[continued from previous message]
double density XF351 was reported to provide 325KiB (6/1986 report) or 320KiB (9/1986 report) of storage (formatted) per disk. The XF351 never shipped, and no more than a handful of prototype units exist.
Picture:
http://www.atari-computermuseum.de/pics/zubehoer/xe/xf351.jpg Discussion:
http://atariage.com/forums/topic/231674-xf351-for-sale-on-ebay/
------------------------------
Subject: 3.2.5) What other floppy disk drives were designed for my Atari?
Major contributors to this section: Glenn M. Saunders, Tomasz M. Tatar,
James Bradford, Konrad M. Kokoszkiewicz, Don Schoengarth, Andreas
Koch, TXG/MNX
This section attempts to comprehensively list released 3rd-party floppy disk drives designed for use with the Atari. These attach to the computer via SIO and generally include two Atari SIO ports, unless stated otherwise. Top transfer rate is 19.2 kbit/s unless stated otherwise. Media requirements, unless stated otherwise, are the same as for the Atari 810.
LEGEND
======
SD = Single Density, 5.25" floppy disks, 90KiB/side, 810 compatible
ED = Enhanced Density, 5.25" floppy disks, 130KiB/side, 1050 compatible
DD = Double Density, 5.25" floppy disks, 180KiB/side, Percom compatible
SS = Single-Sided
Drive has only one drive head, so it can only read/write to one side
of the disk. The reverse side of a disk may or may not be used by
inserting the disk upside-down, depending on whether the drive uses
or ignores the index hole/timing hole, and whether the disk is a
(rare) "flippy" disk with two index holes/timing holes.
DS = Double-Sided
The following information is mostly taken from the documentation for
HiassofT's WriteAtr program,
http://www.horus.com/~hias/atari/
Double-Sided drives for the Atari may use one of three different
drive-mapping possibilities.
* Most double-sided Atari disk drives:
First fill tracks 0-39 (or 0-79) on the first side, then switch
over to side 2 and again fill tracks 0-39 (0-79 for 3.5" disks).
* The XF551 first fills track 0 on the first side. Then it
fills track 1, then track 2, ... up to track 39 (on a 5.25" disk)
or 79 (on a 3.5" disk). Then it switches to side 2 and fills
the disk in reverse order (starting at track 39/79, then 38/78,
... until it has reached the end of the disk at track 0).
* The third possibility is the standard in the PC world, but on the
Atari it's possibly unique to drives connected via the Karin Maxi
interface.
If your Atari disk drive uses this mapping, it first fills
track 0 on side 1, then track 0 on side 2, then seeks to track 1,
again first fills track 1 / side 1, then track 1 / side 2,
and so on, until it finishes with track 39 (79) / side 2.
The drive switches the heads (sides) first before switching
the track.
* The TRAK AT-D4 (uniquely?) functions as two logical drives, where
the second "drive" (side) is read/written in reverse order.
Amdek AMDC-II SS SD/ED/DD dual drives. Media is 3-inch (3.0")
Compact Floppy (CF) standard, 180KiB/side,
shipped with DOS XL
SN-360 DS SD/ED/DD. 8051 processor, WD2797 controller
by Atari Studio AS (later, Mirage)
Astra 1620 SS SD/DD dual drives.
Shipped with OS/A+ Version 2 or DOS XL
Astra 2001 SS SD/DD dual drives. Replaced the Astra 1620.
Shipped with SmartDOS.
Astra "Big D" DS SD/DD dual drives. Shipped with MYDOS 3.016 (earlier
units) or Top-DOS 1.5 (later units).
Astra The "One" DS SD/DD. Shipped with Top-DOS 1.5.
Astra 1001 SS SD/DD. Shipped with SmartDOS.
