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.

This product or document is protected by copyright and distributed under licences restricting its use, copy-
ing, distributing, and decompilation. No part of this product or document may be reproduced in any form
by any means without prior written authorization of Maxtor and its licensors, if any.
RESTRICTED RIGHTS LEGEND: Use, duplication, or disclosure by the government is subject to restric-
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.
THIS PUBLICATION IS PROVIDED “AS IS” WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER
EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF
MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTIULAR PURPOSE, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT.
You can request Maxtor publications from your Maxtor Sales Representative or order them directly from
Maxtor.
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

Introduction
1-2 Maxtor MaXLine Plus II 250GB AT
1.3 TERMINOLOGY AND CONVENTIONS
In the Glossary at the back of this manual, you can find definitions for
many of the terms used in this manual. In addition, the following
abbreviations are used in this manual:
• ASIC Application-Specific Integrated Circuit
• ATA Advanced Technology Attachment
• bpi bits per inch
• DA Double Amplitude(represents pk-pk shaker
displacement)
• dB decibels
• dBA decibels, A weighted
• DPS Data Protection System
• SPS Shock Protection System
• ECC Error Correcting Code
• Kfci thousands of flux changes per inch
•Hz Hertz
• KB Kilobytes
• LSB Least Significant Bit
• mA milliamperes
• MB Megabytes (1 MB = 1,000,000 bytes when referring
to disk transfer rates or storage capacities and
1,048,576 bytes in all other cases)
• Mb/s Megabits per second
• MB/s Megabytes per second
•MHz Megahertz
• ms milliseconds
• MSB Most Significant Bit
• mV millivolts
• ns nanoseconds
• SATA Serial ATA Interface
• tpi tracks per inch
• µs microseconds
•V Volts

Introduction
Maxtor MaXLine Plus II 250GB AT 1-3
The typographical and naming conventions used in this manual are listed
below. Conventions that are unique to a specific table appear in the notes
that follow that table.
Typographical Conventions:
•Names of Bits: Bit names are presented in initial capitals. An
example is the Host Software Reset bit.
•Commands: Interface commands are listed in all capitals. An
example is WRITE LONG.
•Register Names: Registers are given in this manual with initial
capitals. An example is the Alternate Status Register.
•Parameters: Parameters are given as initial capitals when
spelled out, and are given as all capitals when abbreviated.
Examples are Prefetch Enable (PE), and Cache Enable (CE).
•Hexadecimal Notation: The hexadecimal notation is given in
9-point subscript form. An example is 30H.
•Signal Negation: A signal name that is defined as active low
is listed with a minus sign following the signal. An example is
RD–.
•Messages: A message that is sent from the drive to the host
is listed in all capitals. An example is ILLEGAL COMMAND.
Naming Conventions:
•Host: In general, the system in which the drive resides is
referred to as the host.
•Computer Voice: This refers to items you type at the
computer keyboard. These items are listed in 10-point, all
capitals, Courier font. An example is FORMAT C:/S.
1.4 REFERENCES
For additional information about the ATA interface, refer to the latest
revision of the draft standard on the internet at http://www.t13.org/
using the link under “1410D AT Attachment - 6 with Packet Interface
(ATA/ATAPI - 6).”

Maxtor MaXLine Plus II 250GB AT 2-1
Chapter 2
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
This chapter summarizes the general functions and key features of the MaxLine Plus
II 250GB hard disk drive, as well as the applicable standards and regulations.
2.1 PRODUCT OVERVIEW
Maxtor’s MaxLine Plus II 250GB hard disk drive is part of a family of high
performance, 1-inch-high hard disk drives manufactured to meet the highest product
quality standards.
These hard disk drives use nonremovable, 3 1/2-inch hard disks and are
available with the ATA interface.
The MaxLine Plus II 250GB hard disk drive features an embedded hard disk drive
controller, and use ATA commands to optimize system performance. Because the
drive manages media defects and error recovery internally, these operations are fully
transparent to the user.
The innovative design of the MaxLine Plus II 250 GB hard disk drive incorporate
leading edge technologies such as Ultra ATA/133, Serial ATA Option with transfer
speeds up to 150 MB/second, Advanced Cache Management, Shock Protection
System™ (SPS), Data Protection System (DPS) and Quiet Drive Technology (QDT).
These enhanced technologies enable Maxtor to produce a family of high-
performance, high-reliability drives.
2.2 KEY FEATURES
The MaXLine Plus II 250GB AT hard disk drive includes the following key features:
General
• Low profile, 1-inch height
• Industry standard 3 1/2-inch form factor
• Emulation of IBM®PC AT®task file register, and all AT fixed disk
commands
• Windows NT and 9X Certification

