Date   : Wed, 14 Oct 2009 23:42:26 +0100
From   : jgh@... (Jonathan Graham Harston)
Subject: New storage system suggestinons?

Pete G. wrote:
> Hi All - I'm looking to add a modern replacement filing system to my Model
> B (and I'd also like it to work with the Master too if poss) and am not
> quite sure which/what to go for. What I want to be able to do is to still
> retain one floppy drive so that I can copy over some of my existing software
 
Essentially, the mass storage options for the BBC/Master is as
listed at <http://mdfs.net/Info/Comp/BBC/HardDrive>. The practical
options are:
 
* ATA/IDE interface with IDE hard drive or Compact Flash drive.
 
* GoMMC interface with SSD card, from John Kortink.
 
The essential differences are that the GoMMC's replacement filing
systems replace /all/ drive access, not just hard drive access. So,
if you want /a/ filing system with both floppy and non-floppy
support, GoMMC won't give it. With GoMMC you transfer all floppies
to the GoMMC, and then effectively cease using floppies.
 
With the IDE interface, the replacement filing system replaces the
SCSI driver with an IDE/ATA driver, leaving the floppy drivers
intact. So, for example, with IDE ADFS, drives 0-4 are hard drives,
as with SCSI ADFS, and drives 4-7 are floppy drives, as with SCSI
ADFS.
 
GoMMC is available from John Kortink.
 
The RetroClinic DataCentre is probably the best prebuilt IDE
hardware, or you can build an interface yourself.
 
> to be either the option of SDram based storage or an internal IDE drive.
 
If you don't want floppy access, and have a spare ROM socket, GoMMC
is a good option. If you want floppy access, internal IDE with
Compact Flash card.
 
I have both a GoMMC and RetroClinc IDE interface on my main
machine. Each has their own usefulnesses for particular tasks.
 
-- 
J.G.Harston - jgh@...                - mdfs.net/User/JGH
Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Sheffield Brightside