B&C 810 SS SD (B&C ComputerVisions house version of Atari 810) California Access CA-2001 by LDW, 1988 replacement for LDW Super 2000 (Poland)
SS SD/ED/DD, Indus GT compatible/Synchromesh capable,
Sold with DOS XL 2.35I1 (manual: "DOS XL 2.35L")
Upgrades:
- TOMS Turbo Drive LDW (1989)
- SS DD IBM:40 tracks * 9 sectors * 512 bytes = 180KiB
- 1050 Turbo compatible/Turbodrive capable,
- Synchromesh support removed
- Software: Turbo Kopier, Track Copier,
Chaos Initializer, IBM DOS, IBM 360
- TOMS Multi Drive LDW (1990)
- Same as TOMS Turbo Drive LDW but also Happy
Enhancement compatible/Warp Speed capable, and
1050 Duplicator compatible, and with more software:
Track Master, Tracer, Index Formatter, Get Track,
Index Get Track, Bad Formatter, Weak Writer,
Put Track, Hex Editor
- Atares Flash system (1991)
- SS DD IBM:40 tracks * 9 sectors * 512 bytes = 180KiB
- Unique: 40 tracks * 6 sectors * 1024bytes = 240KiB
- "Flash Turbo" high speed 127 kbit/s
- Supplied with FlashDOS
- SRAMCharger by trub,
http://trub.atari8.info/
Concorde C-221M SS SD/DD; single SIO port - must be at end of SIO
chain; shipped with DOS XL; see Analog #23 p12.
Rare pics:
https://preview.tinyurl.com/y7uogwos
Concorde C-222M DS SD/DD see Analog #23 p12, released?
Flop VD 40 F same as Viatronic VD 40 described below but with standard
Atari SIO ports.
http://preview.tinyurl.com/m3mhqp3 Floppy 2000 by Klaus Peters Elektronik & Software
DS SD/ED/DD Speedy 1050 clone with a DSDD 360KiB mode,
Copy 2000 program in ROM
Indus GT by Indus Systems, Inc., 1983-1986
by Future Systems, Inc., 1986-1987
SS SD/ED/DD, Z-80A MPU, early units shipped with OSS
DOS XL 2.20 or 2.30, most units shipped with Synchromesh
(DOS XL 2.35I1 implementing 38400 bit/s).
Except early units, shipped with "GT DrivingSystem":
- GT Estate Wordprocessor, (c) 1983 Elcomp Publishing
author: H. C. Wagner for IJG, Inc.
- GT Albert E. Spreadsheet by SIM Computer Products Inc.
(c) 1982-1983 by David H. Hewit
- GT Data Manager, (c) 1984 Vervan Software
authors: Carl M. Evans and Richard M. Leonard
1986-1987 units (from Future Systems) shipped with
Synchromesh II (DOS XL 2.35I2 implementing 68200 bit/s)
and the "GT DrivingSystem" and also:
- GT Speller for GT Estate Word Processor
- RAM130 RAM Disk Utility for 130XE
- INITSYNC.COM - enables Synchromesh during boot up
Upgrades released by Future Systems in 1986:
- RAM Charger: 64KiB RAM + Synchromesh II + one of:
- CP/M 2.2 (including CP/M BIOS) + CP/M Terminal, OR
- CP/M BIOS (without CP/M 2.2) + CP/M Terminal
- Synchromesh II (for earlier Indus GT customers)
Third-party upgrades:
- CSS Protector: Bad sector generator
- SRAMCharger by trub,
http://trub.atari8.info/
LDW Super 2000 by Logical Design Works, Inc., shipped 12/1987 (Poland)
SS SD/ED/DD, replaced with CA-2001 in 1988
Indus GT compatible/Synchromesh capable.
Sold with DOS XL 3.25I1 (manual: "DOS XL 2.35L")
Upgrades:
- TOMS Turbo Drive LDW (or just "TOMS Turbo Drive"),
described at CA-2001 above
- TOMS Multi Drive LDW, described at CA-2001 above
- Atares Flash system (1991) described at CA-2001 above
- SRAMCharger by trub,
http://trub.atari8.info/
Micro MainFrame MF-1681 SS SD/DD, hard/software selectable SD/DD operation,
high speed backup & data transfer, Z-80 MPU w/16KiB RAM,
hard disk interfacing firmware.
Shipped with MMF's Maxi-Dos A (Atari DOS 2.0S modified)
- MF-1682 is MF-1681 + internal add-on 5.25" drive
- MF-EB1 expansion box: 64KiB RAM for CP/M or OASIS Percom RFD-40S1 SS SD/DD, introduced March 1982; first 810 alternative.
Early units shipped with "BLD" utility to build Percom
DOS 2.0P (double density support) from a copy of Atari
DOS 2.0S; later/most units shipped with OS/A+ Version 4.
Later units marked: RDF40-S1. Review: InfoWorld 7/26/82 Percom RFD-44S1 DS SD/DD, introduced March 1982.
