Conner CFS270A User manual

CFS270A
Intelligent Disk Drive
Product Manual
Production Release Per ECO 6379
P/N 20401000-001
Revision A
May 1995
3081 Zanker Road
San Jose, CA 95134-2128
[phone]

FCC Notice This equipment generates and uses radio frequency energy and, if not installed
and used properly; that is, in strict accordance with the manufacturer's
instructions, may cause interference to radio and television reception. It has
been type tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B computing
device in accordance with the specifications in Part 15 of FCC Rules, which are
designed to provide reasonable protection against such interference in a
residential installation. However, there is no guarantee that interference will
not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause interference
to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the
equipment on and off, you are encouraged to try to correct the interference by
one or more of the following measures:
• Reorient the receiving antenna.
• Relocate the computer with respect to the receiver.
• Move the computer into a different outlet so that the computer and receiver
are on different branch circuits.
If necessary, you should consult the dealer or an experienced radio/television
technician for additional suggestions. You may find the following booklet
prepared by the Federal Communications Commission helpful:
How to Identify and Resolve Radio-TV Interference Problems
This booklet (Stock No. 004-000-00345-4) is available from the U.S. Government
Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402.
Warning: Changes or modifications made to this equipment which have not
been expressly approved by Conner Peripherals, Inc. may cause radio and
television interference problems that could void the user's authority to operate
the equipment.
Further, this equipment complies with the limits for a Class B digital apparatus
in accordance with Canadian Radio Interference Regulations.
Cet appareil numérique de la classe B est conforme au Règlement sur le
brouillage radioélectrique, C.R.C., ch. 1374.
Conner and the Conner logo are registered trademarks of Conner Peripherals,
Inc. All other trademarks mentioned in this manual are property of their
respective owners.
Copyright 1994, Conner Peripherals, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Document No. 501-078 04/95

Important Information About this Manual
All information contained in or disclosed by this document is considered
proprietary by Conner Peripherals, Inc. By accepting this material, the recipient
agrees that this material and the information contained therein are held in
confidence and in trust and will not be used, reproduced in whole or in part, nor
its contents revealed to others, except to meet the purpose for which it was
delivered. It is understood that no right is conveyed to reproduce or translate
any item herein disclosed without express written permission from Conner
Peripherals, Inc.
Conner Peripherals, Inc. provides this manual "as is," without warranty of any
kind, either expressed or implied, including, but not limited to, the implied
warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. Conner
Peripherals, Inc. reserves the right to change, without notification, the
specifications contained in this manual.
Conner Peripherals, Inc. assumes no responsibility for the accuracy,
completeness, sufficiency, or usefulness of this manual, nor for any problem that
might arise from the use of the information in this manual.

Technical Reference Manual Page i
Table of Contents
1. Overview of the Drive 1
What is the Drive? 1
Features of the Drive 1
What the Drive is Composed Of 2
Mechanical Design Features 2
Drive Assembly Housing 2
Head Positioning Mechanism 2
Read/Write Heads and Disks 3
Data and Power Connections 4
Electrical Design Features 4
Pre-amplifier 4
Circuit Board 4
Firmware 4
2. Specifications 5
Specifications In This Chapter 5
Drive Capacity 6
Physical Configuration 6
Performance Characteristics 7
Read/Write Characteristics 8
Reliability 8
Power Requirements 9
Environmental Tolerances 9
Safety Standards 10
Physical Characteristics 11
3. How the Drive Operates 13
Functions of the Drive 13
Drive Operational Modes 13
Error Correction 13
Universal Translate Mode 14
Master/Slave Configuration 14
Cable Select 15
4. Installing the Drive 17
Take These Precautions 17
Installing the Drive 17
Attaching a Data Cable to the Drive 19
Attaching Power to the Drive 21
Mounting the Drive 22

