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Comp.Sys.Acorn.FAQ part 5 of 5


From: Paul Vigay <faq@vigay.com>
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn.announce, comp.sys.acorn.misc
Subject: Comp.Sys.Acorn.FAQ part 5 of 5
Date: Wed, 1 May 2002 06:26:40 +0000 (UTC)
Message-ID: <01May2002-faq5faq@vigay.com>
Keywords: Frequent Questions Answers

Archive-name: acorn/faq/part5
Frequency: monthly

WELCOME TO THE COMP.SYS.ACORN FAQ MONTHLY UPDATE.

This update is automatically generated by my machine, so please email me at
pvigay@interalpha.co.uk if any parts are missing or corrupted.
--------------------------------- part 5 of 5 ------------------------------

11.4) What works with what? 

   This list contains details of peripherals known to work on Acorn
computers, and is intended as a rough guide for those wanting to upgrade. 

   The list covers all storage devices: hard discs, magneto-optical drives,
tape, CD-rom, and related interfaces. It also covers modems, serial cards
and printers.It does not cover IDE hard discs, as these are covered in a
separate list in the FAQ. 

   This list is based on information from users, but it's fairly out of date
now. If you have new information, corrections, suggestions or if you just
want to tell me how good it is, please e-mail faq@vigay.com 

   If you have any equipment which you no longer require, please consider
donating it to Archive magazine or Clares Micro Supplies, who will find a
deserving home for it. Contact Paul Beverley at paul@archivemag.co.uk or
DClare@Clares.demon.co.uk 

   Note that in all the following lists the interface refers to the computer
and not the peripheral. 
Hard discs

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Computer Size  Manuf.     Model      Interface Interface  Special
                                     type      manuf      Requirements
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

