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Amiga computer related discussion => Amiga Hardware Issues and discussion => Topic started by: Discolata on August 04, 2003, 08:28:17 PM

Title: PCMCIA to USB converter
Post by: Discolata on August 04, 2003, 08:28:17 PM
Greetings to all Amigans! Long live Amiga! Hello people I am very excited to find out that Amiga is still alive ehmmm in a way. I used to have one A500 and my beloved A1200 with my extras but sold them 4 years ago. I am sick and tired with the PC industry (I work as a senior Technical editor at a computer magazine) and all Intel-Microsoft-AMD-nVIDIA stuff which sux big time. I bought yesterday a very good Amiga 600 with good old 1084s monitor and I am really happy with it. Here in Greece I can find PCMCIA to USB converter for 50 Euros. Does anyone know If it's gonna work with my A600? I really need USB on Amiga. Thanx in Advance Amigans :-)
Title: Re: PCMCIA to USB converter
Post by: Quixote on August 04, 2003, 08:55:11 PM
:pint: Firstly, welcome to Amiga.org!  The first one's on me.

(http://amiga.org/images/subject/icon9.gif) As for using a PCMCIA to USB converter on your A600, it's a matter of drivers and bus speed.  I am unsure whether the A600's PCMCIA port is up to speed, but any drivers would be on Aminet.  Just visit the link in my signature.
Title: Re: PCMCIA to USB converter
Post by: Discolata on August 04, 2003, 09:09:01 PM
Thanx for your help! After some searching I found out that there are drivers for PCMCIA SCSI and modems not for USB converters...:( Actually my purpose is to connect my Compact Flash USB read to Amiga in order to transfer my pics to hard drive.....If only there was a USB implementetion...
Title: Re: PCMCIA to USB converter
Post by: jeffimix on August 04, 2003, 09:17:01 PM
There are some USB cards for Amiga... I don't know if the PCI ones work without a mediator board though... otherwise it's just not the right Amiga for USB. Besides that the fellow who sold Poseidon USB stack has stopped selling it for some reason??? Anyone know why?
Title: Re: PCMCIA to USB converter
Post by: leirbag28 on August 04, 2003, 10:23:26 PM
Hey Discolata, I have an Amiga 600 and an Amiga 1200, they both can use CompactFlash cards with a driver on Aminet.....it is also possible to put USB on an Amiga 600, but you will probably not be able to do it as it is a hack...though there may be some other way.....I am also imagining that your Amiga 600 is not accelerated and only runs at 7Mhz?   well check out this website to learn on how to upgrade your Amiga 600:   http://www.amiga600.de/      I myself am trying to do the same but I have Cable Modem on my 1200 using a PCMCIA ethernet card, I also can tranfer Pictures to My A600 and A1200 using compactflash connected to a PCMCIA adaptor....you can also use Memory Stick and all those other memory cards for cameras if you get  fat95.lha and cfd.lha on  Aminet:    http://wuarchive.wustl.edu/~aminet/
Title: Re: PCMCIA to USB converter
Post by: Discolata on August 04, 2003, 10:30:58 PM
Yes it's not upgraded. It's just 7MHz....it looks awfull near to my P4 1.8 @ 3GHz but it is Amiga :)
I have checked the web site. The USB hac is awesome but needs special revision of the hardware...

You mean that I can buy this PCMCIA to USB converter plug it, install the drivers and transfer images to Amiga 600?

