Maxtor MaXLine II 300GB User manual

Maxtor MaXLine II 250/300GB
Product Manual
January 2, 2004
Part Number: 1904

©January 2, 2004 Maxtor Corporation. All rights reserved. Printed in U.S.A.
This publication could include technical inaccuracies or typographical errors. Changes are
periodically made to the information herein – which will be incorporated in revised editions
of the publication. Maxtor may make changes or improvements in the product(s) described
in this publication at any time and without notice.
Maxtor®and MaxFax®are registered trademarks of Maxtor Corporation, registered in the
U.S.A. and other countries. Maxtor MaXLine II 250/300GB, AutoTransfer, AutoRead,
AutoWrite, DisCache, DiskWare, Defect Free Interface, and WriteCache are trademarks of
Maxtor Corporation. All other brand names or trademarks are the property of their manufac-
turers.
Maxtor reserves the right to make changes and improvements to its products, without
incurring any obligation to incorporate such changes or improvements into units previously
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Publication Number: Part Number: 1904

Before You Begin
Thank you for your interest in Maxtor hard disk drives. This manual provides technical infor-
mation for OEM engineers and systems integrators regarding the installation and use of
Maxtor hard drives. Drive repair should be performed only at an authorized repair center. For
repair information, contact the Maxtor Product Support Center at 1-800-2MAXTOR.
CAUTION: Maxtor hard drives are precision products. Failure to follow these precautions
and guidelines outlined here may lead to product failure, damage and invalidation
of all warranties.
1BEFORE unpacking or handling a drive, take all proper electro-static discharge
(ESD) precautions, including personnel and equipment grounding. Stand-alone
drives are sensitive to ESD damage.
2BEFORE removing drives from their packing material, allow them to reach room
temperature.
3 During handling, NEVER drop, jar, or bump a drive.
4 Once a drive is removed from the Maxtor shipping container, IMMEDIATELY
secure the drive through its mounting holes within a chassis. Otherwise, store
the drive on a padded, grounded, antistatic surface.
5NEVER switch DC power onto the drive by plugging an electrically live DC source
cable into the drive's connector. NEVER connect a live bus to the drive's inter-
face connector.
6ELECTRICAL GROUNDING - For proper operation, the drive must be securely fas-
tened to a device bay that provides a suitable electrical ground to the drive base-
plate.
Please do not remove or cover up Maxtor factory-installed drive labels. They contain infor-
mation required should the drive ever need repair.Thank you for your interest in Maxtor hard
disk drives. This manual provides technical information for OEM engineers and systems inte-
grators regarding the installation and use of Maxtor hard drives. Drive repair should be per-
formed only at an authorized repair center. For repair information, contact the Maxtor
Customer Service Center at 800-2MAXTOR or 1-303-678-2015.
Corporate Headquarters:
500 McCarthy Blvd.
Milpitas, California 95035
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

Table of Contents
Maxtor MaXLine II 250/300GB i
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION 1
1.1 Maxtor Corporation ......................................................................... 1-1
1.2 Manual Organization ........................................................................ 1-1
1.3 Abbreviations ................................................................................. 1-2
1.4 Conventions ................................................................................... 1-2
Chapter 2
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
2.1 Product Description ......................................................................... 2-1
2.2 Key Features .................................................................................. 2-1
2.3 Product Features ............................................................................. 2-2
2.4 Cache Management......................................................................... 2-4
2.5 Major HDA Components................................................................... 2-5
2.6 Subsystem Configuration ................................................................. 2-6
2.7 Cylinder Limitation Jumper Description .............................................. 2-7
Chapter 3
PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS
3.1 Models and Capacities ..................................................................... 3-1
3.2 Drive Configuration.......................................................................... 3-2
3.3 Performance Specifications............................................................... 3-3
3.4 Physical Dimensions ........................................................................ 3-3
3.5 Power Requirements........................................................................ 3-5
3.6 Power Mode Definitions ................................................................... 3-5
3.7 EPA Energy Star Compliance ............................................................ 3-5
3.8 Environmental Limits........................................................................ 3-6
3.9 Shock and Vibration (TBD) ............................................................... 3-7
3.10 Reliability Specifications.................................................................. 3-8
3.11 EMC/EMI ...................................................................................... 3-9
3.11.1 Radiated Electromagnetic Field Emissions - EMC Compliance .......3-9
3.11.2 Canadian Emissions Statement ................................................3-9
3.12 Safety Regulatory Compliance ......................................................... 3-9