A310     46MB  Seagate    ST157N     SCSI-1    Cumana/Oak none
A310     46MB  Seagate    ST277N     SCSI-1    Oak        Use Acorn SCSIFiler 
                                                          with RO3.1
A310     47MB  Seagate    257        SCSI-8    Lingenuity none
A310     60MB  Seagate    ST-277N    SCSI      Oak        Ext Apple
A310/4Mb 80Mb  Quantum    P80S       SCSI      Oak        none
A310     87Mb  Fujitsu    M2612S     SCSI-U    Morley     none
                          0608  
A310     100Mb Quantum    LP105S     SCSI-U    Morley     none
A310     105M  Quantum    Prodrive   SCSI      Oak        none
A310     105MB Rodime     RO-3128T   SCSI-1    Morley     none
A310     105MB Syquest    SQ105S     SCSI-1    Morley     none
A310     110MB Rodime     RO-5125ST  SCSI      Oak        Ext Apple
A310     117MB Quantum    LP120S     SCSI      VTi/Alsys  RO3.1+PowerROM
A310     191Mb Maxtor     LXT-200S   SCSI      Lingenuity none
A310     210MB Conner     CP3200F    SCSI      Oak        Ext Apple
A310/4Mb 210Mb Quantum    PD210S     SCSI      Oak        none
A310     240MB Quantum    LPS240S    SCSI-1    Morley     none
A310     270MB Syquest    SQ3270S    SCSI-1    Morley     none
A310     330Mb Seagate    ST2383N    SCSI-U    Morley     none
A310     340Mb Conner     CFA340     SCSI-1    Cumana/Oak none
A310     496MB Fujitsu    M2624S     SCSI      VTi/Alsys  RO3.1+PowerROM
A310     516Mb Quantum    Maverick   SCSI-U    Morley     none
                          540S 0901
A310     540MB Quantum    Fireball   SCSI-1    Morley     none
A310     700Mb Quantum    LIGHTNING  SCSI      Lingenuity none
                          730S    
A410/1   170MB Quantum    LPS170     SCSI-C    Morley     none
               ProDrive           
A410/1   115MB IBM        7910A12    SCSI-C    Morley     none
A410/1   213M  Maxtor     7213S      SCSI-U    Morley     none
A410/1   1GB   HP         C2247      SCSI-U    Morley     none
A420/1   730MB Quantm     LT730S     SCSI      TSP/AAD    512Mb max.
A420/1   330MB Maxtor     7345S      SCSI      TSP/AAD    none
A4xx/1   40MB  Seagate    ST251/1    ST506     Acorn      ext Case+PSU
A4xx/1   40MB  Seagate    ST251/0    ST506     Acorn      ext Case+PSU
A4xx/1   40MB  NEC        D3156      ST506     Acorn      none
A4xx/1   68MB  Seagate    ST1100     ST506     Acorn      none
A400/1   523MB IBM        DSAS-3540  SCSI-16   Cumana     none
A440/1   240M  Quantum    LPS240S    SCSI-U    Morley     none
A440/1   1G    Micropolis 4110       SCSI-U    Morley     none
A440     66M   Rodime     RO3085S    SCSI      Lingenuity none
A540     116Mb Conner     CP30100    SCSI      Acorn 1.05 none
R140     330MB Maxtor     7345S      SCSI      Acorn MK3  (Used with RISCiX)
R140     730MB Quantm     LT730S     SCSI      Acorn MK3  (Used with RISCiX)
A3000    42MB  NEC        D3835      SCSI      Serial port(VTi)
A3000    51Mb  Quantum    LP52S      SCSI   }  Cumana     none
A3000    81Mb  Quantum    ELS85S     SCSI   }  Cumana     none
A3000    105M  Quantum    LP105S     SCSI      HCCS-8i    none
A3000    540M  IBM        DSAS-3540  SCSI      HCCS-8i    doesn't work!
A3000    730M  Quantum    LT730S     SCSI      HCCS-8i    none
A4000    1G    IBM        DPES31080  SCSI      HCCS       none
A5000    340MB Quantum    LPS340S    SCSI      Cumana     none
A5000    540M  Conner     CP30540    SCSI1     Cumana     none
A5000    1.06G Conner     CFP1060S   SCSI-2    Cumana     none
A4       520M  Fujitsu    M2684S     PSCSI     Atomwide   bid parallel
RPC600   110MB Rodime     RO-5125ST  SCSI      Oak        Ext Apple
RPC600   116MB Conner     CP30100    SCSI-1    Alsystems  none
RPC600   121Mb Maxtor     7120SCS    SCSI-2    Cumana     none
RPC600   163MB Quantum    ELS170S    pll SCSI  Atomwide   none
RPC600   163MB Quantum    ELS170S    SCSI      Oak        none
RPC600   163MB Quantum    ELS170S    SCSI-2    Castle tec none
RPC600   163MB Quantum    ELS170S    SCSI      Morley-U&C none
RPC600   210MB Conner     CP3200F    SCSI      Oak        Ext Apple
RPC600   317MB Imprimis   94241-7    SCSI-1    Alsystems  none
RPC600   496Mb Fujitsu    M2624F-512 SCSI-1    TSP/AAD    none
RPC600   496MB Fujitsu    M2624F-512 SCSI-1    Alsystems  none
RPC600   502MB Quantum  ProDrive525S SCSI2     Alsystems  none
RPC600   507MB Fujitsu    M2684S-512 SCSI-2    Alsystems  none
RPC600   523Mb IBM        DSAS-3540  SCSI-2    Cumana     filecore limit
RPC600   550MB Quantum    Fireball   SCSI-2    MCS        none
RPC600   650Mb Cumana     Proteus    SCSI-2    Cumana     New Filecore
RPC600   850MB Quantum    TRB850S    SCSI-2    Cumana     none
RPC600   1Gb   Quantum    Fireball   SCSI-2    Cumana     none
                          FB1080     
RPC600   1G    Micropolis 4110       SCSI-U    Morley     none
RPC600   1.7G  Quantum    Sirocco    SCSI-2    Cumana     New Filecore
RPC600   2.1Gb Fujitsu    2915       SCSI-2    Cumana     New Filecore
RPC600   2.5G  Quantum    Sirocco    SCSI-2    Cumana     New Filecore
RPC700   105M  Quantum    LP105S     SCSI-2    Alsystems  none
RPC700   140M  Fujitsu    M2624SA    SCSI-U    Morley     none
RPC700   340MB Maxtor     7345A      IDE       Acorn      none
RPC700   540M  Conner     CP30540    SCSI1     Cumana     none
RPC700   730M  Quantum    LT730S     SCSI-2    Alsystems  none
RPC700   2G    Quantum    Atlas      scsi-2    Alsystems  early drives noisy *
RPC700   520M  Seagate    ST3660A    IDE       Acorn      none 
RPC700   1G    Fujitsu    M1614TAU   IDE       Acorn      none 
RPC700   1.6G  Conner     CFS1621A   IDE       Acorn      none 
RPC700   1,6G  WD         AC31600H   IDE       Acorn      slow startup, fast drive
RPC700   1.7G  NEC        D3747      IDE       Acorn      none 
RPC700   2G    Fujitsu    M1624TAU   IDE       Acorn      none 
RPC700   2G    Seagate    ST32161A   IDE       Acorn      none 
RPC700   2.1GB WD         AC21000    IDE       Acorn      none
RPC700SA 520M  Seagate    ST3660A    IDE       Acorn      none
RPC700SA 1.6G  Conner     CFS1621A   IDE       Acorn      none 
RPC700SA 2G    Seagate    ST32132A   IDE       Acorn      none
   * RiscPC cases amplify vibrations from drives. According to Quantum
technical support, drives with high spin speeds need to be internally
balanced like car wheels to avoid vibration. Their first models (including
the Atlas range) were not balanced, but current models are. Apparently the
vibrations do not affect performance or reliability. 

