🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1992Oct03.020619.1767@microsoft.com> felixa@microsoft.com (Felix GTi Andrew) writes:
>I have a new drive for my A5000. Its a Cumulus drive (no I havent heard
>of them either). Anyway its drive number/type is CP3104 which as we all
>know is an IDE number, and the drive is about 100Mgs. The problem is
>that !Hform that I got with my A5000 last year fails to format the drive.

Are you using the unit as your primary drive?  I've had a lot of problems
getting anything other than Conner units to work reliably as the first drive
(although most units work OK as second drives).  I haven't tried a Cumulus
drive (haven't heard of them for that matter), but most Seagate drives have
problems.

>Is there a new version of HForm - like with RiscOs 3.1? The version I got
>seemed to be able to format only 4 types of IDE drive (which is kinda silly)
>I'm not sure what version number it is, but I bought the 5000 around oct19 91.

Acorn sent a memo to dealers a while ago stating exactly which drives are
compatible with the A5000 (basically just Conner drives).  Lots of other
drives WILL work, but you have to fiddle.  This isn't really Acorn's fault - 
IDE has a very poor specification (IMHO) and is open to interpretation.

Sorry I can't advise you on your specific drive.  My advice is to do as I
did and get a SCSI card.

>PS Are there any shows upcomming in England? I'm back for a visit Nov 19-28
>and need a new keyboard!

Perhaps you need a Keyboard Interface, allowing you to use PC keyboards, mice
and so forth..  (advertise?  moi?)

Cheers

Bob

-- 
  Robert J. Voisey  :  r_voisey@csd.brispoly.ac.uk
         -- Probug Software Developments --
162 Staplehill Rd, Fishponds, Bristol, Avon, England

In article <1992Oct3.214943.2529@csd.brispoly.ac.uk> r_voisey@csd.brispoly.ac.uk (R Voisey) writes:
>Are you using the unit as your primary drive?  I've had a lot of problems
>getting anything other than Conner units to work reliably as the first drive
>(although most units work OK as second drives).  I haven't tried a Cumulus
>drive (haven't heard of them for that matter), but most Seagate drives have
>problems.

Yes - the problem is a bug in RiscOS 3.0, which is fixed in 3.1 . The
only drives I have known to work as a master with slave attached on
the A5000 under RO3.0 are Conner and Samsung. I hear rumours that a
few more will work in a one-drive configuration.

(Gripe: Why couldn't Acorn put a few more LED slots along the fascia
of the A5000? It would be nice to have independent drive lights for
two hard discs, if you have them fitted.)

--Clive.

In article <1992Oct3.214943.2529@csd.brispoly.ac.uk> r_voisey@csd.brispoly.ac.uk (R Voisey) writes:
>Acorn sent a memo to dealers a while ago stating exactly which drives are
>compatible with the A5000 (basically just Conner drives).  Lots of other
>drives WILL work, but you have to fiddle.  This isn't really Acorn's fault - 
>IDE has a very poor specification (IMHO) and is open to interpretation.

You call that a specification???  I mean, the manufacturers cannot even agree
on a basic set of commands with any reliability...  When I was doing my IDE
interface, I based the code around specs I got for a Kyocera (sp?) drive...
worked fine until I tried it on a Connor..!  I got it working on both drives,
then I got a Quantum... Pah!  Got it working on the Quantum, then Hugo got a
100MB quantum...  I never managed to get that working at all :-(

Now I'm having hassles with serial ports :-(
-- 
Cheerio,
        |~~~      (uucp address: arcturus@spuddy.uucp)
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>Perhaps you need a Keyboard Interface, allowing you to use PC keyboards, mice
>and so forth..  (advertise?  moi?)

Cool - does this allow me to connect a Compaq or a Dell keyboard to my arc?
My Compaq has one of those BIG connectors, and the Dell has a little one.
I'd prefer the dell.

Also I use Microsoft Ballpoint mice - can I connect these too?

Do you provide a switcher with them too so that I can switch the output of
the input decives to different processors?

How much do they cost?

Thanks
	Felix

PS Do you take dollars? 8-)

In article <1992Oct4.153147.16540@infodev.cam.ac.uk> crj10@phx.cam.ac.uk (Clive Jones) writes:
>
>Yes - the problem is a bug in RiscOS 3.0, which is fixed in 3.1 . The
>only drives I have known to work as a master with slave attached on
>the A5000 under RO3.0 are Conner and Samsung. I hear rumours that a
>few more will work in a one-drive configuration.

Well thanks to some acorn mail that I got a year ago I managed to connect
a spare 130Mg Connor as a slave to the 40Mg connor supplied with the machine.
And boy is it lovely and fast - yum yum yum -
>
>(Gripe: Why couldn't Acorn put a few more LED slots along the fascia
>of the A5000? It would be nice to have independent drive lights for
>two hard discs, if you have them fitted.)

I agree. Also its VERY hard to stick drives into the boxes, I wanted to
put in a 600Mg drive and it wouldnt fit - grump grump grump.

Thanks
	Felix

I'm replying to this in news because a few people are interested and I couldn't be
bothered to get mail through to all of them!

In article <1992Oct07.213930.28699@microsoft.com>, felixa@microsoft.com (Felix GTi Andrew) writes:
|> Cool - does this allow me to connect a Compaq or a Dell keyboard to my arc?
|> My Compaq has one of those BIG connectors, and the Dell has a little one.

It supports any IBM-AT compatible keyboard.  Kbds with a large 5 pin DIN will
plug straight in - the small min DIN connectors require an adapter which we
can supply or which you can get from any PC dealer.

|> Also I use Microsoft Ballpoint mice - can I connect these too?

If it emulates a standard Microsoft Mouse, or a 3 button PC Mouse, then
yes you can.  In fact two serial pointing devices and one bus pointing
device can be connected and used simultaneously (movements are
cumulative).  The bus mouse can be an Archimedes mouse or a PC mouse.

|> Do you provide a switcher with them too so that I can switch the output of
|> the input decives to different processors?

I think what you're asking is whether you can use the keyboard/mouse with
both the Archimedes and a PC via a switch of some kind.  We don't
provide such a switch, but a few people have suggested this might be a
good idea.  I'm going to check to see if such a thing is already
available, and if it is I'll get some.  Otherwise, I might consider
building some.

|> How much do they cost?

I'll Email the commercial details to you.  NB The price is in BAU, and
we'll be knocking 10 quid off at BAU92.

Cheers

Bob

Disclaimer
I believe that these details are correct but I cannot guarantee it.
I only designed the thing, someone else is marketting it.

-- 
  Robert J. Voisey  :  r_voisey@csd.brispoly.ac.uk
         -- Probug Software Developments --
162 Staplehill Rd, Fishponds, Bristol, Avon, England