How to "clear" (reformat) a compact flash *module*?

[+Larry]

My experience with the MyIDE suggests that if you "glitch" the CF (drive) card, then the MyIDE utilities can't recognize the card. But with a regular compact flash card, it is easy to reformat the card using a PC flash card reader under Windows. Once reformatted by Windows, then MyIDE has no trouble recognizing the card.

 

However, if you glitch a compact flash *module* (Transcend, SimpleTech, etc.), then reformatting the card is a big issue, unless one opens up the PC and places the CF module in an IDE drive port on the motherboard.

 

Has anyone found another way? I've never seen an adapter that would solve this issue. There are lots of USB to FEMALE adapters, but no IDE to MALE. Also, I've not found pins that properly fit in the IDE female holes, so trying to make a "gender changer" hasn't worked, either. Any ideas?

 

Thanks,

Larry

[kenfused]

My experience with the MyIDE suggests that if you "glitch" the CF (drive) card, then the MyIDE utilities can't recognize the card. But with a regular compact flash card, it is easy to reformat the card using a PC flash card reader under Windows. Once reformatted by Windows, then MyIDE has no trouble recognizing the card.

 

However, if you glitch a compact flash *module* (Transcend, SimpleTech, etc.), then reformatting the card is a big issue, unless one opens up the PC and places the CF module in an IDE drive port on the motherboard.

 

Has anyone found another way? I've never seen an adapter that would solve this issue. There are lots of USB to FEMALE adapters, but no IDE to MALE. Also, I've not found pins that properly fit in the IDE female holes, so trying to make a "gender changer" hasn't worked, either. Any ideas?

 

Thanks,

Larry

Um, Use a memory card reader that does compact flash? Most cheapo multicard readers should do it. Or maybe I'm misunderstanding the question?

[Urchlay]

Are you talking about the IDE Transcend modules that mimic an IDE hard drive? Can't you plug them into a USB external drive "caddy" in place of a real IDE drive? All the external USB hard drives I've ever taken apart have turned out to be a plain IDE drive internally, plus USB => IDE adaptor, so it doesn't have to be a caddy sold as such.

[+remowilliams]

Can't you plug them into a USB external drive "caddy" in place of a real IDE drive?

The Transcend modules are female so that won't help. Short of having a M/M 44 pin header, plugging it into a motherboard is probably your best bet.

[+bob1200xl]

They make long, dual-row .025 pins that would work as gender changers - found a couple in my basement, actually.

 

But, more to the point, what is a 'glitch'? What happens to the card? You can pretty much do anything to a CF card in the Atari that you can in a PC. Do you know what addresses the MyIDE uses to access the CF card? What do you get if you just read the registers with the ASM/ED cart?

 

Nothing is 'stored' in the control regs so it is probably data/sector related. You ought to be able to 'restore' any card. You could try doing a sector copy of the first 1024 sectors of a 'good' card and dumping that file into a 'glitched' card.

 

I don't think it's a good idea to format a CF card in a PC, anyway. The PC thinks it's hard drive but it is not, exactly. It's a little processor with a flash memory pretending to be an HDD. I've had perfectly good CF cards fail a PC format and yet work just fine, otherwise. Better to just stick with reading and writing sectors.

 

Bob

 

 

 

My experience with the MyIDE suggests that if you "glitch" the CF (drive) card, then the MyIDE utilities can't recognize the card. But with a regular compact flash card, it is easy to reformat the card using a PC flash card reader under Windows. Once reformatted by Windows, then MyIDE has no trouble recognizing the card.

 

However, if you glitch a compact flash *module* (Transcend, SimpleTech, etc.), then reformatting the card is a big issue, unless one opens up the PC and places the CF module in an IDE drive port on the motherboard.

 

Has anyone found another way? I've never seen an adapter that would solve this issue. There are lots of USB to FEMALE adapters, but no IDE to MALE. Also, I've not found pins that properly fit in the IDE female holes, so trying to make a "gender changer" hasn't worked, either. Any ideas?

 

Thanks,

Larry

[dwhyte]

I just ripped apart my external hd and that solved all my ide to usb needs...

[+remowilliams]

I just ripped apart my external hd and that solved all my ide to usb needs...

Yes it might, except in the case of the Transcend modules - they are female and meant to plug directly into a mobo.

[+Larry]

They make long, dual-row .025 pins that would work as gender changers - found a couple in my basement, actually.

 

But, more to the point, what is a 'glitch'? What happens to the card? You can pretty much do anything to a CF card in the Atari that you can in a PC. Do you know what addresses the MyIDE uses to access the CF card? What do you get if you just read the registers with the ASM/ED cart?

 

Nothing is 'stored' in the control regs so it is probably data/sector related. You ought to be able to 'restore' any card. You could try doing a sector copy of the first 1024 sectors of a 'good' card and dumping that file into a 'glitched' card.

 

I don't think it's a good idea to format a CF card in a PC, anyway. The PC thinks it's hard drive but it is not, exactly. It's a little processor with a flash memory pretending to be an HDD. I've had perfectly good CF cards fail a PC format and yet work just fine, otherwise. Better to just stick with reading and writing sectors.

 

Bob

 

Hi Bob-

 

I've looked at a lot of online catalogs, and haven't found what you mention. Can you take a picture of it?

 

The glitch causes the module not to be seen by MyIDE. It believes no drive is in the system. I suspect that sector 0 (?) and/or sector 1 get corrupted. If this happens to a CF *card*, you can insert it into a PC card reader, and the PC will recognize the card, but tell you it's not formatted. If you format the glitched card on the PC then put it into MyIDE, all is well -- the MyIDE sees it and you can use FDISK to partition it. But as I said the rub is that there is no way that I've found short of putting the card into the PC in an IDE port that can do this. This may not be the most desirable way to fix the glitch, but it certainly has worked for me before.

