[net.micro.pc] Western Digital Controller -- HELP!

myxm@lanl.ARPA (Mike Mitchell) (09/07/86)

Help!

I have an IBM/XT with a 20 Meg Tulin and I want to add a 30 Meg Seagate
Full Height (ST4038). The controller that I am using is the Western
Digital Auto Configuring WX2. I have tried a bunch of different setups
with this thing and I am at wits end...

Drive C -- 20Meg Tulin 612 Track 4 Head (currently in operation)
Drive D -- 30Meg Seagate 733 Track 5 Head (want to add)

I have both drives cabled correctly and I now need to know the parameters
for the Western Digital ROM Format program. I have tried various numbers
in an effort to get this Seagate drive to operate half way.

Currently the jumpers on the Western Digital Card are:

	3, 5	ON
	Others	OFF

I have had jumper 5 off so that the controller will format drives using a
user defined table, but I have not hit upon the magic numbers needed to
make the Seagate ST3048 (Full Height AT Type 8 & 20) work.

The numbers that I need are:

	Interleave Factor	What works best?
	Total Number of Cyls	Have used 733
	Number of Heads		Have used 5
	Reduced Write Cyl	Drive doesn't use this so what is the
				phoney number?
	Write Precomp Cyl	???
	Correct Error Burst	???
	CCB Option Byte		???


All replies are welcome. Thank you.

Mike Mitchell

cmcl2!lanl!myxm
myxm@lanl.arpa

All replies would be quite welcome.

perkins@bnrmtv.UUCP (Henry Perkins) (09/11/86)

> I have an IBM/XT with a 20 Meg Tulin and I want to add a 30 Meg Seagate
> Full Height (ST4038). The controller that I am using is the Western
> Digital Auto Configuring WX2.
> 
> Mike Mitchell

I'm not sure you can use 2 drives of different sizes; you couldn't with
previous versions of the WX2.

I suggest giving Western Digital a call at (408) 356-6067.
-- 
{hplabs,amdahl,3comvax,okstate}!bnrmtv!perkins        --Henry Perkins

It is better never to have been born.  But who among us has such luck?
One in a million, perhaps.

myxm@lanl.ARPA (Mike Mitchell) (09/11/86)

> > I have an IBM/XT with a 20 Meg Tulin and I want to add a 30 Meg Seagate
> > Full Height (ST4038). The controller that I am using is the Western
> > Digital Auto Configuring WX2.
> > 
> > Mike Mitchell
> 
> I'm not sure you can use 2 drives of different sizes; you couldn't with
> previous versions of the WX2.
> 
> I suggest giving Western Digital a call at (408) 356-6067.

I have since gotten help from the net and the system does in fact work. I have
run a number of drive diagnostics (not ibm) in hopes that I might get it to
fail. No luck there.

For those who are interested, the seagate magic numbers are:

733 5 732 732 11 0

What would interest me is what that 0 does. They say it is for a CCB option
byte but what is the CCB and what do other options perform??

Thanx.

Mike Mitchell
myxm@lanl.arpa

pavlov@hscfvax.UUCP (840033@G.Pavlov) (09/12/86)

In article <7204@lanl.ARPA>, myxm@lanl.ARPA (Mike Mitchell) writes:
> I have an IBM/XT with a 20 Meg Tulin and I want to add a 30 Meg Seagate
> Full Height (ST4038). The controller that I am using is the Western
> Digital Auto Configuring WX2. I have tried a bunch of different setups
> with this thing and I am at wits end...
> 
  I believe that the ST4038 needs to be formatted as having 732 cylinders.

  Also: do you not need to execute a low-level format first ? Or does the
        "Auto Configuring WX2" take care of that for you ?

   greg pavlov, fstrf, amherst, ny

timothym@tekigm2.UUCP (Timothy D Margeson) (09/17/86)

In article <693@bnrmtv.UUCP> perkins@bnrmtv.UUCP (Henry Perkins) writes:
>> I have an IBM/XT with a 20 Meg Tulin and I want to add a 30 Meg Seagate
>> Full Height (ST4038). The controller that I am using is the Western
>> Digital Auto Configuring WX2.
>> 
>> Mike Mitchell
>
>I'm not sure you can use 2 drives of different sizes; you couldn't with
>previous versions of the WX2.
>
>I suggest giving Western Digital a call at (408) 356-6067.
>-- 
>{hplabs,amdahl,3comvax,okstate}!bnrmtv!perkins        --Henry Perkins

I beg to differ, but my WD 1002 WX2 can be set for one ten and one twenty meg
drive very easily, or any combination the four lookup tables hold for that
matter.

Just for the record........

rde@ukc.ac.uk (R.D.Eager) (09/20/86)

>I beg to differ, but my WD 1002 WX2 can be set for one ten and one twenty meg
>drive very easily, or any combination the four lookup tables hold for that
>matter.
>
I have a WX2 and would be interested in knowing the details (mine came
without doc. on making links etc). Please?
>Just for the record........


-- 
           Bob Eager

           rde@ukc.UUCP
           rde@ukc
           ...!mcvax!ukc!rde

           Phone: +44 227 66822 ext 7589

myxm@lanl.ARPA (Mike Mitchell) (09/21/86)

> In article <693@bnrmtv.UUCP> perkins@bnrmtv.UUCP (Henry Perkins) writes:
> >> I have an IBM/XT with a 20 Meg Tulin and I want to add a 30 Meg Seagate
> >> Full Height (ST4038). The controller that I am using is the Western
> >> Digital Auto Configuring WX2.
> >> 
> >> Mike Mitchell
> >
> >I'm not sure you can use 2 drives of different sizes; you couldn't with
> >previous versions of the WX2.
> >
> >I suggest giving Western Digital a call at (408) 356-6067.
> >-- 
> >{hplabs,amdahl,3comvax,okstate}!bnrmtv!perkins        --Henry Perkins
> 
> I beg to differ, but my WD 1002 WX2 can be set for one ten and one twenty meg
> drive very easily, or any combination the four lookup tables hold for that
> matter.
> 
> Just for the record........

The western digital controller seems to be onw of the more adaptible
controllers that I have worked with. Since that first posting, I have
managed to get the western digital to support a number of drives of different
sizes running simultaneously. Currently it is running the 20Meg Tulin and
30 Meg Seagate combination. It has run a 20Meg Tulin/30Meg Tulin, 20Meg 
Seagate/20Meg Seagate/20Meg Tulin/10Meg IBM(??) as well as toher configuratons.

FYI

Mike Mitchell
myxm@lanl.arpa