Table of Contents
Maxtor MaXLine II 250/300GB ii
Chapter 4
HANDLING AND INSTALLATION
4.1 Hard Drive Handling Precautions ....................................................... 4-1
4.2 Electro-Static Discharge (ESD) .......................................................... 4-1
4.3 Unpacking and Inspection................................................................. 4-2
4.4 Repacking ...................................................................................... 4-5
4.5 Physical Installation ......................................................................... 4-5
Chapter 5
ATA BUS INTERFACE AND ATA COMMANDS
5.1 INTRODUCTION.............................................................................. 5-1
5.2 MECHANICAL INTERFACE ............................................................... 5-1
5.2.1 Signal Cable and Connector .......................................................5-1
5.3 ELECTRICAL INTERFACE ................................................................. 5-1
5.3.1 ATA Bus Interface ....................................................................5-1
5.4 REGISTER ADDRESS DECODING....................................................... 5-2
5.5 COMMAND INTERFACE ................................................................... 5-2
5.5.1 General Feature Set ..................................................................5-2
5.5.2 Supported Commands ..............................................................5-2
Chapter 6
SERVICE AND SUPPORT
6.1 Product Support/Technical Assistance/Customer Service...................... 6-1
Appendix A
BREAKING THE 137 GIGABYTE STORAGE BARRIER
A.1 Breaking the 137 Gigabyte Storage Barrier ........................................ A-1
A.1.1 History .................................................................................. A-1
A.1.2 Solving the 137 Gigabyte Capacity Barrier ................................. A-3
A.1.3 How is the Extension Implemented? .......................................... A-3
A.1.4 What Do the Drives Need to Meet the Spec? .............................. A-3
A.1.5 What Else is Involved? ............................................................. A-3
A.1.6 What is the Next Barrier? ......................................................... A-4

vii Maxtor MaXLine II 250/300GB
List of Figures
Figure 2-1 PCBA Jumper Location and Configuration ................................................... 2-7
Figure 3-1 Outline and Mounting Dimensions .............................................................. 3-4
Figure 4-1 Single Pack Shipping Container .................................................................... 4-3
Figure 4-2 20 Pack Shipping Container .......................................................................... 4-4

Maxtor MaXLine II 250/300GB 1-1
Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Maxtor Corporation
Maxtor Corporation has been providing high-quality computer storage
products since 1982. Along the way, we’ve seen many changes in data
storage needs. Not long ago, only a handful of specific users needed more
than a couple hundred megabytes of storage. Today, downloading from
the Internet and CD-ROMs, multimedia, networking and advanced office
applications are driving storage needs even higher. Even home PC
applications need capacities measured in gigabytes, not megabytes.
Support
Maxtor provides a variety of customer support options, all designed to
make sure the user gets fast, helpful, accurate information to help resolve
any difficulties. These options include a broad, searchable knowledge
base of FAQ’s, product manuals, installation guides, information on
previously resolved problems, software downloads, and contact by
phone or E-mail with a support person. For more information, visit
www.maxtor.com/en/support
1.2 Manual Organization
This hard disk drive reference manual is organized in the following
method:
Chapter 1–Introduction
Chapter 2–Product Description
Chapter 3–Product Specifications
Chapter 4–Handling and Installation
Chapter 5–ATA Bus Interface and ATA Commands
Chapter 6–Service and Support
Appendix A–Breaking the 137GB Storage Barrier

