Diskwiz Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 Happy New Year All! No!!...not another SIO device... Yes...Another SIO device!!! I started this in January of 2011 and had it where it is at now before the end of 2011. I should have shared this information a lot earlier, but I was hoping to refine it further with a full case/package, etc... No more delays. Could more be done? Yes. Are there bugs? Probably, but I won't know unless people try it out and let me know. This was one fun project to build. Instead of re-hashing, I will point you to my blog on wordpress. It is my first time using Wordpress and I am not sure if I will eventually move the site somewhere else, but for now: http://diskwiz.wordp...com/sio2microsd I don't believe I can post .brd/.sch and files of that sort, so I may have to find another way to post certain content. I can always email it for people who plan to build it. I was originally going to name it sio2Arduino, but changed my mind. I was MUCH more creative with the sio2MicroSD name. :) Please let me know if you see any errors/bugs either on my site or in the device. BTW, this thing works great with the hispeed patch I recently did to the 130XE OS. Don 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adam242 Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 That looks seriously cool.. I might be interested in a complete, cased unit or a kit that includes a case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gandor Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 Nice, thank you for sharing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
popmilo Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 Brilliant effort! I need something just like that ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hitchcock4 Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 This was one fun project to build. Instead of re-hashing, I will point you to my blog on wordpress. It is my first time using Wordpress and I am not sure if Hi Don, Happy New Year! Knowing what little I know about experimenting on the Arduino, I think I can use any 28-pin Arduino compatible chip with your board, right? I have an extra ATMega328 that I ordered with my last order from Jameco. I would be interested in an extra PCB and the bill of materials or an order of parts if you can get enough people for discounted components. Are you located in the US? I am in North Carolina. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diskwiz Posted January 1, 2013 Author Share Posted January 1, 2013 (edited) Thank you all. I appreciate the positive responses. Hitchcock4, hey neighbor! I am in Knoxville, TN. You are correct. This should work with any 328 board. Just wire the pins like I have listed in the blog. I also have a link to Gravitech where I purchased the MicroSD adapter. You should be able to use any breakout board though. Just get one with the 5v to 3.3v regulator so you don't have to mess with that. I was trying to find the most cost-effective way to get all the parts to build. I purchased a few cheaper build-it-yourself Arduino kits that had a lot of the parts needed. I had these boards built in the US, so it was not the cheapest route. They are nice (not including my errors). I have had bad luck with Chinese orders, so I am not sure I want to go that route. I have many ideas for PCB design also. If using remote keys and LCD (via ribbon) this board can be designed to be sooooo much smaller. On my personal device, I built a remote button board and is why you see the wiring in the center of the board on my blog. Not having to find room for the buttons would make the board cheaper to make also, but then you might need to make a button board. Also, I was locked and stubborn on the shape I wanted. I was in our server room at work and saw this box and really liked it. Of course, it is bigger than is needed, but had the shape I was looking for. I found the company and the owner sent me out two to work with (what a great guy!). I still couldn't make it work easily. Some professional help is needed. It used a metal plate to mount the board and the plastic part is just a partial shell. Now I know why SIO2SD is the shape and size it is. Any ideas are welcome. I need to update the board anyway, so I don't mind really messing around there. I can modify the pin selections where needed also, in case someone already has a board with SD they want to try out. Don Edited January 1, 2013 by Diskwiz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hitchcock4 Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 A few suggestions: Judging from the size of the microcontroller, it looks like the board is about 3 inches by 3 inches. Would it be possible to bring this down to 2" x 3" (while still including room for the buttons)? Based on some empty space, it looks like it can be shrunk down some. However, I have never designed a PCB, so I don't know anything about this. You mention debugging. Do you think it needs much? If so, I might wire it up on a breadboard as you suggested. But, having other "projects" as I mentioned in the PM, might be a while before I do this. Otherwise, it looks great! I think some people would want to put in a project box -- which is why I suggested a bit smaller. A "simple" way of creating a project box would be to have a "top" and "bottom" of clear acrylic. I saw a Raspberry Pi encased in a simple box (see image) which, looks nice, yet is probably not too expensive. Others -- please chime in, even if you have enough SIO devices (Just an example of a clean looking, finished project) I guess buttons would either need to be mounted (making it more complex) or be at the very edge of the board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diskwiz Posted January 2, 2013 Author Share Posted January 2, 2013 Yes. The PCB can be made smaller. I was pretty rushed to get it out for a batch run, so I mainly went off my initial design that was created to be one-sided and added the usb (for re-programming and SIO2PC use) from there. Buttons should fit as well. It just takes some time to find room for wire routing when you have certain components "locked" in your design. If you want SD card, power, atari cable, etc... in a very specific place, it limits your wire routing. I really wanted the LCD facing you instead of the ceiling. That makes things more complex. Every LCD seems to be sized a little differently as well. The reason for the remote buttons was to have them next to the LCD. It was just my preference for my personal device. I actually made a little PCB for it and have that board in Eagle as well. They sell LCD boards with buttons as well. I thought about those but cannot remember why I ruled them out. As for debugging...I don't know of any major bugs. I have not had problems with it, but might not use it as extensively as some out there. I just started to work on the code so that I can compile it with the latest Arduino IDE. That is going to take some work and I am sure that it will introduce some new bugs. I had slightly modified the Ardiuno SDFat library and the new version looks like a pretty extensive re-write. There may be better ways to do things now. I couldn't sleep last night and was thinking of different ways to change some of my code/routines. I hope to get some time to start working on a new PCB tonight or tomorrow. Thank you for the input all. Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
npturton Posted January 3, 2013 Share Posted January 3, 2013 very nice Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farb Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 (edited) I was originally going to name it sio2Arduino, but changed my mind. I was MUCH more creative with the sio2MicroSD name. :) Glad you didn't as that name was already taken Nice work, I'll have to take a look at it and see how your implementation differs from SIO2Arduino's. Edited January 6, 2013 by Farb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diskwiz Posted January 6, 2013 Author Share Posted January 6, 2013 Hey All, I posted a few PCB designs. None finalized, but just to give an idea. http://diskwiz.wordpress.com/sio2microsd/experimental-pcbs/ Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diskwiz Posted January 6, 2013 Author Share Posted January 6, 2013 Glad you didn't as that name was already taken Nice work, I'll have to take a look at it and see how your implementation differs from SIO2Arduino's. Hello Farb. I saw that! I am glad to see someone else working with the Arduino. The pins for the SD are setup for a standard Arduino on my compile. If you need a version with pin changes to check it out, shoot me an email/PM. My code is still in IDE 0022 format, but I am going to attempt conversion. I just hope the SDfat library didn't get too big to fit. Memory was tight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diskwiz Posted January 6, 2013 Author Share Posted January 6, 2013 (Just an example of a clean looking, finished project) I guess buttons would either need to be mounted (making it more complex) or be at the very edge of the board. Check this one out. Even nicer! http://www.karlssonr...CFQkFnQodOV4A8Q Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farb Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 Hello Farb. I saw that! I am glad to see someone else working with the Arduino. The pins for the SD are setup for a standard Arduino on my compile. If you need a version with pin changes to check it out, shoot me an email/PM. My code is still in IDE 0022 format, but I am going to attempt conversion. I just hope the SDfat library didn't get too big to fit. Memory was tight. Yes, memory is an issue on Arduino devices. I was only able to get partial ATX support implemented and even that required a Mega 2560. Your implementation certainly looks more complete than mine (minus the protected formats) so I'll have to try it out. If you're interested in adding PRO image support, here's my reverse engineering documentation: http://www.whizzosoftware.com/sio2arduino/prosys.html I've also documented what information there is about the ATX format here: http://www.whizzosoftware.com/sio2arduino/vapi.html I started playing around with accurate timings for ATX images but the Arduino's small memory was a huge impediment. That coupled with the lack of a proper ATX specification made me lose interest. It really is a shame that the two major protected disk image formats (ATX and PRO) are at best partially documented and implementations (other than their author's closed-source, platform-dependent ones) rely on reverse-engineering efforts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farb Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 Oh, just realized that there's no source available. Are you planning to release it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diskwiz Posted January 6, 2013 Author Share Posted January 6, 2013 I decided not to implement any copy protection in my software as everything I own has already been cleaned by someone else, so I didn't think it was needed.?.? Very cool stuff though. My initial goal was to make something that my 7 year old could use. I then started adding more functionality that I thought would be fun. He is almost 10 now so he looks at the 8 bit games and is respectful about it, but the Wii-U seems to occupy his time now. I am not sure when I will release the source for it. It was my first c++ project and first Arduino project and I am self-taught, so the code may not look impressive. Looking at some other current code in the libraries, I think I need to do some cleanup. I almost hate to touch it though as it is working fine. I kept learning more as I went and if you knew the order I wrote it, you could tell the code style changes. I suppose as long as it compiles and works, it probably is fine. I never start with small projects. My first Turbo Pascal program was an upload/download file system for Renegade BBS software. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
w1k Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 interesting.. https://cosm.com/ The Internet of Things was an idea. Now it’s a reality. Right now on the Cosm platform, developers and companies are connecting devices and apps to securely store and exchange data. It’s the one solution that brings big ideas about the world to the world. https://cosm.com/support/hardware/arduino 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diskwiz Posted January 23, 2013 Author Share Posted January 23, 2013 Hmmmm.... interesting.. https://cosm.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
