PicoIDE

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.

Video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/QmApt9ooVes?si=81LNooLMiB6Ax3Lr

Features & Specifications

Device Emulation

• Emulates ATAPI CD-ROM drives and IDE fixed hard drives
• Images stored on microSD card (FAT32 or exFAT)
• CD-ROM formats: .bin/.cue (with audio track support), .iso
• HDD formats: .img, .hda, .vhd (with CHS geometry), .hdf
• LBA and CHS addressing modes for maximum compatibility
• Configurable vendor/model strings for compatibility with picky systems

Performance

• Supports PIO modes 0-4 and multi-word DMA modes 0-2
• Powered by Raspberry Pi RP2350
• IDE bus operations accelerated with PIO state machines
• Double-buffered read-ahead for optimal throughput

CD Audio Output

• High-quality TI PCM5100A DAC
• MPC-2 header for internal sound card connection
• 3.5 mm line-out jack for external audio

Physical Design

• Full 3.5-inch drive bay enclosure (injection molded)
• Standard 40-pin IDE connector
• 4-pin Molex power connector
• Headers for external activity LED and action button
• SPI header for future expansion

Front Panel

• 1.3-inch 128x64 OLED display
• 4-way navigation buttons
• RGB activity LED showing drive state at a glance (no image, image inserted, drive activity, update progress)
• Wi-Fi (ESP32-C3) for remote image management in AP or client mode
• Web interface for browsing, selecting, and uploading images
• QWIIC connector for additional expansion

Firmware Features

• Hot-swap image selection by reinserting microSD card
• DOS host utility (pidectl) for image switching without front panel
• Configuration via .ini file on microSD card
• Firmware updates from SD card