DBA ESDI to IDE?

[Louis Ohland]

Forlorn hope. I have been looking at some P70s on the porch that I'd
like to get rid of.

[Tim WBST Clarke]

Hi Louis...

Post by Louis Ohland
Forlorn hope. I have been looking at some P70s on the porch that I'd
like to get rid of.

Pray tell, what is it you'd like? An IDE drive with an ESDI interface
converter for use in a P70, perhaps? Or maybe just knowledge of such a
converter's source? These cryptic, somewhat lacking in detail, posts do make
it a little hard to assist, at times.

[Louis Ohland]

Post by Tim WBST Clarke
Hi Louis...

Post by Louis Ohland
Forlorn hope. I have been looking at some P70s on the porch that I'd
like to get rid of.

Pray tell, what is it you'd like? An IDE drive with an ESDI interface
converter for use in a P70, perhaps? Or maybe just knowledge of such a
converter's source? These cryptic, somewhat lacking in detail, posts do
make it a little hard to assist, at times.

I'm easy, just not cheap.

I'd like to be able to use a 40 pin IDE/ATA drive in a P70 (or a Model
70!). IBM DID make a DBA ESDI to IDE flex with an Altera EEPROM? on it
for the TP720C. I sendt my one and only conversion (flex and new BIOS)
to David Beem a few years ago.

Whether there was/is an IDE to DBA ESDI converter, I dinna ken. But
trying to findt a working DBA ESDI drive is long and painful.

[g***@aol.com]

Post by Louis Ohland

Post by Tim WBST Clarke
Hi Louis...

Post by Louis Ohland
Forlorn hope. I have been looking at some P70s on the porch that I'd
like to get rid of.

Pray tell, what is it you'd like? An IDE drive with an ESDI interface
converter for use in a P70, perhaps? Or maybe just knowledge of such a
converter's source? These cryptic, somewhat lacking in detail, posts do
make it a little hard to assist, at times.

I'm easy, just not cheap.
I'd like to be able to use a 40 pin IDE/ATA drive in a P70 (or a Model
70!). IBM DID make a DBA ESDI to IDE flex with an Altera EEPROM? on it
for the TP720C. I sendt my one and only conversion (flex and new BIOS)
to David Beem a few years ago.
Whether there was/is an IDE to DBA ESDI converter, I dinna ken. But
trying to findt a working DBA ESDI drive is long and painful.

I turned one up the other day, a 120, but I don't have a clue if it
works. I don't have anything to test it in.

[William R. Walsh]

Hi!

But trying to findt a working DBA ESDI drive is long and painful.

I have loads of them, mostly 60MB and working fine. Many were tested
with SpinRite. There might be an odd 80MB in the bunch, and probably
one 120MB (in dubious working condition). No 160s though...

Pay the postage (or be persuasive enough and you could just have one)
if you want one. Call it $5.

William

[Louis Ohland]

Post by William R. Walsh
Hi!

But trying to findt a working DBA ESDI drive is long and painful.

I have loads of them, mostly 60MB and working fine. Many were tested
with SpinRite. There might be an odd 80MB in the bunch, and probably
one 120MB (in dubious working condition). No 160s though...
Pay the postage (or be persuasive enough and you could just have one)
if you want one. Call it $5.
William

If I dug hard enough, I bet I could find DBA ESDI drives. Not the point.

The DBA ESDI drives were not technology leaders. They will die. What
will/can be used in their stead in the 60/70/80 class systems?

[William R. Walsh]

Hi!

Post by Louis Ohland
If I dug hard enough, I bet I could find DBA ESDI drives. Not the point.

Well, you make a point of wanting one and all...it's hard to know that.

Post by Louis Ohland
The DBA ESDI drives were not technology leaders. They will die. What
will/can be used in their stead in the 60/70/80 class systems?

Any hard drive will die. Perhaps the drives weren't at the technological
peak, but the number that I have still running speaks well of their
reliability. Very few have failed.

You can always go SCSI. I've got one Model 70 pushing a Rancho Technology
RT1000-MC SCSI adapter and a 1GB Conner Peripherals hard disk. You could use
any SCSI adapter. This one makes it easy by including the needed power
connector.

http://greyghost.mooo.com/mcastuff/rt1000mc/

Models 60 and 80 do not present a problem with their open layout and
standard power connectors. Both will accept a SCSI host adpater. There's
even a cage to accept 3.5" hard drives from IBM--or you could probably hack
something together with a 3.5 > 5.25" adapter kit and some rails. The 65SX
was SCSI from the start.

An interesting aside is the notably cooler air temperature of the exhaust
coming out of that Model 70. I expect that the drive produces less heat and
draws less power from the PSU.

A P70 is left to the reader's imagination. It's been suggested in the Ardent
Tools that a SCSI drive can work even if you do lose a slot to the
controller.

William

[Louis Ohland]

(theatrical gasp) I can use SCSI in a Model 70? Wow! Never thought of
that...