Early units shipped with "BLD" utility to build Percom
DOS 2.0P (double density support) from a copy of Atari
DOS 2.0S; later/most units shipped with OS/A+ Version 4. Percom RFD-40S2 SS SD/DD dual drives (1983) shipped with OS/A+ Version 4.
Later units marked: RFD40-S2 (Antic v2n1 review, 4/83) Percom RFD 44-S2 DS SD/DD dual drives (1983) shipped with OS/A+ Version 4. Percom AT88-S1 SS SD, shipped with OS/A+ Version 2. (IW 11/29/82)
Widely known as: AT-88 (see also Antic v2n8 review)
Upgrade: Percom Doubler (double density) for the AT-88
- Percom Doubler supplied with OS/A+ Version 4
Percom AT88-S2 SS SD dual drives, shipped with OS/A+ Version 2.
Percom AT88-S1PD SS SD/DD, shipped with OS/A+ Version 4 (fall 1983).
Full-height drive mechanism (like earlier Percom drives) Percom AT88-SPD SS SD/DD (1984) same as AT88-S1PD but with half-height
drives (which were sporadically used in earlier Percom
drives as well)
Rana 1000 SS SD/DD, standalone disk formatting,
shipped with SmartDOS
RCP 810 SS SD (Computer Palace house version of Atari 810)
SBG D.8002 HS DS SD/ED/DD ICD US Doubler compatible/UltraSpeed capable
see:
http://atariki.krap.pl/index.php/D.8002_HS
Special Edition SS SD (San Jose Computer house version of Atari 810) Spider SS SD/ED/DD. XF551 clone, 70 units made. See:
http://www.atariage.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=99716 TOMS 720 DS SD/ED/DD/QD/iD/ID/CD. 1991.
DS-DD 360KiB format is XF551 compatible. Unique formats:
DS-QD - 2x80 tracks of 18 sectors of 256 bytes = 720KiB
SS-iD IBM - 40 tracks of 9 sectors of 512 bytes = 180KiB
DS-ID IBM-2x40 tracks of 9 sectors of 512 bytes = 360KiB
DS-CD ST -2x80 tracks of 9 sectors of 512 bytes = 720KiB
Intel 8085 microprocessor, US Doubler compatible/
UltraSpeed capable, 1050 Turbo compatible/Turbodrive
capable; MYDOS 4.50, IBMST (for IBM/ST formats) and other
utilities on ROM; 800.com supplied on disk for PC (for
accessing ST format 720KiB disks with 1200KiB HD drive) TOMS 720C Same as TOMS 720 but with printer port
TOMS 720CR Same as TOMS 720 but with printer port and RS-232 port TOMS 710 DS SD/ED/DD/QD. 1994.
DS-DD 360KiB format is XF551 compatible. Other format:
DS-QD 2x80 tracks of 18 sectors of 256 bytes = 720KiB
8080 microprocessor, US Doubler compatible/UltraSpeed
capable, 1050 Turbo compatible/Turbodrive capable;
TOMS Navigator and other utilities on ROM
TOMS 360 DS SD/ED/DD. 1996.
DS-DD 360KiB format is XF551 compatible.
US Doubler compatible/UltraSpeed capable,
1050 Turbo compatible/Turbodrive capable;
TOMS Navigator and other utilities on ROM
Trak AT-1 SS SD/DD, shipped with "DDINIT" utility to modify Atari
DOS 2.0S for double density.
Trak AT-D1 SS SD. Upgrade: Double density.
Trak AT-D2 SS SD/DD, shipped with "DDINIT" utility to modify Atari
DOS 2.0S for double density.
Trak AT-D4 DS SD/DD, shipped with "DDINIT" utility to modify Atari
DOS 2.0S for double density. Double-sided operation: side
1 is accessed as D1: and side 2 is accessed as D2:. Viatronic VD 40 DS SS/ED/DD XF551 compatible including high speed, 8085
MPU, 8KiB RAM, 8KiB ROM, 300 RPM, WD2797A-PL controller,
two ports with SIO signals require adapters to SIO
http://preview.tinyurl.com/m7sfjwr
XFD601 (Jacek Zuk) DS SD/ED/DD, US Doubler compatible/UltraSpeed capable,
Indus GT compatible/Synchromesh capable, 1050 Turbo
compatible/Turbodrive capable, disk rotation = 360 RPM
http://atariki.krap.pl/index.php/XFD601
XFD602 (Jacek Zuk) DS SD/ED/DD dual drives, each same as XFD601
http://atariki.krap.pl/index.php/XFD602
------------------------------
Subject: 3.2.6) What is the Percom configuration block?