Table of Contents Filepro CFS210A/CFS420A
Page ii Filepro CFS270A
5. Host Interface 23
About the Host Interface 23
Signal Conventions 23
Signal Levels 23
Signal Descriptions 24
ATA/CAM Master/Slave Reset Timing 26
Host PI0 16-Bit Timing Values 28
Host Demand Mode DMA 16-bit Interface Timing Values 29
6. Register Addresses and Functions 31
Host Address Decoding 31
Descriptions of the Registers 33
Data Register 33
Error Register 34
Features Register (formerly Write Precomp Register) 35
Sector Count 35
Sector Number 35
Cylinder Low 36
Cylinder High 36
SDH Register 37
Status Register 38
Alternate Status Register 39
Digital Output Register 40
Drive Address Register 41
Command Register 41
7. Command Set 45
Command Register 45
Conner Specific 46
Get Drive Feature word (00) 47
Read the Drive Switches (02) 48
Power Lock (08) 48
Power Unlock (09) 48
Execute Device Diagnostic 49
Format Track 50
Marked Bad Sector 50
Assign 50
Identify Device 52
Initialize Device Parameters 55
Power Commands 56
Read DMA 57
Read Multiple 58
Read Sector(s) 59
Read Sector Buffer 60
Read Verify Sectors 61
Recalibrate 61
Seek 62
Set Features (Set Look Ahead Read) 63
Set Multiple Mode 63
Write DMA 64
Write Caching 64
Write Multiple 65

Filepro CFS270A Table of Contents
Technical Reference Manual Page iii
Write Caching 66
Write Sector(s) 67
Write Caching 68
Write Sector Buffer 69
8. Error Reporting 71
Error and Status Detection 71
Error and Status Messages 71

Table of Contents Filepro CFS210A/CFS420A
Page iv Filepro CFS270A

Technical Reference Manual Page 1
Overview of the Drive
1
What is the Drive?
The Conner Filepro Series CFS270A is a high-performance, low-profile hard disk
drive that is designed to operate with an IBM PC/AT or equivalent host
computer system in translate mode.
Drive Model: Form Factor:
Capacity (formatted):
No. of disks/heads:
CFS270A inch high, 3.5 inch
270MB
1 disk/2 heads
Features of the Drive
The drive provides these features:
• can be installed in a wide range of host systems
• high-performance rotary voice coil actuator with embedded servo
• one-of-seven run-length limited code
• high shock resistance
• automatic actuator latch against inner stop upon power-down
• microprocessor-controlled diagnostic routines that are automatically
executed at start-up
• 32KB/64KB buffer with adaptive cache management
• Read Look Ahead and Write Caching
• automatic error correction and retries, ECC on the fly
• 512-byte block size
• emulates IBM Task File and supports additional commands
• allows daisy-chaining up to two drives on the AT interface
• Auto-Translate (Universal Translate)
• 4-byte ECC diagnostic check in read/write
• Supports the ATA (AT Attachment) Interface Standard

Chapter 1 Overview of the Drives
Page 2 Filepro CFS270A
What the Drive is Composed Of
The drive is composed of mechanical, electrical, and firmware elements.
Mechanical Design Features
The drive’s hardware includes the components described in the following
sections. Figure 1-1 shows some of these components.
Drive Assembly Housing
The drive assembly housing consists of an extruded aluminum base on which is
mounted a drawn aluminum cover. In addition, the aluminum cover has a
designed in breather filter and diffusion tube that prevents entry of
contaminants which might degrade head and media reliability. Aluminum tape
seals the joint between the base and cover. Critical drive components are
contained within this contaminant-free environment, which is commonly
referred to as the Head-Disk Assembly (HDA).
Drive Motor and Spindle
A brushless DC direct-drive motor assembly is mounted on the drive’s base. The
motor rotates the drive’s spindle at 3400 RPM. The motor/spindle assembly is
dynamically balanced to provide minimal mechanical runout to the disks. A
dynamic brake is used to provide a fast stop to the spindle motor and return the
heads to the landing zone when power is removed.
Head Positioning Mechanism
The read/write heads are supported by a mechanism coupled to a rotary voice
coil actuator.

Overview of the Drives Chapter 1
Technical Reference Manual Page 3
Figure 1-1
Hard Drive Components
Extruded Base
Jumpers
Aluminum Tape
Seal
Drawn Aluminum
Cover
Printed Circuit
Board Assembly
Standard 4-Pin
Power Connector
3-Pin Power
Connector
40-Pin Data Connector
(Task File Interface)
Read/Write Heads and Disks
Data is recorded on a 95mm diameter disk using Metal In Gap (MIG) composite
heads.
The CFS270A contains:
• one disk with two data surfaces
• two read/write heads
At power-down, the heads are automatically retracted to the inner diameter of
the disk and are latched and parked on a landing zone that is separate from the
data tracks.