   Non-working combinations 
A410/1   1GB   HP         C2247      SCSI-8    Lingenuity did not work
A3000    540M  IBM        DSAS-3540  SCSI      HCCS-8i    doesn't work!
A310/OS3.1/MEMC1A/ARM3               SCSI      VTi        see below
This combination has been reported to be troublesome due to timing problems
on the bus. This problem does not occur with a standard A310. If the problem
is found to be present, it can be fixed by fitting a 2nF capacitor across the
/BL pull-up resistor.

Removable hard discs

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Computer Size  Manuf.     Model     Interface Interface  Special
                                    type      manuf      Requirements
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

A310     105MB Syquest    -         SCSI   Oak           none
A440/1    88MB Syquest    SQ5110    SCSI-U Morley        none
A410/1   105MB Syquest    -         SCSI-U Morley        none
A3000    135MB SyQuest    EZ135     SCSI   Cumana        none
A3000    270MB Syquest    SQ3270    SCSI   HCCS-8i       MOFS (!MagOpt)
A5000    135MB SyQuest    EZ135     SCSI   Cumana        none
A5000    270MB Syquest    SQ327     SCSI-2 Alsystems     none
A4       105MB Syquest    -         PSCSI  Atomwide bid  none
                                           parallel
RPC600    88MB Syquest    SQ5110    SCSI-2 Cumana        none
RPC600   105MB Syquest    -         IDE    ICS           none
RPC600   105MB Syquest    -         SCSI-2 Castle        none
RPC600   105MB Syquest    -         SCSI   Oak           none
RPC600   105MB Syquest    SQ3105S   SCSI-2 Castle        none
RPC600   135MB Syquest    EZ135     IDE    ICS           minor bugs
RPC600   135MB Syquest    EZ135     SCSI-C Morley        none
RPC600   200MB Syquest    SQ5200C   SCSI-2 Cumana        none
RPC600     1GB Iomega     JAZ       SCSI-2 PowerTec      none
RPC600SA 105MB Syquest    SQ3105S   SCSI-2 Castle        none
RPC600SA   1GB Iomega     JAZ       SCSI-2 PowerTec      none
RPC700   135MB SyQuest    EZ135     SCSI   Cumana 16bit  none
RPC700   135MB SyQuest    EZ135     SCSI   Cumana 32bit  none 
RPC700   135MB SyQuest    EZ135     SCSI-2 Alsystems     none
RPC700   135MB SyQuest    EZ135     IDE    Acorn         none
RPC700   270MB SyQuest    SQ3270    SCSI   Cumana 16bit  none
RPC700   270MB SyQuest    SQ3270    SCSI   Cumana 32bit
         Care needed with flash rom software upgrades
RPC700   270MB SyQuest    SQ3270    SCSI   Alsystems     none
RPC700   270MB Syquest    SQ3270    SCSI-2 Alsystems     none
         Firmware 3_05 and above recommended
CD ROM

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Computer Speed Manuf.     Model      Interface Interface Special
                                     type      manuf     Requirements
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

