diff --git a/src/libboard_artiq/Cargo.toml b/src/libboard_artiq/Cargo.toml
index b201deb8..e6d4a96c 100644
--- a/src/libboard_artiq/Cargo.toml
+++ b/src/libboard_artiq/Cargo.toml
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ build_zynq = { path = "../libbuild_zynq" }
 log = "0.4"
 log_buffer = { version = "1.2" }
 crc = { version = "1.7", default-features = false }
+core_io = { version = "0.1", features = ["collections"] }
 
 io = { path = "../libio", features = ["byteorder"] }
 libboard_zynq = { git = "https://git.m-labs.hk/M-Labs/zynq-rs.git"}
diff --git a/src/libboard_artiq/src/drtioaux.rs b/src/libboard_artiq/src/drtioaux.rs
index 576973c4..4e3deaaa 100644
--- a/src/libboard_artiq/src/drtioaux.rs
+++ b/src/libboard_artiq/src/drtioaux.rs
@@ -1,8 +1,9 @@
 use core::slice;
 use crc;
 
+use core_io::Error as IoError;
 
-use io::{proto::ProtoRead, proto::ProtoWrite, Cursor, Error as IoError};
+use io::{proto::ProtoRead, proto::ProtoWrite, Cursor};
 use mem::mem::DRTIOAUX_MEM;
 use pl::csr::DRTIOAUX;
 use drtioaux_proto::Error as ProtocolError;
@@ -12,7 +13,7 @@ pub use drtioaux_proto::Packet;
 
 // this is parametric over T because there's no impl Fail for !.
 #[derive(Debug)]
-pub enum Error<T> {
+pub enum Error {
     GatewareError,
     CorruptedPacket,
 
@@ -22,17 +23,17 @@ pub enum Error<T> {
 
     RoutingError,
 
-    Protocol(ProtocolError<T>)
+    Protocol(ProtocolError)
 }
 
-impl<T> From<ProtocolError<T>> for Error<T> {
-    fn from(value: ProtocolError<T>) -> Error<T> {
+impl From<ProtocolError> for Error {
+    fn from(value: ProtocolError) -> Error {
         Error::Protocol(value)
     }
 }
 
-impl<T> From<IoError<T>> for Error<T> {
-    fn from(value: IoError<T>) -> Error<T> {
+impl From<IoError> for Error {
+    fn from(value: IoError) -> Error {
         Error::Protocol(ProtocolError::Io(value))
     }
 }
@@ -59,8 +60,8 @@ fn has_rx_error(linkno: u8) -> bool {
     }
 }
 
-fn receive<F, T>(linkno: u8, f: F) -> Result<Option<T>, Error<!>>
-    where F: FnOnce(&[u8]) -> Result<T, Error<!>>
+fn receive<F, T>(linkno: u8, f: F) -> Result<Option<T>, Error>
+    where F: FnOnce(&[u8]) -> Result<T, Error>
 {
     let linkidx = linkno as usize;
     unsafe {
@@ -76,7 +77,7 @@ fn receive<F, T>(linkno: u8, f: F) -> Result<Option<T>, Error<!>>
     }
 }
 
-pub fn recv(linkno: u8) -> Result<Option<Packet>, Error<!>> {
+pub fn recv(linkno: u8) -> Result<Option<Packet>, Error> {
     if has_rx_error(linkno) {
         return Err(Error::GatewareError)
     }
@@ -101,7 +102,7 @@ pub fn recv(linkno: u8) -> Result<Option<Packet>, Error<!>> {
 }
 
 pub fn recv_timeout(linkno: u8, timeout_ms: Option<u64>,
-    timer: GlobalTimer) -> Result<Packet, Error<!>> 
+    timer: GlobalTimer) -> Result<Packet, Error> 
 {
     let timeout_ms = Milliseconds(timeout_ms.unwrap_or(10));
     let limit = timer.get_time() + timeout_ms;
@@ -114,8 +115,8 @@ pub fn recv_timeout(linkno: u8, timeout_ms: Option<u64>,
     Err(Error::TimedOut)
 }
 
-fn transmit<F>(linkno: u8, f: F) -> Result<(), Error<!>>
-    where F: FnOnce(&mut [u8]) -> Result<usize, Error<!>>
+fn transmit<F>(linkno: u8, f: F) -> Result<(), Error>
+    where F: FnOnce(&mut [u8]) -> Result<usize, Error>
 {
     let linkno = linkno as usize;
     unsafe {
@@ -129,7 +130,7 @@ fn transmit<F>(linkno: u8, f: F) -> Result<(), Error<!>>
     }
 }
 
-pub fn send(linkno: u8, packet: &Packet) -> Result<(), Error<!>> {
+pub fn send(linkno: u8, packet: &Packet) -> Result<(), Error> {
     transmit(linkno, |buffer| {
         let mut writer = Cursor::new(buffer);
 
diff --git a/src/libboard_artiq/src/drtioaux_proto.rs b/src/libboard_artiq/src/drtioaux_proto.rs
index e6ad5820..53c17458 100644
--- a/src/libboard_artiq/src/drtioaux_proto.rs
+++ b/src/libboard_artiq/src/drtioaux_proto.rs
@@ -1,17 +1,27 @@
-use io::{Read, proto::ProtoRead, Write, proto::ProtoWrite, Error as IoError};
+use core_io::Error as IoError;
+
+use io::proto::{ProtoWrite as Write, ProtoRead as Read};
 
 #[derive(Debug)]
-pub enum Error<T> {
+pub enum Error {
     UnknownPacket(u8),
-    Io(IoError<T>)
+    Io(IoError)
 }
 
-impl<T> From<IoError<T>> for Error<T> {
-    fn from(value: IoError<T>) -> Error<T> {
+impl From<IoError> for Error {
+    fn from(value: IoError) -> Error {
         Error::Io(value)
     }
 }
 
+/* Why does this not work?!
+impl From<Write::WriteError> for Error {
+    fn from(value: Write::WriteError) -> Error {
+        Error::Io(value)
+    }
+}*/
+
+
 #[derive(PartialEq, Debug)]
 pub enum Packet {
     EchoRequest,
@@ -57,8 +67,8 @@ pub enum Packet {
 }
 
 impl Packet {
-    pub fn read_from<R>(reader: &mut R) -> Result<Self, Error<R::ReadError>>
-        where R: io::Read + ?Sized
+    pub fn read_from<R>(reader: &mut R) -> Result<Self, Error>
+        where R: Read + ?Sized
     {
         Ok(match reader.read_u8()? {
             0x00 => Packet::EchoRequest,
@@ -194,9 +204,10 @@ impl Packet {
         })
     }
 
-    pub fn write_to<W>(&self, writer: &mut W) -> Result<(), IoError<W::WriteError>>
+    pub fn write_to<W>(&self, writer: &mut W) -> Result<(), IoError>
         where W: Write + ?Sized
     {
+
         match *self {
             Packet::EchoRequest =>
                 writer.write_u8(0x00)?,
@@ -357,4 +368,5 @@ impl Packet {
         }
         Ok(())
     }
+    
 }
diff --git a/src/libboard_artiq/src/lib.rs b/src/libboard_artiq/src/lib.rs
index ebb4d3e1..0d56f02a 100644
--- a/src/libboard_artiq/src/lib.rs
+++ b/src/libboard_artiq/src/lib.rs
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ extern crate libconfig;
 extern crate libcortex_a9;
 extern crate log_buffer;
 extern crate io;
+extern crate core_io;
 
 // has csr; taken from runtime main
 #[path = "../../../build/pl.rs"]