Sources:
- MYDOS 4.3A User Guide, page 28
- Compute! magazine #65, October 1985, page 110-111,
http://www.atarimagazines.com/compute/issue65/insight_atari.php
Percom and Percom compatible disk drives for the Atari computer maintain, in memory within the drive, information about the drive's current configuration, and the drive can provide that information to the Atari computer on demand.
The drive may also allow for the computer to dynamically change one or more configurable options.
The configuration information consists of a block of 12 bytes. A drive's configuration block may be read by passing "N" ($4E) to it as an SIO command.
A new configuration block may be written to a drive with an "O" ($4F) SIO command. The "N" and "O" commands closely parallel the "R" and "W" sector input/output commands, except the data length is always 12 bytes, and no
sector number is needed. The 12 bytes were defined by Percom as follows:
byte 0: Tracks per side (40 for a standard disk drive)
byte 1: Disk Drive Step Rate (as defined by Western Digital)
byte 2: Sectors/Track -- high byte (usually 0)
byte 3: Sectors/Track -- low byte (18 for standard diskettes)
byte 4: Side Code (0=single-sided, 1=double-sided)
byte 5: Disk Type Code --
bit 2: 0=single density (FM), 1=double density (MFM)
bit 1: 0=5.25" diskette, 1=8" diskette drive
byte 6: High byte of Bytes/Sector (0 for Atari 810 compatible)
byte 7: Low byte of Bytes/Sector (128 for Atari 810)
byte 8: Translation control
bit 7: 1=40 track disk I/O on an 80 track drive
bit 6: Always 1 (to indicate drive present)
bit 1: 1=Handle sectors 1, 2, and 3 as full size sectors
bit 0: 1=Sectors number 0-17 (for example) not 1-18
bytes 9-11 Reserved
The Percom configuration block standard had the particular importance of allowing for Atari disk drives capable of either single or double density operations, and thus for Atari users with Percom compatible drives to use single or double density disks interchangeably.
The extent of support for the full standard varies widely among disk drives designed for the Atari. Atari's own 810 and 1050 drives do not support the configuration block at all, while the Atari XF551 and most 3rd party drives
for the Atari support at least portions of the Percom standard. For example, the Indus GT supports bytes 5-7 only.
------------------------------
Subject: 3.2.7) How can I use an industry standard floppy disk drive?
The standard interface between floppy disk drive (FDD) and controller was established by the Shugart Associates SA400 minifloppy Disk Drive (1976). The interface normally consists of a 34 conductor ribbon cable, using 34 pin PCB edge connectors (5.25" drive convention) and/or 34 pin header (2x17)
connectors (3.5" drive convention).
(Earlier 8" floppy disk drives normally used a 50 conductor ribbon cable and corresponding pin header or PCB edge connectors.)
This section should list all devices for the Atari computer that provide a standard FDD interface for the system, allowing the addition of one or more standard 5.25" or 3.5" floppy disk drives.
Unless stated otherwise, these FDD interfaces support single or double density drives, but not high density 1440KiB 3.5" or 1200KiB 5.25" drives.
Atari disk drives that also add a standard FDD interface --------------------------------------------------------
- Amdek: AMDC-II (34 pin header)
- Concorde C-221M (34 pin PCB edge)
- Matching add-on drives:
Concorde C-221S (single-sided; released?)
Concorde C-222S (double-sided; released?)
- Micro MainFrame MF-1681 (34 pin PCB edge)
- Percom: RFD-40S1, RFD-44S1, (34 pin header)
RFD-40S2 (early units)
RFD40-S2 (later units), RFD 44-S2, (34 pin PCB edge)
AT88-S1, AT88-S2,
AT88-S1PD, AT88-S2PD, AT88-SPD
- Matching add-on drives:
Percom RFD40-A1 (single-sided)
AT88-A1 (single-sided) (34 pin PCB edge)
- Trak: AT-1, AT-D1, AT-D2, AT-D4 (34 pin PCB edge)
- Matching add-on drive:
Trak AT-S1 (single-sided)
Other Atari FDD Interfaces
--------------------------
L.E. Systems disk drive (1982)
- Developer: two partners, including David Small
- Originally: "Leading Edge Systems"
- Device is a personality board (oversized) for the 800
- Board provides two 34 pin connectors for 5.25" floppy disk drives
- Each connector supports one master and up to three slave drives, for a
total system potential of 8 disk drives.