A310     3.4x  Toshib     XM5201     SCSI-1    Cuman/Oak CDX driver
A310     1x    Sony       CDU-541    SCSI-U    Morley    none
A310     2x    Matsushita CR-503     SCSI      VTi/Alsys RO3.1+PowerROM
A410/1   2x    Apple      CD300      SCSI-C    Morley    AppleSony module
A410/1   2x    Sanyo      CRD-250S   SCSI-2    Morley    none
A420/1   2x    Apple      CD300e     SCSI      TSP/AAD   CDFS 2.2+ driver
A3000    2x    Toshiba    XM-3401TA  SCSI      HCCS-8i   none
A3000    4.4x  Toshiba    XM-3601TA  SCSI      HCCS-8i   IOC CDFS SCSI2 driver
A5000    2x    Toshiba    XM-3401TA  SCSI      Cumana    EESOX CDFS_SCSI2 driver for photocd
A5000    2x    Aiwa       ACD300     SCSI-2    Alsystems none        
A5000    4.4x  Pioneer    DR-U124X   SCSI-2    Cumana    Eesox SCSI2dr
RPC600   2x    Nakamichi  MBR-7      SCSI-2    Cumana    Eesox SCSI2 7cd changer
RPC600   2x    Apple      CD300e     SCSI      Acorn MK3 CDFS 2.2+ driver
RPC600   2x    Cumana     Indigo     IDE       Cumana    none
RPC600   -     Plextor    PX-4XCS    SCSI-2    Cumana        
RPC600   4x    Cumana     Proteus    SCSI-2    Cumana    
RPC600   4x    Sanyo      CRD-254S   SCSI-2    Cumana    EESOX scsi2 driver
RPC600   4x    Sony       CDU76S     SCSI-2    Cumana    Eesox SCSI2 driver
RPC600   4x    Sony       CDU77E     IDE       Acorn     RiscOs3.7/SA
RPC600   4x    Toshiba    XM-3601TA  SCSI-1    TSP/AAD   EESOX SCSI2 driver
RPC600   4x    Cumana     Proteus    SCSI-2    Cumana    none
RPC600   4x    Panasonic  PD-1 LF1000SCSI-2    Power-tec none
RPC600   4x    NEC        Multispin  SCSI-2    Power-tec none
RPC600   4x    Matsushita CR-504     SCSI-2    Power-tec none
RPC600   4x    Hitachi    CDR-770    IDE       Acorn     Cumana/Powertec ATAPI
RPC700   4.4x  Toshiba    XM-3601TA  SCSI-2    Alsystems none
RPC600   6x    Mitsumi    FX600      IDE       Acorn     CDFS2.30 or RO 3.6
RPC600   6x    TEAC       CD-56E     IDE       Acorn     CDFS2.30 or RO 3.6
RPC600   7x    Toshiba    XM-3701TA  SCSI-2    Cumana    Eesox SCSI2
RPC700   2x    Sony       CDU50E     IDE       Acorn     none
RPC700   2x    Cuma.      Bravo      SLCD      Cumana    Unplug CDFSAtapi
RPC700   4x    Sony       CDU-76E    IDE       Acorn     none
RPC700   4x    Panasonic  CR504B     SCSI-C    Morley    none
RPC700   4x    Mitsumi    FX400      IDE       Acorn     none
RPC700   4x    NEC        CDR-273    IDE       Acorn     only works in 2x 
RPC700   6x    NEC        CDR-1300A  IDE       Acorn     only works in 2x 
RPC700SA 6x    NEC        CDR-1300A  IDE       Acorn     only works in 2x
RPC700   8x    Goldstar   GCD-R580B  IDE       Acorn     possible clash with some h.d.
RPC700SA 12x   Teac       CD-512E    IDE       Acorn     none 
RPC700SA 8x    Toshiba    XM-56028   IDE       Acorn     none 
   Problem Drives 

   Many drives don't work with the standard drivers found in RiscOS. This is
usually due to differences between the implementation of ATAPI in the
drives. Third party drivers (soft-loadable modules) are available (eg from
EESOX) and some IDE and SCSI cards come with new drivers built in. 

