Homebrew STG card - CRAZY-6

["Arne Chr. Jorgensen" <instel-at-online.no>]

Hi,

By now,  I guess you all know I am crazy :)

I got more to add:

If this is possible - here is some final note:    ( final - who knows :)

If I take an IBM-AT,  I would think that suitable board could be made half
size.

I would add some bars on the back, and have a foot like a L or T, keeping the
whole case an inch above the floor level.  Case standing up like a Tower
enclosure. This way it would be easy to slide the top cover off.   Cutting away
the bays for the disks, and have a power supply mounted here.  ( this would be
at the top.  You could open the original power box, and get solder some mains
to this other transformer.  

I would add a plate in the middle of the cabinet.  Make the,  let say stepper
boards as half sized ISA.  But instead of having the terminals at the edge like
normal,  I would have them on the other end.  Maybe cut  away parts the front
wall and make this the room available for step motors amps,  or servo amps. 
You may also mount fans here.  Then have screw terminals for the motors out in
front.  The top lid has just a plastic front, and it is easy to modify it so
that both terminals and enough air flow can pass.  You may put some LEDs or
other stuff + ventilation where the disk drive used to sit.

I do think this could work out to be a nice unit. And I think that it could be
something nice for EMC as well.   In fact - maybe you could even be without an
RT-kernel on the Linux box,  as this one could give the timer ticks, and the
Linux box could be interfaced in such a way that this interrupt would have
the highest interrupt  priority.  ( I don't know if this could be done,  - but
I think it is possible - well just another crazy idea :)

I would as I have said - like to hear what Fred, et al.  would say about this:)  

But,  I do think that such a thing could be interesting to discuss.  It would
make it easy for a lot of people to put together,  because of cheap parts, and
easy boards.  Why I choose to focus on the IBM-AT,  is because it is so well
documented, and I think a lot could write some code for it.  And even if the
ISA bus should vanish in newer computers, - this would not make any trouble for
us.  

Now,  I better put on some flame proof clothing :)

//ARNE