Chapter 1 Overview of the Drives
Page 4 Filepro CFS270A
Data and Power Connections
The drive has a single 40-pin data connector, as well as an auxiliary connector
which is reserved for factory or evaluation use.
The drive has two power connectors, only one of which should be used at a time.
The two connectors provide connection versatility to a number of host systems.
The drive also has a jumper block which can be set to specify drive operational
parameters. For more information on the drive’s connectors and on setting
jumpers, refer to chapters 3 and 4.
Electrical Design Features
Pre-amplifier
A single integrated circuit (IC) is mounted within the head disk assembly, in
close proximity to the read/write heads. The IC provides head selection, read
pre-amplification, and write drive circuitry.
Circuit Board
The drive’s microprocessor-controlled circuit board provides the remaining
electronic functions, which include:
• read/write circuitry
• rotary actuator control
• interface control
• spin speed control
• auto-park
• power management
Firmware
The drive’s firmware includes a command set which the host uses to control the
drive. The command set allows the host to request the following types of actions:
• report drive status
• seek a specific point on the disk
• read and write data
For more information on the drive’s command set, refer to chapters 6 and 7.

Technical Reference Manual Page 5
Specifications
2
Specifications In This Chapter
This chapter defines the following specifications for the drive:
• drive capacity
• physical configuration
• performance characteristics
• read/write characteristics
• reliability
• power requirements
• environmental tolerances
• safety standards
• physical characteristics

Chapter 2 Specifications
Page 6 Filepro CFS270A
Drive Capacity
Formatted Capacity:
• CFS270A: 270.9MB
* 1MB = 1 x 106bytes
Physical Configuration
Specification CFS270A:
Disk Type Sputtered Thin Film
Head Type MIG
Actuator Type Rotary Voice Coil
Number of Disks 1
Data Surfaces 2
Data Heads 2
Servo Embedded
Tracks per Surface 2595
Buffer Size 32KB
Track Density 2988 tpi
Formatted Track Capacity 36,864-59,904 bytes
Bytes per Block 512
Blocks per Drive 529,200
Sectors per Track (User) 71-116
Translate Universal
* Refer to chapter 3 for a definition of Universal Translate Mode

Specifications Chapter 2
Technical Reference Manual Page 7
Performance Characteristics
Seek Times (typical)* :
• Track to track: 3.0 ms
• Average: 14 ms **
• Maximum: 28 ms
•The timing is measured through the interface with the drive operating at nominal DC input
voltage and nominal operating temperature. The timing also assumes that:
•BIOS and PC system hardware dependency have been subtracted from timing measurements
•the drive is operated using its native drive parameters
•the controller overhead is the time it takes to assert +HOST IRQ after the host writes the
command register with a READ instruction, for the case where the data already resides in the
buffer
** The average seek time is determined by averaging the seek time for a minimum of 1000 seeks
of random length over the surface of the disk.
Average Latency:
• 8.8 ms
Rotation Speed:
• 3400 RPM (+ 0.1%)
Controller Overhead:
• <1.0ms
Start Time at Power-Up: *
• 0 RPM to 3400 RPM
- Typical: 6 seconds
- Maximum: 10 seconds
• 0 RPM to Ready
- Typical: 15 seconds
- Maximum: 20 seconds
* These numbers assume spin recovery is not invoked. If spin recovery is invoked, the
maximum could be 40 seconds. Briefly removing power can lead to spin recovery being
invoked.
Stop Time at Power-Down:
• Typical: 15 seconds
• Maximum: 20 seconds
Interleave:
• 1:1

Chapter 2 Specifications
Page 8 Filepro CFS270A
Read/Write Characteristics
Interface:
• Task File
Recording Method:
• 1 of 7 RLL code
Recording Density (ID):
• 68,000 bits per inch
Flux Density (ID):
• 51,000 flux reversals per inch
Data Transfer Rate:
• To/From Media: 2.53 - 4.35 MB/second
• To/From Host: PIO Mode 3 (11.1 MB/second) or Multiword DMA Mode 1
(13.3 MB/second)
Reliability
Data Reliability:
• < 1 non-recoverable error in 1014 bits read
Component Design Life:
• 5 years
Start/Stop Cycles:
• 20,000 minimum
Mean Time Between Failures:
• 250,000 power-on hours
Mean Time to Repair:
• 10 minutes typical
Preventive Maintenance:
• none

