Registered: Jan 2000
Location: Arizona
Posts: 43

Another Ethernet thread (but still good)

OK. I know the ethernet question has been raised many times before, I have read through all the posts. The lack of an ethernet Springboard is the most glaring ommision in the Springboard lineup IMHO.

So what would it take to make an adapter for either PCMCIA or CF ethernet cards? It has been said before on this site, but I'll summarize. It will take some sort of active adaption (not like passive CF memory adaption), possibly requiring an external power source, and it would take software drivers.

I have done some research and I think the CF route would be better to go because of smaller form factor and less power required.

I found a card made by Socketcom (www.socketcom.com) that takes 19 mA of power and will run at 3.3 V or 5 V. I don't know if 3.3 V is doable with the Sprigboard since it only has 2 AA to power it, but 19mA is well within the power range. It may be possible that this card will run without an external supply. I am not familiar with the signal lines required, and if they are all there, or if there is a work around using external logic. Anyone that does know please reply.

Now for software. This Socketcom card and many others will run on any OS with NE2000 drivers (NE2000 is an old National Semi design that has been cloned many times). These are the drivers that Handera uses. They have these drivers for every OS under the sun, and I don't think they are that tough. Problem is I am not a programmer, so I don't know for sure. I am an EE, so I could do the logic part of the adapter, but someone else would have to do the software.

The point of all this is that I think we could pool our knowledge and maybe make an adpater for a CF card. Anyone that has anything to add posistive or negative please comment. Is there something that I am missing?

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