   CD ROM Equivalents 
Manuf      Model        Manuf      Model
Apple      CD300        Sony       CDU-8003A Rev. 1.9a
Cumana     ProTeus      Panasonic  PD2000

Floppy disk

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Computer Type   Size  Manuf.     Model      Interface Interface  Special
                                 type       manuf                Requirements
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

A310     5.25"  19Mb  QUME       HF24DR G05 SCSI-U    Morley     none
A5000    Zip    100MB Iomega     ZIP 100    SCSI      Oak        none
A5000    Zip    100MB Iomega     ZIP 100    SCSI      Lingenuity no LL format
* This scsi card will initialise a partition but won't low-level format
RPC600   Zip    100MB Iomega     ZIP 100    SCSI-2    Alsystems  none
RPC700   Zip    100MB Iomega     ZIP 100    SCSI-2    Alsystems  none
         Note: Powertec supports DOS format for Zip drives
RPC700   Zip    100MB Iomega     ZIP 100    SCSI-U    Morley     none
   * The parallel port Zip drive can now be used with the Acorn driver, but
requires driver software. This is available from Argo or Partis Computing. * 

   If your scsi software does not support zip drives, see the Tape Streamer
section for details. * The write-protection feature of Zip discs is not at
present available via any of the scsi drivers. It is fully supported by the
parallel port driver. 
Tape streamers

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Computer Size    Type   Manuf.     Model      Interface Interface  Special
                                              type      manuf      Requirements
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

A5000    230MB   magopt Fujitsu    M2512A     SCSI-2    CUMANA     none
A540     230MB   magopt Fuji       2512A      SCSI      Oak        none
A540     230MB   magopt Fuji       2512A      SCSI-16   AAD        none
RPC600   230MB   magopt Fuji       2512A      SCSI      Acorn      !magopt
RPC600   230MB   magopt Fuji       2512A      SCSI      Oak        none
RPC600   230MB   magopt Fuji       2512A      SCSI      QD-16      none
RPC600   525MB   qic    ?          ?          SCSI-2    cumana  
         Settings: tapebackgrounding off, tapemaxtransfer 1, tapebuffer 16k, 
                   scsidisconnect 6 on and *unplug DMAManager
RPC600   2.3G    8mm    Exabyte    EXB 8200   SCSI-2    Cumana     !tapefs
RPC700SA   230kb/s Settings: tapebackgrounding off, tapemaxtransfer 64kb,
                           tapebuffer 512kb.
RPC700   1.3G    DAT    HP         -          SCSI-C    Morley     none
RPC700   1G      DAT    WangDAT    1300       SCSI      Cumana
         Settings: Backgrounding off, disconnect off, and set drive to 
                   SCSI-1 standard (because tapefs=scsi1?)
   Tape equivalents 

   Some data tapes are identical to consumer AV products. Most manufacturers
don't recommend use of the cheaper tapes for data storage but they do work. 

   DDS or 4mm tape is equivalent to DAT (Digital Audio Tape). A two-hour
tape is the same as a 60m, and you can get three hours of audio on a 90m. 

   8mm tape is equivalent to Video-8. Currently I have no information on
tape sizes or merits of using standard or Hi8. 

   Configuration 

   You may need to tweak the options to make your device work properly.
Different drives have different requirements, so experimentation might be
necessary. 

   Zip drives require a different setup from the other backup devices. Some
users report nothing more than running their scsi config software to
identify the drive to the system, the drive appearing as a hard disc. Others
are using MagFS. 

   To set up Magfs: 

   Download Magfs from Hensa. 

   Set the MO$SCSI in the Run file of !MagOpt to to match the scsi id of the
drive. 

   Insert a blank disk and run MO-form. 

   Enter 4 or 5 at first request. 

   Enetr N at second request for a low level format. 

   Run !Magopt. 

   Some magopt users are running tapefs. Don't know why. 

   Software for tape streamers can be obtained from the following sources: 

   tapefs is in
ftp://ftp.demon.co.uk/pub/mirrors/hensa/micros/arch/riscos/a/ 

   magfs is in
ftp://ftp.demon.co.uk/pub/mirrors/hensa/micros/arch/riscos/d/ 

   tar is in
ftp://ftp.demon.co.uk/pub/mirrors/hensa/micros/arch/riscos/a/ 

   It has been found that the released version of tar won't handle image
files (archives, for example). A patched version is available which will
cope with these can be found at
ftp://ftp.comlab.ox.ac.uk:/tmp/Robin.Watts/Tar_hack 
Modems

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Computer Modem Protocol Manuf Model     Interface   Interface Interface  Special
         speed                          blockdriver manuf     Best speed Reqs
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

