Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!rutgers!cbmvax!jesup
From: jesup@cbmvax.commodore.com (Randell Jesup)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.hardware
Subject: Re: External floppy port for network? (2nd try)
Keywords: NET:, PD, Floppy
Message-ID: <17656@cbmvax.commodore.com>
Date: 16 Jan 91 02:00:14 GMT
References: <1991Jan14.223623.19008@dcdwest.uucp>
Reply-To: jesup@cbmvax.commodore.com (Randell Jesup)
Distribution: na
Organization: Commodore, West Chester, PA
Lines: 24

In article <1991Jan14.223623.19008@dcdwest.uucp> steve@dcdwest.dcdwest.com (Steve Meloche) writes:
>I guess the fundamental question is a hardware one.  I have no idea what is on
>the floppy port, or even if there is any way for software on the computer to
>get the needed access to this port, but I would think it would be possible.
>In my mind this means of connection would be much more useful to most Amiga
>owners than the serial or parallel port configurations, which steal our
>precious ports away.  I just can't afford to use them for this reason.

	It's possible (and I think someone in italy has done this).  You
can access the disk hardware by obtaining access via the GetUnit/GiveUnit
calls in the disk resource.  You should return an ID code (see the hardware
docs) that doesn't conflict with anyone; I'm the clearinghouse for handing
out numbers (do NOT chose one yourself, there are a number of ones that are
not documented in the hardware manual yet (or ever)).

	Speed ought to be ~25-30K bytes/sec, you'll have to use MFM encoding
so the paula hardware will sync up right to the data.

-- 
Randell Jesup, Keeper of AmigaDos, Commodore Engineering.
{uunet|rutgers}!cbmvax!jesup, jesup@cbmvax.commodore.com  BIX: rjesup  
The compiler runs
Like a swift-flowing river
I wait in silence.  (From "The Zen of Programming")  ;-)