Subject: Re: SSFDC/SmartMedia Reader question
To: Wolfgang Rupprecht <wolfgang@wsrcc.com>
From: David Brownlee <abs@NetBSD.ORG>
List: port-i386
Date: 09/19/2000 10:08:24
	Is there a PR open on this?

                David/absolute
			       -- www.netbsd.org: A pmap for every occasion --


On 15 Sep 2000, Wolfgang Rupprecht wrote:

> 
> et1@attglobal.net (Ernst du Toit) writes:
> > Are there any supported SmartMedia (aka SSFDC) readers?  I'm
> > particularly interested in anything USB based, but any device might
> > be worth considering.
> 
> I have the Newmedia pcmcia reader.  This can download my 4 meg cards
> in ~3 seconds.
> 
> The Newmedia does have a significant bug under netbsd (including
> -current) though.  It hangs the kernel for ~40 seconds whenever the
> reader in first plugged in.  It is a bit of a drag to have your
> portable freeze up and go into high-battery usage mode for 40 seconds
> (especially when away from wall-power).  The battery doesn't last that
> long as it and having your computer go into a spin-wait warming up the
> CPU just adds insult to injury.
> 
> The Bug?  The kernel does a spin-wait for a status bit in the wdc
> controller code that takes 40 seconds to come valid.  (Ideally the
> kernel would really stop spin-waiting after a few milliseconds.)
> 
> -wolfgang
> -- 
>        Wolfgang Rupprecht <wolfgang+gnus@dailyplanet.wsrcc.com>
> 		    http://www.wsrcc.com/wolfgang/
> Coming soon: GPS mapping tools for Open Systems. http://www.gnomad-mapping.com/
>