Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!mcsun!sunic!chalmers!mathrt0.math.chalmers.se!in540-13
From: in540-13@cs.chalmers.se (Christer Olsson MEDNET)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: MFM on RLL?
Message-ID: <1990Mar15.161553.7307@mathrt0.math.chalmers.se>
Date: 15 Mar 90 16:15:53 GMT
References: <1828@crash.cts.com>
Sender: news@mathrt0.math.chalmers.se (Evald Nyhetsson)
Reply-To: cth_co@tekno.chalmers.se
Organization: Dept. of CS, Chalmers, Sweden
Lines: 39

In article <1828@crash.cts.com> jca@pnet01.cts.com (John C. Archambeau) writes:
>paravia@csd4.csd.uwm.edu (Mark David Kakatsch) writes:
>>Can an MFM drive be connected to an RLL controller? I can get a 40Mbyte 
>>MFM drive for free, but I've got a '386 w/ an 65Mbyte RLL. (Gateway). I 
>>know that MFM is pretty slow for a 386, but since it would be free, I wouldn't
>>mind...Thanks much.
>
>Yes it can, but you will get mixed answers on the reliability of the
>configuration.  I personally would NEVER hook an MFM drive to an RLL
>controller.  Some will say it will work, but it's not worth the chance.  Now
>since you've got the drive for free, you might be willing to chance it.
> 

It's better to ask if a specific drive can use RLL. Many MFM-drives cant
use RLL, other can do it perfectly.

I've tested some drives:

NEC 5126.	Runs RLL perfectly, I've used two NEC5126 in my AT since 1988
		with RLL and the works well.
Seagate ST251	Runs RLL without problems. But I've run the drive with RLL
		few weeks. 
BASF 6188 (12Mbyte) Runs RLL without problems.
NEC 5146. 	Uses same media as 5126. Works well with RLL.
IBM 44 and 65 Mbyte (old unknown full height drives made by IBM).Works with RLL.
Microscience HH-1050. Works with RLL but are currently under testing at my
		AT at home. No problems with RLL yet.


CMI 6640	Can't use RLL. But some works with other controllers than my
		DTC 5270. 
Seagate ST4051  Can't use RLL. Perstor says that ST4051 should work with their
		controller. I can't use them with RLL. (I bought some ST4051's
		for only $20 each :-) Shall use them in my UNIX-machine)

Seagate ST225	Newer can use RLL. Older cannot. I've an old ST225 who was
		built by pieces from an crached ST238R and a very old ST225
		with damaged card. The media from the old ST225 works very
		well with the newer ST238R card.