PicoIDE launched earlier this week, touted as “an open source IDE/ATAPI drive emulator for vintage computers.” This single 3.5-inch bay fitting device can replace those aging optical drives (and media) and HDDs, that your retro-PC relies on, with the convenience and capacity that modern microSD cards provide. It uses an appropriate retro-design aesthetic (in beige or black). You can back this project for as little as $69 for the base model, will free shipping in the U.S. and an expected June 14 dispatch date.
Polpotronics LLC, the outfit behind the PicoIDE, highlights the increasing issue of “worn out lasers, crashed heads, or bad sectors,” that even the best maintained vintage PCs can be prone to. At the same time like-for-like hardware replacements are getting scarcer, so a modern retro-embracing, transparent, open-source alternative becomes a compelling project.
Two versions of the PicoIDE are being made available, the PicoIDE Base ($69, beige), and the PicoIDE Deluxe ($110, beige or black). Whichever you choose, you get the following features:
- Full 3.5-inch drive bay enclosure (injection molded)
- Standard 40-pin IDE connector
- 4-pin Molex power connector
- Headers for external activity LED and action button
- SPI header for future expansion
- Emulates ATAPI CD-ROM drives and IDE fixed hard drives
- Images stored on microSD card (FAT32 or exFAT)
- CD-ROM formats: .bin/.cue (with audio track support), .iso
- HDD formats: .img, .hda, .vhd (with CHS geometry), .hdf
- LBA and CHS addressing modes for maximum compatibility
- Configurable vendor/model strings for compatibility with picky systems
- Supports PIO modes 0-4 and multi-word DMA modes 0-2
- Powered by Raspberry Pi RP2350
- IDE bus operations accelerated with PIO state machines
- Double-buffered read-ahead for optimal throughput
- Hot-swap image selection when inserting mickroSD
- Configuration via ini file on microSD
- Firmware updates from the micoSD
- High-quality TI PCM5100A DAC for audio out
- MPC-2 header for internal sound card connection
- 3.5 mm line-out jack for external audio
A killer convenience feature of the PicoIDE is its ability to hold multiple drive images, say with different DOS, Windows, OS/2 and other installations, and on-the-fly switch to load your chosen image at next-boot – all from a single micoSD card. Moreover, PicoIDE emulates a multitude of drive geometries.
PicoIDE is also truly open source. That permeates the hardware, firmware, and documentation. With all design and source files promised to be available via GitHub before the device begins shipping. Documentation is already there.
In the intro, we mentioned that you can back this project for as little as $69 for the base model, with free shipping in the U.S., and an expected June 14 dispatch date. But please remember that crowdfunding a project is not a guarantee of receiving a finished product within the timescale highlighted, if at all. Backing a crowdfunded project is more like an investment; you believe in the project and want it to succeed. You are not purchasing a retail product.
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