External case for ESProfile

[wottle]

I prefer my helper devices to be covered, and recently learned how easy it is to make basic things in TinkerCad. I recently ordered a set of ESProfiles (internal and external), and while the internal is perfect for my needs, I decided I wanted a case for the external one. So I made the following:

I also have a solid version, but this one should have better airflow and be faster to print. My 3d printer isn't optimized for long bridges, so I did use supports, but it has cut-outs for the cable, access to the microSD card, and the USB-C port (it should work if you have the micro USB version of the ESP dev board). It also has a cutout to see the LED and to access the reset button.




I've attached the STLs for the 2 versions below.

Unfortunately, because there are no mounting holes through the board, I tried to make the case fit as tight as possible, but given printer differences, I didn’t want to be super snug. So I made it a bit loose, and I just used a bit of hot glue at the corners to hold it in place. The lid fits snuggly enough that it will stay on without any additional securing.

 

[JustDaveIII]

Very nice. I did one for the external version to be internal in the drive cage / rail . https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6956391

 

[wottle]

Very nice. I did one for the external version to be internal in the drive cage / rail . https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6956391

Nice! Is there a reason you built the external version and put it inside? Doesn't it add complexity of getting 5v USB into the case. That was my whole reason for switching from the Cameo/Aphid to the ESProfile internal version. Does the 2/5 not have an internal parallel connector?

I built the external more for fun and to see if my Parallel Interface card works. Answer: it does not appear it does. Although there is a chance I built the cable wrong, because I only had the photos from Alex's repo to go off.



I snipped the pin on the DSUB 25 connector, and removed the wire that he showed removed in his photo to get from 26 wires to 25. I made two cables, and they both had the same problem. The would boot to the Selector, and even then work booting to a BLU image. But if I boot to either MacWorks or LOS, it doesn't work (different symptoms - I believe LOS I get an error code and MacWorks goes to a black screen and then stays there). However, when I power it externally and plug it into the internal parallel cable, all the images boot and work fine. So I suspect I have a bad parallel interface card, but don't have any other known good parallel drives to test it.

 

[JustDaveIII]

I originally was going to order 5 pcb's each but they didn't have enough parts so I decided on the external because, to me, it would be easer to mount inside vs an internal mounting outside. The power issue is the same for either, when mounted opposite of what it's for. I just took a USB cable, cut it and soldered some think wire to the power leads and inserted into the power cable connector as I didn't have in my junk box's a male molex connector of the right size.

I'd say there is something about your parallel card if you can boot Selector / BLU.

I don't know why pin 13 is removed. I see it called signal UD7 / LD7 on the parallel board schematic. Pin 1 is also not connected on his board and is a GND (1 of 8) on the schematic. IDEFile does use pin 13 but perhaps it's just a matter of having it there with all the others. Since the source code of the GAL's used for it isn't available we can't know unless the creator is questioned and provides an answer.

I may, for the heck of it, remove the top control card from my widget and see if that pin is connected to anything.

A note I'm going to send to Alex is to have the ESProfile connector be a straight vertical one, not a 90 degree one. That way the cable can exit better and not take any side space but still be formed at any angle. But that's just my opinion.

 

[AlexTheCat123]

Hey! I'm Alex, the creator of ESProFile. I was pointed to this thread by @JustDaveIII on LisaList2, and I just want to say, nice job with the case! I'm sure a lot of people would love to add that to their boards, myself included. Would you mind if I added the STL files to the ESProFile GitHub repo? I would be sure to credit you of course!

Sorry for not putting holes in the external board; I didn't foresee anybody designing anything like this! But I'll be sure to add some within the next couple days.

And I actually became aware of the parallel card issue that you were having when I was messing with the Workshop about a week ago. It only happens in certain OS configurations, but basically what's happening is that ESProFile isn't asserting BSY fast enough and the Lisa times out. For whatever reason, the OS is more tolerant of long BSY response times when the drive is connected to the built-in parallel port, but it's really strict on the parallel card. And certain programs (like the Selector and BLU) are much more tolerant too, which is why those are working fine for you. A quick change to the code fixed the problem though! So if you want to get it going with your parallel card, go back over to the repo and download the latest firmware. It also incorporates some changes to improve disk access speeds (at the potential expense of compatibility with really cheap SD cards), so that's an added benefit!

 

[wottle]

Hey, first of all, thanks so much for this solution! A cheap solution for a Lisa HD emulator is awesome, and your guide to ordering the PCB with parts pre-assembled was fantastic. My case isn't quite as awesome as @JustDaveIII's, but I hopefully can keep refining it to make it better.

You can certainly include it in the repo. I was actually going to try to reach out to you to make sure you were OK with me making the case and publishing it here. If you do add any mounting holes, let me know and I can tweak the case to make it easier to hold things in place.

Also, great to hear the external parallel card I have may be working. I'll try to grab the firmware and flash the ESP and confirm it resolves my issue as well. That is good because I had several people who were interested in getting some of my spares (I sadly don't have 10 Lisas to need 10 of these). And I didn't like the idea of shipping them a device and pre-made cable that I couldn't confirm was working.

Thanks again for producing this!

 

[AlexTheCat123]

I'm glad you're enjoying it! I hate how expensive most Lisa-related stuff is, so I tried to keep ESProFile as cheap as possible, while remaining accessible to people who might be a bit less tech-savvy and may not know how to actually solder one together themselves. It's been getting a surprising amount of attention compared to any of my other Lisa-related designs, so it looks like people are really liking it!

Thanks again for designing your case! I'm printing one out right now so I can test it and take some pictures, and it should be in the repo by tomorrow morning assuming everything goes well. I'll probably do the mounting holes this weekend, but I'll be sure to let you know whenever I get around to it.

Let me know if the update ends up fixing the parallel card. If not, I'll try and help you get it sorted out as fast as possible so you can get those spare boards sent out!

 

[AlexTheCat123]

My test print finished and it works great, so I've updated the repo with the stl files as well as the brackets by @JustDaveIII. Thanks again to both of you for these awesome designs and for giving me permission to include them!