I wandt a slotless solution for DBA ESDI drive replacement that does
NOT require a DBA ESDI drive.

Es ist klar?

[Tim WBST Clarke]

Hi Louis...

Post by Louis Ohland
(theatrical gasp) I can use SCSI in a Model 70? Wow! Never thought of
that...
I wandt a slotless solution for DBA ESDI drive replacement that does
NOT require a DBA ESDI drive.
Es ist klar?

Now that's just being contrary, slotless is going one step too far, surely?

[Louis Ohland]

Post by Tim WBST Clarke

Post by Louis Ohland
I wandt a slotless solution for DBA ESDI drive replacement that does
NOT require a DBA ESDI drive.

Now that's just being contrary, slotless is going one step too far, surely?

Tim, I go for the most perfect solution first, then as harsh reality
starts to bite, I adjust.

My trademark saying: "As time gets less and less, my standards get lower
and lower, until I get it done"

I rather doubt that a manufacturer exists to make an IDE drive with a
edgecard connector that will work in a DBA ESDI slot. So what now?

[William R. Walsh]

Hi!

Post by Louis Ohland
Tim, I go for the most perfect solution first, then as harsh reality
starts to bite, I adjust.

Consider it starting to do so.

Post by Louis Ohland
I rather doubt that a manufacturer exists to make an IDE drive with
a edgecard connector that will work in a DBA ESDI slot. So what
now?

It's been said that the DBA ESDI connector is a pared down MCA slot.
Companies have made IDE adapters that utilized the "slot", such as the
Procom MC PIRA adapter in a 55SX. These were bootable. I haven't got
one to examine, but it might be the way to go to see what they did and
try to lay out a similar design.

Drives are physically smaller these days, build such a circuit and put
it on a small board to mount above or below the drive in some way.

The one I do have is the Sigma Data Quick Easy Disk. It's a very
simple device, with simple logic chips on it. (It has no boot BIOS,
instead relying on a device driver. But hey...baby steps and all
that.) It actually "appends" itself to the bus somehow, while allowing
the DBA ESDI drive to remain in place and functional.

http://greyghost.mooo.com/mcastuff/qed/

William

[Louis Ohland]

Post by William R. Walsh
It's been said that the DBA ESDI connector is a pared down MCA slot.
Companies have made IDE adapters that utilized the "slot", such as the
Procom MC PIRA adapter in a 55SX. These were bootable. I haven't got
one to examine, but it might be the way to go to see what they did and
try to lay out a similar design.

I do have a PIRA upstairs, but who can actually use it?

[William R. Walsh]

Hi!

Post by Louis Ohland
I do have a PIRA upstairs, but who can actually use it?

Anyone with a 55SX. Even today, that ought to be a lot of people.

Wanna see if it works? You know where to find me...and I've got plenty
of 55SX.

William

[Tim WBST Clarke]

Hi William, Louis...

Post by William R. Walsh

Post by Louis Ohland
If I dug hard enough, I bet I could find DBA ESDI drives. Not the point.

Well, you make a point of wanting one and all...it's hard to know that.

Seconded.

Post by William R. Walsh

Post by Louis Ohland
The DBA ESDI drives were not technology leaders. They will die. What
will/can be used in their stead in the 60/70/80 class systems?

Any hard drive will die. Perhaps the drives weren't at the technological
peak, but the number that I have still running speaks well of their
reliability. Very few have failed.

Agreed.

Post by William R. Walsh
You can always go SCSI. I've got one Model 70 pushing a Rancho Technology
RT1000-MC SCSI adapter and a 1GB Conner Peripherals hard disk. You could use
any SCSI adapter. This one makes it easy by including the needed power
connector.
http://greyghost.mooo.com/mcastuff/rt1000mc/

Agreed in spades. With the exception of the installed power connector (a
quick soldering job, as the pads are there), I have a sh*t-load of IBM's
variant of the Future Domain MCS700 (*Fast* SCSI-2, although PIO-mode only)
going for peanuts (Pee? Nuts!). These are small and short enough for a P70.
.

Post by William R. Walsh
Models 60 and 80 do not present a problem with their open layout and
standard power connectors. Both will accept a SCSI host adpater. There's
even a cage to accept 3.5" hard drives from IBM--or you could probably hack
something together with a 3.5 > 5.25" adapter kit and some rails. The 65SX
was SCSI from the start.

IBM-flavour (Int 4Bh BIOS support, as long as the ONLY IBM SCSI adapter)
MCS700s are ideal for this.

Post by William R. Walsh
An interesting aside is the notably cooler air temperature of the exhaust
coming out of that Model 70. I expect that the drive produces less heat and
draws less power from the PSU.
A P70 is left to the reader's imagination. It's been suggested in the Ardent
Tools that a SCSI drive can work even if you do lose a slot to the
controller.

Louis, you've been presented with a passle of options, it's up to you now.