- Drives may be single or double density
- High speed disk duplication: 17-22 seconds per diskette, up to 7 copies
at a time (8 drive system)
- Duplicate Atari disks including non-standard formats and copy protection
- Can create disks with copy protection. Supports: Bad sectoring, custom
track layout, deleted sector marks, complete track dumps
- Originally marketed as an 8 drive system (LEFDC-08) or a 4 drive system
(LEFDC-04), later a 2 drive system (LEFDC-02) and a single drive system
were offered as well. Sold with Tandon disk drives.
- Ads: Antic v1n3 Aug82 p43 and v1n5 Dec/Jan83 p94
ATR8000, by Software Publishers / SWP Microcomputer Products (1982-1986)
- 16KiB or 64KiB RAM versions
- 16KiB units upgradeable to 64KiB RAM
- 64KiB units supplied with CP/M 2.2 (5.25" disk or 8" disk)
- Connects to the Atari via SIO (includes 2nd SIO port)
- 4MHz Z-80A MPU
- RS-232 port (26 pin PCB edge) for modem or serial printer (or standard
RS-232 terminal in place of an Atari computer)
- Does not use standard Atari 850 R: device handlers
- Drive connector: 34 pin PCB edge
- Attach up to 4 standard floppy disk drives, any combination of:
5.25" or 8"; single, double or quad density; single or double-sided
- Unit RAM can be used as a disk buffer
- 16KiB version: Double density CP/M 2.2 available with 64KiB Upgrade
- Sold separately by SWP for 64KiB units only:
- CP/M 2.2 (double density) with ATR8000 CP/M Supplement
(5.25" or 8" disk versions; 5.25" version supplied with 64KiB units)
- Supplied with Auto-Term terminal emulator for the Atari (80 column
display supported via 40 column movable window)
- Some units also supplied with the autobit3 version of Auto-Term
for the Bit 3 Full-View 80
- CO-POWER-88 (internal upgrade): 5.33MHz 8088 MPU, 128KiB or 256KiB,
MS-DOS 2.11 (5.25" disks or 8" disks)
- CO-POWER-Plus (internal upgrade): 5.33MHz 8088 MPU, 256KiB (expandable
in increments of 256KiB to 1MiB) or 1MiB, MS-DOS 2.11
- CP/M-86 (5.25" disks or 8" disks) for CO-POWER-88 or CO-POWER-Plus
- Sold separately by SWP:
- OSS OS/A+ Version 4 (1982-1983) or MYDOS 3.0x/3.1x (1983-1986)
(5.25" or 8" disk)
- Autoterm80 (80 column version of Auto-Term for any Atari with high
resolution monitor)
HDI High-density Disk Interface, by Erhard Puetz (1990/1991?)
- A printed circuit board, includes 65C02 MPU and WD37C65C controller
- Connect up to 4 standard PC floppy drives
- Drive types: 5.25" 360KiB, 3.5" 720KiB, 3.5" 1440KiB (any combination)
- Drive connector: 34 pin header
- Drives must support the Disk Change signal at pin 34 of the Shugart bus
- Connects to the Atari via SIO (must be at end of SIO chain)
- Happy compatible/Warp Speed capable
- Maximum transfer rate: 500 kbit/s (1440KiB 3.5" disks)
- See:
http://www.atari-central.de/floppyservice/floppy/gb/hdi.htm
http://atariage.com/forums/topic/158701-hid-disk-interface/
Floppy Board by Computer Software Services (CSS, 1992)
- Enables floppy drive port (34 pin PCB edge) of the CSS Black Box
(which connects to the Atari XL/XE via PBI or Cartridge+ECI
- Drive types: 5.25" 360KiB, 3.5" 720KiB, 5.25" 1200KiB, 3.5" 1440KiB
- Reads/writes 5.25" and 3.5" MS-DOS disks, BBXFER software utility included
- Built-in Black Box Enhancer (Task Master program) and Archiver programs
- See:
http://www.nleaudio.com/css/products/floppy.htm
Karin Maxi Disk Drive by Mariusz Geisler for Karin (1995?)
