Do you have a BOM for the hardware? A schematic? Or is it only ready-made boards, and if so, what is the bulk cost? How do you plan to make this into a product? Is that your plan?
Dave On Mon, Feb 7, 2011 at 2:33 AM, Lee Privett <[email protected]> wrote: > Well I am definately interested in purchasing such a device, have you > considered putting this forward to the Quanta Commitee to get it off the > ground commercially? > > Lee Privett > > ------------------------------------------------------------- > Sent from my Laptop running XP > but emulating the QL using QPC2 > ----- Original Message ----- From: "Malcolm Cadman" <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Sunday, February 06, 2011 8:36 PM > Subject: Re: [Ql-Users] USBWiz Driver Update > > > > In message <[email protected]>, Adrian Ives >> <[email protected]> writes >> >> Hi Adrian, >> >> Yes, using the USBWiz is a good idea. >> >> A new hardware project always creates interest. >> >> PS - This list is getting very busy, too. >> Just catching up on over 100 emails ... :-) >> >> >> I have no idea if anyone is remotely interested in this project to attach >>> USB devices to a QL using a small card called a USBWiz. This device >>> presents a serial interface and accepts AT style commands to communicate >>> with many classes of USB device. I started working on this last year, but >>> was delayed by some family problems and a move to another part of the >>> country. My prototype hardware is a little black block that connects via >>> a >>> serial lead to a QL or Hermes serial port. The box has an SD card slot >>> and >>> two USB ports. >>> >>> >>> >>> In the past two weeks I have turned my original prototype driver inside >>> out >>> (not a trivial task, no wonder I missed an errant "me equ 0" statement). >>> The >>> first version suffered from problems encountered when trying to do serial >>> I/O while in supervisor mode (in effect, a driver on top of a driver). >>> Today I successfully completed a test which involved writing a text file >>> to >>> a native QDOS format SD card, then reading it back again. >>> >>> >>> >>> The new driver switches to user mode to do asynchronous I/O over the >>> standard serial port driver through an I/O queue which is managed by a >>> Queue >>> Manager job. In this it is very different from other device drivers and >>> so >>> will need a lot more testing. Not the least of which under QDOS as the >>> driver has been developed under SMSQ. The framework is also in place to >>> support real time communication with the driver core through a pipe >>> mechanism. This is intended to allow queries to be sent to the driver, as >>> opposed to its devices; a variation on a paper that I read about the >>> possibility of implementing meta devices on the QL. Some time in the >>> future >>> I envisage a USB "thing" to act as the interface to this feature. >>> >>> >>> >>> Anyway, that's where I am. >>> >>> >>> >>> The new device driver has the name USB; USB1 is the SD card slot, USB2 >>> and >>> USB3 are the ports which can mount standard external hard drives or >>> memory >>> sticks. It reads and writes, but the format routine still needs >>> completing >>> (formatting is currently done with a S*BASIC utility) >>> >>> >>> >>> As well as the native QL driver I also have a File Manager which needs no >>> driver (only a free serial port) and can read and write FAT format SD >>> cards >>> and USB hard drives. This software also supports the automatic saving and >>> retrieving of the QDOS 64 byte header. This program currently runs in >>> menu-driven character mode, but it is my intention to migrate it to a GD2 >>> compliant pointer app in the very near future. >>> >>> >>> >>> So, my question is this: Is anyone actually interested in me devoting >>> more >>> time to finish this project? If (and it is still an if) the driver can be >>> brought to a release-stable state, is there interest in a commercial >>> product >>> based around this? >>> >> >> -- >> Malcolm Cadman >> _______________________________________________ >> QL-Users Mailing List >> http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm >> > > _______________________________________________ > QL-Users Mailing List > http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm > _______________________________________________ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
