Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uwm.edu!ux1.cso.uiuc.edu!deimos.cis.ksu.edu!eecea!gordon From: gordon@eecea.eece.ksu.edu (Dwight Gordon) Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc Subject: Re: RLL controllers with MFM drives Message-ID: <849@eecea.eece.ksu.edu> Date: 23 Oct 89 18:00:45 GMT References: <2546@bingvaxu.cc.binghamton.edu> <3397@mace.cc.purdue.edu> Reply-To: gordon@eecea.UUCP (Dwight Gordon,DU280,5600,) Organization: Kansas State University, Manhattan Lines: 34 In article aqm@mace.cc.purdue.edu (Steve Weinrich) writes: >In article <2546@bingvaxu.cc.binghamton.edu> consp21@bingsuns.cc.binghamton.edu (Ken Hoover) writes: > > >> I have a Seagate ST225 in my XT (no flames on my obsolete machine); and >>was wondering if getting an RLL controller for it would allow me to format >>it out to 32 megs instead of the 20 I get now. [ etc. ] > > I have read most of the replys to this poor man's question, and I >think that you have missed a point that I believe he was asking... > > Is there a physical differnce? NO. The ST225 physical makeup >is the same as the ST238, the only difference is the quality (haha) >of it's plates. [ etc. ] It didn't use to be so. Back when the ST238 was first introduced the technicians (at the repair company for which I was consulting at that time) did a comparison between the ST225 and the ST238. (Remember, the RLL coding scheme originally was supposed to yield a 50% improvement on _existing_ MFM drives.) The ST238's data circuit board was different than the ST225s. (We did not have the equipment to check the media at that time.) This may only have been a "standard" upgrade. But, depending on the age of the ST225, it may have that "other" board. Seagate advised us not to use the ST225 with a RLL controller, as they had had some problems with some of them on the RLL controllers. (Note: this whole experience was about 4 years ago. Things may have changed since then.) - Dwight - -- Dwight W. Gordon, Ph.D. | 913-532-5600 | gordon@eecea.eece.ksu.edu Electrical & Computer Engineering Department | dwgordon@ksuvm.bitnet Kansas State University - Durland Hall | rutgers!ksuvax1!eecea!gordon Manhattan, KS 66506 | {pyramid,ucsd}!ncr-sd!ncrwic!ksuvax1!eecea!gordon