Subject: Re: Re: [TI994A] Re: IDE pulse check.....

From: [email-masked]
Date: Sun, 13 Mar 2011 08:09:13 -0500 (CDT)

In my experience with the IDE in the BBS system running 24/7 since shortly after the "kits" first became available, the only time I have had to load a new DSR is for new versions. I know that if you put the card in the P-Box and there is another card in the P-Box with the same CRU you will blow out the IDE DSR every time. About the only other time is gets blown similar to the WHT RAM Disk, P-GRAM et al is when you programming guys go peeking and poking. We could probably install a dip switch to stop writting to the DSR/SRAM unless it was intentional.  ;)

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From: "Jens-Eike Hartwig" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 13 Mar 2011 16:24:22 +0100

The write (un-)protection is done by CRU bits, an "electronic dip
switch". Hardware write protection wouldn't work with the buffer area...
SRAM battery backup is done via the BQ48xx chip, a more stable solution
than the "green-LED-voltage-divider" protection of the Horzon RAMdisk.
So far, my IDE-DSR has not been corrupted.

-----Original Message-----
Date: Sun, 13 Mar 2011 14:09:13 +0100
Subject: Re: Re: [TI994A] Re: IDE pulse check.....
From: [email-masked]
To: [email-masked]

In my experience with the IDE in the BBS system running 24/7 since
shortly after the "kits" first became available, the only time I have
had to load a new DSR is for new versions. I know that if you put the
card in the P-Box and there is another card in the P-Box with the same
CRU you will blow out the IDE DSR every time. About the only other
time is gets blown similar to the WHT RAM Disk, P-GRAM et al is when
you programming guys go peeking and poking. We could probably install
a dip switch to stop writting to the DSR/SRAM unless it was
intentional.  ;)

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From: "fredkaal" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 14 Mar 2011 16:48:01 -0000

All the years I have my two IDE's I never had lost the DSR.

Fred ;-)

--- In [email-masked], "Jens-Eike Hartwig" <j-e_hartwig@...> wrote:
> From: swim4home@...

---

From: fdos <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 14 Mar 2011 10:57:04 -0700

My IDE experience was most difficult during the construction of the kits 
using SMT (Small Matter Tiny pins) ;-)  The second one I assembled 
actually worked great for 5 days.  The only one in use today was not 
assembled by yours truly.  While my 5 day wonder worked well with every 
IDE drive under 8GB in my possession, this one has only worked with a 
Quantum "Big Foot" (6.4GB 5.25" 5400 RPM) drive.  Attempts to use it 
with an IDE to CF adapter and any CF card in my possession has been 
flaky at best.

It would not work well in my TI-99/4P (SNUG-TI) system, so it is still 
in my more standard TI-99/4A system.  During the IDEAL days there were 
frequent DSR reloads due to lock-ups (IDE card LED on continuously).  No 
reboot was possible until the card was off then DSR reloaded to continue 
normally.

Some where along the way I switched to Fred's DSR.  It didn't have such 
frequent lock-ups unless I used CALL IDELOAD("PATH-NAME").  This might 
work once of twice, but eventually a lock-up would occur.  I think this 
was fixed in one of Fred's DSR releases, but I'm not sure as I've not 
checked on it in many, many months.  Gray matter not keeping up. :-)

Bill S

On 3/13/2011 6:09 AM, [email-masked] wrote:
> In my experience with the IDE in the BBS system running 24/7 since shortly after
> the "kits" first became available, the only time I have had to load a new DSR is
> for new versions. I know that if you put the card in the P-Box and there is
> another card in the P-Box with the same CRU you will blow out the IDE DSR every
> time. About the only other time is gets blown similar to the WHT RAM Disk,
> P-GRAM et al is when you programming guys go peeking and poking. We could
> probably install a dip switch to stop writting to the DSR/SRAM unless it was
> intentional. ;)
> 

-- 
Bill R Sullivan (FDOS)
Go Forth+ or X4th99