IDE <-> MFM, was > Re: AT&T 7300/3B1's (was: Re: Who is vintagecomputermuseum?)

[Jules Richardson]

Fred Cisin wrote:
> On Wed, 26 Nov 2008 emu at e-bbes.com wrote:
>> We are working on a MFM <-> IDE bridge. But no release date so far,
>> not enough time to finish it up :(
> 
> IIRC, my Compaq "Portable 286" (NOT the "Portable 2")
> had a pre-standardization ISA IDE "controller" that cabled to a bridge
> board on an MFM drive

Isn't that the other way around, though: IDE controller -> bridge -> MFM 
drive?  The previous poster's saying* they're doing this the other way around: 
MFM controller -> bridge -> IDE drive, which is a different kettle of fish 
entirely.

* unless they've misinterpreted Michel (or I have!), who seems to want a way 
of connecting a SCSI disk to an MFM disk controller...

The prospect of using a more modern (whether it be SCSI or IDE) opens up 
useful prospects for the preservation of vintage machine where ST506/412 
drives are getting pretty long in the tooth, now. I believe there are only a 
couple of commercial solutions out there (serious $$$), and it's a problem 
that the hobbyist movement hasn't cracked (except on paper) yet.

cheers

Jules