[NTLK] Fun with Flash

[Matthias Melcher]

> On Jul 17, 2020, at 21:49, Pawel Piotrowski <newton at indigi.co.uk> wrote:
> 
> Matthias,
> 
> You rock, man! This is first what I want to say. 

Thanks :-D

> Second thing is that your email has caused a lot of questions in my head: Is that mean that you are able to read PCMCIA card content?

Yes. It's currently a bit involved, but it works. You insert the card into the MessagePad and then copy it over the serial port to a MacOS Classic. It would be quite easy to write something on the MP and a PC/Mac to make this easy.

> What about make a copy of ROM cards? Do you think it is possible to put ROM card into Newton, read it and save content on computer, and then make a copy on another Flash card?

It's absolutely possible to read a ROM card. I'll have to see if the raw structure is the same as that of a read-only Flash card. If it is, then yes.

>> Discovery 1: PCMCIA cards can have a 32-bit bus. Sounds boring? But no, it is not. That means that we can write an app that stores a regular Newton ROM on a 8MB PC-Card, and map that new ROM where the original ROM is located. That trick would make the clone of the original ROM writable! We can fool around in the ROM, fix bugs, change stuff, add files, without ever opening the case. Sweet!
> 
> Is that mean you can read ROM, add extra software and make NewtonOS 2.5 (OS patch, NIE, WiFi driver, and few other) version of ROM on your custom ROM board for Newton 2x00?

Yes, that works with a new ROM card, and it would probably even work with just a Flash card.

> I have also w few cards with data from people from whom I bought their Newtons. Data and software too. I don’t deleted them. I’m making a copy of Newtons content, but I wasn’t sure how to make PCMCIA card backup. Your research will be very useful!

Cool. I am really glad if this helpful and not just keeping me busy ;-)

>> I have some PCMCIA HDDs and iClicks (also PCMCIA). And a few old ATA 2.5” HDDs :)

Maybe Paul can integrate his ATA support into a ROM card at some point. That would be pretty cool.

 - Matthias