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8-Bit IDE Controller
- Thread starter Agent Orange
- Start date
hargle
Veteran Member
hargle
Veteran Member
New BIOS: 009
http://wiki.vintage-computer.com/index.php/XTIDE_project
frustrated.
didn't get as far today as I'd hoped. I really wanted to get mult-card support working, but there's a lot of recursive weirdness when trying to support multiple cards and being able to drive swap from the boot menu. It's close, but not there yet. It may take another overhaul to get it there.
This version seems to work on my z8088 with 2 devices, as well as adding a future domain SCSI controller in the system too. the SCSI card loaded first.
The boot menu works pretty well: I can boot from either floppy drive, and either the SCSI or the XTIDE drives, but cycling through the drives in DOS causes one of the drives to disappear or repeat itself.
So, please ignore any bugs found in the boot menu or operating with other HDD controller cards in the system. there's stuff there I know I need to work on. The other bug fixes (see the history file in the zip) are important enough to need to get this out there.
have fun!
http://wiki.vintage-computer.com/index.php/XTIDE_project
frustrated.
didn't get as far today as I'd hoped. I really wanted to get mult-card support working, but there's a lot of recursive weirdness when trying to support multiple cards and being able to drive swap from the boot menu. It's close, but not there yet. It may take another overhaul to get it there.
This version seems to work on my z8088 with 2 devices, as well as adding a future domain SCSI controller in the system too. the SCSI card loaded first.
The boot menu works pretty well: I can boot from either floppy drive, and either the SCSI or the XTIDE drives, but cycling through the drives in DOS causes one of the drives to disappear or repeat itself.
So, please ignore any bugs found in the boot menu or operating with other HDD controller cards in the system. there's stuff there I know I need to work on. The other bug fixes (see the history file in the zip) are important enough to need to get this out there.
have fun!
Mike Chambers
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Sep 2, 2006
- Messages
- 2,621
per
Veteran Member
There.
Now, the utility package includes a new utility to search for a suitable swich setting for our card. Just note that this utility is called Setup.com, while the old Setup.com is now renamed Setcard.com.
Also note that the switch settings are for the final product, not the prototype.
In other news, I've added one parameter to the flasher; the ability to enter a custom I/O base port (it's patched into the ROM image before flashing), and one parameter to the Setcard utility; the ability to only change the boot settings. Run "<programname> /?" for more info.
Check it out!
Now, the utility package includes a new utility to search for a suitable swich setting for our card. Just note that this utility is called Setup.com, while the old Setup.com is now renamed Setcard.com.
Also note that the switch settings are for the final product, not the prototype.
In other news, I've added one parameter to the flasher; the ability to enter a custom I/O base port (it's patched into the ROM image before flashing), and one parameter to the Setcard utility; the ability to only change the boot settings. Run "<programname> /?" for more info.
Check it out!
I'm on my way to Florida for infoComm and I had some free time and internet in the airport so I was checking into the post and it occurred to me to ask these questions:
If you can set the address of the card in the bios of the card why do we need the jumpers? Also what happens when the jumper setting does not match the bios setting?
I can see the benefit of using a hardware setting, and a software bios setting, but using both seems a bit dangerous to me, or am I missing something?
If you can set the address of the card in the bios of the card why do we need the jumpers? Also what happens when the jumper setting does not match the bios setting?
I can see the benefit of using a hardware setting, and a software bios setting, but using both seems a bit dangerous to me, or am I missing something?
hargle
Veteran Member
The hardware AND the software need to be set so that everyone is on the same page. The hardware is set via the dipswitches, the software is set via the value plugged into the BIOS image. The alternate would be to have the software auto-detect where the hardware is, but that didn't work out because if you didn't have any devices attached to the card, the card disappears altogether from the system.
If the hardware is sitting somewhere and the BIOS settings are somewhere else, it'll just think that there are no devices attached during POST.
Should be pretty harmless.
Note: This is only for the IO space. The ROM can be set anywhere there is room in the system. Since the software is the ROM, it doesn't matter where it's run from.
hargle
Veteran Member
Hi all.
I'm going to be MIA on vacation next week, so I won't be available for my usual witty banter or debugging sessions.
Your homework is as follows:
a) test out 009 BIOS and see if you can break it. There are known issues with boot swapping (ie, booting to something other than the C: drive from the boot menu) but feel free to log those issues so I know to check them all out.
b) test more drives and update that spreadsheet + wiki
c) decide if we want to try another small prototype run, or are we confident enough to do the big order. the only hardware change I'd make would be to pull out the CSEL 3-pin jumper and just pull it low. I think andrew might want to test that on his side to see if it breaks anything. I had good luck with it, and it fixed my issues with CS settings on drives.
d) If you've got flaky data reads, list your ICs and we'll see if we can narrow it down to LS or F parts.
I'm going to be MIA on vacation next week, so I won't be available for my usual witty banter or debugging sessions.
