crmeyer@voodoo.ucsb.edu (10/13/89)
I am considering upgrading the 15 Meg hard disk on my Tandy 6000. The current one is functioning fine, but is getting a bit full. I hear that the interface is a ST506 so any PC drive should work. Are there any size or number of head restrictions? Should I expect any remarkable speed increase? Do you just buy a standard PC drive, put it in an expansion chasis, and plug it in the back of the computer using the standard cables supplied with the drive? Also, for referrence, does anyone know the access time and data transfer rate for the standard 15 Meg drive. Thanks!!
bill@bilver.UUCP (Bill Vermillion) (10/17/89)
In article <2506@hub.UUCP> crmeyer@voodoo.ucsb.edu writes: >I am considering upgrading the 15 Meg hard disk on my Tandy 6000. The current >one is functioning fine, but is getting a bit full. I hear that the interface >is a ST506 so any PC drive should work. Are there any size or number of head >restrictions? Should I expect any remarkable speed increase? Do you just buy >a standard PC drive, put it in an expansion chasis, and plug it in the back >of the computer using the standard cables supplied with the drive? Also, >for referrence, does anyone know the access time and data transfer rate >for the standard 15 Meg drive. Well I just put a Micropolis 1335 in my 6000 this week. (The Miniscribe 6086 I had in it crashed - sounded like fingernails on a blackboard - head was into the platters). But putting either on is is fairly easy. I recommend that instead of putting on an expansion box. Take off the cover, and take out the assembly containing the hard drive and the floppy. Remove the shock mounts from the old drive and install on the new one, and re-install. It is tight and be careful not to dig into the electronics on the floppy. You might find it easier to remove the crossbraces to spread the container just a bit. Just make sure you put all the cables back the way they came out, and be sure to jumper for DS0. If you put it in an external box you must disable the 5volt line going from the controller that is used to turn on the relay in the Tandy secondaries. If you don't, and you connect things wrong you WILL SEE SMOKE. The 15 meg in the unit is so slow you don't really want to use it, and going from 15 megs to 70 will give you so much space you won't worry. (Unless you are using it for a Usenet node. I am going to put a 4 drive controller out of a 16 on it to get capacity up). You can't use any more than 1024 cylinders by 8 heads with the stock controller. That gives you 70 megs. DO NOT attempt to format over 1024 cylinders or the format will wrap around to cylinder zero and you wont' boot. bill -- Bill Vermillion - UUCP: {uiucuxc,hoptoad,petsd}!peora!tarpit!bilver!bill : bill@bilver.UUCP