Introduction
Maxtor MaXLine II 250/300GB 1-2
1.3 Abbreviations
1.4 Conventions
If there is a conflict between text and tables, the table shall be accepted
as being correct.
Key Words
The names of abbreviations, commands, fields and acronyms used as
signal names are in all uppercase type (e.g., IDENTIFY DRIVE). Fields
containing only one bit are usually referred to as the “name” bit instead
of the “name” field.
Names of drive registers begin with a capital letter (e.g., Cylinder High
register).
Abbreviation Description Abbreviation Description
ATA AT attachment MB megabyte
bpi bits per inch Mbits/sec megabits per second
CHS cylinder - head - sector MB/sec megabytes per second
db decibels MHz megahertz
DA double amplitude
(represents pk-pk shaker
displacement)
ms millisecond
dBA decibels, A weighted MSB most significant bit
DMA direct memory access mV millivolts
ECC error correction code ns nanoseconds
fci flux changes per inch PIO programmed input/output
G acceleration RPM revolutions per minute
GB gigabyte tpi tracks per inch
Hz hertz UDMA ultra direct memory
access
KB kilobyte µsec microsecond
LBA logical block address(ing) V volts
LSB least significant bit W watts
mA milliamperes

Introduction
Maxtor MaXLine II 250/300GB 1-3
Numbering
Numbers that are not followed by a lowercase “b” or “h” are decimal
values. Numbers that are followed by a lowercase “b” (e.g., 01b) are
binary values. Numbers that are followed by a lowercase “h” (e.g., 3Ah)
are hexadecimal values.
Signal Conventions
Signal names are shown in all uppercase type.
All signals are either high active or low active signals. A dash character
(-) at the end of a signal name indicates that the signal is low active. A
low active signal is true when it is below ViL and is false when it is
above ViH. A signal without a dash at the end indicates that the signal is
high active. A high active signal is true when it is above ViH and is false
when it is below ViL.
When a signal is asserted, it means the signal is driven by an active cir-
cuit to its true state.
When a signal is negated, it means the signal is driven by an active cir-
cuit to its false state.
When a signal is released, it means the signal is not actively driven to any
state. Some signals have bias circuitry that pull the signal to either a true
or false state when no signal driver is actively asserting or negating.
.

Maxtor MaXLine II 250/300GB 2-1
Chapter 2
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
2.1 Product Overview
MaXLine II hard disk drive is part of a family of highly durable, 1-inch-
high hard disk drives manufactured to meet the highest product quality
standards. These hard drives use non-removable, 3 1/2-inch hard disks
and are available with ATA interfaces.
Maxtor has combined leading edge technologies with the largest ATA
drive storage capacity available today to create the highly durable
MaXLine II hard disk drive. Innovative features and design make it
ideally suited for applications requiring large storage capacity.
2.2 Key Features
• ANSI ATA-5/6 compliant PIO Mode 4 interface (Enhanced
IDE)
• Supports ATA-6 UltraDMA Mode 5 (100 MBytes/sec) and
Maxtor Ultra ATA/133 MBytes/second data transfer rates
• Supports 48-bit addressing
• 2 MB buffer with multi-adaptive cache manager
• 5400 RPM spin speed
• 10 ms seek time
• Zone density and ID-less recording
• Outstanding shock resistance at 300 Gs
• High durability with 50K contact start/stop cycles
• Advanced multi-burst on-the-fly Error Correction Code (ECC)
• Extended data integrity with ECC protected data and fault
tolerant servo synchronization fields
• Supports EPA Energy Star Standards (Green PC Friendly) with
ATA powering savings commands
• Auto park and lock actuator mechanism
• Low power consumption

