Computer Journal

--
Ewen McNeill, ewen@actrix.gen.nz