Buffered IDE Interface and IdeFix

[lauri.lotvonen]

Hi, having some probs with Cd-rom and IdeFix:

Currently I have a 8 gb Compact Flash HD installed on the 44 pin header of Buffered ide interface and a slim cd drive connected to the 40 pin header.
Cd-roms power comes from the floppy drive power pins. Hd is working nice now, boots to OS 3.9 with no problems. But when I run idefix FindDevice/install, and it comes to finding the cd-rom, it only finds 5 unknown SCSI devices - or I think they are SCSI.
First one is under tandemat_pcmcia.device, unit 0, No SCSI enquire.
The second ones are : under tandem_pcmcia.device, unit 0-3, all with no SCSI enquire.

Allready tried 3 different Cd-drives with no change at all, but idefix recognizes my USB cd-rom nicely? If anyone experienced problems like mine, please come forward. Thanks again

/Lauri

Here is the Buffered IDE Interface mentioned:
http://amigakit.leamancomputing.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=42&products_id=532

[lauri.lotvonen]

If I connect the hd to primary 44 pin header, and the cd-rom to primary 40 header, it wont boot from hd, just goes to the "insert disk screen". And the activity light on the IDE->CF adapter keeps on all the time?

[lauri.lotvonen]

And I even tried fresh os 3.1 istall and idefix, the same problem there.
So it should not be a software issue.

/Lauri

[lauri.lotvonen]

Apparently you haven't read what I wrote at all mate...
Since you're using the 1st of the option I said...

That means that you just CAN'T use BOTH the 44pin Primary header and the 40pin Primary header since they're both the same thing! If you want to use only the Primary channel (44 OR 40 - not both) you need to use a 3way cable (3 female IDE connectors) setting HD as Master and CDROM as Slave. I repeat... You CAN'T use both 44pin and 40pin header for primary channel. Only the 44pin OR 40pin from Primary channel AND the 40pin from the Secondary channel

If you use the second method... (HD on 44pin or 40pin Primary header and CDROM on 40pin Secondary header) then you either need the IDEfix97 installed or the atapi.device as Thomas said

Yes I read what you said. That primary&primary connection was just a test, I really tried everything, and that was one of those tries. No need to be rude, dear .
I'll try to look for the Compact Flash HD fix mentioned.

Thanks again for the reply's everyone.

/Lauri

[lauri.lotvonen]

LOL @ rude

Anyway, cheers and hope that you'll fix it and have a great time

Really off topic, but is that "no need to be rude,dear" from some tv-series, or did I just make it up? Found the fix and trying to install it. Let's see how this goes...

[lauri.lotvonen]

Shouldn't the cd-rom show up in early startup menu even if idefix is not installed? I tried connecting the cd-rom directly to the motherboards 44 pin header with an adapter 2.5" to 3.5" (No hd connected) and it did not show up there...

/Lauri

[lauri.lotvonen]

CDROM never show's up in the Early Startup Menu mate. Best way to see if it works, is testing it with an OS3.9 Emergency disk

Don't worry if you connected everything just fine, just do what you do, run IDEfix and you'll be set

Could it be that my Buffered IDE Interface is faulty, because I don't think that getting it working should be this hard. I'm getting really frustrated, and almost all the hope I had, is gone.

/Lauri

[lauri.lotvonen]

My system boots fine when I connect the CF-HD to port0 44 pin header and a slim cd-rom with a jae->ide to port1 channel2 header. But IdeFix finds nothing under atapi.device, it only sees some unknown devices(4 of them) under tandemat_pcmcia.device. And the HD is set to master, slim cd drive jae->ide adapter should configure itself for slave automatically.

[lauri.lotvonen]

Are you sure you are getting power to the CDROM. Is the drive light active and does the drawer open. Is the floppy working. I had problems with my power supply with my standard Amiga to the extent that the external XL floppy drive often wasn't working. Also I could never get a 3.5" hard drive working in the machine. You are taking power from the floppy power header if I recall and not sure that is active at the time of boot. [ grabbing at straws here ]. Try booting from an old Workbench disk and not from the CF drive and see what happens. The two mouse button down reaching the early boot screen means you have passed the first checks for hardware... I think the arrangement is fine but the drive just isn`t active for some reason. Never used the compact flash card so no idea how that works. Note you are using OS3.9 so I doubt you have an old Workbench 3 or 3.1 disk so that won`t help sadly.

I would get a cheap external box with its own power off Ebay and run a bog standard CDROM to the interface. Just do a search for external ide CDROM and see what comes up then use the 40-way. If you haven`t already get a heavy A500 brick power supply.

Probably not that at all so sorry in advance. Also sorry if I misunderstood your set up. Maybe your in a tower can`t recall.

scuzz

I'm pretty sure the power is sufficient for the cd-rom and the floppy, because when I used a external power for the cd-drive (the power from an old external usb cd-rom) the system did not boot, the hdd activity light kept dim. And the cd-rom open nicely and starts to "read"(keep's a humming noise) when disc inserted. Yes I have an 3.1 WB disk, and got early startup menu. And my setup is not towered, just a desktop.
Tested a a500 brick also. I try to repeat the steps in your tutorial and see how it goes. thanks scuzz

/Lauri

[lauri.lotvonen]

Hi

Here are the pdfs of the articles that may help. Have you tried Amigakit as I think they supplied that interface. Hope its not broken.

http://www.commodore-amiga-retro.com/amiga/pdf/eye_tech.pdf

http://www.commodore-amiga-retro.com/amiga/pdf/interface.pdf

scuzz

I did not "tease" Amigakit yet, because the Ide Interface work's fine with my CompactFlash HD... But I have great news! Last night, I got an regular IDE drive working for a little while, IdeFix found the device and read from a disk just fine :razz:
I used the drive from my old external usb cd, and used the external usb drive psu for it too. So this was an power issue after all!
The problem is that the controller of the usb drive gives power to the drive only when used throgh the usb, so power went missing every 5 mins, because I was not using the drive through the usb.

I'll get an old pc psu on monday for the drive, so I'll test it more accuretly then. Sorry for the complicated explanation.

My only concern is that do I have to keep an old PC PSU lying on the table just to keep my Cd-Rom powered? Or is there a way I could draw enough power through the floppy power header? Everyone else seems to get an slim internal drive installed, not just me :confused:...

/Lauri