Hi Rob! Thanks! Yes, the current firmware is IDE only at the moment. In fact, I strongly recommend using an IDE/CF adapter. The SD is currently not supported but hopefully will be soon. However I suspect the SD will have noticeably reduced performance relative to the IDE/CF due to the serialized nature of SD.
One day something I would like to know is if the 8-bit mode common on many CF cards would provide a more efficient storage mode and/or speedier interface. I have heard although do not know for a fact that the 8-bit IDE/CF mode has quite a bit less overhead and complexity.
Not only is the 8-bit IDE/CF interface much simpler the achievable throughput is actually higher than the regular 16-bit mode. I know that may sound a bit paradoxical but I think it is true. Fortunately we are using a PPIDE interface so either mode is possible. However, this is just a curiosity for now and we should continue to focus on compatibility testing.
Thanks and have a nice day!
Andrew Lynch
One day something I would like to know is if the 8-bit mode common on many CF cards would provide a more efficient storage mode and/or speedier interface. I have heard although do not know for a fact that the 8-bit IDE/CF mode has quite a bit less overhead and complexity.
Not only is the 8-bit IDE/CF interface much simpler the achievable throughput is actually higher than the regular 16-bit mode. I know that may sound a bit paradoxical but I think it is true. Fortunately we are using a PPIDE interface so either mode is possible. However, this is just a curiosity for now and we should continue to focus on compatibility testing.
Thanks and have a nice day!
Andrew Lynch