The IDE interface

[mongy]

Can anyone point me towards a source of information regarding the use of the IDE interface. I need to know how to write to and from a HDD.

[skywalker[TSG]]

hmm
im not really sure what u mean ?

give us some more info and we will be able to give u more help on this

[happyhamster]

Like skywalker[TSG], I'm not sure what you mean. If you're learning programming, most languages have functions or classes that let you do HD input/output without going to the extremely low level of direct disk I/O.

[Axel]

sounds like we have someone wanting to write some original code - an interface perhaps - is that what you mean, mongy?

you'll want to study I/O chipset information - check out the intel site on the web and look at the different chip-set descriptions - that's a high-level start, and from there you'll earn yourself an engineering degree by the time you figure out everything you want to know -

on the other hand, if you want to do some damage to a hard drive, check out the news groups on the web for hackers and see what you can learn there - I'm aware of one remote tool about 1 KB in size which will score a grove in a hard-drive disk with constant resets and power-downs of the drive - renders it into a door stop. Doesn't make many friends.....

If that's the type of thing you're looking for, you're on the wrong board.

[mongy]

WOt i'm actually doing is interfacing an IDE HDD with a Z80 CPU. The physical connections are not a problem, but i need info on the IDE standard so i can work out how to write to and read from the disk. I know that i have to tell the drive wot block/head etc im want to access, but i dont know wot registers in the HDD's controler do wot.
There are 3 address lines and 2 chip selects. These must access the HDD controlers Registers. But wot registers are there and wot do they do?


(NO im not trying to cut grooves into other peoples drives!!)

I've tried looking on the Intel website and had no luck. I've also done a lot of searching on the net for info, and apart from finding vague details of other prople doing wot i'm trying to do, I have found nothing of any use.

[This message has been edited by mongy (edited 04-04-2000).]