 

I am going to try putting this module in my KMK-JZ interface and see if Konrad's FDISK can recognize and get the card readable again. Keeping my fingers crossed...

 

-Larry

[dwhyte]

I just ripped apart my external hd and that solved all my ide to usb needs...

Yes it might, except in the case of the Transcend modules - they are female and meant to plug directly into a mobo.

 

or the pins on the board i got out of my external...

[+bob1200xl]

It should not be that difficult to re-write whatever formatting data is needed right on the Atari. If the MyIDE can screw it up, it should be able to fix it, right?

 

Do we know anything about the MyIDE processes?

 

Bob

 

 

 

They make long, dual-row .025 pins that would work as gender changers - found a couple in my basement, actually.

 

But, more to the point, what is a 'glitch'? What happens to the card? You can pretty much do anything to a CF card in the Atari that you can in a PC. Do you know what addresses the MyIDE uses to access the CF card? What do you get if you just read the registers with the ASM/ED cart?

 

Nothing is 'stored' in the control regs so it is probably data/sector related. You ought to be able to 'restore' any card. You could try doing a sector copy of the first 1024 sectors of a 'good' card and dumping that file into a 'glitched' card.

 

I don't think it's a good idea to format a CF card in a PC, anyway. The PC thinks it's hard drive but it is not, exactly. It's a little processor with a flash memory pretending to be an HDD. I've had perfectly good CF cards fail a PC format and yet work just fine, otherwise. Better to just stick with reading and writing sectors.

 

Bob

 

Hi Bob-

 

I've looked at a lot of online catalogs, and haven't found what you mention. Can you take a picture of it?

 

The glitch causes the module not to be seen by MyIDE. It believes no drive is in the system. I suspect that sector 0 (?) and/or sector 1 get corrupted. If this happens to a CF *card*, you can insert it into a PC card reader, and the PC will recognize the card, but tell you it's not formatted. If you format the glitched card on the PC then put it into MyIDE, all is well -- the MyIDE sees it and you can use FDISK to partition it. But as I said the rub is that there is no way that I've found short of putting the card into the PC in an IDE port that can do this. This may not be the most desirable way to fix the glitch, but it certainly has worked for me before.

 

I am going to try putting this module in my KMK-JZ interface and see if Konrad's FDISK can recognize and get the card readable again. Keeping my fingers crossed...

 

-Larry

[+bob1200xl]

 

Pins look like this:

 

Long set in an IDC connector. Regular pins on the right, long pins above.

 

Bob

[+Larry]

Pins look like this:

 

Long set in an IDC connector. Regular pins on the right, long pins above.

 

Bob

 

Hi Bob-

 

Thanks for posting the picture. I have seen those headers/pins before, although I've not seen the long pin headers. I have tried them before, even removing the pins and inserting them individually (but not the longer ones).

 

I know little of the inner workings of the MyIDE. I have posted this at the AtariMax MyIDE forum, and I've received a few suggestions thus far.

 

Update:

The KMK-JZ interface and it's FDISK2 software recognized the flash module, and I was able to partition the module and set up a working drive with no difficulty. After I erased the partition, then the MyIDE FDISK could recognize the module and partition it, but I could not get a drive working under MyDos. The module I'm using is a Simpletech 128MB industrial module, and there have been "issues" reported in getting these modules to work with the MyIDE. However, this module worked previously with this flash cartridge, so I'm not sure what is going on. More tests to run...

 

Thanks for your suggestions.

 

-Larry

[Shawn Jefferson]

Larry, I posted some information regarding this in the Atarimax forums, and a small program to clear the configuration sector on MyIDE. However, it sounds like there may be some problem with the MyIDE interface and this CF card. The KMK/JZ is a "better" interface I suspect and probably works with more hardware. Is your CF card externally powered when in the MyIDE cartridge, or are you getting the power from the Atari (pin 20 power) ?

[+Larry]

Larry, I posted some information regarding this in the Atarimax forums, and a small program to clear the configuration sector on MyIDE. However, it sounds like there may be some problem with the MyIDE interface and this CF card. The KMK/JZ is a "better" interface I suspect and probably works with more hardware. Is your CF card externally powered when in the MyIDE cartridge, or are you getting the power from the Atari (pin 20 power) ?

 

Hi Shawn-

 

Yes, I'm also leaning in the direction of it being a compatibility issue, but I've used this card for a couple of years (on-and-off) with this MyIDE flash cart. It is externally powered with a good +5VDC regulated source. I found previously that the pin 20 power for these Simpletech modules does not work reliably.

 

Thanks for the "tool" upload -- I'll try it today!

 

-Larry

[+Larry]

I think my mystery is solved, and it was embarrassingly simple. After narrowing the issue down to the cart when several devices displayed the same behavior, I took the old typewriter eraser to the cartridge contacts, and now it works!. They really didn't look that bad, but they do look smoother and of course, brighter now.

 

I'm keeping my fingers crossed, but now 3 out of 3 non-working devices are working fine.

 

Now I can go back to worrying about the stock market...

 

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions and especially Shawn for developing another tool to clear the devices. Hopefully it will help others (and me) in the future.

 

-Larry

[+bf2k+]

I think my mystery is solved, and it was embarrassingly simple. After narrowing the issue down to the cart when several devices displayed the same behavior, I took the old typewriter eraser to the cartridge contacts, and now it works!. They really didn't look that bad, but they do look smoother and of course, brighter now.

hmmm... makes me want to try that on mine - it acted up last time I used it.