Product Description
Maxtor MaXLine II 250/300GB 2-2
• Maxtor Quiet Drive Technology
• SMART Capability
Note: Maxtor defines 1 Gigabyte (GB) as 109 or 1,000,000,000
bytes of data. Total accessible capacity varies depending on
operating environment.
2.3 Product Features
Functional/Interface
Maxtor hard drives contain all necessary mechanical and electronic parts
to interpret control signals and commands from an AT-compatible host
computer. See Chapter 3 Product Specifications, for complete drive
specifications.
Zone Density Recording
The disk capacity is increased with bit density management – common
with Zone Density Recording. Each disk surface is divided into 16
circumferential zones. All tracks within a given zone contain a constant
number of data sectors. The number of data sectors per track varies in
different zones; the outermost zone contains the largest number of data
sectors and the innermost contains the fewest.
Read/Write Multiple Mode
This mode is implemented per ANSI ATA/ATAPI-6 specification. Read/
Write Multiple allows the host to transfer a set number of sectors
without an interrupt request between them, reducing transfer process
overhead and improving host performance.
UltraDMA-Mode 5
Maxtor hard drives fully comply with the new ANSI Ultra DMA protocol,
which greatly improves overall AT interface performance by
significantly improving burst and sustained data throughput.
Multi-word DMA-Mode 2
Supports multi-word Direct Memory Access (DMA) mode transfers.
Maxtor Quiet Drive Technology
Maxtor Quiet Drive technology provides users with the lowest possible
noise levels and best overall sound quality from their drives.
Sector Address Translation
All Maxtor hard drives feature a universal translate mode. In an AT/
EISA-class system, the drive may be configured to any specified
combination of cylinders, heads and sectors (within the range of the
drive's formatted capacity). Maxtor hard drives power-up in a translate
mode.

Product Description
Maxtor MaXLine II 250/300GB 2-3
Logical Block Addressing
The Logical Block Address (LBA) mode can only be utilized in systems
that support this form of translation. The cylinder, head and sector
geometry of the drive, as presented to the host, differs from the actual
physical geometry. The host AT computer may access a drive of set
parameters: number of cylinders, heads and sectors per track, plus
cylinder, head and sector addresses. However, the drive can’t use these
host parameters directly because of zoned recording techniques. The
drive translates the host parameters to a set of logical internal
addresses for data access.
The host drive geometry parameters are mapped into an LBA based on
this formula:
LBA = (HSCA - 1) + HHDA x HSPT + HNHD x HSPT x HCYA
= (HSCA - 1) + HSPT x (HHDA + HNHD x HCYA)
where HSCA = Host Sector Address, HHDA = Host Head Address
HCYA = Host Cylinder Address, HNHD = Host Number of
Heads HSPT = Host Sectors per Track
The LBA is checked for violating the drive capacity. If it does not, the
LBA is converted to physical drive cylinder, head and sector values. The
physical address is then used to access or store the data on the disk
and for other drive related operations.
Defect Management Zone (DMZ)
Each drive model has a fixed number of spare sectors per drive, all of
which are located at the end of the drive. Upon detection of a bad
sector that has been reassigned, the next sequential sector is used.
For example, if sector 3 is flagged, data that would have been stored
there is “pushed down” and recorded in sector 4. Sector 4 then
effectively becomes sector 3, as sequential sectors are “pushed down”
across the entire drive. The first spare sector makes up for the loss of
sector 3, and so maintains the sequential order of data. This push down
method assures maximum performance.
On-the-Fly Hardware Error Correction Code (ECC)
>24 symbols, single burst, guaranteed
MODELS CYL HD SPT MAX LBA CAPACITY
5A250J0 486,344 16 63 490,234,752 250GB
5A300J0 627,651 16 63 585,940,320 300GB

