Subject: Re: USB input devices?
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From: Charles Stephens <devnull@dobbs.eng.sun.com>
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple2
Date: 25 Jan 1999 16:36:54 -0800
Organization: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
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>>>>> "JB" == Jeff Blakeney <CUTjefbla@bconnex.net> writes:

 JB> I'm still wondering why people would want USB on their Apple IIs.
 JB> Personally, I'd rather see a SCSI-2 or SCSI-3 card, an Ethernet card,
 JB> a better SVGA card or lots of other things.  I could live without USB
 JB> all together.

USB is a much more approachable bus than SCSI.  Even U2SCSI devices
will talk to SCSI-1, so we are covered with RAMFast and the AHSS card.
USB would give access to scanners, cameras, and zip drives in addition
to the standard array of input devices.

I have read the Intel spec sheets and it doesn't seem that hard to
build a USB root hub for the A2.  All it is a 80251 (cousin to the
good ole 8051) with added USB circuitry.

Since it is all memory mapped, a combo USB/memory card would make use
of address space C00000-DFFFFF.

Just a thought.

cfs
-- 
Charles F. Stephens               = cfs  AT  eng.sun.com
Software Psychic and Illuminary   =
Solaris Network Sustaining        = "We don't make mistakes, we make
Solaris Software                  =  happy accidents."
Sun Microsystems, Inc.            =            -- Bob Ross
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