wprice@nmsu.edu (William Price) (01/17/90)
I am posting this for a friend. Any responses would be appreciated. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- I have a Zenith Z-158 running dos 3.1. As soon as I get a hard drive controller I will install a Seagate ST-251 40 M hard drive. I have a few questions though: - Can anyone recommend a good controller for this application? Is the usual WD PC/XT type controller reasonable ? - I really don't want to lose my second floppy drive to the ST-251. I was told by a Zenith tech. there was room underneath the floppies for a half height device (like a ST-251). Anybody try it ? Any advice ? - Finally, I would like to upgrade the floppy drives to 1.44 M microfloppies in the near future. Zenith has given me three different opinions about the upgrade a) "If the monitor ROM is right (ie the right version?) no problem" b) "No problem for 720 K, 1.44 M impossible", and c) "1.44 M can be installed and used as a 720 K drive, but it won't work as a high density drive without a new controller." Based on what little I know about these things, I suspect that b) and c) are the same answer in long and short versions; however these still don't agree with answer a). Again if anyone has tried it I would appreciate the fuits of your experience.
djo7613@blake.acs.washington.edu (Dick O'Connor) (01/18/90)
In article <488@opus.NMSU.EDU> wprice@nmsu.edu (William Price) writes: > > I am posting this for a friend. Any responses would be appreciated. >--------------------------------------------------------------------------- > I have a Zenith Z-158 running dos 3.1. As soon as I get a hard drive controller I will install a Seagate ST-251 40 M hard drive. I have a few questions though: (stuff omitted) >- I really don't want to lose my second floppy drive to the ST-251. I was told by a Zenith tech. there was room underneath the floppies for a half height device (like a ST-251). Anybody try it ? Any advice ? > I added a half-height Seagate ST238R to my Z159, along with the ST11R RLL controller that I bought as a package from First Capitol Computer in Missouri. The Seagate fits right underneath my two 360K floppies, and I haven't had any heat-related or other troubles in 2.5 years. As I recall (my notes are at home), there was a metal bracket that needed to be snapped off so that the drive could fit underneath. It was all detailed in the docs sent by First Capitol. >- Finally, I would like to upgrade the floppy drives to 1.44 M microfloppies in the near future. Zenith has given me three different opinions about the upgrade a) "If the monitor ROM is right (ie the right version?) no problem" (omissions again) As I understand it, you *may* need a ROM upgrade as well. If your current ROM supports the 101-key keyboard, then I believe it can speak to 1.44 M floppies. Then you need a controller that can handle them; it's very unlikely that the stock Z158 controller could do it, since the Z158 predates 3.5 inch floppies by a year or two. I pondered this upgrade as well, but then just bought a Z248/12 from the HUG Bargain Center, and got *everything* upgraded at once! "Moby" Dick O'Connor ** DISCLAIMER: It would Washington Department of Fisheries ** surprise me if the Olympia, Washington 98504 ** rest of the Department Internet Mail: djo7613@blake.u.washington.edu ** agreed with any of this!
easton@andrews.edu (Jeff Easton) (01/19/90)
In article <5355@blake.acs.washington.edu>, djo7613@blake.acs.washington.edu (Dick O'Connor) writes: > In article <488@opus.NMSU.EDU> wprice@nmsu.edu (William Price) writes: > > >- Finally, I would like to upgrade the floppy drives to 1.44 M microfloppies in the near future. Zenith has given me three different opinions about the upgrade a) "If the monitor ROM is right (ie the right version?) no problem" > > (omissions again) > As I understand it, you *may* need a ROM upgrade as well. If your current > ROM supports the 101-key keyboard, then I believe it can speak to 1.44 M > floppies. Then you need a controller that can handle them; it's very > unlikely that the stock Z158 controller could do it, since the Z158 > predates 3.5 inch floppies by a year or two. I pondered this upgrade as > well, but then just bought a Z248/12 from the HUG Bargain Center, and got > *everything* upgraded at once! Well, yes and no. The Z158 ROM has very little to do with it. The main problem is that all PCXT style disk controllers including the Z158's cant handle the higher transfer rates requires by a 1.44M drive. They are set at 250Kb/sec where as the 1.44M drive requires 250K and 500K. So yes, the 1.44M drive would work in the Z158, as a 720K drive only. I did hear of some third party manufacturers that sold a new disk controller with new disk device handlers that would allow 1.44M drives in PCXT's. Check your local mail order place. > "Moby" Dick O'Connor ** DISCLAIMER: It would Jeff Easton Zenith Data Systems Systems Engineer OEM Engineering easton@andrews.edu -or- ..uunet!zds-asg!zds-oem!easton I'd rather be Water Skiing...