Maxtor MaxLine Plus II 250GB AT User manual

MaxLine Plus II 250GB AT
Product Manual
October 30, 2003
Part Number: 1905

©October 30, 2003 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.
UL/CSA/VDE/TUV
UL standard 1954 recognition granted under File No. E78016
CSA standard C22.2-950 certification granted under File No. LR49896
TUV Rheinland EN 60 950
Tested to FCC Rules for Radiated and Conducted Emissions, Part 15, Sub Part J, for Class-B Equipment.
PATENTS
These products are covered by or licensed under one or more of the following U.S. Patents:
4,419,701; 4, 538,193 4,625,109; 4,639,798; 4,647,769; 4,647,997; 4,661,696; 4,669,004; 4,675,652;
4,703,176; 4,730,321; 4,772,974; 4,783,705; 4,819,153; 4,882,671; 4,920,442; 4,920,434; 4,982,296;
5,005,089; 5,027,241; 5,031,061; 5,084,791; 5,119,254; 5,160,865; 5,170,229; 5,177,771; Other U.S. and
Foreign Patents Pending.
Maxtor®, MaxFax®are registered trademarks of Maxtor Corporation, registered in the U.S.A. and other
countries. Maxtor MaXLine Plus II 250GB AT, AutoTransfer, AutoRead, AutoWrite, DisCache, Dis-
kWare, Defect Free Interface, and WriteCache are trademarks of Maxtor Corporation. All other brand
names or trademarks are the property of their manufacturers.
Maxtor reserves the right to make changes and improvements to its products, without incurring any obliga-
tion to incorporate such changes or improvements into units previously sold or shipped.

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tions as set forth in subparagraphs (c)(1)(ii) of the Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software clause
at DFARS 252.227-7013 and FAR 52.227-19.
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You can request Maxtor publications from your Maxtor Sales Representative or order them directly from
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Part Number: 1905
Corporate Headquarters:
500 McCarthy Blvd.
Milpitas, California 95035
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

Before You Begin
Thank you for your interest in Maxtor hard disk drives. This manual provides technical information 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 out-
lined 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) precau-
tions, 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 tempera-
ture.
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 interface connector.
6ELECTRICAL GROUNDING - For proper operation, the drive must be securely fastened to a
device bay that provides a suitable electrical ground to the drive baseplate.
Please do not remove or cover up Maxtor factory-installed drive labels. They contain information 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 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 Customer Service Cen-
ter at 800-2MAXTOR or 1-303-678-2015.
Corporate Headquarters:
500 McCarthy Blvd.
Milpitas, California 95035
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

Maxtor MaXLine Plus II 250GB AT i
Table of Content
Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 AUDIENCE ................................................................................................................... 1-1
1.2 MANUAL ORGANIZATION ...................................................................................... 1-1
1.3 TERMINOLOGY AND CONVENTIONS ................................................................... 1-2
1.4 REFERENCES .............................................................................................................. 1-3
Chapter 2
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
2.1 PRODUCT OVERVIEW .............................................................................................. 2-1
2.2 KEY FEATURES .......................................................................................................... 2-2
2.3 REGULATORY COMPLIANCE STANDARDS ........................................................ 2-3
2.4 HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS ................................................................................ 2-4
Chapter 3
INSTALLATION
3.1 SPACE REQUIREMENTS ........................................................................................... 3-1
3.2 UNPACKING INSTRUCTIONS .................................................................................. 3-2
3.3 HARDWARE OPTIONS .............................................................................................. 3-5
3.3.1 ATA Interface Connector .....................................................................................3-5
3.3.2 ATA BUS ADAPTER ..........................................................................................3-9
3.4 COMBINATION CONNECTOR (J1) .......................................................................... 3-9
3.4.1 DC Power (J1, Section A) ..................................................................................3-11
3.4.2 External Drive Activity LED ..............................................................................3-11
3.4.3 ATA Bus Interface Connector (J1, Section C) ...................................................3-11
3.4.4 SATA (Serial ATA) Interface Connector ...........................................................3-12
3.4.5 SATA BUS ADAPTER ......................................................................................3-12
3.5 COMBINATION CONNECTOR (J1) ........................................................................ 3-13
3.5.1 DC Power (J1, Section A) ..................................................................................3-14
3.5.2 ATA Bus Interface Connector (J1, Section C) ...................................................3-16
3.6 MOUNTING................................................................................................................ 3-17
3.6.1 Orientation ..........................................................................................................3-17
3.6.2 Clearance ............................................................................................................3-19
3.6.3 Ventilation ..........................................................................................................3-19
3.7 FOR SYSTEMS WITH A MOTHERBOARD ATA/SATA ADAPTER ................... 3-20
3.8 FOR SYSTEMS WITH AN ATA ADAPTER BOARD............................................. 3-20

