CF-to-SATA hardware interface for RAW recording (fork)

Started by Grunf, May 17, 2013, 03:10:09 PM

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bumkicho

Quote from: pascalc on May 28, 2013, 07:30:04 AM
The parts will be here tomorrow... Let see if it works...
Portability is not a big problem, I'm going to design an enclosure, like a grip, to put all that stuff together under the camera. I'll share the 3D model.

Looking forward to the outcome of your project. It will be huge if you can pull this off.

pascalc

Yes I will 3D print it, but first got to make all work

Samuel H

My project is on hold, as I wait for some parts to arrive... grrrrr...

rm312

just read through all of this and very interested in where its going. Would this help cut out a few of the components? female CF - IDE extension

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-20-cm-CF-Female-to-IDE-Male-Adapter-Extension-Cable-/300572249445

pascalc


ptunstall

does that CF extender you purchased support 150+ MB/s pascalc?  That's the main issue I am running into, trying to find an extender that holds up to the speeds we're trying to achieve.

zachnfine

I hooked all my parts together: SATA to mSata adapter (and SATA power connector from my computer), mSata to ZIF, ZIF to Toshiba CF, CF to USB3 CF card reader, Card reader to computer, and got nothing. The LED on the card reader lights up when powered up and a card is recognized, but it remained unlit. The orientation of the ZIF to CF cable wasn't obvious, so I tried it both ways (didn't seem to fry anything, but neither worked).

It'd be nice if I had devices that'd work with each element of the chain (i.e. something that takes an mSata connector, something that takes ZIF) so that I could find the weak link. I'm not sure where to go from here. It seemed like a possible route that might work using available hardware.

KMikhail

Quote from: rm312 on May 29, 2013, 10:12:07 PM
just read through all of this and very interested in where its going. Would this help cut out a few of the components? female CF - IDE extension

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-20-cm-CF-Female-to-IDE-Male-Adapter-Extension-Cable-/300572249445

What's strange is that apparently cable width is the same as the width of IDE and CF connectors, and 'CF' connector looks more like an IDE one.

pascalc

I dont know if it achieve the the 150 Mo we are targeting, it's not specified on the website and I did not received all the parts to make a test (one won't be here before june 8th!).
I just can see that he bus is really thin...

pascalc

Bad news, when the CF extender is inserted, with the door open, nothing happens when I push the small contact. In the same situation, with a regular CF or with nothing, it starts up ! Someone has an idea ?

SDX

CF slots usually have a contact inside, which is triggered as soon as something is inserted. I guess, when that contact is closed, the camera expects a memory card, even though it is just a cable.
I've experienced something like that when I insert a dead CF card. The camera won't boot. Without, however, it will.

pascalc

I tried the extender in a Lexar USB 3 CF card reader and it works, the card at the other side of the ribbon mount on the computer. That let me think that Canon could have prevented this kind of things. If that's not the case, how to solve it ? Did someone tried another CF adapter ?
Otherwise, with a 32Gb Sandisk Extreme 60MB/s it is as fast as the card can write, about 60 Mo/s but with a Transcend 128Gb 1000x it drops to 40 Mo/s.
A lot of mysteries...

squig

The camera senses when the door is open yeah. So you just have to figure out a way around that.

pascalc

No, with a regular CF I can start the camera with the door opened pushing the contact with a small piece of plastic. With the extender it doesn't works. The camera recognize it's not a normal CF.

3pointedit

Is the extender behaving like a PC spec device or a camera device, that is with a different ground on some pins? I gather from the spec http://www.amtron.com/cfcard/amtron_cf_su_spec_v4.2.pdf that CF cards behave differently depending on where they are being used. Perhaps the drive device at the other end is just not appearing as a CF card. How can you emulate it better? Perhaps a pin loop, or effective ground.
550D on ML-roids

g3gg0

i already expected this result.
the last few days i read a lot about CF card specification and reversed the parts of the camera that interact with CF.
i think i have a plan what we would have to patch to make it working.

1. CF is reset
2. CIS structure is read and parsed (needs to be patched)
- RotatingDeviceInfo
- MakerAndVersionTuple
- ConfigurationTuple
- WriteProtectTuple
3. Reconfigures the card for I/O Mapped Operation Mode (needs to be patched)
4. partition table is read and checked for 0x55AA at the end
5. first partition is checked for a supported type (1,4,5,6,7,B,C,E)
6. device is available


which camera model do you use?

can you run this plugin with your disk attached?
http://www.magiclantern.fm/forum/index.php?topic=5471.msg36699#msg36699
Help us with datasheets - Help us with register dumps
magic lantern: 1Magic9991E1eWbGvrsx186GovYCXFbppY, server expenses: [email protected]
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Pelican

EOS 7D Mark II, EOS 7D, EOS 5, EOS 100 + lenses (10mm to 300mm), 600EX, 550EX, YN600EX x 3
EOScard, EOS DSLR firmwares, ARMu, NiControl, etc.: http://pel.hu/down

pascalc

Thanks g3gg0

I use a 5D3.

I also have a 1DC.
With this one the camera can be started with the door opened but it says it can't read the card and ask to format it but when doing so it says it can't do it.

I don't understand where your link is pointing to.


Grunf

Quote from: zachnfine on May 30, 2013, 02:02:16 AM
I hooked all my parts together: SATA to mSata adapter (and SATA power connector from my computer), mSata to ZIF, ZIF to Toshiba CF, CF to USB3 CF card reader, Card reader to computer, and got nothing. The LED on the card reader lights up when powered up and a card is recognized, but it remained unlit. The orientation of the ZIF to CF cable wasn't obvious, so I tried it both ways (didn't seem to fry anything, but neither worked).

It'd be nice if I had devices that'd work with each element of the chain (i.e. something that takes an mSata connector, something that takes ZIF) so that I could find the weak link. I'm not sure where to go from here. It seemed like a possible route that might work using available hardware.

Try to start with simplest chain possible: female CF -> female IDE -> IDE HDD (formated as FAT32 and powered by external Molex cable).

g3gg0

Help us with datasheets - Help us with register dumps
magic lantern: 1Magic9991E1eWbGvrsx186GovYCXFbppY, server expenses: [email protected]
ONLY donate for things we have done, not for things you expect!

pascalc

Sorry, yes the link is working but it's a page of signs and a lot of �. I don't know what to do with that...

ptunstall

The file is probably opening into your browser.  Save the file then move it to your modules.

bumkicho

Not sure if anyone mentioned a product like this before, but I just found this and thought it might be useful.

http://www.ratocsystems.com/english/products/CFU1U.html

g3gg0

"Add an USB 1.1 Host downstream port to your PDA."

> 12 Mbit/s
Help us with datasheets - Help us with register dumps
magic lantern: 1Magic9991E1eWbGvrsx186GovYCXFbppY, server expenses: [email protected]
ONLY donate for things we have done, not for things you expect!

bumkicho

I was wondering if there is a similar product with USB 3 support. Would USB 3 have sufficient speed?