BlueBird-SD-Module: a boutique build for BlueSCSI in Blackbirds?

[Trash80toG4]

One last shot, putting this stuff away in the project box today.

Not pretty:
__ vertical full size USB is a no go, TinyUSB flat on board should align well with puckered lips
__ forgot to mark out the LED activity light on right
__ everything's out of whack, but centering openings up shouldn't be hard to visualize.
__ size of lips can be smaller given push-click-eject SD access
__ may give in to temptation and make a pretty overlay for one last pic?

Dunno, whatcha think gang?

 

[retr01]

Nice concept

I don't recall that the PBs have HDD activity light, as I think Apple wanted to avoid that part of the design. Instead, a third-party CDEV was available to show the HDD activity on the menu bar on the screen.

 

[Trash80toG4]

Constantly flashing LED draws a tiny bit of power, a paramount consideration in PowerBook design. SCSI/SD replacement for spinner nails that box shut.

Activity LED on BlueBird-SD-Module cover plate's a silly affection, but what the heck? Tinker Different!

 

[Fizzbinn]

Though I'm still confused about scsi performance on the 5x0 series. A 180 is faster in my testing. https://github.com/androda/F4_BlueSCSI/wiki/System-Compatibility-and-Performance#powerbooks

I’ve been wondering about that too. From the Apple Hardware Dev notes both the 180 and 540 use the same “Combo” SCSI chip but my reading is the 180 runs it at the same speed as the processor, 33MHz, where the 500 series has a split bus system running at different speeds mediated by the “Pratt” controller chip. The CPU ‘040 bus runs at processor speed (25 or 33MHz) with the RAM and ROM. While everything else runs on a 16MHz ‘030 I/O bus, including the Combo chip…

 

[Trash80toG4]

How wide is the combo chip interface to the processor bus? The unified bus of the 180 is 32bit, no? Bridged 68030 I/O bus in the 5x0 is narrower at only 16bit on top of its being downclocked.

 

[-SE40-]

Yep, that's the type to be avoided due to its slip-out SD card feature. Mentioned reasons for avoidance upthread…..

it has a decent locking system to the card:
-See video below-

 

[retr01]

Ah. It depends on which one to get. Is there a specific term for the locking feature of the SD female to male adapter ribbon cable?

 

[-SE40-]

@retr01 , dont know how this SDclicklock is called, but this one from the link I gave does work fine with the Blue SCSI