Summary
- PicoIDE emulates IDE/ATAPI drives with a Raspberry Pi, replacing old HDDs/CDs with microSD storage.
- Plug microSD-stored disk images in, and your vintage PC sees a normal CD/HDD—no burned discs or failed mechanics.
- You can help crowdfund it on Crowd Supply; you can make a pledge of $110 for the full device or $69 for the shell.
Tending to retro hardware is a real balancing act. In an ideal world, you can use all the parts the device originally came with for all of eternity; however, PC parts are far more fickle than that. Over time, components will give out, and you’ll need to find something to replace them. The only problem is that the specific part you need has been out of production for decades, and the only surviving models people are willing to sell are getting older and pricier by the year.
While I will always respect those who will accept no substitutes, the cheaper and more practical option is to grab a substitute. It may not look and feel like the “real deal,” but when you’re looking at the potential of never using your PC again, it’s sometimes the lesser of the two evils. Fortunately, there are efforts to make the process easier, such as this cool IDE/ATAPI emulator, which you can help crowdfund right now.
Crowdfunding a product is not the same as purchasing it. Crowdfunding projects can, and will, fall apart without giving pledgers any return. Never pledge money to a crowdfunder that you can’t afford to lose.
Related
The best Raspberry Pi projects don’t require extra hardware anymore
You don’t need to spend a fortune on premium Raspberry Pi HATs and gizmos for your DIY projects
The PicoIDE is a more cost-effective way to revive old hardware
It also looks very sleek
As spotted by Tom’s Hardware, the Raspberry Pi-powered PicoIDE is currently raising funds over on Crowd Supply. It has done an amazing job so far, raising $94,509 of its original $35,000 goal, but there’s still over a month left in the campaign for anyone who wants to get a pledge in and score a PicoIDE for themselves.
Here’s how the PicoIDE works:
PicoIDE is an open-source IDE/ATAPI drive emulator that replaces aging hard drives and CD-ROM drives in vintage computers with solid-state microSD card storage. Simply put your disc/disk images on a microSD card and swap between them as needed. Powered by open-source hardware and software, PicoIDE means you no longer have to deal with burning optical discs, worn out lasers, crashed heads, or bad sectors.
Yes, that does mean that you won’t be able to pop your CDs into this replacement disk drive, but extracting the contents to a microSD card is a great way to back it up in case something bad happens. Other than that, your PC and operating system will see the PicoIDE as a CD drive, so everything should work as normal; however, instead of relying on aging hardware, you have a modern-day replacement with a nice screen on the front.
You can pledge for a PicoIDE for $110, which comes in both black and beige. You can also grab the shell without any of the front buttons for $69.