Nicholas,
As an alternative to CF, I'm using PQI IDE Disk on Modules. For PC/104 embedded systems that have the 2mm 44pin IDE connectors they plug right in without needing an additional power wire. 40 pin versions require a separate +5V power input.
Programming them takes a bit more ingenuity. I found that you can buy IDE -> USB2.0 enclosures that work under Linux just like the SDDR-31. The one tricky part is connector gender is wrong and the pins are flipped, so you have to take a 2mm IDE cable and put pin headers in both ends to hook the DOMs to the IDE->USB2 perverter. Once the target system is up and running I update tend the DOM across the network, which is good till I test a kernel that won't boot.
It's a good solution for me because I don't have to find a place to mount the CF adapter board, and don't have the extra cable.
The DOM price is a bit more than CF at around $40.
Joey Nelson
-----Original Message----- From: linuxbios-admin@clustermatic.org [mailto:linuxbios-admin@clustermatic.org] On Behalf Of Nicholas Mistry Sent: Monday, March 24, 2003 11:19 AM To: linuxbios@clustermatic.org Subject: Re: off topic: CF -> IDE Where and which to buy?
I too am am running the Imagemate (SDDR-31) USB -> CF adapter. It is great for development and debugging. Used it many times when porting linux to the Ipaq! My only frustration is that i am unable to boot of it. Once the kernel is loaded i can mount the CF card and make it the root filesystem, but that is about it.
What i am aiming to do is completely eliminate the harddrive in my machine. And swapping out the card is not something i will be doing regularly. I just want a reliable and inexpensive solution that gets the job done.
-N