Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!mcsun!ukc!mucs!cns!ran
From: ran@cns.umist.ac.uk (Bob Nutter)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: IBM hard disk controllers to ST DMA - possible?
Message-ID: <1990Apr6.114314.4136@cns.umist.ac.uk>
Date: 6 Apr 90 11:43:14 GMT
Organization: UMIST, Manchester, England.
Lines: 30
Keywords:dma,hard disk

Hi!

Has anyone out there managed to connect an IBM-type hard drive to an
ST via the DMA port using a modified IBM controller? Everyone seems to
go for the DMA->SCSI, SCSI->ST506 route. I generally avoid IBM kit
like the plague, but it's a hell of a lot cheaper (typically #40uk for
a hard drive controller for an XT, which is a lot less than the
cheapest DMA/SCSI board!)

I'm willing to have a bash myself, but first I'd like to know if
anyone's already tried it (and with what results), and get pointers
to the relevant info (DMA, IBM bus, hard drive data, etc). The DMA
port isn't all that difficult to interface to (judging by a logic
analyser project in Elektor Electronics last year that used it) and
assuming that the IBM end isn't too (ahem) 'esoteric' it should be
possible. It would sure reduce the cost of putting a hard disk on by one
hell of a lot (and possibly allow the use of other IBM cards...)

bob

(all this trouble for a computer that you can usually fix by dropping
it!) 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
bob nutter, computer officer| "John was a crippled little midget 
dept of computation, UMIST  |  lesbian boy,
manchester m60 1qd UK       |  -but he stood ten foot tall with a
tel: +44 61 200 3312        |  KNIFE!"
email:b.nutter@umist.ac.uk  |             -Butthole Surfers
      ran@cns.umist.ac.uk   |