A310     9600  -        Pace  MicroLin  internal    Acorn     19k2       none
A310     14.4K V32bis   Escom 14400     sp_dual     Atomwide  57600      RO3.1
A410/1   28.8K V34      USR   Sportster internal    Acorn     9600       none
A410/1   28.8K V34      USR   Sportster sp_dual MK2 TSP       115200     none
A5000  28800  V.34  Zoom  V.34    sp_dualpc mk2  TSP  115200  none
A5000  14400  V.32b USR   Courier sp_dualpc mk2  TSP  57600   none
A5000  14400  V.32b USR   Courier internalpc   Acorn  38400   none
A5000  14400  V.32b Pace  MicroLinfx sp_dualpc m2 TSP 57600   none
A3000  14400  V.32b USR   Courier internal     Acorn  19200   none
RPC600   36.6K V34      MR    Modem     internal    Acorn     115200     none
RPC600   28.8K V34      USR   Sportster internal    Acorn     115200     none
RPC600   14.4K -        -     LineLink  internal    Acorn     57600      none
         May need to cut an internal cable to fix flow control if the modem is 
         wired for use with a MAC
RPC700   28.8K V34      USR   Sportster internal    Acorn     115200     none
         setup string: ATB0&M4&H1&R2&I0&K3&B1&N0&S1&Y1&D2&C1V1Q0X4&A3E1F1M1
RPC700   14.4K V32b     CreatiX SG144   internalPC  Acorn     115200     none 
RPC700SA 14.4K V32b     CreatiX SG144   internalPC  Acorn     115200     none
   Note: If you have a Sportster 28.8 with revision dates earlier than
04/28/95 / 03/31/95, and you are having difficulties such as low speed
operation or line drop-outs, USR have a return-to-base upgrade which is free
of charge. 
Printers

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Computer Printer DPI Manuf.   Model        Interface Interfc !Printers  Special
         type                              type      manuf   version    Reqs
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

A410     Inkjet  720 Epson    Stylus-Col-I Parallel  Acorn   1.28c      none
A410     Dotmat  360 Citizen  Swift 24     Parallel  Acorn   1.28c      none
RPC600   Inkjet  720 Epson    Sty.Col.500  Parallel  Acorn   1.54       PDF:Nov'96
RPC700   Inkjet  720 Epson    Stylus-Col-I Parallel  Acorn   1.52 rel3  none
RPC700SA Inkjet  300 HP       DJ 500 C     Par/Ser   Acorn   1.28 
RPC700SA Inkjet  300 HP       DJ 500 C     Par/Ser   Acorn   1.54       Acorns Rompatch
   Third party drivers 

   Computer Concepts' Turbo Drivers are available for popular printers. This
software is optimised for speed although Acorn's own drivers have recently
been upgraded and the benefits are not as great as they were. The Turbo
drivers give greater control over the output and background printing
actually works, however the output quality can be worse with dithered
graphics. 
Optical Scanners

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Computer  Manuf.   Model         Scanner   Interface Interface Special
                                 type      type      manuf     Requirements
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

RPC600    HP       Scanjet IIcx  flatbed   SCSI-2    Cumana    David Pilling's Twain
RPC600    Epson    GT 9500       flatbed   SCSI-2    Powertec  David Pilling's Twain
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Computer notes

   The A3xx and A4xx machines are all similar, and comments about one of
these machines should apply to any other, provided it is running with the
latest OS and/or chip set. 

   Similarly, the A4 is a miniature A5000, and the RPC700 is a slightly
enhanced RPC600. 

   StrongARM equipped RiscPCs might have difficulties with interfaces that
work on the non-SA computers, 

   A3xx computers have no on-board disc interface; A4xx have on-board mfm.
The A3000 has no interface, the A4, A3020, A4000, A5000, A7000, Stork and
RPC models all have IDE. 
Interface notes

   In theory the fastest interfaces are the ones with DMA. These cards
perform at their best on RiscPCs in slot 0 or 1. The data rate will be
limited by the slowest part of the system, so when upgrading, budget for a
new drive in addition to the interface. 

   The Alsystems Powertec card is a SCSI-2 DMA device with a top speed of
around 4.5MB/s. This speed will increase with later software/firmware
releases. 

   The Yellowstone RapIDE32 card is a fast IDE interface using DMA which
will give a significant improvement over the standard interface in a RiscPC. 

   Both Yellowstone and Alsystems are developing rival products. 

