Xref: utzoo comp.sys.ibm.pc:53300 comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware:87
Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!zephyr.ens.tek.com!gvgpsa!gold!grege
From: grege@gold.GVG.TEK.COM (Greg Ebert)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc,comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: Re: Problems with ST4096 and Original IBM-AT controller
Message-ID: <1127@gold.GVG.TEK.COM>
Date: 28 Jun 90 18:49:41 GMT
References: <20539@duke.cs.duke.edu>
Followup-To: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Organization: Grass Valley Group, Grass Valley, CA
Lines: 31

In article <20539@duke.cs.duke.edu> zielke@romeo.cs.duke.edu (David Zielke c/o hsg) writes:
>
>
>  Is the 'Write Fault' line interpreted in the drive or on the controller?  
>is it possible to do a minor hardware mod to get this beast to work or will
>I have to put out $$ for a new controller?
>

It comes from the drive, indicating an attempt to write under unsafe
conditions, usually an illegal head address or incorrect spindle speed.

It's not difficult to write a low-level format routine. The trick is to
find the technical information. I refer to the 'CP342 Product Specification'
from Conner Peripherals, which has everything you need to know about AT hard
disk controllers. Although I would love to provide copies of the spec for
anyone who asked for it, I don't relish the possibility of being thrown in
jail for copyright violation. If there are enough interested parties, I'll
post the gory details of how to talk directly to the controller. I'm
working on a way to pop it into my S-100 system.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
#include <stdflame.ibm-pc>
#ifdef FLAME

An now for a flame. I am really angry at the way the PC industry is run by
TECHO-MORONS. Gone are the days when you bought a computer and got all the
schematics, programming details, data sheets, etc. I've been a hardware
nut for 12 years, and I wouldn't trade my 2.5 Mhz Z80 for a 486 if my life
depended upon it.

#endif