Product Description
Maxtor MaXLine II 250/300GB 2-4
Software ECC Correction
24 symbols, single burst, guaranteed
Automatic Park and Lock Operation
Immediately following power down, dynamic braking of the spinning
disks delays momentarily allowing the read/write heads to move to an
inner mechanical stop. A small fixed magnet holds the rotary actuator
in place as the disk spins down. The rotary actuator is released only
when power is again applied.
2.4 Cache Management
Buffer Segmentation
The data buffer is organized into two segments: the data buffer and the
micro controller scratch pad. The data buffer is dynamically allocated
for read and write data depending on the commands received. A
variable number of read and write buffers may exist at the same time.
Read-Ahead Mode
Normally, this mode is active. Following a read request, disk read-ahead
begins on the first sector and continues sequentially until the allocated
buffer is full. If a read request is received during the read-ahead
operation, the buffer is examined to determine if the request is in the
cache. If a cache hit occurs, read-ahead mode continues without
interruption and the host transfer begins immediately.
Automatic Write Reallocation (AWR)
This feature is part of the write cache and reduces the risk of data loss
during deferred write operations. If a disk error occurs during the disk
write process, the disk task stops and the suspect sector is reallocated
to a pool of alternate sectors located at the end of the drive. Following
reallocation, the disk write task continues until it is complete.
Write Cache Stacking
Normally, this mode is active. Write cache mode accepts the host write
data into the buffer until the buffer is full or the host transfer is
complete. A command complete interrupt is generated at the end of the
transfer.
A disk write task begins to store the host data to disk. Host write
commands continue to be accepted and data transferred to the buffer
until either the write command stack is full or the data buffer is full. The
drive may reorder write commands to optimize drive throughput.

Product Description
Maxtor MaXLine II 250/300GB 2-5
2.5 Major HDA Components
Drive Mechanism
A brushless DC direct drive motor rotates the spindle at 5400 RPM
(±0.1%). The dynamically balanced motor/spindle assembly ensures
minimal mechanical run-out to the disks. A dynamic brake provides a
fast stop to the spindle motor upon power removal. The speed tolerance
includes motor performance and motor circuit tolerances.
Rotary Actuator
All Maxtor hard drives employ a rotary voice coil actuator which
consists of a moving coil, an actuator arm assembly and stationary
magnets. The actuator moves on a low-mass, low-friction center shaft.
The low friction contributes to fast access times and low power
consumption.
Read/Write Electronics
An integrated circuit mounted within the sealed head disk assembly
(near the read/write heads) provides up to eight head selection
depending on the model. It also provides read pre-amplification and
write drive circuitry.
Read/Write Heads and Media
Low mass, low force giant magneto-resistive read/write heads record
data on 3.5-inch diameter disks. Maxtor uses a sputtered thin film
medium on all disks for Maxtor hard drives.
Air Filtration System
All Maxtor hard drives are assembled in a Class 100 controlled
environment. Over the life of the drive, a 0.1 micron filter and breather
filter located within the sealed head disk assembly (HDA) maintain a
clean environment to the heads and disks. Maxtor drives are designed
to operate in a typical office environment with minimum environmental
control.
Microprocessor
The microprocessor controls the following functions for the drive
electronics:
• Command execution
• Cache management
• Data correction and error recovery
• Diagnostic execution
• Data sequencing
• Head positioning (including error recovery)
•Hostinterface

Product Description
Maxtor MaXLine II 250/300GB 2-6
• Index detection
• Spin speed control
• Seeks
•Servo
•SMART
• 48-bit addressing
2.6 Subsystem Configuration
Dual Drive Support
Two drives may be accessed via a common interface cable, using the
same range of I/O addresses. The drives have a jumper configuration as
device 0 or 1 (Master/Slave), and are selected by the drive select bit in
the Device/Head register of the task file.
All Task File registers are written in parallel to both drives. The interface
processor on each drive decides whether a command written to it
should be executed; this depends on the type of command and which
drive is selected. Only the drive selected executes the command and
activates the data bus in response to host I/O reads; the drive not
selected remains inactive.
A master/slave relationship exists between the two drives: device 0 is
the master and device 1 the slave. When the Master is closed (factory
default, figure 2-1), the drive assumes the role of master; when open,
the drive acts as a slave. In single drive configurations, the Master
jumper must be closed.
Cable Select Option
CSEL (cable select) is an optional feature per ANSI ATA specification.
Drives configured in a multiple drive system are identified by CSEL’s
value:
– If CSEL is grounded, then the drive address is 0.
– If CSEL is open, then the drive address is 1.