- Parallel device, connects to Cartridge+ECI
- Design errors result in conflicts with other parallel device peripherals
- Drive connector: 34 pin PCB edge
- FDC: WD1770 or WD1772
- Usual drive types: 5.25" or 3.5", each either 40 tracks or 80 tracks
- Double-sided formats use PC-standard 'head-first' mapping
- See:
http://blog.3b2.sk/igi/post/ATARI-floppy-disk-drive-KARIN-MAXI.aspx
http://atariki.krap.pl/index.php/Karin_Maxi
Karin Maxi Disk Drive 2012, by stryker/trub/drac030/candle
- Original Karin Maxi design with original design errors fixed
- See:
http://karinmaxidrive.pigwa.net/
------------------------------
Subject: 3.3.1) What is the Corvus disk system?
For mass storage capacity beyond that of floppy disk drives, microcomputer users of the time of the Atari could turn to drives that utilized a "fixed" or "sealed" magnetic disk. Such devices were still widely known in the early 1980s as "Winchester" disks, after the code name for IBM's influential 3340 Direct Access Storage Facility (14"; 70MB or 140MB) introduced back in 1973.
As they became much more common by the mid 1980s, the Winchester term mostly disappeared from common usage, along with the alternatives "fixed-disk" and "sealed disk", all ultimately replaced by today's: "hard disk drive"
One feature of early hard disk drives was that the disk controller was usually a separate component from the disk itself. In the late 1970s and early 1980s several different interface standards for communications between computer
host, controller, and disk competed for market acceptance. This complicated market landscape, combined with the extreme costs involved, severely limited the sales of hard disks for early home computers.
Corvus Systems teamed with disk-maker International Memories Inc. (IMI) to develop and market complete, integrated Winchester disk systems compatible
with many computer platforms, including the Atari 800. It was the first and remained the only hard disk drive solution available for an Atari computer for several years.
Corvus Systems Atari 800 Disk System (1982) includes:
- Corvus Winchester Disk Drive unit, one of:
- Corvus B-Series 5.25" 6MB
(IMI 5007 disk with IMI 5000 Phase III controller)
- Corvus B-Series 8" 11MB
(IMI 7710 disk with embedded controller)
- Corvus B-Series 8" 20MB
(IMI 7720 disk with embedded controller)
- Corvus H-Series 5.25" 6MB (Model 6)
(IMI 5006H disk with IMI 5000H controller)
- Corvus H-Series 5.25" 12MB (Model 11)
(IMI 5012H disk with IMI 5000H controller)
- Corvus H-Series 5.25" 18MB (Model 20)
(IMI 5018H disk with IMI 5000H controller)
- Corvus Atari Interface (host adapter)
- Attaches to Atari 800 controller jacks 3 and 4
- Attaches to Processor port on Corvus drive (34 pin Corvus-IMI bus)
- Two different "AT Utilities" diskettes (v.1 and v.2)
- Disk System Installation Guide and System Manager's Guide
- The power switch is on the front of the 8" drives, while it's on the back on
the 5.25" drives.
- Drive units can be daisy-chained. The Processor port of an add-on drive can
be connected to the Drive port of an existing drive (34 pin Corvus-IMI bus).
Up to 4 Corvus hard drives (any of the above models) can be connected to one
computer.
- Requires 48KiB RAM, and 810 or equivalent floppy disk drive.
- SYSGEN utility divides the drive into any combination of 90KiB and 180KiB
"volumes" for use by the Atari as logical drives. A Model 20 drive may
contain up to 196 single-sized volumes (with no double-sized volumes) or up
to 98 double-sized volumes (with no single-sized volumes).
- System must boot using Corvus bootstrap from either disk or cassette.
- WRITEBOOT.OBJ utility creates a Corvus Boot Disk out of Atari DOS 2.0S,
which boots to: Disk Operating System II Corvus A2.0D (4/25/81)
- CWRTBOOT.OBJ utility creates a boot cassette
- Multiple users support - each "user" can have access to up to 8 logical
drives, which can be any combination of Corvus volumes or Atari drives
(except logical drive 1 must be Corvus volume 1 or an Atari drive where a
Corvus boot disk will be used).
- Usage: User boots the system with uniquely-assigned boot disk, then uses
the DOS L. BINARY LOAD option to load the user's unique "volume mount
table" file, which maps the user's assigned Corvus volumes to logical
drives.
- Optional: Corvus Mirror (internal)
- Mirror video in and video out phono jacks connect to corresponding jacks
on a VCR (VHS or Beta)
- Corvus volumes or the entire Corvus drive can be backed-up or restored
from backup.
