USB for ST's?

[Gunstar]

I had heard at one point or another about some USB projects for the ST line that were underway, both internal mods and cartridge versions. I am very interested now in getting a USB port for my ST. But after searching AtariAge for threads and massive Google searching everything I've found is quite outdated info and/or people discussing "prototypes." Has any of these projects moved along at all? Is there either 1) a USB product available for purchase somewhere yet or 2) instructions/schematics/drivers on the net somewhere to make my own USB port/board?

[danwinslow]

Go Here :

http://nature.atari.org/

 

Go down into projects, and look at the one titled :

Ethernet and USB card for the CT60

 

I sure hope thats going to be happening soon, I have 2 on order.

[krupkaj]

but this is only for CT Falcons. I think that original question was about ST. I don't know but Mr. Czuba had something about USB and Ethernet card for VME for STe and TT. But I do not know the current status of this project.

 

BTW I have ordered one EtherNAT also and I am looking forward to it. I Hope guys at Nature can find all needed chips soon.

[ctrl_alt_rees]

Just out of interest, what were you thinking of connecting via USB? I guess a USB Mass Storage Driver would be great, pendrives on the ST would be really handy. I suppose it would work with some modern printers too. Other than that, people will need to write drivers for everything, or you could write your own!

 

Edit: Just thought, you may be able to find an ISA card with USB ports on it, and plug it into one of these. That would be an interesting project.

Edited December 28, 2005 by reesclissold

[ctrl_alt_rees]

but this is only for CT Falcons. I think that original question was about ST. I don't know but Mr. Czuba had something about USB and Ethernet card for VME for STe and TT. But I do not know the current status of this project.

 

BTW I have ordered one EtherNAT also and I am looking forward to it. I Hope guys at Nature can find all needed chips soon.

986869[/snapback]

 

Let us know how it goes, I am currently looking at the EtherNAT and similar hardware.

[danwinslow]

Just out of interest, what were you thinking of connecting via USB?

 

Well, I was looking forward to writing some drivers, actually. As far as things to connect, probably HID devices like mouse/keyboard first.

[krupkaj]

There is lot of thing to connect to Falcon. from mouse to storage devices. I hope there will be some mass storage driver available. So it shoul be possible to connect cameras, memory sticks and mp3 players.

[Gunstar]

Just out of interest, what were you thinking of connecting via USB?

 

Well, I was looking forward to writing some drivers, actually. As far as things to connect, probably HID devices like mouse/keyboard first.

990360[/snapback]

I'm interested in it for memory cards mainly, or to hook up pheriphrials with multiple memory-card inputs for different types of cards. I have on that's about the size of a coke can, and has three inputs for different types of memory cards. So far I've only used it for the wafers that digital cameras from a few years ago used (I don't know if it's the same format today or not, my camera is about 5 years old), but I'd like to hook it up to my ST to use it for camera cards and other memory devices. Basically I want to be able to transfer large files between my PC and ST, like ST compatible CD-rom images and files that are larger than 720k floppy. I could use a USB adapter that works in the mega/STE's VME port, which I think someone is working on, but I have a friend who has an ST and a Falcon and he really wants one for his ST, not his Falcon. He's got a 1040STE. I'm willing to build them myself, if I can get schematics/instructions and drivers fro it all, or, I also just as gladly by kits or adapter if somone makes them available.

Edited December 29, 2005 by Gunstar

[+Stephen Moss]

IIRC Guss Hasumann made some USB adaptors that plugged into the cartridge port of the Atari 8 bit computers. Assuming that the ST's cartridge port connections are the same I see no reason why that product could be used on the ST although I suspect that new drivers would have to be written for the ST.

 

The hardware is not that difficult all you need is a USB host controller such as the Cypress SL811HS which is what I beleive they used as I was looking at that device for my own project. It has a 8 bit bi-directional combined Address/Data Bus so connection and commumication with the device is not difficult its writing USB Bus and device drivers thats the hard part.

It may be possible to speed up commumication by connecting to the paralell port provided you can read back the data, another possibility is connecting it to the serial port however unless you can find a USB host adaptor that has a serial interface that will be harder to do.

 

Being able to connect USB pens for easy transfer of files between a ST and PC would be useful however you have to concider the slowest link is the ST which will result in long read/write time of large files and so its mostly HID devices like Printers, Mice and Joysticks are really practical to consider using.

