26 Feb
2003
26 Feb
'03
11:47 a.m.
Hi all, I got my Intel MDS225 working today, but I only have
a single double density drive on it. I seem to recall that it
would read single density, but you accessed by a different drive
specifier. I can't seem to find one bit of documentation on the
ISIS command at home. Does anyone have a summary page they could
scan and send?
I am also looking for the 50 pin connection wiring so I can connect
a drive externally.
It was fun booting up ISIS-II version 4.2 and seeing the prompt
come up. I also had a CP/M 2.2 version that booted perfectly!
best regards, Steve Thatcher
26 Feb
26 Feb
12:01 p.m.
Oh boy! Hey Joe! Another one!
Hi Steve,
Welcome to the Intel Development System adiction.
If you have a double density drive in your 225, that would normally mean
you have the double density controller board set plugged into the
Multibus and cabled internally to the built-in Shugart 801 drive. While
the drive is capable of reading/writing single density, the double
density boardset from Intel is NOT. For the MDS Intel only made
single-density boardsets and double-density boardsets. There wasn't
anything that Intel made, supported under ISIS-II, that could read both
densities on one drive. It was possible to have both single and double
density drives in one MDS, but they were separate drives and separate
controllers.
Check again on the external connector. I seem to remember it being 37
pin D-type connector. But I can check again. I have the documentation
for what signals are where and can type them in, but I'm hoping that
someone (Tony, Joe?) might already have that in a file.
I can help you with software if you need anything for ISIS-II and/or
CPM-80 for that machine. I have Kermit configured so that makes it easy
to transfer files to/from a PC and then send them in e-mails.
Let me know what you might want.
Dave
Steve Thatcher wrote:
Hi all, I got my Intel MDS225 working today, but I
only have
a single double density drive on it. I seem to recall that it
would read single density, but you accessed by a different drive
specifier. I can't seem to find one bit of documentation on the
ISIS command at home. Does anyone have a summary page they could
scan and send?
I am also looking for the 50 pin connection wiring so I can connect
a drive externally.
It was fun booting up ISIS-II version 4.2 and seeing the prompt
come up. I also had a CP/M 2.2 version that booted perfectly!
best regards, Steve Thatcher
.
--
Dave Mabry dmabry(a)mich.com
Dossin Museum Underwater Research Team
NACD #2093
12:02 p.m.
Steve Thatcher wrote:
Hi all, I got my Intel MDS225 working today, but I
only have
a single double density drive on it. I seem to recall that it
would read single density, but you accessed by a different drive
specifier.
Nope. The Intel double-density (M2FM) controller can't read
single-density (FM) disks, nor industry standard double-density (MFM)
disks.
The double-density controller is a two-board set that plugs into
a pair of consecutive Multibus slots, with a special jumper module
connecting the P2 connectors of the two cards.
The MDS has a single-density controller using the 8271 chip built into
the I/O card.
If you need to read or write single-density disks, you could probably
cable your drive over to the single-density controller. Of course,
then it won't read or write double-density disks.
7970
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7970
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