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From: rrosen@wpi.wpi.edu (Robert L Rosenblatt)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: RLL controllers & MFM disks
Message-ID: <4044@wpi.wpi.edu>
Date: 15 Sep 89 03:21:45 GMT
References: <1989Sep14.163540.10746@i88.isc.com>
Reply-To: rrosen@wpi.wpi.edu (Robert L Rosenblatt)
Distribution: na
Organization: Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA. USA
Lines: 92

In article <1989Sep14.163540.10746@i88.isc.com> iuster@i88.isc.com (Dan F. Iuster) writes:
>I am considering buying an Adaptec RLL controller to use on a 
>Seagate 4096 - 80Mb drive.  I understand that the 4096's are not
>rated for RLL, nevertheless I was told that it works 90% of the
>time.  The reason for doing this is to get the additional 30% or
>so increase in capacity for almost free.
>
>Has anybody on the net done this ?  Any experieces, good or bad,
>or any more hearsay ?
>
>-- 
>Dan Iuster
>..!{amdahl,att,masscomp,nucsrl,sco,sun}!laidbak!iuster
>(312) 505-9100 x322
>Interactive Systems, Corp.


Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: RLL controllers & MFM disks
Summary: 
Expires: 
References: <1989Sep14.163540.10746@i88.isc.com>
Sender: 
Reply-To: rrosen@wpi.wpi.edu (Robert L Rosenblatt)
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Organization: Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA. USA
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In article <1989Sep14.163540.10746@i88.isc.com> iuster@i88.isc.com (Dan F. Iuster) writes:
>I am considering buying an Adaptec RLL controller to use on a 
>Seagate 4096 - 80Mb drive.  I understand that the 4096's are not
>rated for RLL, nevertheless I was told that it works 90% of the
>time.  The reason for doing this is to get the additional 30% or
>so increase in capacity for almost free.
>
>Has anybody on the net done this ?  Any experieces, good or bad,
>or any more hearsay ?
>
>-- 
>Dan Iuster
>..!{amdahl,att,masscomp,nucsrl,sco,sun}!laidbak!iuster
>(312) 505-9100 x322
>Interactive Systems, Corp.

First thing that I should warn you about is that Seagate tech. has
a very strict policy about the warranty which comes with there drives.

If A) you format a mfm drive with a rll controller it is null and void, no more poof, if the hard disk dies seagate does not want to know your name. Same is    true in reverse.

The reason they do this is that they have not rated the 4096 for rll coding.
It 'should' *work* if it doesn't work then the hard-disk dies and your up
a creak without a paddle.  The 4096 is an 80 meg drive that should be enough
for a normal computer person.  Even if it does work, the hard-disk will fail
more frequently because it was not rll encoded.  Meaning you chances of lost
ing data is larger.

Also I must warn you about the Adaptec controller, newer revisions have on
board disk-caching (rev d & better) which can mess up certain programs, like
spinrite.  Second I have had problems running Windows /386 with an older
adaptec on a 65 meg Microscience drive.  MS says its adaptecs fault.

Overall i would say its not worth the effort, use a mfm controller.

-Rob
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: RLL controllers & MFM disks
Summary: 
Expires: 
References: <1989Sep14.163540.10746@i88.isc.com>
Sender: 
Reply-To: rrosen@wpi.wpi.edu (Robert L Rosenblatt)
Followup-To: 
Distribution: na
Organization: Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA. USA
Keywords: 

In article <1989Sep14.163540.10746@i88.isc.com> iuster@i88.isc.com (Dan F. Iuster) writes:
>I am considering buying an Adaptec RLL controller to use on a 
>Seagate 4096 - 80Mb drive.  I understand that the 4096's are not
>rated for RLL, nevertheless I was told that it works 90% of the
>time.  The reason for doing this is to get the additional 30% or
>so increase in capacity for almost free.
>
>Has anybody on the net done this ?  Any experieces, good or bad,
>or any more hearsay ?
>
>-- 
>Dan Iuster
>..!{amdahl,att,masscomp,nucsrl,sco,sun}!laidbak!iuster
>(312) 505-9100 x322
>Interactive Systems, Corp.