Creating Sega TeraDrive Hard Disk images

I assume the connector is: http://www.ibmmuseum.com/ohlandl/misc/IBM_IDE.html#IBM_XT_IDE
You can find a couple of cables on ebay http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=ibm+model+30+ps2&_sacat=0&_odkw=ibm+model+30+ps2&_osacat=0

 

Yep, that looks like it. I've just been doing work on my TeraDrive and taking out the HDD to take some pictures and do some investigation. Both my model 3's come with a 30MB IBM HDD, model number WDL-330PS. Some googling lead to the IBM PS/2 systems, but the connector on this drive isn't ESDI, which is where I got stuck. It looks like you cracked it unclejun, it does appear to be that connector you linked to. I had a bunch of PS/2 systems a few years back, and they didn't use this connector either though, so it seems it might be unusual even by PS/2 standards. I'll be posting some photos in a tick.

 

I figured it would just be a "era" connector, rather than something super custom.

Soon as I saw the connector I knew it was standard, but just old.

 

Probably going to be cheaper to buy/find a old machine than buy just the HDD though =/

 

Google-fu:

http://www.notanon.com/electronics/how-to-build-an-8-bit-ide-controller-for-a-pc-xt/2010/07/30/

http://code.google.com/p/xtideuniversalbios/

So, possibly give your TeraDrive IDE abilities for around $30. Seems cheaper than buying a drive if it works.

Not sure what the abilities of the ISA slot is in the TeraDrive (if its 8bit or 16 bit ISA). Maybe a vintage ISA IO card would work too if its 16 bit.

 

For reference, I've put some pictures of the standard TeraDrive HDD and the connector for it up on my webspace here:
http://nemesis.hacking-cult.org/MegaDrive/TeraDrive/Pictures/HDD/

It's a 16-bit slot. In theory an ISA IDE controller with a normal IDE drive would work, but I've never tested it. It's also worth noting however that the TeraDrive uses the exact same on-board IDE controller as the Amstrad MegaPC, which uses standard IDE, so in theory, it should be possible to rig up a normal IDE connector to the TeraDrive. It might even be as simple as rigging up an adapter cable and that plugs into the existing 44-pin socket. This would be the best option, since then you still have the ISA slot free. Note that there are no separate power connectors provided by the TeraDrive power supply, the power for the FDD and HDD are provided in a single power/data cable connection, so you'd have to rig something up for power with a separate IDE controller, although I think that's what the unused CN4 is for on the ISA riser board. The connector looks familiar, I'm sure I saw it in other machines, probably PS/2 systems I'd say now that we know the hardware's pedigree. You could also extract power from the existing hard drive power/data cable too of course.

 

ISA IO card + that custom bios in link 2 (which apparently works with any IO card).

Not thinking for you specifically - RetroJunkie would be a good one to test it. Also, as the drives break - IDE will be much easier to source as a replacement.


While this thread has gone a little off topic - I think a lot of useful info has come of it

 

Yep those are the ones I've been looking at. Came across that link the other day and found it very helpful as I'd tested the socket on the TeraDrive riser board and found that the 5V and 12V rails were in the right spots. It just made my so happy But see this is why eBay sucks for international buyers. I search worldwide and see nothing because these sellers are not shipping outside the good old US of A. I'll drop them some questions and see if they'll ship them to us outsiders. Thanks for the link!

I've purchased one of those ISA, BIOS on board HD controllers to have a go at that. I had no luck with a regular old fashioned HD controller. Although I was able to get the floppy drive to light up, it wouldn't read anything I threw at it. (I'll just use one of those cards in my Mega PC).

This is what I'd like to see most. I just need some cables to hack up and see if I can line the pins up properly. I better get a message through to the sellers.

 

It's mostly gobbledygook to me but that's an impressive accomplishment and detailed tutorial! Nice.

 

I've been having a play around with my Promise EIDE MAX (Rev C). From looking around I found this site here which shows under Table 15.8 the XT-Bus IDE connector along with Table 15.9 which is the same as the TeraDrive - The IBM unique XT-Bus (PS/2 Model 25 and 30) IDE connector.

I don't know too much about hard drives and wigwams but looking at those two pinouts compared with a standard IDE connector there are a lot more ground pins and a lot less data bits on the XT-Bus types. Would I be correct in saying that is a bad thing?

I added some more photos to the end of the albums for my Model 2 and Model 3 on retrojunkie.net under the photo gallery. I'll have to try the reverse clone back onto the drive. Also I noticed my drives were all WDL-330P and not WDL330PS. Was the S for speed?

 

While I've never used (Or Seen!) a IBM XT-IDE I suspect its 8 BIT ONLY IDE.

This means there are 8 less data lines on the connector - but ALL OTHER pins should be present... (although they might be ignored in such an old quasi-IDE protocol).