[comp.sys.amiga.tech] How does an A590 disk work ?

eesrajm@cc.brunel.ac.uk (Andrew J Michael) (10/10/90)

Could some kind soul explain to me how the A590 (or should that be A509 ?)
hard disk adaptor for the A500 works ?  It seems to be capable of supporting
both XT and SCSI drives, judging by the markings on the PCB.  Does this mean
that I could buy one and replace the baby XT disk with a decent sized SCSI
disk ?  Do I need to change any straps on the PCB ?  If not, how does the
board know which type of drive is attached ?

Thanks in advance ....

Andy Michael


-- 
Andy Michael (eesrajm@cc.brunel.ac.uk)      " Emulation is the sincerest
85 Hawthorne Crescent                         form of pottery."
West Drayton
Middlesex                                    - William Frend De Morgan
UB7 9PA   

pl@news.funet.fi.tut.fi (Lehtinen Pertti) (10/11/90)

From article <1852@Terra.cc.brunel.ac.uk>, by eesrajm@cc.brunel.ac.uk (Andrew J Michael):
> Could some kind soul explain to me how the A590 (or should that be A509 ?)
> hard disk adaptor for the A500 works ?  It seems to be capable of supporting
> both XT and SCSI drives, judging by the markings on the PCB.  Does this mean
> that I could buy one and replace the baby XT disk with a decent sized SCSI
> disk ?  Do I need to change any straps on the PCB ?  If not, how does the
> board know which type of drive is attached ?
> 

	I took an SCSI-disk from old supradrive and attached it to
	A590 as second drive, so I have now two drives (one XT and one
	SCSI ).  Ther was no straps or anything I should move. So I believe
	you can just switch original XT-drive to SCSI drive and go.

	Only switch with these things is on front, and it says which
	interface (SCSI or XT) controls disk activity led.

	Drive information is written on disk by format, and driver
	picks it from there, interface itself doesn't care.

--
pl@tut.fi				! All opinions expressed above are
Pertti Lehtinen				! purely offending and in subject
Tampere University of Technology	! to change without any further
Software Systems Laboratory		! notice

bj@cbmvax.commodore.com (Brian Jackson) (10/12/90)

In article <1852@Terra.cc.brunel.ac.uk> eesrajm@cc.brunel.ac.uk (Andrew J Michael) writes:
>Could some kind soul explain to me how the A590 (or should that be A509 ?)
>hard disk adaptor for the A500 works ?  It seems to be capable of supporting
>both XT and SCSI drives, judging by the markings on the PCB.  Does this mean
>that I could buy one and replace the baby XT disk with a decent sized SCSI
>disk ?  Do I need to change any straps on the PCB ?  If not, how does the
>board know which type of drive is attached ?
>

The A590 has two connectors, one for the XT drive and one for the SCSI
drive(s).  I have an A590 that is running both the standard 20 meg XT drive
and a Quantum 40s drive.  Just plug the SCSI drive in (power and SCSI
cable), config the drive with HDToolBox and voila`.

>Thanks in advance ....
>
>Andy Michael
>
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