Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!van-bc!lpami
From: lphillips@lpami.van-bc.UUCP (Larry Phillips)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: IEE-488 hardware (was Re: Studebakers)
Message-ID: <1812@van-bc.UUCP>
Date: 18 Jun 88 19:33:50 GMT
Sender: lpami@van-bc.UUCP
Lines: 51

In <9895@oberon.USC.EDU>, papa@pollux.usc.edu (Marco Papa) writes:
 >In article <2434@amiga.UUCP| jimm@cloyd.UUCP (Jim Mackraz) writes:
 >|Something I wonder is how many IBM bus peripherals have 8086 code
 >|in ROMs and won't work without it.

 >|The question I have is: "What IBM peripherals would be usable
 >|in the 'dumb bus' without participation by their manufacturers."

 >I believe that some of the boards that do HAVE BIOS ROMs in them could still
 >be used if this "dumb-bridge-board" was not completely dumb, but was instead 
 >able to find and initialize peripherals as a real PC-BIOS-board would.
 >I have no idea how difficult this would be.  Any ideas?

  The Wedge uses standard XT style disk controllers, and uses them quite
well without ever having to look at the BIOS contained on them. In fact,
you could take the BIOS ROM right out of a controller attached via a Wedge
and do whatever you want with it (preferably erasing the filthy Intel code
and putting something useful into it).

  The main thing to note here is that a BIOS of the type that is found on
these controllers is simply an 808x program that is executed by the CPU. As
such, it is the CPU that "does it's thing", sending commands and data to
the controller and receiving data and status back from it. The combination
of BIOS and the controller itself can best be looked at as two separate
things sitting on the bus.

  The main problem in getting any given peripheral attached to a 'dumb
bridge' and working is that you have to find out what the beast requires in
terms of addressing, commands/data to be sent, and what to expect back from
it. Some companies making peripherals are perfectly willing to help out
with dat, but others are very closed about it and will either want to
charge you a hefty fee or will not give you the information at all.

  I have most of the design done for a '2000 Wedge', but don't know if it
will ever see the light of day, in the face of low prices for the 2090 (a
far more capable controller than anything you could slap on an XT bus).
Chuck's idea is a good one though. A generalized board would create a small
market for device drivers, hardware, etc., and at the same time give us
something to do with that wasted space where the braindead stuff is
normally placed.

-larry

--
If all the MSDos machines were laid end to end,
  they still wouldn't be as fun as a single Amiga.
+----------------------------------------------------------------+ 
|   //   Larry Phillips                                          |
| \X/    {ihnp4!alberta!ubc-vision,uunet}!van-bc!lpami!lphillips |
|        COMPUSERVE: 76703,4322                                  |
+----------------------------------------------------------------+