Hi guys,
I only check the forum about every 1.5 to 2 weeks or so, so I'm not sure is someone else already proposed something like this, but:
What if someone (say for instance Yours Truly™) went looking for a fab on this side of the Pond, had that fab produce the boards as well, send them the design, order a batch, and and resell those boards to those of us in Europe?
That would take some of the strain (as well as part of any financial risk) of those of you involved in distributing the kits from the US, and in addition would also make the boards easier to order for those of us in Europe (considering shipping costs), and would also cut back the delivery time for that group.
Right now, I'm very close to moving from a very cramped apartment to a (if all goes well) much more spacious one, but if no one else is already doing or contemplating this after I've moved, I'll be happy to sign up as a volunteer for this. With enough enthusiastic response I'd even be prepared to make an up-front investment in ordering a first batch of boards and parts.
Just let me know if someone already thought of this and you guys are already way ahead of me on this one, or if this offer might be interesting to some of you.
Just let me know if someone already thought of this and you guys are already way ahead of me on this one, or if this offer might be interesting to some of you.
And I'm one of the people on this side of the big sea, so I'm certainly interested in this idea.I did give it some thought, about ordering a batch and this way having shipping costs only once for people on this side.
May I ask where I can find all these goodies? I have looked at http://wiki.vintage-computer.com/index.php/XTIDE_project but couldn't find it there.The *entire* project is open source, from the schematics, layout, utilities and BIOS.
Hallo Hargle,
May I ask where I can find all these goodies? I have looked at http://wiki.vintage-computer.com/index.php/XTIDE_project but couldn't find it there.
I'm interested for several reasons. I'm in for two cards anyway for my Commodore PC's that are equiped with an original 8 bit IDE interface. But the drives for these interfaces are rare so I'm looking for a substitute. Another reason: I already have another XT IDE interface but with a brooken ROM Having the sources I could create a new ROM for this one.
Many thanks in advance!
--
Groetjes, Ruud Baltissen
It is an interesting offer. You would need to find not only a PCB fab place, but also a local electronic supply. Think your up for it?
I'll PM you over this coming week and we can see if it is feasible and worth while.
With the price breaks, it may just make the most sense to get everything kitted up here in the states and then bulk ship 20-30 cards to you at once.
I'll PM you the source for the existing 0.11 bios. I have stopped development on it, as user aitotat has taken over. You will have to PM aitotat to get the XTIDE universal BIOS source.
I'm still interested in helping out, so just let me know. By the way: I've found a new apartment and will be spending at least the next month and a half on moving, so I might not have the time to start on this until about the beginning of February or so.
The spread sheet is here: http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0Aq3OABRiL8UCdEt5SUp2V1U3cXFSN1RCYWZPR2NTVFE&hl=en
The spread sheet is here: http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0Aq3OABRiL8UCdEt5SUp2V1U3cXFSN1RCYWZPR2NTVFE&hl=en