emusonacid! legacy

by **illinformed** » Thu Oct 02, 2008 7:33 pm

Thumbs up for a top thread here.

If people have the time then it would be great to have a new thread with all bits and bobs and serial numbers that have been used successfully. Anyone want to mod my emu? I'll pay!!

by **aerodrink** » Thu Oct 09, 2008 5:18 pm

Ok I got a few new elements :

- the IDE/SATA converter I've bought doesn't work in the E-MU
- but it works on the PC
- bought a 120 Gb sata drive, didn't work either

Seems like the deal is finding an appropriate IDE/SATA adapter ...
Some are marked as bi-directionnal, but what does this mean exactly ?
I suppose they're all meant to be bi-directionnal, are they ?

Please, users that succeeded, post the models of working adapters !

by **kalide** » Fri Oct 10, 2008 4:02 am

Actually the bi directional and unidirectional means this:

There are two use cases for SATA-IDE or IDE-SATA driver interfaces:

1. you may be converting an existing IDE drive to SATA - old to new interface.
2. you may be converting an IDE motherboard connector to permit SATA drive connections.

So, for the EMU you really need the ones that at least meet requirement 2 since we are essentially converting the IDE port on the Emu to accept SATA drives.

Note that the EMU can only support a single master on the IDE channel.

I have not tried this yet, but these convertors are really cheap (a few bucks) so an incompatible converter is in the realm of a couple of beersworth of cash :)

M

by **aerodrink** » Fri Oct 10, 2008 7:38 am

kalide, thanks for your answer.

For sure, those converters are quite cheap; the fact is, perhaps for some obscure reason it's impossible to have any working adapter on the E-MU ... :???:

What is strange is : I can see the drive but in sleep mode ... :shock:

Well, like always, time will tell :roll:

by **kalide** » Fri Oct 10, 2008 1:55 pm

By the way - is your interface bi-directional or unidirectional ?

by **aerodrink** » Sat Oct 11, 2008 1:14 am

It's unidirectional (see previous post with the link to the ebay item).

by **kalide** » Sun Oct 12, 2008 2:09 pm

I just ordered a cheap $5 IDE-SATA to see if I can re-produce this with a spare SATA drive that I happened to have access to to.

Will report - I've a backlog of Emu projects to try so it may be a week or two.

M

by **aerodrink** » Mon Oct 13, 2008 9:35 am

Can't wait for your results !

Don't forget that the power cable in the E-MU has been inverted, so that you don't burn you HD or SATA interface to death :rolleyes:

by **Origin** » Tue Nov 04, 2008 12:24 am

@ aerodrink

Does your setup work? Is the SATA drive seen by the EMU? What OS are you on? I've got the IDE/SATA conveter, but I haven't bought the Mobile Rack or Hard drive yet. I'm holding out until I can use hardware that I'm sure will work.

Thanks,

-Origin

by **altus** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 9:10 pm

Hey guys. There seems to be a lot of confusion going on with the SATA to IDE adapters and the EMU, and I've been getting a lot of PMs asking me how I got my setup working, so let me clarify from experience and information I obtained directly from one of the former E-MU engineers (friend of a friend kind of deal).

Rule #1: With custom systems like the EMU you must avoid going off-spec (i.e. SATA-to-IDE converters!) like the plague. The EMU uses a custom IDE controller and a custom OS and is thus nowhere near as forgiving as a real computer when it comes to device compatibility, which is why you must only use components for which it was originally designed - a real IDE drive connected directly to the EMU's IDE bus.

(A bit of technical explanation is due here: SATA-to-IDE converters perform all sorts of on-the-fly command and address translation, and mess with signal timing, all of which ultimately makes the E-MU barf; it may not, but it's a totally hit-and-miss endeavor.)

I used a 2.5" true IDE removable tray (that is, it takes an IDE drive and gives you an IDE connector on the back), and an 80GB IDE 2.5" hard drive. This way I was 100% sure that it would work, as the drive is native IDE (which is what the EMU is expecting) and there are no unnecessary shenanigans (such as address translation and other "magic") happening in between the drive and the EMU. The tray's part number is IMR250U and it's made by AneoTech. You can get it from MDC-KS, Inc., their number is 913-888-7000.

Any laptop drive up to 120GB will work (though since the partition size limit in EOS 4.7 is 137GB you can pop in a 160GB drive and 137GB will be visible. Also keep in mind that EOS can only store 1000 folders and 1000 files per folder.)

Hope this clears things up!

by **IpreferHardware** » Fri Nov 21, 2008 10:52 pm

I called the company altus mentioned in kansas and it seems they are out of the mobile rack that is strictly IDE (not surprising). It will cost about $20 to get one special ordered from Taiwan. Since the shipping cost is the same for 10 units, the man i spoke to said that if they could expect to sell more they wouldn't have to charge us for that.

He's emailing the supplier in Taiwan today to check availability, hopefully I should have word soon. Give them a call and let them know you're interested so we can get more in!!

by **kalide** » Sat Nov 22, 2008 2:16 pm

Thats the same company as in my original post and they were good to work with. There are a few other 2..5" IDE drive bays that will work also noted elsewhere in this thread:

Icy Dock (plastic however)
Scythe
Aneotech as mentioned.

Aerodrink posted success with the Advance series, so there are plenty of options.

I haven't had a chance to really get into a SATA Experiment yet - just haven't had the bandwidth but I do plan to report results. However, my units work fine with 120G IDA PATA Samsung drives. (PATA = Parallel IDE).

M

by **Reuben** » Sat Nov 22, 2008 3:55 pm

Hi all,

I am new to Emus on Acid having recently picked up an E4XT Ultra which has blown me away. Love it!

I have been reading this thread with great interest and am keen to mod my emu. Could anyone - should they get the time be able to write a step by step guide of components needed, where to get them and how to install a removable IDE drive for usb compatabilty with Intel Mac's in a way that is understandable to us less gifted in electronic engineering!

I am sure that many people who are lacking in the technical 'know how' (Like myself!) would much appreciate this. I would be willing to pay someone for this info!

Kind regards,

Reuben

by **kalide** » Sat Nov 22, 2008 8:15 pm

thats my plan - I will do this as a booklet.

I'm currently away from my samplers but will get around to it.

However its really pretty straightforward and more about just inserting a few bits of metal together and bolting a drive in.

There are some basic instructions for a similar thing here albeit it a 3.5" drive:

http://www.peterandrew.com/music/studio ... /SCSI.html

Important to note this if you DON"T have an internal drive in the sampler already and an existing power connector:

http://www.peterandrew.com/music/studio ... ables.html

by **Reuben** » Sun Nov 23, 2008 12:42 pm

Thanks Kalide,

I already have a 20GB IDE drive mounted internally which is fine for now.

I will keep my eyes peeled for your booklet on fitting a removable drive with the USB connectivity!

Cheers,

Reuben

emusonacid! legacy

Proposal (2): Adding a Removable IDE-USB Drive Bay to Ultra