   The Morley SCSI-1 interface is either cached or uncached. The maximum
speeds of these are uncached: 2MB/s, cached: 4MB/s. These cards do not use
DMA. Currently the Morley software cannot cope with partitions > 512 MB and
the "Free" window is broken under RiscOS 3.6. New firmware is rumoured for
the Morley card. 

   The TSP/AAD is the former 'Arxe Alpha Dual', which was produced by The
Serial Port, but which is now discontinued. It provides 16-bit non-DMA
SCSI-1 and a high density floppy interface. 

   Versions of Risc OS older than 3.6 can only cope with drives < 512 MB.
Larger drives can be used if formatted to this size. Some filing systems
allow large drives to be partitioned, ie split into 2 or more sections, each
up to 512MB in size. The new limit for RiscOS 3.6 is 4GB, which is already
looking too small. 

   An important new development for scsi card owners is the Alsystems
PowerRom. This is a firmware upgrade for many existing cards, including
Cumana, Castle, Lingenuity, Morley, Acorn, Vti, HCCS and Oak. The upgrade
provides all the features present in the Powertec card, subject to hardware
limitations, which will include compatibility with large partitions and
devices such as Zip drives. The PowerRom will eventually be able to replace
IDE card firmware too. 
Which SCSI have I got?

   To determine the scsi version number of a device, run the following
program: 
        ON ERROR REPORT:PRINT " at ";ERL:END
        DIM buffer% 16
        INPUT "Enter device number";device%
        SYS "SCSI_Initialise",2,device%,buffer%
        SCSI%=(buffer%?2) AND %111
        PRINT "Version is ";SCSI%
        END

   This will give you zero if the device is not present. 
How big is a Megabyte ?

   Some manufacturers quote Megabytes as 1000K. This is of course totally
incorrect but they like to cheat with numbers, so to get the real size,
multiply by 1000/1024. 
Further Information

   IDE hard discs 

   IDE hard discs are listed separately in the Acorn FAQ. 

   Jumper settings and configuration 

   Jumper settings are often a problem, and it's rare to get a manual with a
drive these days. Some manufacturers have web sites, most of these have
detailed information on their current models including jumper settings, and
some have databases covering older devices. 

   Although sometimes biased towards PCs, the information can be extremely
useful. 
Manufacturer         Web site

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Seagate              http://www.seagate.com/
Conner               http://www.conner.com/
Quantum              http://www.quantum.com/
Maxtor               http://www.maxtor.com/
Syquest              http://www.syquest.com/
Micropolis           http://www.micropolis.com/
Fujitsu              http://www.fujitsu.com/

Iomega               http://www.iomega.com/

Panasonic            http://www.panasonic.com/
Toshiba              http://www.toshiba.com/
Sony                 http://www.sony.com/
NEC                  http://www.nec.com/
Mitsumi              http://www.mitsumi.com/

US Robotics          http://www.usr.com/
Hayes                http://www.hayes.com/
Zoom                 http://www.zoom.com/
Motorola             http://www.motorola.com/
Pace                 http://www.pace.co.uk/

Epson                http://www.epson.com/
   Many of these companies also have a faxback service which is just like
gopher by e-mail. Useful if you have a fax machine. 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

   Thanks to everyone who has contributed to the list. 

   And to everyone else: send in your details now! 

   Any corrections or suggestions should be sent to faq@vigay.com 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

   CPIlist version 3.9, 04-Apr-97 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

11.5) What specification memory can I use with my RiscPC? 

   RAM for the RiscPC, while a standard 72pin SIMM, must be bought with a
degree of care to avoid potential damage to your machine. EDO RAM, while it
will work, is not advised as it may have different power requirements that
could be detrimental to your machine. 

   The RAM required is 70ns (or faster), 72pin, square array (equal number
of bits used for row and column addressing), non-parity RAM that supports
'fast page mode' and 'CAS before RAS' refresh. Devices that contain more
than 16 memory chips (8 on each side) is not recommended as they may have
power requirements above and beyond what the computer can safely supply.
Consequently SIMM 'stackers' and 30 to 72pin adaptors are also not advised. 

   For the more technically inclined out there maximum loads possible are :- 
   Address    128pF
   WE         140pF
   CAS or RAS  59pF
   Data bus    29pF

   Finally, in the maintainers experience anyway, Hitachi parts seem to be
fine. 

Section 12: Common Questions about the FAQ. 

12.1) Why do I get the FAQ twice? 

