Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ncar!boulder!ccncsu!longs.LANCE.ColoState.Edu!gs940971
From: gs940971@longs.LANCE.ColoState.Edu (glen sunada f84)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Never ending lights to drive by...
Message-ID: <3297@ccncsu.ColoState.EDU>
Date: 29 Nov 89 17:36:51 GMT
References: <340034@hpsgpa.HP.COM> <8911280121.AA16481@cie.uoregon.edu>
Sender: news@ccncsu.ColoState.EDU
Reply-To: gs940971@longs.LANCE.ColoState.Edu (glen sunada f84)
Organization: Colorado State U. Center for Computer Assisted Engineering
Lines: 48

In article <340034@hpsgpa.HP.COM>, plim@hpsgpa.HP.COM (Peter Lim) writes:
> 
> >  
> > I recently purchased a 286 hard drive controller from a local
> > outlet and am having some problems.  The card is a PTI-213 286
> > HDS card made by Datatech Enterprises.  The documentaion is 
> > as sparse as possible, however it does use the Western Digital
> > Chip set.
> >  
> > The problem is that the lights on the drives stay lit all the
> > time depending on which drive was last accessed.  Thus the light
> > on the C: drive will stay lit until the D: drive is accessed, then
> > the D: light will stay lit....
> > Is this a major problem?  
> >  
> I think this brings back good old memory. About 3 years ago, I used
> to have a 10MHz AT (I think using WD controller). I hung 2 physical
> drives off it and the above situation was observed. Very annoying
> but didn't do me one bit of harm. I used the setup for about a year
> with not problem. I sold the whole thing to someone at the end of it
> and since both drives had died. No idea if this has anything to do
> with that ? Not likely since it worked for about a year.

The problem you booth apear to be having is probably due to a stupid
"standard" that
IBM started with the XT.  What happens is that there are two cables to the
hard disk drives, a daisy chained control signal cable and a seperate data
cable for each drive.  The control cable is the 34 wire flat cable and the data
cables are the 15 (I think) wire flat cables.  The stupid standard IBM started
was to put a twist in the control cable.  The did this because they
started using
drives that could not decode the device select codes on the control
cable.  When using
the twisted control cable both drives need to be set for device 1 (the
second device
select option for the drive).  If you have a straight control cable then the C
drive is set for DS0 (Device select zero or the first device select
option for the drive)
and drive D is set for DS1 (Device select 1 or the second option).

I hope this helps and I appreciate any comments either over the net or by
email to the address in my signiture.

Glen U. Sunada
gs940971@longs.LANCE.ColoState.EDU    ARPA Internet (preferred)
...ncar!boulder!ccncsu!longs.LANCE.ColoState.EDU!gs940971 UUCP

Money is the root of all evil.  Men need roots. - Lazarus Long