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8 bit IDE (XTA) Replacement Project

Here is WD's IDE SuperBIOS 3.1 (copyright 1990) from the Acculogic card:
 

Attachments

  • wdbios31.zip
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Has an XTA2SD device yet been tested in a Tandy 1000 RLX-B system? The behavior of the RLX-B differs slightly from the other XTA-bearing/capable Tandy 1000 systems, seemingly specific to the drive detection routine and subsequent EEPROM write activity at boot.

I have three systems that have XTA - the RLX/B is one of them, followed by the TL/2 and my 1100HD laptop. The hard drives are actually still working in the RLX/B and TL/2, but not in the 1100.
 
I receive and installed XTA card on my ps/2 model 30 , and work like charm.
Only preparing SD card is not well explained (only a text file), and different hd emulation is not clear for me.
 
It would be for a second drive. You can't daisy-chain drives with IDE-XT, so in order to use a second hard drive you'd need a separate cable for it.

The XTA card was also used as part of a so called file card, and one or the other connection for the ribbon cable was used, depending on which better fits with the ribbon cable to the HDD.
The pins of both connections are connected 1 to 1 ( test it ) , but with 180 degrees on the card.

Also a power connection is foreseen on the card for the HDD drive.

Since XTA bus differs between HDD1 and 2 by software, only one of the connection is needed.


1666122182943.png
 
I receive and installed XTA card on my ps/2 model 30 , and work like charm.
Only preparing SD card is not well explained (only a text file), and different hd emulation is not clear for me.
There should be a pdf file on the SD-card with some more information.
 
If i want prepare disk image on a modern pc how can create .img file from geomery in hex and AA..XX (sectors? cluster?) and viceversa ?
At the moment there is no program to convert the xx.clu track files to image files and back. This would need a program with deep BIOS/MS-DOS capabilities handling the FAT etc.
 
I have received and tested an XTA2SD board in a Tandy 1000 RLX-B system, and am happy to report that it's working well as a (single) 40 MB XTA drive replacement, and also just as a "dummy" drive, allowing an XT-IDE card to be used in the RLX-B instead.


Here's the RLX-B running NewDeal Office 3.2a off of the XTA2SD:




Performance-wise, James Pearce's DiskTest v2.3 utility reports the following for the XTA2SD:

Code:
Write Speed         : 66.41 KB/s
Read Speed          : 259.08 KB/s
8K random, 70% read : 8.8 IOPS
Sector random read  : 19.8 IOPS

Average access time (includes latency and file system overhead), is 51 ms.
 
After some days of use some add i would like very much:
1) HD cliker with spinup spindown sound (a little speaker a transistor on free i/o sould be sufficient)
2) header to access led signal
 
Hi, i am new in this forum.

I saw an video on Youtube that an EUROPC II is able to install and use an SD Card as an dual Harddrive.

My request is... hoping that EuroPC I has the same compability, that some one can explain clearer how to internal install this adapter without using ISA Slot. (That is how i understood it..)

I have an CF to 2.5 IDE adaptor, will this be able to do the same?

With my best regards!

Simon
 
The EuroPC and PCII have a special XTA Bus for the HDD. The CF-card will not work on this bus, nor can be connected.

The XTA2SD has a software emulator to connect a SD-Card and can be directly connected to the XTA bus inside the EuroPC.
There should be enough place inside the EuroPC as for the PCII. I have included the necessary connections on attached document.
 

Attachments

  • XTA2SD for EuroPC.pdf
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can not find an answer for my question in "search", so....
I have NuXT 2.0 with CF card + 630 MB IDE (as secondary, moved from old 486 machine)
Does XT-IDE support double CF cards (via $2 IDE-CF via AliExpress)?
NuXT has a special on-board switch "CF_master", which places "select" signal for CF slot. But what if another CF card will be added for the same controller, will it work correctly via IDE-CF adapter?
 
XT-IDE does support double CF-cards, one card as master, the other as slave on the same bus.
Thank you. I have used Slave/Master switch on IDE HDDs, but never have seen the same switch on IDE/CF adapter. Now I checked once more and have found it. :)
 
Hello CallinElvis i'm interested in purchasing a PS2XT2SD card to test on my Schneider euro pc and euro pc 2. Getting an external plug to connect it to the same connector as the HD20 would go would be great.
Please message me as i can't send DM's . :(
Same here, but for the first iteration of the Euro PC.
This project is exactly what the EURO PC enthusiast were waiting for... having the possibility to add the SD drive and at the same time keeping the only ISA slot free for a VGA card. Amazing!
 
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