- Feb 7, 2010
- 1,551
- 0
- 20,160
Man, it's been a while since I've actually asked a question around here. 
I've been scouring every corner of the internet (even the WayBack machine) for support on a relatively ancient RLL hard disk controller. That's right - I'm working on a build with a hard drive from 1986, specifically a Seagate ST-277R-1. Holds a whole 60MB or so.
I'm trying to pack this thing into a Pentium-MMX system (actually a Cyrix MII-300GP) and it isn't going quietly. Literally. Its quite loud. Joking aside, the controller in question is an Adaptec ACB-2370/72C, and there is no documentation on this card ANYWHERE. Adaptec's manual isn't even all there, and it doesn't match the card itself at all. Normally this wouldn't be a problem, but I desperately need the jumper configuration specs. Anyone have any experience with this specific card? That's my question here... I'm dead in the water, and don't feel like blowing a chip off the HDD's control board by just throwing jumpers around. <Speaking from experience>
I'll be sure to keep you posted on any breakthroughs... the thing is eating my onboard IDE and Floppy controllers alive, the system doesn't even POST half the time, and it's even interfering with a VGA card. I guess RLL drive/controller units just weren't designed with this sort of thing in mind, heh. I'm planning on transferring the BIOS from this controller to a Western Digital WD1002-WX2 XT Winchester controller from 1984 to see if it can't format the drive through MFM over IRQ5 instead of 14/15, though my hopes aren't all that high. Seems like nobody knows anything anywhere else, either, judging by my activity around other forums...
I've been scouring every corner of the internet (even the WayBack machine) for support on a relatively ancient RLL hard disk controller. That's right - I'm working on a build with a hard drive from 1986, specifically a Seagate ST-277R-1. Holds a whole 60MB or so.
I'm trying to pack this thing into a Pentium-MMX system (actually a Cyrix MII-300GP) and it isn't going quietly. Literally. Its quite loud. Joking aside, the controller in question is an Adaptec ACB-2370/72C, and there is no documentation on this card ANYWHERE. Adaptec's manual isn't even all there, and it doesn't match the card itself at all. Normally this wouldn't be a problem, but I desperately need the jumper configuration specs. Anyone have any experience with this specific card? That's my question here... I'm dead in the water, and don't feel like blowing a chip off the HDD's control board by just throwing jumpers around. <Speaking from experience>
I'll be sure to keep you posted on any breakthroughs... the thing is eating my onboard IDE and Floppy controllers alive, the system doesn't even POST half the time, and it's even interfering with a VGA card. I guess RLL drive/controller units just weren't designed with this sort of thing in mind, heh. I'm planning on transferring the BIOS from this controller to a Western Digital WD1002-WX2 XT Winchester controller from 1984 to see if it can't format the drive through MFM over IRQ5 instead of 14/15, though my hopes aren't all that high. Seems like nobody knows anything anywhere else, either, judging by my activity around other forums...
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