Ineternal MyIDE Kit question

[Goochman]

I think IM going to bite the bullet and get one of the internal MyIDE kits - Ive heard you can use ComapctFlash cards vs a SCSI drive but these require some 'connectors'? Can someone tell me what connectors are needed to use a CompactFlash card with the SCSI cable connector to the MyIDE kit?

[Curt Vendel]

All you need is an IDE to Compact flash adapter, they are a simple 2" x 2" board that you plug your IDE cable into and slide a CF card into and it looks and acts just like an IDE hard drive.

 

They are dirt cheap, you can pick one up off of ebay from $4.99 to $12.99

 

 

 

Curt

[Goochman]

Ah - ok - they sell these things at RatShack or Bestbuy?

[Shawn Jefferson]

There is a discussion regarding CF cards and MyIDE on csa8 and it was stated there that flash memory is generally only good for 100,000 writes. If you use your partitions very much, 100,000 writes to the VTOC and sector map could occur pretty quickly.

 

I think the generally consensus was that for casual use it would probably be fine, but everyday use would probably cause it to fail within a year or so. I don't know, personally. CF memory is pretty cheap, and there is no vibration or noise, so I still think it would be a good way to get internal storage into your 8-bit. You can always buy another card.

[Wrathchild]

I tend to pick up <1Gig laptop drives Ebay and these work OK in an 800XL due to the larger power supply. I'm not sure of the power requirements for a flash card (but I'd imagine they'd be less) so they could be a more sensible option for an XE machine with a 1A power supply.

 

I guess if you're 'working' from the drive then the TOC entries will be updated regularly, but if you are simply loading loads of EXEs and BINs for running games then this part of the disk isn't going to be updated that often.

[Goochman]

Thanks for the heads up - I plan on writing everything from Holmes CD that I can to the CF and play games off it - I have to make some space (Honey-Do list) and my laptop with SIO2PC and XE and 7800 w/CC2 is taking up too much space. A 130XE with a CF HD inside wont take much space at all

[Goochman]

Ok, Ive started looking into these - they obviously require 'power' - does anyone know if the internal MyIDE kit has a power connector also - or how was the IDE/CF card powered?

[Shawn Jefferson]

Ok, Ive started looking into these - they obviously require 'power' - does anyone know if the internal MyIDE kit has a power connector also - or how was the IDE/CF card powered?

 

No, you need to bring power from the power connector in your atari, and you have to be sure that your PS can handle the additional load.

[Goochman]

Hmmmmmm.......how does one connect power from the Atari PS to an IDE board????

 

Ive seen the pictures

 

Otherwise do you need to HD housing right next to the XE to just provide power to the ide board ?

[Shawn Jefferson]

Hmmmmmm.......how does one connect power from the Atari PS to an IDE board????

 

Ive seen the pictures

 

Well, I'm not sure what you mean exactly then. I thought you were talking about the hard drive itself, which needs 5v, which you can get from the power connector of your atari. I assume the CF card to IDE connector has some hookup for power like a hard drive would.

 

Click on this to see the picture, it's a little big for the forum screen

 

On this picture (from http://www.mr-atari.com/) shows the two wires that have been hooked up from his power connector (or somewhere on the MB close by) to the IDE to mini-hard drive connector (not included in the kit I think.) These are the hookup I'm talking about. I imagine that an IDE to CF card would have similiar requirements.

 

Here's a picture of one:

 

 

Otherwise do you need to HD housing right next to the XE to just provide power to the ide board ?

 

Oh, you are talking about putting the hard drive outside your computer? You would need to provide power to it somehow then. A PC power supply would do the trick. I have a few small enclosures from old external Mac hard drives and CD-ROMs. Those do the trick pretty well and give you a nice small enclosure, power supply and drive in one unit. You just have to remove the SCSI ports and run your IDE cable out the back.

 

I assumed you would put your CF card into your computer, which the information I gave above talks about.

 

Let us know how you get on either way though! I've been running ATOS on my MyIDE drive for a couple of weeks now. It's pretty nice, but I wish that more programming information was released for it as well as the source to the window libraries. I guess I will have to bug Tom Hunt about it soon!

[Goochman]

I def want it internal - however Im having classics install the OS and internal MyIDE kit - Im not sure he will also hook a lead into the power supply for me -

 

So,

If its not internal then I have to add alot of baggage outside the XE

[ATARIeric]

i would think +5v wire from IDE to a trace near the power supply that puts out +5v ? and ground just gets grounded ?

 

if you ask classics he would know, or mr atari

 

 

is your flash card to ide sorta gonna look like this ?

 

 

 

 

[Goochman]

Exact CF card I was going to use