[Gunstar]

IIRC Guss Hasumann made some USB adaptors that plugged into the cartridge port of the Atari 8 bit computers. Assuming that the ST's cartridge port connections are the same I see no reason why that product could be used on the ST although I suspect that new drivers would have to be written for the ST.

 

The hardware is not that difficult all you need is a USB host controller such as the Cypress SL811HS which is what I beleive they used as I was looking at that device for my own project. It has a 8 bit bi-directional combined Address/Data Bus so connection and commumication with the device is not difficult its writing USB Bus  and device drivers thats the hard part.

It may be possible to speed up commumication by connecting to the paralell port provided you can read back the data, another possibility is connecting it to the serial port however unless you can find a USB host adaptor that has a serial interface that will be harder to do.

 

Being able to connect USB pens for easy transfer of files between a ST and PC would be useful however you have to concider the slowest link is the ST which will result in long read/write time of large files and so its mostly HID devices like Printers, Mice and Joysticks are really practical to consider using.

996783[/snapback]

 

So, firstly you are saying that the ST cartridge port and the 8-bit's are the same size and that an ST cart could be plugged into an 8-bit and vice-versa (just physically, I'm not suggesting it would work)?!? If this is true, I never knew it, though I never bothered to see, I just assumed they were different sizes. Secondly, are you suggesting that they are not only the same physical size but actually have the same pin-outs?!? I'd think they would have to be for an 8-bit USB cart to work, even with ST drivers.

 

But as a matter of fact, the very reason I want a USB port on my ST is the same reason you suggest NOT to use it for; transfering LARGE files. I'm not concerned about drivers for joysticks or mice, I'm interested in memory sticks or USB devices that except different types of memory cards and sticks, like the one I currently have hooked up to my PC. My intention is for the transfer of very large files between the ST and PC, specifically CAD files and such from programs like Cyberstudio and Phase-4(Pheonix) which I use both on the ST/MegaSTE and PC with emulators. How long it takes to up or download files to and from the ST are irrelevent, just being able to handle lager files than 720k with a simple drag and drop and then pop the card/stick out of the PC or ST and into the other and another drag-and-drop transfer (and a null-modem link or similiar instead of USB is not an option becuase I am part of a team working on a project and WE want to use memory sticks&cards to hand to each other and plug into our own ST&PC's. miles away too, or transfer via internet then onto the card/stick and to our ST's).

Edited January 9, 2006 by Gunstar

[Goochman]

8bit/ST cart ports are totally different.

 

The ST port I believe should be able to handle more and also should be faster than 8bit.

 

It appears an 8bit USB Flashcard reader for FAT32 directories is on the horizon.

 

One could assume any ST should be able to handle this and more than an XL/XE.

 

I also would be interested in this.

[classics]

An ST cartridge port version of the USB cartridge for the 8-bit would be reasonable easy to create.

 

But all the software for the cartridge is either in Forth or 6502 assembler. Even if there was hardware available, someone would have to dig into those projects and convert them to 68000 assembler.

 

Steve

[ijor]

Personally, I'd like much more USB for the ST at the ACSI/DMA (hard disk) port, than at the cartridge port. It will also be faster.

 

I know somebody was considering something like this. And we all know the high quality of his hardware products. Let's hope he might eventually go ahead with that project.

[+Stephen Moss]

IIRC Guss Hasumann made some USB adaptors that plugged into the cartridge port of the Atari 8 bit computers. Assuming that the ST's cartridge port connections are the same I see no reason why that product could be used on the ST although I suspect that new drivers would have to be written for the ST.

 

So, firstly you are saying that the ST cartridge port and the 8-bit's are the same size and that an ST cart could be plugged into an 8-bit and vice-versa (just physically, I'm not suggesting it would work)?!? If this is true, I never knew it, though I never bothered to see, I just assumed they were different sizes. Secondly, are you suggesting that they are not only the same physical size but actually have the same pin-outs?!? I'd think they would have to be for an 8-bit USB cart to work, even with ST drivers.

Sorry if I was unclear but I did say assuming that they are the same, in other I words was not certain that you could just plug the 8 bit cartridge into the ST cartridge port and use it as it is.

From other replies here it would appear that is is not possible to use the 8 bit cart on the ST.