Buffered IDE Interface and IdeFix

[Thomas]

You CAN'T use both 44pin and 40pin header for primary channel.

You can. It's right that the 44pin and the first 40pin header share the first channel. But the adapter is designed so that you should be able to connect the master to the 44pin and the slave to the 40pin connector. The only thing you may not do is to connect master/slave to each header (i.e. three or four devices on the primary channel).

[mfilos]

:O I didn't know about that my friend. Are you sure? (there are several 4way buffered adapters) so I kinda thought that the header was outside a circuit (like an extension 1-1 apart from the 4 power pins)!
That would be awesome mate if it's true. I'll give it a try also.

Cheers Thomas

[scuzzb494]

You can. It's right that the 44pin and the first 40pin header share the first channel. But the adapter is designed so that you should be able to connect the master to the 44pin and the slave to the 40pin connector. The only thing you may not do is to connect master/slave to each header (i.e. three or four devices on the primary channel).

I'm glad you said that as I thought I was going mad as I am sure I have done this myself. I think its time to put my buffered interface guide on the website with all the options and guide to IDEfix.... Kinda my bible though not written by me... Was from a little known company called Eyetech.. :-)

scuzz

[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

[scuzzb494]

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

From my notes..

Some CDs also hang the system when used on their own with C:IDEFIX in the
startup-sequence. If you use the drive as a slave to another then they usually
work fine. If the drive is on its own then you do not need the C:IDEFIX command in
the startup. Simply put a ; in front of the line eg ;C:IDEFIX - This will instruct
the system to ignore it. When you require the command (recognise a HD ) then just
delete the ;

Check your startup-sequence in S with an editor and add the semi colon ; in front of
the C:IDEFIX so it reads ;C:IDEFIX and see what happens.

Or open the CLI/Shell and type edit s:startup-sequence and then do above.

The CDROM should be on Channel 2... The top one with Pin 1 to the left of the interface. Pin 1 of the CDROM is normally on the right as you look at the back.

Some UDMA CDs need to be set as Master.

scuzz

[scuzzb494]

Hi

I have added a help page for IDEFIX to the website.

http://www.commodore-amiga-retro.com/amiga/amiga_scuzz521.htm

scuzz
http://www.commodore-amiga-retro.com

[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.

[scuzzb494]

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.

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

[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

[scuzzb494]

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

[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