Your homework is as follows:
a) test out 009 BIOS and see if you can break it. There are known issues with boot swapping (ie, booting to something other than the C: drive from the boot menu) but feel free to log those issues so I know to check them all out.
b) test more drives and update that spreadsheet + wiki
c) decide if we want to try another small prototype run, or are we confident enough to do the big order. the only hardware change I'd make would be to pull out the CSEL 3-pin jumper and just pull it low. I think andrew might want to test that on his side to see if it breaks anything. I had good luck with it, and it fixed my issues with CS settings on drives.
d) If you've got flaky data reads, list your ICs and we'll see if we can narrow it down to LS or F parts.
bobwatts
Experienced Member
Acculogic results
Acculogic results
Hi Gang,
Don't know if there is any interest, but I re-installed the Acculogic card today, and took a lot of pictures of the installed software, mostly of old diags and benchmark programs {results} ( some of stuff not related, but really COOL stuff for XT afficionados Norton, InfoPlus, GEOWORKS, Windows 3.0, Checkit, Graphics Menu for Dos, etc. ), and I have the results of the "new" BIOS chip that was installed into my Acculogic sIDE card with pictures also.(not good )
Let me know, and I'll make a webpage with a LOT of pictures.
If not, that's fine, saves me a lot of work.
bobwatts
EartH
Acculogic results
Hi Gang,
Don't know if there is any interest, but I re-installed the Acculogic card today, and took a lot of pictures of the installed software, mostly of old diags and benchmark programs {results} ( some of stuff not related, but really COOL stuff for XT afficionados Norton, InfoPlus, GEOWORKS, Windows 3.0, Checkit, Graphics Menu for Dos, etc. ), and I have the results of the "new" BIOS chip that was installed into my Acculogic sIDE card with pictures also.(not good )
Let me know, and I'll make a webpage with a LOT of pictures.
If not, that's fine, saves me a lot of work.
bobwatts
EartH
Mike Chambers
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Sep 2, 2006
- Messages
- 2,621
i must have missed something, but where can i download BIOS 0.09?
per
Veteran Member
kb2syd
Veteran Member
So I received one of the prototype boards for testing in my assorted Tandy 1000 computers. I installed it in a stock 1000sx with nothing else installed. Got a boot menu. Nice so far. So then I powered off and hooked up a drive. Now I get no boot menu, do detection, nothing.
I plugged it into my PIII DOS machine and get the same results. I'm going to try flashing the bios and checking again. More when I know more. Meetings tonight and tomorrow though and then it's going to be time to get ready for field day.
I plugged it into my PIII DOS machine and get the same results. I'm going to try flashing the bios and checking again. More when I know more. Meetings tonight and tomorrow though and then it's going to be time to get ready for field day.
per
Veteran Member
are you sure you plug the cable in the rigth way? some cables doesn't got the "key" hole filled, so make sure the pin-1 indicator is at the same side as the squared solder-pad of the connector.
kb2syd
Veteran Member
Yes, I'm sure I plugged the cable in correctly. Even without the cable connected I no longer get a message about detection. I also reflowed all the solder connections so that's not it.
per
Veteran Member
Did you insert the card the rigth way after you plugged in the drive? One tested has already fried his card by inserting it the wrong way. It might also be that the EEPROM (somehow) went bad, but then you should have gotten a normal boot as if you didn't have the card installed.
Do you get the menu if the drive is not connected to the card?
kb2syd
Veteran Member
Yes, it was inserted correctly. I also checked and no chips were even warm to the touch. I did notice that the LED just blinks once on power on, although I don't know what it should do. I reseated all the chips and re-flowed all the solder. Still no joy.
It boots as if the card is not in there (to floppy).
I did at first, but not now. I'm going to try to re-flash some time this week, but it's going to be tight. I have 3 meetings in the evenings this week, plus I need to get the computers ready for field day yet, plus there is ARRL field day Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
per
Veteran Member
Sounds like the EEPROM is dead. Try to dump it using Debug.
Is the EEPROM one of the SEEQ ones, or is it from Atmel? Those parts are CMOS so they can be fried by static-electricity, however, Hargle has experienced that the SEEQ ones just drops-dead.
per
Veteran Member
Just like Hargle, I'm going for vacation right now, so I can't help out for a while. I'll be back in about a month.
TandyMan100
Veteran Member
kb2syd
Veteran Member
An update on the 8-bit controller I have:
I'm no longer getting a boot menu. I did the first 2 times in my Tandy 1000sx, but the computer locked hard at the "press <esc>" prompt.
I installed it in one of my MS-DOS test machines last night. This is a PIII with built in USB, Ethernet, SCSI, IDE, Parallel, 2 Serial, 2 PS/2 and Video. I also have and PCMIG backplane with a few other boards plugged in.
I did not see a boot menu on this machine either. I started debug and dumped D000:0 and saw the code from the bios 0.9 that I downloaded. I then tried to re-flash the ROM. NOTHING. I got 30 minutes of D000 scrolling down the screen and nothing else. I tried server different options on the flash routine. Next step is to try this in a simpler machine. I have plenty to choose from.
I'm no longer getting a boot menu. I did the first 2 times in my Tandy 1000sx, but the computer locked hard at the "press <esc>" prompt.
I installed it in one of my MS-DOS test machines last night. This is a PIII with built in USB, Ethernet, SCSI, IDE, Parallel, 2 Serial, 2 PS/2 and Video. I also have and PCMIG backplane with a few other boards plugged in.
I did not see a boot menu on this machine either. I started debug and dumped D000:0 and saw the code from the bios 0.9 that I downloaded. I then tried to re-flash the ROM. NOTHING. I got 30 minutes of D000 scrolling down the screen and nothing else. I tried server different options on the flash routine. Next step is to try this in a simpler machine. I have plenty to choose from.