IDE HARD DRIVES ON THE AMIGA

Both the A4000 and 1200 come standard with IDE drive controllers. The IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) standard is most common on PCs and is generally cheaper, and slower, than comparable SCSI drives. IDE drives are easier to set-up however, because they are limited to two drives per connector. PC computers usually have two such connectors, however the Amiga only uses one.

IDE drives are configured in a master/slave set-up, where the boot drive is set to Master, and the second drive is the slave. Both HD's need to have the jumpers set, or you will never get them to work.

Drives are connected using a three ended cable, one of the connectors goes to the motherboard or controller, one to the boot hard drive and one to the slave drive (or CD-ROM). You can find how to set your jumper settings, on your drive by looking in the manual or by checking on the Internet. Some drives need to be set to use the computer's LED so that you can see when the drive is active..

Is the standard Amiga IDE connector EIDE and ATAPI compatible?

Yes, though, the controller cannot have 4 drives (like true EIDE). It also is not as fast as standard EIDE. However, it is compatible and should work fine.

For ATAPI CD-ROM's you will need proper drivers... or you can download or purchase a package like IDEFix '97, ASIMCDFS 3.8,

Does the A1200 have a standard IDE controller?

Yes, but it's 44 pin, like that on a laptop that get power from the controller itself. To use regular 3.5" drives, you'll need to get an adapter or use a hack, and of course make room for the drive.

Do I need a buffer for the Amiga IDE interface?

No, but if you have a long cable going between the drive and the controller, it is a really good idea. You could experience some data loss if you don't have one. Especially, when you have a CD-ROM attached to A1200.

Can I connect more than one drive to the A1200 interface?

Yes, but you will need a converter to make the header into a typical IDE connector, and you will have to find the room to put the drive in.

What are the maximum transfer rates I can expect from the built-in Amiga IDE interface?

Between 1MB to 2.5MB/s. Not too shabby, but certainly not a speed demon.