Product Description
Maxtor MaXLine II 250/300GB 2-7
Figure 2-1 PCBA Jumper Location and Configuration
2.7 Cylinder Limitation Jumper Description
On some older BIOS', primarily those that auto-configure the disk drive,
a hang may occur. The Cylinder Limitation jumper reduces the capacity
in the Identify Drive allowing large capacity drives to work with older
BIOS. The capacity reported when J45:J46 is closed will be as follows:
drives less than or equal to 32GB will report 2.1GB. Drives greater than
32GB will report 32GB.
JUMPER CONFIGURATION J49
J50
J47
J48
J45
J46
J43
J44
J41
J42
Master/Slave
Only drive in single drive system
Master drive in dual drive system
Slave drive in dual drive system
C
C
O
Cable Select
Disabled
Enabled*
O
C
Cylinder Limitation
Disabled*
Enabled
O
C
Factory Reserved O O
Key * = Default C = Closed (jumper installed) O = Open (no jumper installed)
Pin 40
ATA Interface Connector
Power
Connector
Pin 1
J41
J42
+12VDC
+5VDC return
+12VDC return
+5VDC

Maxtor MaXLine II 250/300GB 3-1
Chapter 3
PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS
3.1 Models and Capacities
The MaXLine exceeds the 137GB capacity barrier imposed by the 28 bit
addressing schemes common to many current BIOS and drivers. If your
system has 28 bit addressing logic your drive will appear to only have
137GB of capacity. You can upgrade your system to break this barrier
by installing a Maxtor PCI card kit (Maxtor p/n K01PCAT133). You may
also be able to upgrade your system by downloading new BIOS and/or
Drivers. Please visit our website www.maxtor.com/bigdrive for more
information and links to diagnostic and upgrade software.
For more information on breaking the 137GB capacity barrier please
refer to Appendix A.
MODELS 5A250J0 5A300J0
Formatted Capacity
(GB LBA Mode) 250GB 300GB
GB means 1 billion bytes.
Total accessible capacity varies depending on operating environment.

Product Specifications
Maxtor MaXLine II 250/300GB 3-2
3.2 Drive Configuration
MODELS 250GB 300GB
Sectors per Drive
(max LBA) 490,234,752 585,940,320
Integrated Interface Maxtor Ultra ATA/133 (ATA-5/ATA-6)
Recording Method PRML
Servo Type Embedded
Number of Servo
Sectors 256
Data Zones per Surface 16
Data Sectors per Track
(ID/OD) 581/1126
Areal
Density
(Gbits/in2max ID/OD)
61.5/53
(80/160 disk configuration)
Flux Density
(kfci, ID/OD)
673/574
(80/160 disk configuration)
Recording Density
(kbpi,
ID/OD)
646/550
(80/160 disk configuration)
Track
Density
(K TPI)
93

Product Specifications
Maxtor MaXLine II 250/300GB 3-3
3.3 Performance Specifications
3.4 Physical Dimensions
MODELS 250GB 300GB
Seek Times (typical read, ms)
Track-to-Track <1.0
Average (normal seek) ≤10
Full Stroke
(normal seek) 24.0
Average Latency (ms) 5.55
Controller Overhead (ms) <0.3
Rotation Speed
(RPM ±0.1%) 5400
Data Transfer Speed (MByte/sec max)
To/From Interface
(Maxtor Ultra ATA/133,
up to)
133
To/From Media (OD/ID up to
nn.n, where nn.n is the
maximum transfer rate
possible)
336Mbits/sec (OD) / 192Mbits/sec (ID)
Sustained (ID/OD up to
nn.n, where nn.n is the
maximum transfer rate
possible)
24/42
Data Buffer Size
(MB)/Type 2/SDRAM
Drive Ready Time
(typical sec) <8.6
PARAMETER VALUE
Height (maximum in mm) 26.1
Width (typical mm) 101.6
Depth
(Inches and mm) 5.787 in. max/147.0 mm max.

Product Specifications
Maxtor MaXLine II 250/300GB 3-4
Figure 3-1 Outline and Mounting Dimensions
Weight (maximum in grams) < 610 grams
PARAMETER VALUE