Speaking of PS/2s...

From: jpero_at_sympatico.ca <(jpero_at_sympatico.ca)>
Date: Fri Dec 21 14:10:13 2001

> From: SUPRDAVE_at_aol.com
> Date: Fri, 21 Dec 2001 19:47:44 EST
> Subject: Re: Speaking of PS/2s...
> To: classiccmp_at_classiccmp.org
> Reply-to: classiccmp_at_classiccmp.org

> In a message dated 12/21/01 6:29:46 PM Eastern Standard Time,
> jpero_at_sympatico.ca writes:
>
> << There are two models of 700 and 720 series which are MCA thinkpads
> using very rare MCA IDE 2.5" drives. If the HD dies, you're very
> SOL literally. Requires $500 adapter, mods to thinkpad hardware to
> accept notebook ATA drives.
>
> MCA IDE would describe this correctly. >>
>
> actually those thinkpad drives are EDSI. not upgradeable of course, but since
> OS/2 works so well on those 700 series, why would one use anything else?

Yes, can do with third-party adapter and bios swap to convert MCA IDE
to ATA notebook HD but very expensive, I thought of having one for my
former 700C. But at $500+ a pop, OUCH!

Anyway, OS/2 do well on PS/2 w/ scsi and good peecees I'm very
relucent to stick w/ dead-end interfaces especially on data storages
like MCA-IDE drives are no longer made and too small and aging very
poorly, back in '89-'91 when we had to support PS/2s machines, we
saw too many dying MCA-IDE drives and IBM had to recall few of these.

Nitpick: EDSI is type of chipset for the drive's
side, ESDI controllers can be MCA, ISA, or inbetween like SCSI etc.
On PS/2 MCA-based machines IBM intially used MCA-IDE drives, the
everything IBM put on that drive, ESDI chipsets plus MCA stuff into
HD's logic board. These drives interface directly into machine's MCA
bus via pass through adapters to the planar (IBMese). Same with
700/720 thinkpads except IBM used 2.5" MCA-IDE. Very rare now.

Same idea on peecees except these originally interfaces directly to
16bit ISA bus w/ early and current ATA drives.

Cheers,

Wizard
Received on Fri Dec 21 2001 - 14:10:13 GMT