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XT-IDE V2, Assembled and verified working

I don't remember exactly where but there's an in depth discussion of that topic here and IIRC it covered every aspect of implementing the XTIDE BIOS in that manner. It was relatively recently.
 
Stone said:
You don't need the card to make use of that BIOS. It works nicely in a network card or almost any card with an available BIOS socket.
Click to expand...

Hi
Didn't pierce_jj make a BIOS ROM board doofer a while back or am I imagining things?

Maybe it's time to blow the dust of it and give it another go.

Thanks and have a nice day!

Andrew Lynch
 
Shazbot said:
I don't mind assembling, but my eyes are beginning to fail, so parts kits will likely sit until I get off my duff and go get some glasses to do it. lol
Click to expand...

I concur! Add the arthritis in my hands and kits are quickly becoming a thing of the past for me!

Dang!! I hate getting old!
 
Well I wish you luck on the sale. But if a board builder is needed let me know. But only as long as all parts are included in the kit! Will do testing too.
 
I save everyone the trouble. I call myself an old fart, or old fatass. Saves them the effort and me the embarrassment. lol
 
Well, I almost got myself into trouble on this one! Kept thinking I could last second snipe it. Forgot the Marketplace resets the counter at 30 minutes when another bid is entered!

Hope the winner enjoys it!

Hope Andrew enjoys the extra cash!

@Chromedome45 - I may take you up on the offer.

Need to talk to Andrew about a couple of unpopulated boards now.

Curtis
 
Hi! Well that was a nice surprise!

Don't worry though, now that more parts have arrived I am building more units. They will go up on VCGM as soon as they are available.

I put another XT-IDE V2 board up and updated the description and photo. There is now a photo of the unit under test booting my test station in the basement.

http://marketplace.vintage-computer.com/auction_details.php?auction_id=115004

Congratulations to the winner of my first assembled and tested XT-IDE V2 board. Enjoy!

Thanks and have a nice day!

Andrew Lynch
 
I know I should google it but what's the major difference between the v1 and v2 board feature wise?
 
barythrin said:
I know I should google it but what's the major difference between the v1 and v2 board feature wise?
Click to expand...

Hi
There are three main differences

1. 8KB or 32KB ROM option (V2) vs 8KB only (V1)
2. Serial port for remote boot (V2) vs IDE only (V1)
3. XT-IDE mode or "Chuck mod" option (V2) vs regular XT-IDE mode only (V1)

There are some minor differences with PCB layout and various details. Those are the most notable changes.

Thanks and have a nice day!

Andrew Lynch
 
glitch said:
Also 5V on IDE pin 20, for CF adapters and Flash modules that support it.
Click to expand...

Hi! Thanks! Yes that's true. There is also a molex drive power connector on board to run smallish hard drives. Personally I would connect any drives directly to the power supply if that is at all possible. However for some unique machines which lack drive connectors it is the only option. (Tandy?)

The "Chuck mod" resequencing of the address lines allow for a rather large performance gain if you want to go that route.

Thanks and have a nice day!

Andrew Lynch
 
Since we are discussing details of the XT-IDE, can someone clarify the drive compatiblity a little?

From what I have read, it uses 8-bit ATA mode, newer hard drives and CD drives reportedly don't support that. Yet most CF cards do. Is that correct? I realize there has not been a huge amount of testing, but roughly where about (year? size?) does support for 8-bit ATA end on hard drives? Is there a list of known compatible/incompatible CF cards? Are there any CD drives that stand a chance of working?

Also, is there anywhere to get an IDE-CF adapter for a standard 5.25"/3.5" front plate that doesn't require USB?
 
SomeGuy said:
Since we are discussing details of the XT-IDE, can someone clarify the drive compatiblity a little?

From what I have read, it uses 8-bit ATA mode, newer hard drives and CD drives reportedly don't support that. Yet most CF cards do. Is that correct? I realize there has not been a huge amount of testing, but roughly where about (year? size?) does support for 8-bit ATA end on hard drives? Is there a list of known compatible/incompatible CF cards? Are there any CD drives that stand a chance of working?

Also, is there anywhere to get an IDE-CF adapter for a standard 5.25"/3.5" front plate that doesn't require USB?
Click to expand...

Hi

The XT-IDE V2 is fully 16 bit IDE ATA compatible. You can use IDE PATA hard drives, CD-ROMs, LS-120, ZIP, or CF adapters whatever you want. The BIOS supports IDE hard drives and I think some other devices but there is no physical limitation. There may be a software limitation meaning you might need a driver or have to write a driver for some equipment.

The XT-CF is 8 bit only for CF board directly/only (please correct me if I am wrong James). There were some early IDE drives that support XT 8 bit mode but the Seagate ST351 is the only one I can recall of the top of my head. They are few and far between though as it was an evolutionary dead-end and went extinct almost immediately. You are almost certainly better off using CF or a 16 bit wide IDE. 8 bit IDE with CF works really well.

Regarding the IDE-CF adapter and face plates and USB, I have no idea. Sorry.

Thanks and have a nice day!

Andrew Lynch
 
lynchaj said:
The XT-CF is 8 bit only for CF board directly/only (please correct me if I am wrong James).
Click to expand...

Correct; to be clear there are two separate IDE solutions for XT class hardware currently:

  • XT-IDE and XT-IDEv2, designed and developed by Andrew, compatible with most ATA hard drives
  • XT-CF series, designed by me but inspired by Andrew's boards and compatible only with CompactFlash and Microdrive (or ATA2 HDD)

Both designs though use the XTIDE Universal BIOS.

ATA-2 IDE drives support 8-bit transfers and possibly, that support was continued in 2.5" form factor devices for some time - this Toshiba 4.3GB drive lists ATA2 feature set support. ATA-3 depreciated the transfer mode hence the 8-bit thing was short-lived more generally. The CompactFlash standard though requires 8-bit support.

Regarding CompactFlash drive bay face plates - Startech still make them. Personally I dealt with that by mounting the CompactFlash card through the expansion slot.

Hope that all helps.
 
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