   There are two ways this can happen. The first, and most common way, is
when you see two copies of the FAQ, one set posted to
comp.sys.acorn.announce and the other set posted to comp.sys.acorn.misc.
This occurrence is caused by your news handling software being broken. The
FAQ is, if you check the newsgroups line when it is posted, crossposted to
both of these groups. 

   This means it is actually posted just the once and with all good news
handling software you will read the post exactly once. Given that this is
supposed to be standard behaviour for newsreaders I refuse to stop
cross-posting purely because people are seeing the posts twice. Quite simply
it isn't my problem and I will need other justification before I stop
cross-posting. 

   The second way it can occur is when you see two copies of the FAQ in the
same group. Careful checking of your newsbase should reveal that one copy is
about 30 to 32 days older than the other. This comes about because I use the
well configured newsbases. Because I currently don't use the Supercedes:
header this will result in, for one or two days, two copies of the FAQ being
present. 

   My general stance on this is that it is not a major problem as the amount
of disc space involved is small compared to general size and flow of
information that a news stream entails anyway. Certainly I have been meaning
to add the Supercedes header to the posted copy of the FAQ but it is
currently a very low priority task. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

12.2) Why does the full FAQ have to be posted? 

   Simply because of the wide distribution that the FAQ has. Every time the
FAQ gets posted it gets automatically archived into various FAQ databases,
propagates on ancillary networks only loosely connected to the net (BBSes in
particular) and reaches a wide variety of people whose skills at navigating
the net vary considerably. Occasionally it gets copied onto CD ROMs,
Magazine discs and extracts get used in various publications from time to
time. 

   All this just from the posted copy of the FAQ. 

   Given this wide reaching nature and the general idea of an FAQ being to
reduce network traffic by providing the answers to common questions
immediately then I see clear justification for continuing to post the full
FAQ. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

12.3) Isn't the FAQ overly long? 

   In a word, no. 

   To be slightly less terse it is worthwhile doing a comparison of the
c.s.a FAQ with other newsgroup's FAQs. For this task I used a 'snapshot' CD
ROM of the rtfm.mit.edu FAQ archive that was taken in March 1995. Here are a
few sample sizes :- 
FAQ                                      Size in bytes
---                                      -------------
comp.sys.acorn (as posted 6th Jan 1999)  176,678
soc.feminism (resources list)            239,256
comp.sys.amiga (introduction)            167,632
comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware                 318,882
comp.sys.apollo                          162,638

   As can be seen by the above table the size of the FAQ is neither overly
large nor is it particularly uncommon. This FAQ has grown by about 60K over
the last three years (not too bad IMHO!). 

   Having said that, this table was compiled in 1995 by Philip Banks, so the
other FAQs are likely to have grown in size too. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

12.4) If I find something wrong or am unhappy with the FAQ, what do I do? 

   Email me first about it. 

   I mean it. Generally errors or bad information that has crept into the
FAQ has been through circumstances beyond my control. Often a lot of the
information I am provided with I simply can not check directly myself. So I
accept a lot of what I am given on trust and generally try to exercise care
with what I include into the FAQ. 

   If, after getting a reply back from me, you are still unhappy then by all
means grumble about it on the newsgroups. But I want the chance to explain
things first. I take a very dim view to people posting complaints to the
newsgroups, first, about the FAQ, especially ones that imply or impugn
improper conduct on my part. I tend to view such posts as attempts to
publicly force my hand and make me do whatever said poster wants done to the
FAQ. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks go to all the people who have contributed corrections and additions
to the list. Without this help this list would be a hell of a lot buggier
(spot the programmer... :-) ) than it is... 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
All additions, corrections & suggestions for the FAQ List should be sent to
pvigay@interalpha.co.uk. Being the maintainer of this FAQ I reserve the
right to be wrong, incorrect, slow, out of date and generally how I please
with the FAQ List. I would like to extend a special thanks to Icon
Technology, who produce the *excellent* Easi/Techwriter family of word
processors - without which the maintenance of this FAQ would be an awful lot
more time consuming. Icon Technology can be contacted at
http://www.icontechnology.net 



Part1 - Part2 - Part3 - Part4 - Part5


Send corrections/additions to the FAQ Maintainer:
Paul Vigay (csa-faq [at] riscos.org)

Last Update May 28 2010 @ 06:26 AM