- Sold separately by Corvus:
- Corvus Multiplexer - Configured as a Host, unit connects to the Processor
port of a Corvus drive and provides 8 Processor ports (34 pin Corvus-IMI
bus) to the system, allowing up to 8 computers to be connected to the
system. Configured as a Master, unit allows Multiplexer Host units to be
attached to the 8 Processor ports of the Master unit. Thus up to 64
computers can share the same Corvus hard drive (or set of up to 4 daisy-
chained Corvus hard drives).
(System upper limit: 80MB of storage shared by 64 computers)
- Corvus Mirror (external unit) - Same as internal Mirror, but is connected
between the Corvus drive and the Atari Interface, or between a Corvus
drive and a Corvus Multiplexer. (34 pin Corvus-IMI bus)
- Sold separately by ?????: Right Cartridge which boots the Atari from the
Corvus. (source: Integrater manual. Details????)
- Sold separately by ADS: Integrater (1983)
- Detailed elsewhere in this FAQ List (personality boards for the 800)
------------------------------
Subject: 3.3.2) How can I use an ST506 interface hard disk (MFM or RLL)?
The 5MB ST-506 MicroWinchester was the first 5.25" hard disk drive, introduced in 1980 as the first product from Shugart Technology (shortly to be renamed, Seagate Technology). The market success of the ST-506 (along with the subsequent 10MB ST-412 and 20MB ST-225) led to the ST506 interface between
disk controller and drive (an incremental derivation from the interface for
the 8" 10MB Shugart Associates SA1000 hard disk from 1979) being established
as an industry standard for hard disk drives.
Note that with ST506 type hard disks, the disk itself is attached to a
separate disk controller unit, which in turn attaches to a host computer interface.
At the time of the Atari, hard disks paired with ST506 type controllers were popularly characterized not by the interface (ST506), but by the recording method used by the controller: either modified frequency modulation (MFM) or run-length limited (RLL).
Sold by SWP for 64KiB ATR8000 units (with CP/M) for the Atari (1986):
5MB, 10MB, or 20MB hard disk packages with SWP host adapter (40 pin header connector to controller), WD1002-HDO MFM controller (ST506 interface: 34 pin header drive control + 20 pin header data connectors), and "a new CP/M" with ZCPR3 option. Can be partitioned for MYDOS & CP/M, plus MS-DOS for CO-POWER. The SWP ATR8000 hard disk interface supports up to 32MB of hard disk storage.
Also, some hard disk "bridge" controllers allow a ST506 type hard disk to be attached to a computer's SASI/SCSI interface. Such controllers were popular for use with the Atari SASI/SCSI interfaces that require a controller supporting 256-byte sectors. Suitable ST506 controllers for this purpose include: Adaptec ACB-4000A (SCSI), Adaptec ACB-4070 (SCSI), Western Digital WD1002-SHD (SASI), Xebec S1410 (SASI), Xebec S1410A (SASI)
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Subject: 3.3.3) How can I use a SASI or SCSI interface hard disk?
Shugart Associates System Interface (SASI) ("sassy") was a parallel interface developed initially at disk drive maker Shugart Associates in the early 1980s, which was adopted as a formal ANSI standard in June 1986 under the name, Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI) ("scuzzy"). SCSI supports many types of computer peripherals, including hard disk drives.
Many hard disk drives were produced with an embedded disk controller featuring a SASI or SCSI interface, though only some of these support 256-byte sectors
as required by many Atari SASI/SCSI interfaces. Suitable SCSI drives meeting this requirement include: Seagate ST-225N (20MB), Rodime RO650 (10MB) and
RO652 (20MB), Iomega Alpha 10H (10MB) and Beta removable cartridge drives
Also, some hard disk "bridge" controllers allow a ST506 type hard disk to be attached to a computer's SASI/SCSI interface. Such controllers were popular for use with the Atari SASI/SCSI interfaces that require a controller supporting 256-byte sectors. Suitable ST506 controllers meeting this requirement include: Adaptec ACB-4000A (SCSI), Adaptec ACB-4070 (SCSI),
Western Digital WD1002-SHD (SASI), Xebec S1410 (SASI), Xebec S1410A (SASI)
The following are SASI or SCSI interfaces for the Atari that allow the use of
a SASI or SCSI interface hard disk drive.
Z-Tec 1000
- SASI host adapter for 64KiB SWP ATR8000
- Attaches to the ATR8000 internally
- SASI Connector: 50 pin Micro-Ribbon
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