Overview Features Coding ApolloOS Performance Forum Downloads Products Order Contact

Welcome to the Apollo Forum

This forum is for people interested in the APOLLO CPU.
Please read the forum usage manual.
Please visit our Apollo-Discord Server for support.



All TopicsNewsPerformanceGamesDemosApolloVampireAROSWorkbenchATARIReleases
Documentation about the Vampire hardware

Compatible IDE Drives for the 500V2+

Antony Coello

Posts 153
26 Jan 2020 13:54


Hi,

I have recently tried to get my 500v2+ working and am not having much luck. Im trying to setup on some older IBM Deskstar 2.5" IDE drives.

I presumed that having a 40 pin IDE header, it would run some of my older (4-8GB) IDE HDD's that I have laying around rather than having to get a 40 pin IDE to CF adapter. Surely, it should have been fitted with an onboard CF slot if this was going to be the more reliably recognised storage solution?

So the real question is, are there any lists of drives/or types (e.g. LBA, etc) that will/wont specifically work? Or do I have to Prep, format,install OS3.9+BB1+2,on WinUAE,etc each one, THEN plug into the Vampire to see if it boots or not?

Im hoping theres a quicker way! Many thanks for any help!


Gunnar von Boehn
(Apollo Team Member)
Posts 6207
26 Jan 2020 14:05


I recomment to use a CF.
E.g SANDISK 16Gb or 32GB


Igor Majstorovic
(Apollo Team Member)
Posts 406
26 Jan 2020 14:11


I would go for CF because using Vampire card together with driving motor of regular HDD could bring old Amiga power supply to the edge of usability. In your case, if you want to use regular HDD, there is adapter for HDD with 2 pins for external power supply, maybe that will work. But, really I wouldn't do that. For small amount of money, few USD, you can get CF with adapter. Please search this forum there are plenty comments regarding this.   


Antony Coello

Posts 153
26 Jan 2020 14:33


Hi again Majsta!

If you recall, I contacted you as I was installing the Vampire into a Checkmate 1500 case and I was having trouble powering up. All sorted now (low power load threshold on the PSU problem). Therefore the PSU is plenty capable (~90W).

However, if both you and Gunnar are telling me to go with CF, then who am I to argue! lol.

Many thanks to you both.


Peter Heginbotham

Posts 214
26 Jan 2020 16:11


There also 44 pin to msata adapaters ot PATA Flash Disk on Module (DOM) which work fine as well

Have a read through the Vampire FAQ EXTERNAL LINK 
Examples
EXTERNAL LINK 
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2G-4G-8GB-16GB-32GB-64GB-DOM-SSD-Disk-On-Module-Industrial-IDE-Flash-40-Pins-MLC/274126436613?hash=item3fd3357905:m:m_f8elBEnnY6kudpSCcRWGg



Antony Coello

Posts 153
26 Jan 2020 16:53


I did try a 2.5" IDE<>Sata adapter. Maybe my one (got 2 of the same one) was no good for Vampire.

I did read through the FAQ. Would rather have not used solid state drives, but never mind, it is done now. Many thanks.


Chris T.

Posts 136
26 Jan 2020 17:48


I am using w/o Problems IDE 2,5 Inch HD and CF Adapter for easy Data exchange


Antony Coello

Posts 153
26 Jan 2020 21:06


Chris T. wrote:

I am using w/o Problems IDE 2,5 Inch HD and CF Adapter for easy Data exchange

Do you mean in a master/slave dual connector cable setup? If so, is the 2.5" HDD bootable?


Krzysztof AT

Posts 48
27 Jan 2020 14:59


Hello

I don't think there is any reason to use old mechanical disk today. I have cheap ide 44 to microsd adapter and transcent 128 microsd card. It's working even bit faster than my previous CF card.


Antony Coello

Posts 153
02 Feb 2020 17:45


Ok, I ordered a Sandisk CF card (Extreme 32GB) and thought if I write the img of Coffin R54 all would be ok.

The only laptop I have with a CF reader is an old Celeron P4 thing. It took about 10 hours (!) to write the image to disk.

Tried inserting the card into five CF<>IDE adapters that I have that were wrapped up still from an Ebay purchase years ago (the one that I had used from this batch worked fine on my old A1200 IIRC). Still not booting.

I presumed that I didnt have to clean the CF with diskpart before writing an IMG file. Is this correct?

If its not that, then maybe I must have ruined the brand new IDE cable I bought especially for the Vampire. Im not sure how many more times I can do this before a pin somewhere bends and snaps again (already got a snapped pin on the Vampire because of all this.)

Ive got quite a collection of 44 pin IDE stuff Ive tried that DOESNT work so far. As Ive demonstrated above, I dont want to keep plugging/unplugging any more. I really dont like these brittle pins!

Im guessing the actual Vampire card is ok, as I can boot some Amiga coverdisks/games/demos from the floppy. (I do get a slight flickering on IK+ and the bottom 1/5th of the screen on Stunt Car Racer, but Im guessing the games arent 100% compatible yet?)

Are there any obvious things that I havent done?

Thanks in advance for any help!  :)


Gunnar von Boehn
(Apollo Team Member)
Posts 6207
02 Feb 2020 18:29


Antony Coello wrote:

  The only laptop I have with a CF reader is an old Celeron P4 thing. It took about 10 hours (!) to write the image to disk.
 

This sounds very bad and should never happen.
A 32GB image should write in 5-30 minutes.

What tool did you use to write it?
I hope your tool did not ruin the CF. :(


Antony Coello

Posts 153
02 Feb 2020 18:56


Hi Gunnar,
 
  I used Win32DiskImager as recommended for writing the image.
 
  The laptop is my offline dev machine which runs Windows XP. Has been rock solid for years. I believe it wrote the image sucessfully (as thats what it told me) eventually.
 
  The CF now is called EMUTOS and has several folders and files on it. Does this sound right?


Gunnar von Boehn
(Apollo Team Member)
Posts 6207
02 Feb 2020 19:27


Antony Coello wrote:

The CF now is called EMUTOS and has several folders and files on it. Does this sound right?

Yes this sounds right


Antony Coello

Posts 153
02 Feb 2020 19:59


Well, the IDE interface powers up my 2.5" IBM drives, so at least power is getting to it. Its a shame there isnt some low level IDE diagnostics I can run. 

Maybe if I can write a OS3.9 emergency floppy and boot from that to see if I can at least 'see' the CF, if not read/write to it.


Antony Coello

Posts 153
04 Feb 2020 14:18


Im back. :/

So, I cleaned partition data and re-wrote the coffin r54 image onto my new Sandisk 32Gb CF card using a CF card reader all in one 5.25" unit (similar to the one Simo uses in his YT video) on my W10 laptop. The interface was USB 2, so it still took ~1hr30mins to write. Still no joy on the Vampire.

I decided to eliminate any faults in the chain (CF<>IDE converters, IDE cable), so took the working 2.5" Toshiba HDD and IDE cable from my Atari Falcon. I then cleared the partition data and used WinUAE to install OS3.9 as described in Simos YT video. All done (except the Vamire patch, as I have Core 2.11 and Im told its not compatible). So unless the drive is not compatible with the Vampire, Ive swapped out everything else it could be.

Any ideas anyone? Its starting to look like the Vamps IDE interface is VERY fussy, or its defective. I cant see anyone else on here having so much trouble. :(

posts 15