Table of Contents
ii Maxtor MaXLine Plus II 250GB AT
3.8.1 Adapter Board Installation ................................................................................. 3-20
3.9 TECHNIQUES IN DRIVE CONFIGURATION........................................................ 3-23
3.9.1 The 528-Megabytes Barrier ............................................................................... 3-23
3.9.2 The 8.4-Gigabytes Barrier .................................................................................. 3-23
3.9.3 Operating system limitations .............................................................................. 3-24
3.10 SYSTEM STARTUP AND OPERATION ................................................................. 3-24
Chapter 4
PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS
4.1 Models and Capacities................................................................................................... 4-1
4.2 Drive Configuration ...................................................................................................... 4-1
4.3 Performance Specifications........................................................................................... 4-2
4.4 Physical Dimensions ..................................................................................................... 4-3
4.5 Power Requirements...................................................................................................... 4-3
4.6 Power Mode Definitions ............................................................................................... 4-4
4.7 EPA Energy Star Compliance ....................................................................................... 4-4
4.8 Environmental Limits.................................................................................................... 4-5
4.9 Shock and Vibration...................................................................................................... 4-6
4.10 Reliability Specifications .............................................................................................. 4-7
4.11 EMC/EMI...................................................................................................................... 4-8
4.11.1 Radiated Electromagnetic Field Emissions - EMC Compliance ......................... 4-8
4.11.2 Canadian Emissions Statement ............................................................................ 4-8
4.12 Safety Regulatory Compliance...................................................................................... 4-8
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

Table of Contents
Maxtor MaXLine Plus II 250GB AT iii
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

Maxtor MaXLine Plus II 250GB AT iv
List of Figures
Figure 3-1 Mechanical Dimensions of Maxtor DiamondMax Plus9 Hard Disk Drive .... 3-1
Figure 3-2 Single-Pack Shipping Container ................................................................... 3-3
Figure 3-3 20-Pack Shipping Container ......................................................................... 3-4
Figure 3-4 Jumper Locations on the ATA Interface Connector ...................................... 3-5
Figure 3-5 AT Connector and Jumper Location ............................................................ 3-8
Figure 3-6 J1 DC Power and ATA Bus Combination Connector ................................ 3-10
Figure 3-7 The SATA Interface Connector ................................................................. 3-12
Figure 3-8 Serial ATA PCB ......................................................................................... 3-13
Figure 3-9 Mounting Dimensions for the Maxtor DiamondMax Plus9
Hard Disk Drives ........................................................................................ 3-17
Figure 3-10 Mounting Screw Clearance for the Maxtor Hard Disk Drives ..................... 3-18
Figure 3-11 Drive Power Supply and ATA Bus Interface Cables .................................... 3-21
Figure 3-12 Completing the Drive Installation ............................................................... 3-22

Maxtor MaXLine Plus II 250GB AT v
List of Tables
Table 3-1 AT Jumper Options .................................................................................................. 3-6
Table 3-2 J1 Power Connector, Section A ............................................................................. 3-11
Table 3-3 J1 Power Connector, Section A ............................................................................. 3-14
Table 3-4 Device plug connector pin definition..................................................................... 3-15
Table 3-5 Logical Addressing Format.................................................................................... 3-25
Table 5-1 Supported Commands .............................................................................................. 5-2
Table 5-2 Identify Drive Command Parameters....................................................................... 5-5

Maxtor MaXLine Plus II 250GB AT 1-1
Chapter 1
Introduction
This chapter gives an overview of the contents of this manual, including
the intended audience, how the manual is organized, terminology and
conventions, and references.
1.1 AUDIENCE
The MaXLine Plus II 250GB AT Product Manual is intended for several
audiences. These audiences include: the end user, installer, developer,
consumer electronics and personal computer original equipment
manufacturer (CE/PC OEM), and distributor. The manual provides
information about installation, principles of operation, interface command
implementation, and maintenance.
The MaXLine Plus II 250GB AT family of drives provide a high-quality,
low-cost, market leading 80 GB per disk products to serve the consumer
and mainstream commercial markets, as well as the consumer electronics
market.
1.2 MANUAL ORGANIZATION
This manual is organized into the following chapters:
• Chapter 1 – Introduction
• Chapter 2 – General Description
• Chapter 3 – Installation
• Chapter 4 – Product Specifications
• Chapter 5 – ATA Bus Interface and ATA Commands
• Chapter 6 – Service and Support
• Appendix A – Breaking the 137-Gigabyte Storage Barrier