Re: TI-H: Extender uP SPinTerface cart

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Re: TI-H: Extender uP SPinTerface cart



>Date: Sat, 16 Aug 1997 16:26:39 -0400
>From: Bryan Rittmeyer <bryanr@flash.net>
>To: ti-hardware@lists.ticalc.org
>Subject: Re: TI-H: spinterface 92
>
>Richard Piotter wrote:
>
>> The Expander uP will be out soon, and I talked tothe guy building it. 
I
>> might make Expander uP Carts for him. The device is PIC controled so 
you
>> don't need special software for it. I believe it is seven small 
surface
>> mount parts and the two chips, an easy SPinTerface cart project! I am
>
>exTENDer uP :-)
>
>I didn't want to call it an Expander since A) that's already been used
>by Mel Tsai and B) it makes the Extender uP seem too much like a clone
>of Mel's project. Mel Tsai has helped me out a lot via IRC... however,
>the Extender uP marches to its own drummer and is only similar to
>the ESF in that it expands the memory of TI calculators.
>
>As for the "special software" -- There will still be an Extender uP
>driver, written in assembly language. Remember, I didn't implement
>the high-level TI protocol (not fully, anyway) -- I implemented the
>very low level TI protocol just so I could take advantage of the 
TI-92's
>built in TI protocol hardware and ROM calls.
>
>Fortunately, all of the parts in the Extender uP are availible in
>surface
>mount versions. I'm much too chicken crap to build an SMT version for
>the
>prototype... so if I ever personally sell finished Extenders (which I
>haven't decided on yet) they will probably be DIP/PLCC chips and not
>the harder to work with SOP chips.
>
>Bryan Rittmeyer
>bryanr@flash.net

Sorry, about the name slip up. I was typing this at 2:00AM and i have 
the SF Expander chips on my mind.

As for the Extender uP as a cart, It would be a bit bigger, but I'm sure 
even PLCC/DIP and non surface mount parts could be used. I could easily 
make it into a more "squareish" case and it could be built with no 
memory chip. Instead, a small connector could be put in its place. Chips 
could be in a cart similar to a SPinTerface cart and plug into the 
Extender, making it into a solid state drive, with the memory carts as 
disks. Even the one you plan on adding an RS232 serial port and all that 
stuff could possibly be made into a large cart.

If I misinterpereted anything before, I'm sorry, but I still am willing 
to assemble the things into carts if you need assistance. You could come 
up with a simple connector (6-8 pins?) that would attach the memory 
cart.

Alot of people were asking me if this would be a SPinTerface cart. I'm 
atleast going to do conversions for people to make link port versions 
into cart versions.

One of us could possibly come up with an "ideal" design for the board if 
it's made into a cart.

I'll try to remember, It's Extender, not Expander. Sorry   (:

Richard Piotter

e-mail: richfiles@hotmail.com

home page: <A 
HREF="http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Lakes/5081/Richfiles.html">The 
Richfiles</A>
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