Just out of interest...
did someone build a project with an microcontroller or low-end CPU with a "hand wired" (e.g. hooked to some normal I/O pins, doing all work by code) ISA bus, and some card other than a network card connected to it? RS232/Printer card, VGA card, Sound card perhaps?
How much work was it, and was it worth it? ;-)
Andreas,
I've done something similar to what you're asking. Using a Zilog Z8S180, running CP/M, I'm able to drive an XT (8-bit) MFM controller and one of the old, 'standard' multi-function 16-bit controllers (with IDE, Floppy, RS-232, Parallel ports). The IDE 16-bit controller is complete; the floppy controller is a work in progress. I haven't touched the RS-232 or parallel ports yet, although I don't expect any difficulties there.
How much work was it? Quite a lot, including hardware design, building, and software drivers. Then the testing - is the bug in the hardware, or the software? Or is it both?
Was it worth it? Well, for me, the answer is an unqualified "YES!" For most others, probably no. Kinda depends on what you want to do with it.
Terry
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