[rescue] Parallel ports [was Re: Slightly OT: ?Bad Cap Saga]

[der Mouse]

> I have no idea if this would be of any help, but both IDE (PATA) and
> SCSI are parallel ports.  I'm sure they have some sort of
> handshaking, which might make your work a lot harder.

A good deal harder, since (certainly fro SCSI, and I think for PATA
too) much of the handshaking has been moved down into silicon and/or
firmware.

Besides, they're not all that general; certainly for SCSI, and probaly
for PATA too, all the data lines flow in the same direction, and turn
around based on a relatively complicated state machine driven off the
control lines.

> There are lots of development boards with real parallel ports instead
> of a printer port, except for cost, why not use one of them?

I don't think I've ever seen one.  I certainly have no idea where to
get them.  You wouldn't happen to know of any Montreal retailers that
carry any such ting, I suppose?

And, as you point out, they cost.  Depending on how much they cost, I
may want one anyway....

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