Replacements for ST-406/ST-512 drives

From: Tony Duell <ard_at_p850ug1.demon.co.uk>
Date: Mon Feb 7 17:18:15 2005

>
> On Sun, 2005-02-06 at 19:04 +0000, Tony Duell wrote:
> > A second problem is low-level formatting these hard drives. Some machines
> > don't seem to have the software to do it, and just about every controller
> > has its own format.
> >
> > You mentioned the HPIB drive boxes. I use an HP9133 (I forget the suffix
> > letter, its a 20Mbyte one in the more modern, smaller, box) on my
> > Integral. Althoguh the drive mechanism is a standard ST225, I can tell
> > you from experience that putting a 'blank' ST225 in there just causes it
> > to turn on the fault light. Whether there is some way to get the unit to
> > do an LLF, whether you need a different firmware EPROM, or what, I don't
> > know. But I jaut hope that disk keeps on working.
>
> How hard would it be for someone far more competant than me to rig
> something up to just sample the data stream from such a drive and save
> it to some form of modern media?

That's basically what was suggested before, and what I mentioned last
night. Sample the sata stream at several times the data rate (16 times,
or 80MHz, would seem OK), record that bit pattern on the CF card or
whatever, then play it back.

There are quite a few 'interesting' details to get this to work, and
which substantially increases the amount of logic needed. But it should
be very possible.

-tony
Received on Mon Feb 07 2005 - 17:18:15 GMT