SCSI2SD and the MIO

[gozar]

I bought a SCSI2SD device to replace a failed hard drive in my SE/30, but I thought, why not try it with my MIO before I put it into the SE/30. I plugged everything in, but cannot get it to format the drive. The various versions of HDFMTPH that I have all talk about specific drives to format. Most of them give be "Could not configure drive", but using the iomega/alpha series at least starts the format process (but it doesn't finish).

 

I set up the SCIS2SD with to be a 20MB drive with 256 byte sectors, which I'm assuming would work.

 

Any ideas?

[+Larry]

I don't have this device, but do use an ACARD with compact flash. Which device do you have -- the second one that looks like an ACARD shown below the 23 Feb 2015 entry? Which revision number R5?

 

Are you sure that you need to use an MIO format program on the system? Typically these are not used on the modern replacements. Your SD card is already be pre-formatted. I use MyDos, so all that I had to do is to use the MIO control menu to set up the drive parameters then use MyDos to set up & format the drive ("O" then "I" options in MyDos) so that MyDos understands the drive. If you use SDX, it would be a little different, but still no low-level format.

 

Do you have Warerat's replacement rom? That would make things much easier for you, I think -- easier setup and 512-byte sectors.

 

P.S. Are you sure it will do 256-byte sectors? I see nothing listed in the docs other than 512-byte sector sizes.

 

-Larry

[gozar]

SDX doesn't see it unless I try to format it first, and then it fails. I should try MyDOS on it though.

 

I don't have the replacement ROM, my MIO has 1.1k in it.

 

It will do sector sizes of 64 up to 8192 bytes.

[flashjazzcat]

Did you try to "Build" the filesystem using the SDX formatter, bypassing physical formatting?

[gozar]

Yeah, it gives me an error (which, of course, I didn't write down :-). I'll beat on it more when I get home tonight.

[+Larry]

You might want to read through this thread, especially the last half:

 

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/141914-new-drives-for-mio/

 

Pretty sure that 1.41 was the latest released rom. I'm 99.9% sure that 1.1 can only use 256-byte DD sectors, and almost as sure that your SD adapter can only use 512-bytes. It is a little work to bring your MIO "up to date," but if you want to use the adapter, I think you'll have to.

 

-Larry

[gozar]

I know it supports 256 byte sectors - http://www.codesrc.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=SCSI2SD_FAQ

 

There was something about the 1.4 update that I didn't like, but I can't remember now. :-)

[+Larry]

OK, good to know. Then good luck...

 

Please do let us know if you get this working with your 1.1 rom. That would be useful info.

 

-Larry

[BillC]

I know it supports 256 byte sectors - http://www.codesrc.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=SCSI2SD_FAQ

 

There was something about the 1.4 update that I didn't like, but I can't remember now. :-)

While the device itself may supports 256 byte sectors does the SD card you're trying to use?

 

I'm not certain what size sectors different SD cards support, but I know most later SCSI HDDs only support 512 byte while older ones did support 256 byte(even if they came low level formatted at 512 byte).

[+MacRorie]

Did you try to "Build" the filesystem using the SDX formatter, bypassing physical formatting?

 

 

Yeah, it gives me an error (which, of course, I didn't write down :-). I'll beat on it more when I get home tonight.

 

 

I know this may be a bit of a hassle, but did you try the Build Directory before or after you tried the HDFMTPH? If it was after, it might not work even if it would have worked initially. I have had a bear of a time with MIOs and the new drives. It is my belief, based on experience in the past year, that if the drive is formatted already (which 99.99% of all modern drives are), then you should be able to just do a Build Directory in the SDX formatter and it works like a charm.

 

I have an ACARD on my Black Box hooked to some humuoungous drive that I will never use all the space on, but I just hooked it up and ran Build Directory and it worked great. @1050 was nice enough to send me some brand new SyQuest disks for use on the SQ5200 I was trying to connect via my BB & MIO. They worked initially, but I did not fully understand how the BB is setup, so the "Build Directory" worked, then thinking I needed to format them to get the correct size of partitions, I did the format program and . . . . . yeah, they no longer work and I do not have a SCSI capable modern machine to re-format them on.

 

So, tl;dr, since you have a Mac to format it on, re-format it there and then try a Build Dir first. Making sure the MIO is all setup, of course.