crusher wrote on 2025-07-21, 08:09:I'm speaking of the Drive Mount mbalmer is working on.
Have a look here: […]
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aperezbios wrote on 2025-07-18, 17:28:
All ZuluIDE boards come pre-assembled and on a bracket. I assume you're actually wanting some sort of bundle. If so, it would be helpful to know _exactly_ what you want.
I'm speaking of the Drive Mount mbalmer is working on.
Have a look here:
Re: ZuluIDE: A proper IDE device emulator for retro PCs
Sorry for the delay in replying here. Yes, I've been working on one where there's a mount where the interface is attached directly instead of having to mount the parts of the board to it. I'm also preparing to go back to school here in a couple of weeks to get a second bachelor's degree, so a lot of my time has been sunk getting prepared for that.
Regardless, on the updated drive mount: there's been quite a bit of work done, mostly with printing iterations of it and trying to slide components around so that there aren't any collisions and the board can still be mounted cleanly -- all while trying to keep the interface board relatively small and still not interfere with the vertical height of the parts on the ZuluIDE.
That last point has been the hardest thing to navigate so far, and the tariff situation made things significantly more difficult. So, in the interest of transparency, here's a peek behind the curtain at some of the steps in the middle.
When I do an iteration of the board, I have to order prototype boards to ensure that everything actually lines up like my measurements show they should. In most cases, I would order a prototype board with most of the SMT parts already populated because not only am I testing fit, I'm also testing usability. This is a move that would not only save time, but also money because ordering the parts through JLCPCB often resulted in lower costs. With the tariff situation, that's basically turned many things on its head, and so now, I'm forced to order completely unpopulated boards, procure the parts, and do the assembly work for every prototype -- which slows things down by several orders of magnitude.
While 3D printer filament spools, even with tariffs, haven't gone up much, prototype boards absolutely have, and as such, cost overruns have ballooned out of control. As such, prototype runs with a quick turnaround have been unmanageable in terms of expense, and that's primarily where the hangup has been. I wish that situation was different, because before this, I could order a batch of prototype boards, get them here in about a week, test, adjust placements/etc, and repeat, all without too much trouble.
I have a run of boards that should be arriving here in about a week that I'm hoping will be the final iteration of it, and once that happens, I should be able to post further details.
THAT SAID, the original drive mount that incorporates the older hardware interface design is still quite serviceable if you're willing to build up the interface board yourself. It just isn't the new hotness. 🤣
Hopefully, that explains things.
