**Need Setup HELP** with Classic Amiga 2000 HARD DISK (Bridgeboard)

[darkage]

try   cd jh0:  

Not sure if you need to increase the buffers for JH0:  

Found this article http://members.quicknet.nl/rhm.herold/computing/amiga/access%20a%20JanusTools%20hard%20disk.htm

[darkage]

 
 Is there some concept of TERMINATION on the Ribbon Cables?  There are no twists in ribbon cable like the Floppy drives.

It seems MFM/RLL drives came with options for straight thru cables and twisted cables.   You could specify via jumpers on drive.   Termination is always on the drive it self.

Check this diagram out for a different model setup.

http://www.minuszerodegrees.net/5170/misc/5170_hard_drive_cabling_single.jpg

[darkage]

I wouldn't format the drive, at best see if you can use a modern replacement and leave the drive on the side until you have more ideas.    Best to find out what those jumpers are next to the terminator resisters on the actual drive (near the ribbon connector).

I just bumped into the following - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JVUez4XxpI

XT ISA CF Card - https://www.lo-tech.co.uk/revised-isa-compactflash-pcb/

Looks interesting and may make your computing experience more fun.

Theres other interesting boards - https://www.lo-tech.co.uk/product-category/retro-ibm-pc/

[darkage]

It should work with ANY MFM hard drive. It was a standard, just a very tricky one to deal with.

So, either look for another MFM drive to play with, or a different 8 bit ISA controller for a drive you already have.

Then you have test kit to learn with and you know the data cannot be messed with until you are good and ready.

I would grab the 8bit ISA CF card PCB, if it works then it would give you a great test bed to play with.

[darkage]

Theres some great surplus stores in Nth America..   Not much here in Australia.

I saw this on the train from work today, a different homebrew card -  ISA to IDE  

https://twitter.com/lazygamereviews/status/826243842059927553

btw - Lazy Game Reviews on youtube is one of my favourites.

Card Creators website http://www.glitchwrks.com/2016/07/06/xt-ide-rev3

[darkage]

I just got an email that my 8bit LO-Tech ISA/IDE Adapter just got shipped.

.

wow you went for it..  I wished I had a old XT to modernise for fun, but I sadly threw them out a long time ago.

wish you luck.

[darkage]

Rather then getting a box of new (3.5") floppies I'm consider a GOTEK USB drive (as suggestest in a post above)

Strongly would recommend.  Its a whole new world with a emulated drive.   Just put ADF images on te usb stick, whack it into the Go Tek.  Boot the Go Tek with the standard ADF and select which slot number for images to occupy.   Then its as easy as selecting a number on the drive for the appropriate floppy image.

No more bad floppies and can have a whole floppy collection on usb.  

[darkage]

I have avoided running the LOW LEVEL FORMAT since I don't know it's characteristics (I have looked and found some info, but don't even know which model ALOK Octagan MFM disk I have I have since not Labelled anywhere).

http://redhill.net.au/d/9.php

I dont think there would be too many RLL/MFM Alok Octagan models.   If its written anyware the number of heads, cylinders, sectors then you would be able to work out the capacity and narrow down the models. ?

[darkage]

close looks like you can still read the partition table.   might just need to just mount the drive.

614 cylinders gives a clue.  do you remember the capacity of the drive, therefore narrow down the model number.    

You can use a size calculator to help narrow down capacity -

http://www.csgnetwork.com/mediasizecalc.html

If theres mainly 4 heads through out the product range, then 614 cylinders seems to give capacity of 21mb.    So guessing might be KL-320 ?    something close to that capacity

Heres a nice table of Kolak drives  http://www.yjfy.com/Hardware/harddisk/Kalok.htm

[darkage]

It's the only Match. This must be the DL330

Using your calculator and the Specs:
Makes this Drive 33 Gigs

33 Megs you mean.     I get 32.694272 Megs exactly.  So KL330  (:  makes sense since we were mainly discussing RLL instead of MFM.

Probably a good idea to make a note of the hdd parameters reported by the controller and label it on the drive.  

Someone testing a KL330 using Nortons Disk Doctor - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cl8et6ppyDU

Congrats your drive is worth $495.. crazy http://www.harddrives-usa.com/KALOK-KL330-Hard-Drive.-90-DAYS-DEFECTIVE-WARRANTY-pr-5164.html

[darkage]

have you tried djmount again since viewing the partitioning information on the drive ?

[darkage]

If you have any issues with the SD card,   CF card would be less fussy since they behaviour more like a true IDE device than SD.    See how you go.  

A little write up about CF cards as IDE replacements.

http://support.fccps.cz/download/adv/frr/cf.html

[darkage]

China sells CD-Adapters dirt cheap, but who has time to wait 8+ weeks. That's how long I usually wait for purchases on Aliexpress.

If they ship via ePacket, it took me 6 days to get delivered in Australia.   ePacket is a economical delivery method thats uses EMS service infrastructure,  so its normally on the plane 1 to 2 days after purchase and doesnt really add any additional costs.

Old ePacket example for China to US  http://smilecitrus.info/?p=2676

[darkage]

Disk imaging software

I think this one looks promising - http://www.brutman.com/PCjr/pcjr_downloads.html

I get the feeling some might be more focussed for Diskette imaging.   The link above I think it does fixed disks.  

You wont be able to  save the image to the same partition/disk your imaging from.      See if you can get another hdd running side by side to save the image too.

Discussion about imaging software - http://www.vcfed.org/forum/showthread.php?36239-Disk-imaging-software-for-DOS

[darkage]

Im pretty sure the marketing spill for the ISA XT CF card you got, mentions that it can co-exist with MFM/RLL controller cards.    It has a large selection of different addresses for this purpose.

Edit - Ive still have a full height 5.25" MFM drive in my parents garage.   Sounds like a jet taking off.   THink it has a bad sector towards the end of the drive, since on my a500 it would corrupt at the exact same % full.

[darkage]

IF I HAVEN't Posted this before YOU GO TO CLICK on this EBay Sale
This would solve my 486-AT 2x (HD Controller Conflict Problem) by putting in an 8-BIT-ISA-Floppy-Controller in to (BOOT DOS floppy)
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/MicroSolutions-CompatiCard-I-PC-XT-8-bit-ISA-Floppy-Controller-VINTAGE-1987-/232222790211?hash=item36118e9243:g:xxcAAOSwbsBXjBbs

Just a few pennies.  10,229,989 pennies that is
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It could be worse https://www.wired.com/2012/08/the-ridiculously-overpriced-vintage-tech-of-ebay/