popmilo Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 interesting.. https://cosm.com/ The Internet of Things was an idea. Now it’s a reality. Right now on the Cosm platform, developers and companies are connecting devices and apps to securely store and exchange data. It’s the one solution that brings big ideas about the world to the world. Yes it is! We started using it where I work for instant upload of data from a manufacturing line to 'cloud'. Arduino is sitting on a machine (saw cutting logs), collecting data from three axes accelerator+ultra-sound sensor, sends data over 2.4 ghz wireless module, to managers office (no need for wires from machine ...). Second Arduino (with wireless module and ethernet port) is there acting as a small server for multiple sensors, and it sends collected data to Cosm cloud. Web application will pull data from the cloud and present it in a nice gui... As we started this only couple of months ago, system is still not complete, but soon owner of company will be watching on his phone animation of logs being processed in his factory while sipping a drink on a beach somewhere! ps. And I'll get a pay raise pps Thanks to Arduino! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
w1k Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 interesting and great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg2600 Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 Love the complete enclosed product, but have to imagine this will be $$$$$. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
griz Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 Awesome Don! I checked it out several months back. I built your sio2arduino (without an lcd screen). I was unable to get the menu software to function. However I could load single disk images from one of my Unos. I meant to contact you - but you know how busy life can get. I am glad you're continuing to evolve this cool project. Some folks predicted that the Raspberry Pi would be an Arduino Killer. I don't think so : I believe they compliment each other very well. The Pi is too complex IMO to replace dedicated reliable micro controllers in general, and yet not powerfull enough to replace general purpose computers in many cases. It's stuck somewhere in the middle. If you work within it's limitations though, they ROCK. There seems to be a divide present between some Arduino and Raspberry Pi users not unlike Atari and Commodore. You can purchase a Raspberry Pi for around the same price as an Arduino ethernet shield by itself. Imagine an SIO2PI project where you purchase a Pi, install some software, plugin in a gpio to sio cable and a network cable (or wireless). Then you simply visit it's webpage from your main (comfortable) PC to manage disk images. Has anyone done anything like this with the RPi? I love Ataris, Commodores, Arduinos, Raspberry Pis and I love your Sio2MicroSD project. All the best 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diskwiz Posted January 24, 2013 Author Share Posted January 24, 2013 Thank you, Griz. I appreciate the kind words. I would like to clarify though that the SIO2Arduino that you tried was NOT MY project. I only released my device to the public weeks ago. Please try it out. It is quite different from the SIO2Arduino project. I agree with your Pi statements also. Creating a device with a Pi would force you to buy a Pi and then your device, or software. Creating a device with an Arduino would allow you to use one of the compatible Atmel processors to be placed on your own board. It is not locking you into anything, and an Atmel processor is less than 1/10th the cost of a Pi. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diskwiz Posted January 24, 2013 Author Share Posted January 24, 2013 Love the complete enclosed product, but have to imagine this will be $$$$$. This is why I am considering a slight redesign of the board to make it easier to package. You can't make it too small as the LCD is big anyway, so diminishing returns there... I will likely create an Arduino shield design for people also. I think everyone who has any interest in an Arduino should own an LCD, SD card reader, and some easy to reach buttons anyway. I think it would be best for me to ditch the USB port, as my Atari connector is compatible with an Arduino serial programmer for updating anyway. You would just lose the ability to easily connect Aspeq or APE with one device. Very soon I will finalize a couple of designs and see what everyone thinks and see if anyone is interested. I would think that if I could make 20 of these, I could bulk order some parts and make it more affordable. For those who like to tinker, I want to make sure I have a version that anyone can make at home also. Did I mention that I have a CNC machine as well? Do I have a cutting tool or programmed it yet?? NO. I built it and put a pen on it to draw my son's name. He wasn't impressed and thought it should be wireless. Darn 9 year-olds! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
griz Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 (edited) I would like to clarify though that the SIO2Arduino that you tried was NOT MY project. Oops! I mixed up your project with Farb's SIO2Arduino. Sorry about that. I Love both projects. Creating a device with a Pi would force you to buy a Pi and then your device, or software. Creating a device with an Arduino would allow you to use one of the compatible Atmel processors to be placed on your own board. It is not locking you into anything, and an Atmel processor is less than 1/10th the cost of a Pi. Yes the Atmel's are inexpensive. And I like the concept of a dedicated device like your SIO2MicroSD very much. It also looks fun to build. Great stuff really. When you mention having to buy a 'device' or 'software' for the Pi ... what are you reffering to? A Pi is $35 (model B). You would need an SD card, a network cable (or wireless dongle), a power supply and a GPIO-SIO cable adapter. This all ads up to about $50. By comparison, what does it cost to build an SIO2MicroSD? I will likely create an Arduino shield design for people also. I think that's an awesome idea. Did I mention that I have a CNC machine as well? Do I have a cutting tool or programmed it yet?? NO. I built it and put a pen on it to draw my son's name. He wasn't impressed and thought it should be wireless. Darn 9 year-olds! I'd love a CNC machine. Which one did you build, or did you design it yourself? I think your son WILL be impressed once you have a cutting tool. Edited January 24, 2013 by griz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
AtariAge on Instagram
Watch us on YouTube
Chat on Discord
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.