Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

PicoIDE – An open IDE/ATAPI drive emulator

picoide.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

21–30 of 52 posts

Re: PicoIDE – An open IDE/ATAPI drive emulator

#21

Post by marcosscriven »

userbinator wrote: post #11
accrual wrote: post #8

This is really cool! I like the attention to detail on the front panel, it's something I'd be proud of showing on a carefully built retro PC. I could see using this over CF to IDE adapters which work well but this is a cleaner solution. Good luck with your launch, I'll be happy to order one!

Personally I think the half-melted (literally) rough 3D-printed look is rather ugly, and would prefer a stamped steel plate --- like this (floppy emulator): https://lotharek.pl/productdetail.php?id=28

The one you linked looks ugly. Horrible seams, odd and too-long red buttons, unaligned slots.

Re: PicoIDE – An open IDE/ATAPI drive emulator

#23

Post by phaker »

polpo wrote: post #4

Fun seeing this posted - I'm the creator of the project. While it's meant to be a generic IDE/ATAPI emulator the two main use cases I envisioned for the project are in the area of retro computing: CD-ROM under MS-DOS and Windows 9x, where software-only virtual drive emulation options are lacking or nonexistent, and IDE hard drive emulation on early IDE machines where the drive geometries are fixed. Since the project…

First few images link to the full size version of the _next one_

Re: PicoIDE – An open IDE/ATAPI drive emulator

#24

Post by easyThrowaway »

polpo wrote: post #6
ranger_danger wrote: post #5

Is CD-ROM subchannel data accurately emulated for both audio and data modes?

Currently, it implements the ATAPI READ SUB-CHANNEL command and fully supports the current position data format code. Other format codes like ISRC and UPC currently return dummy data, but wiring that up would be pretty straightforward. Supporting image formats like CloneCD's .ccd/.img/.sub that store arbitrary subchannel data also seems doable, but would definitely be more work.

The annoying part of .ccd files is the lack of support in the specifications for DPM data. It was officially used just for some old Karaoke machines and VDJing mixers, but more importantly for retrogaming aficionados, it was used by SecuROM and Starforce copy protections.

Can't think of an open format with support for that, IIRC not even CHD files store them.

Re: PicoIDE – An open IDE/ATAPI drive emulator

#25

Post by selfhoster11 »

easyThrowaway wrote: post #24
polpo wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Currently, it implements the ATAPI READ SUB-CHANNEL command and fully supports the current position data format code. Other format codes like ISRC and UPC currently return dummy data, but wiring that up would be pretty straightforward. Supporting image formats like CloneCD's .ccd/.img/.sub that store arbitrary subchannel data also seems doable, but would definitely be more work.

The annoying part of .ccd files is the lack of support in the specifications for DPM data. It was officially used just for some old Karaoke machines and VDJing mixers, but more importantly for retrogaming aficionados, it was used by SecuROM and Starforce copy protections. Can't think of an open format with support for that, IIRC not even CHD files store them.

MDF/MDS isn't open, but could possibly be reverse-engineered enough to read the DPMS data.

Re: PicoIDE – An open IDE/ATAPI drive emulator

#26

Post by actionfromafar »

deaddodo wrote: post #3
trevithick wrote: post #2

This is really cool. I'm glad people are out there making this stuff even if I'll never have a use for it. What are the use cases for this? I'm guessing retro computing and possibly very old machines tied to very obsolete hardware that can't be virtualized (e.g. manufacturing controls).

This is most useful for retrocomputing, and that’s gonna be the target demographic. While it’s true that industrial and manufacturing sometimes have really old hardware, that’s usually less due to them not having newer options and more due to preferring something tried and true (it “just works” for their workflow) or the sheer economics of upgrading; in most of those cases, there’s already a flow for interfacing with…

I have seen EDM machines with floppy interfaces. A great upgrade for those is a floppy emulator.

Re: PicoIDE – An open IDE/ATAPI drive emulator

#27

Post by actionfromafar »

gregsadetsky wrote: post #10
epakai wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is a Gotek floppy emulator hardware, about $50 USD. A USB floppy drive will be cheaper, maybe $20. I think the T1100 has standard 34-pin IDC connector, but Plus variant uses 26-pin so the Gotek will need an adapter (and probably doesn't fit cleanly). https://archive.is/gFVNm (medium post, shows the adapter) https://github.com/keirf/FlashFloppy/issues/549 (somebody had issue with high 5V rail causing Gotek to no…

Thank you, I really appreciate it!

You can also do stuff like https://github.com/acemielektron/fddEMU if you want a custom form factor.

Re: PicoIDE – An open IDE/ATAPI drive emulator

#29

Post by nebula8804 »

Well sounds like I may have jumped the gun yet again. I managed to nab a IDE Simulator v3 by Tattiebogle in Sept. Maybe I should have waited for this. This has happened to me before so I wonder if maybe word got out that this was coming so others got their products out asap?

Re: PicoIDE – An open IDE/ATAPI drive emulator

#30

Post by mos87 »

selfhoster11 wrote: post #25
easyThrowaway wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The annoying part of .ccd files is the lack of support in the specifications for DPM data. It was officially used just for some old Karaoke machines and VDJing mixers, but more importantly for retrogaming aficionados, it was used by SecuROM and Starforce copy protections. Can't think of an open format with support for that, IIRC not even CHD files store them.

MDF/MDS isn't open, but could possibly be reverse-engineered enough to read the DPMS data.

CDEMU/libmirage support both CCD et al and MDF/MDS images. Mixed modes, etc - the whole shebang. How good the copyright protection emulation is I cannot say tho.
Post reply on HN