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IBM 5150 with XT IDE Help

tempest

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I dug out my IBM 5150 the other day after not using it for a few months. I have an XT IDE card with a 10GB Maxtor hard drive (51024u2) that was working the last time I put it away. The system boots up, but right before the XT IDE starts looking for drives the hard drive spins down. It almost sounds like it's losing power or something. The drive itself is fine and I can see it when I hook it up to another computer. I'm wondering if it could be the power supply somehow? It's a 3rd party replacement (Master Tronic 150w) so it's not the anemic power supply the 5150 originally came with.

Truth be told I'm not a fan of the old spinning disk hard drive since most of them (including this one) make a terrible whine as they age. I was thinking about using a DOM or some other kind of flash card with the XT IDE. Is there a recommended one that has good compatibility? I actually have a 2GB DOM but it needs a tiny two pin power cable that I've since lost. I don't even know what to call it (two pin mini to 4 pin molex cable?)

How well do these CF to IDE adapters work?
 
Last edited:
How well do these CF to IDE adapters work?
My experience with those cheap chinese adapters is they are total Sh!t, And they are not so cheap these days either, I used to buy them from china for a little over £1 a pop including shipping.
 
My experience with those cheap chinese adapters is they are total Sh!t, And they are not so cheap these days either, I used to buy them from china for a little over £1 a pop including shipping.
So should I look for a DOM then? I have one but it needs some sort of power cable that I don't have. It's a odd little two pin plug, it's pretty small. It looks like this:

1653654649327.png
 
Personally I use a CF to IDE adapter... Have had major luck with Lexar brand cf cards. A DOM would work nicely as well. I use Ativa brand CF cards, they are Lexar relabels, sold under an industrial label.



1653656705602.jpeg
 
Personally I use a CF to IDE adapter... Have had major luck with Lexar brand cf cards. A DOM would work nicely as well. I use Ativa brand CF cards, they are Lexar relabels, sold under an industrial label.



View attachment 1241724
Any particular brand of CF to IDE adapter? I see lots of cheap Chinese junk on ebay, but I don't know if they'll work.
 
So should I look for a DOM then? I have one but it needs some sort of power cable that I don't have. It's a odd little two pin plug, it's pretty small. It looks like this:
You should be able to get power for the DOM from pin 20 on the IDE Header on the XT-IDE. In that case, you dont need a power cable. However, some remove pin 20 from the header and would need to be added. There is a jumper on some of the XT IDE builds to supply power on pin 20.
 
So should I look for a DOM then? I have one but it needs some sort of power cable that I don't have. It's a odd little two pin plug, it's pretty small. It looks like this:
I don't have any those DOM's. Some folk like them though.
Also would something like this work?

SD Card adapter
Yes, I have a few of those, The 40 pin type and the 44 pin type, mine are the "Sintechi" type, I like em.

Of the cheap chinese cf adapters i still use the ones that are accessible from the rear with the bracket on, Years ago i bought several and have found those to be reliable over the years, Unlike the other's which either work or don't or work for a while and die, If i want to use one inside the case i take the bracket off.
 
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