Specifications Chapter 2
Technical Reference Manual Page 9
Power Requirements
Mode: * +5 Volts
(typical): +12 Volts (typical): Watts (typical): (maximum):
Read/Write 400 mA 150 mA 3.8 W 4.0 W
Seek/Rd/Wr 340 mA 120 mA 3.1 W 4.5 W
Idle 200 mA 125 mA 2.5 W 3.0 W
Standby 120 mA 0 mA 0.6 W <1.0 W
Sleep 100 mA 0 mA 0.5 W <1.0 W
Spin-Up 400 mA 1000 mA N/A N/A
* Refer to chapter 3 for the definitions of the modes. Spin-Up Mode current draw is for 7 seconds,
maximum. Maximum power is when the supply voltage is at the worst case condition.
Minimum/Maximum Voltage:
• +5V: +5%
• +12V: +5%
Maximum Peak-to-Peak Noise Allowed (DC to 1 MHz, with equivalent
resistive load):
• +5V: 2%
• +12V: 1%
Environmental Tolerances
Temperature:
• Operating: 5° to 55° C
• Non-operating: -40° to 60° C
• Thermal Gradient: 20o C per hour maximum
Relative Humidity (non-condensing):
• Operating: 8 to 80%
• Non-operating: 8 to 80%
• Wet Bulb: 28.9o C maximum
Altitude (relative to sea level):
• Operating: -200 to 10,000 feet
• Non-operating:-200 to 40,000 feet (maximum)
• Altitude Gradient: 1,000 feet/minute
Shock (half-sine pulse, 11 ms duration):
• Operating: 5G without non-recoverable errors
• Non-operating: 75G without non-recoverable errors

Chapter 2 Specifications
Page 10 Filepro CFS270A
Vibration (swept-sine, one octave per minute):
• Operating
−5 - 22 Hz: 0.020 inch displacement; double amplitude, 1 octave per
minute.
−22 - 400 Hz: 0.5G peak without non-recoverable errors
• Non-operating
−5 - 22 Hz: 0.20 inch displacement; double amplitude, 1/2 octave per
minute
−22 - 400 Hz: 5G peak
Magnetic Field:
• The disk drive will meet its specified performance while operating in the
presence of an externally-produced magnetic field under the following
conditions:
Field Frequency Intensity
DC 6 gauss
to 700 Khz 7 milligauss
700 Khz to 1.5 Mhz 3 milligauss
Acoustic Noise:
• The sound pressure level will not exceed 34 dBA in Idle Mode at a distance
of 1 meter from the drive. The sound power level measured based on ISO
7779 will not exceed 4.0 Bel in Idle Mode.
Safety Standards
The drive is designed to comply with relevant product safety standards,
including:
• UL 478, 5th edition, Standard for Safety of Information Processing and
Business Equipment
• UL 1950, Standard for Safety of Information Technology Equipment
• CSA 22.2 #220, Information Processing and Business Equipment
• CSA 22.2 #950, Safety of Information Technology Equipment
• IEC 380, Safety of Electrically Energized Office Machines
• IEC 950, Safety of information Technology Equipment Including Electrical
Business Equipment
• VDE 0805, VDE 0805 TIEL 100, and VDE 0806
• Complies with FCC Class B, Part 15, Subpart J

Specifications Chapter 2
Technical Reference Manual Page 11
Physical Characteristics
Height:
•1.0 inch + .030 Depth: •5.75 inches + .030
Width:
•4.0 inches + .030 Weight: •1.1 pounds
Figure 2-1
The Drive’s Physical Dimensions
1.00 +.03
[25.4 +.762]
3.716 +.03
[94.386 +.762]
4.00 +.03
[101.6 +.762]
3.750 +.01 
[95.25+.254]
2.645 +.03
[67.183 +.762]
5.75 +.03
[146.05 +.762]
4.000+
[101.6+ .254]
3x.250 + .015
[6.35 +.381]
BOTH SIDES
0.172 +.015
[4.368 +.381]
2.227 +.03-
[56.565 +.762]
0.18 +.015
[4.572 +.381]
0.23 +.015
[5.842 +.381]
.630 

[16.0 ]
2.362 +.01
[59.994+ .254]
1.750+.01
[44.45+.254]
3x 6-32 UNC-2B
.25 MAX. INSERTION
4X 6-32 UNC-2B
.25 MAX. INSERTION
[6.35]
2.375
[60.325 ]
+.03
-.005
+.762
-.127
.125 
[3.175 ]
+.03
-.005
+.762
-.127
+.03
-.005
+.762
-.127
[6.35]
.01
Note: [mm]
.xx + .01
.xxx + .005
BOTH SIDES

Chapter 2 Specifications
Page 12 Filepro CFS270A