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Amiga News and Community Announcements => Amiga News and Community Announcements => Amiga Software News => Topic started by: IOSPIRIT on January 09, 2004, 04:14:47 PM
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IOSPIRIT (http://www.iospirit.de/) announces the immediate availability of Medusa USB (http://www.iospirit.de/medusa/), a driver package enabling the use of OnBoard- and PCI-USB-controllers under Amithlon and other supported PCI-solutions.
Medusa USB contains full versions of the USB-stack Poseidon, the PCI-USB-driver ArakAttack and special full versions of the IOUSB DigiCam and IOUSB Scanner packages.
Medusa USB enables users of Amithlon and other supported hardware, to completly avoid the purchase and installation of additional USB-hardware and instead make use of already existant OnBoard-controllers, thereby saving precious PCI-slots.
About Poseidon
The Poseidon USB Stack is a software solution that unleashes the possibilities of the Universal Serial Bus (USB) and the devices with USB interface. It is intended to be a solution for all systems.
Poseidon has a modular design that fits into the AmigaOS environment very neatly. It is no port of an existing system (like the Linux USB stack), but has been created with the unique features of AmigaOS in mind that make the operation system so efficient. Already in 2002 Poseidon received the Amiga Award as best Amiga software.
About ArakAttack
ArakAttack is a USB driver-package for Poseidon, with which USB shall be made possible on every PCI-capable AmigaOS. The supported standards currently include UHCI and OHCI. Nearly every PCI-USB-board or USB-OnBoard controller are compatible with one of these standards. A list of already tested devices can be found in the respective
subpages of the Medusa USB product pages.
About IOUSB Scanner and DigiCam Package
As a bonus, the IOUSB packages, which for the first time allow the use of USB-scanners and -digicams, are contained in special SE-versions (equal to the full versions in functionality). However, since it's a free bonus and testing with all possible hardware combinations was impossible, these SE-versions come without support and functional guarantee.
Compatibility
ArakAttack usually should work with every OnBoard- and PCI-controller supported by PowerPCI (Amithlon) and OpenPCI. Nonetheless, it is possible that in certain constellations and especially with PCI-solutions not, not fully or not error-free supported by OpenPCI (Mediator, Prometheus, G-Rex), there can be compatibility problems. It is thus recommended to download the demo versions of Poseidon and ArakAttack and to test it for compatibility with the hardware in use prior to the purchase.
Availability
Medusa USB is immediately available as downloadversion for 34,99 EUR and as package version (with certificate) for 44,99 EUR. Dealer inquiries desired.
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Does anyone know if this works with Mediator and USB cards? From the readings it looks like it may!
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what is the adavantage if this is working on a Mediator, which has already USB2 highspeed support and also has the Poseidon package ?
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Compatibility
ArakAttack usually should work with every OnBoard- and PCI-controller supported by PowerPCI (Amithlon) and OpenPCI. Nonetheless, it is possible that in certain constellations and especially with PCI-solutions not, not fully or not error-free supported by OpenPCI (Mediator, Prometheus, G-Rex), there can be compatibility problems. It is thus recommended to download the demo versions of Poseidon and ArakAttack and to test it for compatibility with the hardware in use prior to the purchase.
As said in the announcement, right now, there are still issues that keep ArakAttack from working with Mediator, Prometheus and G-Rex PCI-Bus extensions, but it is already being looked into by Guido Mersmann.
As for Spider users, why would they need Medusa?
1) for the contained Poseidon license if direct purchase from Chris Hodges is not an option (e.g. if payment via creditcard is the only viable way)
2) for users that want to use their Spider boards in their Pegasos 1 or 2.
Needless to say, this package is of even greater value to all those who don't already own USB hardware. For once, they get all USB drivers available in one package, they mostly do not need to buy additional hardware, but can just use the onboard-controllers and - above all - there is no other option for USB in this market as powerful, versatile and price-worthy as Medusa is.
PCI USB 2.0 boards already sell as cheap as 9,45 EUR (http://www.preistrend.de/suchen.php3?keyword=usb+2.0+controller&pmi=&pma=&counter=0)!
USB on the Amiga and Amiga-alike platforms has never before been that cheap and convenient !
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I have to agree if this ends up working on the mediator as well as the spider driver work I will be getting it. I want a spider, but cant afford to spend the $80 the card will cost me, and then another $40 for the Stack from Chris. Thats just way moren then they should be. The stack price is fine, but the Spider is so over priced its just nuts! Several 2.0 PCI cards sell for $10 here. Here is one good example: http://shop1.outpost.com/product/3862847
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When will the Prometheus OpenPCI driver be finished?
We are still waiting :-(
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Who deleted my comment from Friday?
OK, I will put it once again:
@Acill
Does anyone know if this works with Mediator and USB cards? From the readings it looks like it may!
No, it doesn't work with Mediator.
It works with Amithlon and Pegasos only, and it works in USB 1.1 mode only. EHCI (Hi-Speed USB 2.0) controllers are not supported as yet.
It doesn't work with Prometheus and it doesn't work with G-REX.