> Cant you just replace the smaller ROM with a larger one ? > I think he wrote that the storage is on the chip in an earlier > posting, but I'm not sure.
That's correct. Since the PDC20268 is the only logic on the board, I have to assume the flash ROM is inside the package. I've seen some special-purpose USB node controllers that have that feature (Sony PlayStation controller -> USB adapters) too, so it isn't uncommon. > BTW, Drew, where are you getting the information on the Promise > chips? Are the datasheets available somewhere? Google. There are a LOT of archived newsgroups accessible through Google, especially the Linux compatibility groups. They record the model # of every chip on just about every imaginable card, so I just found out which cards had what chips (found the two different versions of the PDC20268 in a list stating which cards had them) then I search for firmware updates for cards that use that chip. It's fairly easy to compare flash sizes since the firmware .bin is the same size as the chip it's getting flashed on to. I also look at accurate photos of the cards and cross-reference component locations (unpopulated solder pads, SM diodes, etc.) for similarities that would indicate being based off the same reference board. It's common practice for the company producing some chip to include a board design for a finished product as an example, which many companies turn around and manufacture (eg all PC 3rd party Radeon 9700 cards use the ATI reference board, just with different manufacturers for the other components on the board (eg the Crucial Radeon 9700 Pro uses Crucial memory rather than whatever ATI puts on the 9700's they make. It's nice for you, the end user, because essentially all Radeon 9700's are the same performance-wise regardless of who manufactured them, which allows you to decide what price you want to pay for which warranty)). I haven't been able to locate any datasheets. As far as I can gather, the Sonnet Tempo ATA100, VST ATA100, Promise Ultra100 TX2, and Promise FastTrak100 TX2 all use the same reference board, though the Sonnet, VST, and FastTrak cards all use the PDC20268R (with the 64KB ROM) while the Ultra card uses the PDC20268 (with the 16KB ROM). This means several things, like that all the Mac cards based on the PDC20268R have the possibility for hardware RAID functionality, and that you should be able to flash the FastTrak 100 TX2 card providing you reverse engineer the Sonnet firmware updater. It also means if anyone finds some blank PDC20268R's and has a heat gun, we can make some VST clones by popping off the PDC20268's on the free controllers that come with large modern hard drives and soldering on the R versions. You should be able to flash these in a universal EPROM programmer like you flash any other microcontroller (like a PIC). -Drew B -- SuperMacs is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Refurbished Drives | Service & Replacement Parts [EMAIL PROTECTED] | & CDRWs on Sale! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> SuperMacs list info: <http://lowendmac.com/supermacs/list.shtml> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/supermacs%40mail.maclaunch.com/> --------------------------------------------------------------- >The Think Different Store http://www.ThinkDifferentStore.com ---------------------------------------------------------------