General Description
2-2 Maxtor MaXLine Plus II 250GB AT
Performance
• Average seek time of <9.0 ms
• Average rotational latency of 4.17 ms
• New Ultra ATA interface with Maxtor-patented Ultra ATA/133 protocol
supporting burst data transfer rates of 133MB/s
• Serial ATA interface with transfer speeds up to 150MB per second
• 8MB Cache buffer with 1.9MB (approximate) Advance Cache Management
(ACM)
• Look-ahead DisCache feature with continuous prefetch and WriteCache
write-buffering capabilities
• AutoTask Register update, Multi-block AutoRead, and Multi-block
AutoWrite features in a custom ASIC
• Read-on-arrival firmware
• Quadruple-burst ECC, and double burst ECC on-the-fly
• 1:1 interleave on read/write operations
• Support of all standard ATA data transfer modes with PIO mode 4 and
multiword DMA mode 2, and Ultra DMA modes 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6
• Adaptive cache segmentation
• 100% FDB (Fluid Dynamic Bearing Motors)
Reliability
• Exceeds one million hours mean time expected until the first failure (MTTF)
• Automatic retry on read errors
• 320-bit, non-interleaved Reed-Solomon Error Correcting Code (ECC), with
cross checking correction up to fifteen separate bursts of 10 bits each totalling
up to 150 bits in length
• S.M.A.R.T. 4 (Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology)
• Transparent media defect mapping
• High performance, in-line defective sector skipping
• Reassignment of defective sectors discovered in the field, without
reformatting
• Shock Protection System to reduce handling induced failures
• Data Protection System to verify drive integrity
• Quiet Drive Technology (QDT)

General Description
Maxtor MaXLine Plus II 250GB AT 2-3
Versatility
• Power saving modes
• Downloadable firmware
• Cable select feature
• Ability to daisy-chain two drives on the interface
2.3 REGULATORY COMPLIANCE STANDARDS
Maxtor Corporation’s disk drive products meet all domestic and international
product safety regulatory compliance requirements. Maxtor’s disk drive products
conform to the following specifically marked Product Safety Standards:
• Underwriters Laboratories (UL) Standard 1950. This certificate is a
category certification pertaining to all 3.5-inch series drives models.
• Canadian Standards Association (CSA) Standard C.22.2 No. 1950. This
certificate is a category certification pertaining to all 3.5-inch series
drives models.
• TUV Rheinland Standard EN60 950. This certificate is a category
certification pertaining to all 3.5-inch series drives models.
Product EMI/EMS Qualifications:
• CE Mark authorization is granted by TUV Rheinland in compliance
with our qualifying under EN 55022:1994 and EN 50082-1:1997.
• C-Tick Mark is an Australian authorization marked noted on Maxtor’s
disk drive products. The mark proves conformity to the regulatory
compliance document AS/NZS 3548: 1995 and BS EN 55022: 1995.
• Maxtor’s disk drives are designed as a separate subassembly that conforms to
the FCC Rules for Radiated and Conducted emissions, Part 15 Subpart J;
Class B when installed in a given computer system.
• Approval from Taiwan BSMI. Number: 3892A638
2.4 HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS
The MaXLine Plus II 250GB AT hard disk drive is compatible with the IBM PC AT,
and other computers that are compatible with the IBM PC AT. It connects to the PC
either by means of a third-party IDE-compatible adapter board, or by plugging a
cable from the drive directly into a PC motherboard that supplies an ATA interface.

Maxtor MaXLine Plus II 250GB AT 3-1
Chapter 3
INSTALLATION
This chapter explains how to unpack, configure, mount, and connect the Maxtor
MaXLine Plus II 250 GB AT hard disk drive prior to operation. It also explains how
to start up and operate the drive.
3.1 SPACE REQUIREMENTS
The MaXLine Plus II 250GB AT hard disk drives are shipped without a faceplate.
Figure 3-1 shows the external dimensions of the MaXLine Plus II 250GB AT drives.
101.6 ±0.25 mm
(4.00 inches)
25 ±0.7 mm
147 mm (max)
(5.75 inches)

Installation
3-2 Maxtor MaXLine Plus II 250GB AT
Figure 3-1 Mechanical Dimensions of MaXLine Plus II 250GB AT Hard Disk Drive
3.2 UNPACKING INSTRUCTIONS
1. Open the shipping container and remove the packing assembly that
contains the drive.
2. Remove the drive from the packing assembly.
3. When you are ready to install the drive, remove it from the ESD bag.
CAUTION: The maximum limits for physical shock can be exceeded if the
drive is not handled properly. Special care should be
taken not to bump or drop the drive. It is highly recommended
that MaXLine Plus II 250GB at drives are not stacked or placed
on any hard surface after they are unpacked. Such handling could
cause media damage.
CAUTION: During shipment and handling, the antistatic electrostatic dis-
charge (ESD) bag prevents electronic component
damage due to electrostatic discharge. To avoid accidental dam-
age to the drive, do not use a sharp instrument to open the ESD
bag and do not touch PCB components. Save the packing mate-
rials for possible future use.

Installation
Maxtor MaXLine Plus II 250GB AT 3-3
Figure 3-2 shows the packing assembly for a single Maxtor MaXLine Plus II 250GB AT
hard disk drive. A 20-pack shipping container is available for multiple drive
shipments.
Figure 3-2 Single-Pack Shipping Container

Installation
3-4 Maxtor MaXLine Plus II 250GB AT
Figure 3-3 20-Pack Shipping Container

Installation
Maxtor MaXLine Plus II 250GB AT 3-5
3.3 HARDWARE OPTIONS
3.3.1 ATA Interface Connector
The configuration of a MaXLine Plus II 250GB AT hard disk drive depends on the
host system in which it is to be installed. This section describes the hardware options
that you must take into account prior to installation.
Figure 3-4 Jumper Locations on the ATA Interface Connector
Pin 40
ATA Interface Connector
Power
Connector
Pin 1
+12VDC
+5VDC return
+12VDC return
+5VDC
DS CS
CLJ
DS CS
CLJ
DS CS
CLJ
DS CS
CLJ
Cable Select
Setting (default)
Master Setting
Slave Setting
DS with CS for
slaves not
supporting DASP
Note: this setting is identical
for both drive 0 and drive 1