Path: utzoo!censor!geac!torsqnt!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uwm.edu!rpi!uupsi!njin!princeton!notecnirp!nfs
From: nfs@notecnirp.Princeton.EDU (Norbert Schlenker)
Newsgroups: comp.os.minix
Subject: Re: Embedded AT - IDE interface...
Summary: Not really a problem
Message-ID: <24493@princeton.Princeton.EDU>
Date: 26 Feb 90 13:13:00 GMT
References: <1666@crash.cts.com>
Sender: news@princeton.Princeton.EDU
Reply-To: nfs@notecnirp.UUCP (Norbert Schlenker)
Organization: Dept. of Computer Science, Princeton University
Lines: 36

In article <1666@crash.cts.com> jca@pnet01.cts.com (John C. Archambeau) writes:
]ries@venice.SEDD.TRW.COM (Marc Ries) writes:
]]  I have a PowerFlex and ALR has said they specifically support the Conner
]]  CP-3104 (since the 40Mb disk as standard equipment is also a Conner).
]]  Supposidly, the only thing you have to do is dip-switch the units to
]]  indicate master and slave relationships.
] 
]The few ALR PowerFlex's I have opened up have had the Western Digital 40 Mb
]3.5" hard drive with the IDE interface.  I don't know whether ALR puts either
]the Conner or the WD drive in, but the few that I have seen have had the WD. 
]It wouldn't surprise me if the Conner and WD are the same drive with respect
]to physical parameters (i.e. 977 cyls, 5 hds, 17 secs/track (WD's
]parameters)).

Not quite.  The Conner CP-342 has 805 cylinders, 4 heads, 26 sectors/track.
But it does have an emulation mode that works as above (except that there
are 979 cylinders, not 977).

]Will Minix's at_wini.c driver work with the PowerFlex's embedded IDE
]controller?  If not, how much of a change has to be done or does an ide_wini.c
]have to be written?  That's the bottom line which respect to Minix
]compatability.  Seems a waste not to use the IDE since I have seen some data
]sheets on the Conner IDE drives, they don't perform that bad, and are right up
]there with ESDI (at least the CP-3104 is).
] 
]     // JCA

My Toshiba 5100 uses a Conner CP-342.  It works fine with Minix 1.5.  It
has worked fine, with a patch, since Minix 1.3.  I would say that the IDE
interface is not a problem.  I am seriously thinking of upgrading to the
CP-3104, which Conner insists is compatible (physical size included, which
is important in this laptop).  Toshiba offers an upgrade, which costs much
too much, so it looks like Hard Drives International will get my order.
Anyone want a cast-off CP-342?

Norbert