Holy Amiga :)

Title: Re: PCMCIA to USB converter
Post by: leirbag28 on August 04, 2003, 10:35:31 PM
 Well I am not sure, but even if you could, I doubt you can use the USB thing as your 600 might not be fast enough, so don't buy until you ask other amigans first, like try asking the guy who owns that nice A600 on that web page I showed you, he may be able to give you good advice :-)

But as far as CompactFlash and Memory stick, you can do it with just the drivers.
Title: Re: PCMCIA to USB converter
Post by: KennyR on August 04, 2003, 11:09:06 PM
It's not just a matter of drivers. Many 8bit PCMCIA cards and most 16bit PCMCIA cards will physically not work with the A600/1200 PCMCIA slot.
Title: Re: PCMCIA to USB converter
Post by: platon42 on August 04, 2003, 11:40:28 PM
I'm just setting up a website with the whole story for all of you to judge for yourself. When it's ready, it will probably be announced in the rant section of ann.lu only.
Title: Re: PCMCIA to USB converter
Post by: ncafferkey on August 04, 2003, 11:41:13 PM
I would have thought that the majority of 16-bit cards could work on Amigas, but then I haven't done a survey or anything :-) However, no 32-bit cards will work.

AFAIK all USB and Firewire PC cards are 32-bit/Cardbus because no ISA-compatible chipsets were ever designed.
Title: Re: PCMCIA to USB converter
Post by: platon42 on August 04, 2003, 11:42:31 PM
Unfortunately, Poseidon neads at least an MC68020 to operate, so this stack won't work on an unaccelerated A600, even if there were PCMCIA drivers. But as somebody pointed out, most of these USB PCMCIA cards are card bus cards and won't fit :(
Title: Re: PCMCIA to USB converter
Post by: Discolata on August 05, 2003, 12:09:57 AM
I have found out that using the apropriate drives and a Compact Flash to PCMCIA adapter i will be ready to transfer pics to A600....No more PCMCIA to USB experiment...A Compact FLash to PCMCIA adapter costs less than 10 Euros so I will give it a try.....

P.S. Do you think that my 2.5 IDE 20GB HD will work with A600...or the capacity is too huge for A600?

Thanx for your help!
Title: Re: PCMCIA to USB converter
Post by: leirbag28 on August 05, 2003, 01:53:00 AM
a 20 gig will work and so will a 40 and 60 gig, as long as you have OS 3.9 or NSD patch or TD64 from aminet. I personally am having a problem with this..im not sure why.....maybe because I installed a few different ones at the same time! hehe

And don't believe some of these people in here, many many many PCMCIA cards work for the A600 and 1200 as well as IBM  MicroDrives!
I have tried them and they work nicely!
Discolata wrote:
I have found out that using the apropriate drives and a Compact Flash to PCMCIA adapter i will be ready to transfer pics to A600....No more PCMCIA to USB experiment...A Compact FLash to PCMCIA adapter costs less than 10 Euros so I will give it a try.....

P.S. Do you think that my 2.5 IDE 20GB HD will work with A600...or the capacity is too huge for A600?

Thanx for your help! [/quote]
Title: Re: PCMCIA to USB converter
Post by: destro on August 05, 2003, 08:44:29 AM
Hello there. I have an A-1200. I am currently
Using an SMC ( EZ PC 10 ) PCMCIA-2-EtherNet
Card. I Also have A Motorola PCMCIA-Modem
Card ( Mobile Surfr 56k V90 { UpGradeable }.

As for using A PCMCIA-USB Card with the A-600 or
A-1200, I have seen a PCMCIA Adapter to allow the use of Type III cards in a Type II Slot.

Not Sure IF The Posiden USB Stack Software has support for A PCMCIA-USB Card.

On Ebay I have seen PCMCIA-Compact Flash Adapter
that would work with the Amiga-600 and A-1200.

If you ever decide to use the PCMCIA Port for
Another Purpose Other then USB I have Successfully Setup Miami to use either a PCMCIA-Modem Card and Or A PCMCIA EtherNet Card.
I have the Device Drivers and Miami Default for both types of PCMCIA Cards.

Have a Nice Day.
Title: Re: PCMCIA to USB converter
Post by: MrZammler on August 05, 2003, 09:25:57 AM
Hey Discolata, join the rest of the Hellenic Amiga Users in #amigahellas.

See you there :-)