Date   : Sat, 10 Jan 2004 16:18:56 +0100
From   : "Mark Usher" <mu.list@...>
Subject: Re: IDE Interface for BBC

> The Adaptec converter board was 
> about 4" x 6", was packed with chips, and had, if I remember right, an

> 8086 CPU and
> its own firmware in ROM which in theory made it more powerful than the
> machine it connected to.
This was the Adaptec ACB 4000 or 4070. I've 5 4070 boards new and still
in their original antistatic wrapping here - never been opened.
IIRC the 4070 supported MFM & RLL where the 4000 was MFM only.
The 4070 has an Intel 8085 processor on it. I've just checked my home
made hard drive set up and that beeb is using a Adaptec 4070 with what
is an un-named host adapter. I think Alan Williams sent me it and it is
of Australian origins.

Digging out those boards I've just found an Acorn "Winchester Disk Host
Adapter" Board. Why on earth I am not using it I am not sure. I think
trying it directly with an SCSI drive gave timeing problems as
mentioned.

I did build one of the hard drive host adapter circuits as per
HardDrive1.2 Docs http://bbc.nvg.org/doc/HardDrive-v1.2.zip

- in fact the host adapter board from Australia does look very similar.
I didn't work correctly when I tried it - but after giving it to my
brother and waiting 5 years or so, he has finally looked at it and found
it was mostly due to my soldering that it didn't work and the design
appears to be fine. It passes all the tests per the Acorn Winchester
Service Manual - except for the last one - returning the ID from the
drive - as when he tried it he had the drive jumpered wrong and has not
yet retried that test.

Right - I'll think I'll play with this Acorn board I've found - Serial
227 000 ISS D - is that the one from the E01 ?

-Mark