ReActiveMicro MicroDrive Turbo User manual

Owner’s Manual
MicroDrive
TURBO
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DMA!

MicroDrive
TURBO

Customer Satisfaction
The MicroDrive Turbo Expansion Card comes with a lifetime warranty to
you the original purchaser.
Limitation on Warranties and Liability
Even though ReActiveMicro.com has tested the hardware described in this
manual and reviewed its contents, neither ReActiveMicro.com nor its
afliates make any warranty or representation, either express or implied,
with respect to this manual or to the hardware described in this manual,
their quality, performance, merchantability, or tness for any particular
purpose. As a result, this hardware and manual are sold “as is”, and you
the purchaser are assuming the entire risk as to their quality and
performance. In no event will ReActiveMicro.com or its suppliers be liable
for direct, indirect, incidental, or consequential damages resulting from
any defect in the hardware or manual, even if they have been advised of
the possibility of such damages.
In particular, they shall have no liability for any programs or data stored
in or used with ReActiveMicro.com products, including the costs of
recovering or reproducing these programs or data. Some states do not
allow the exclusion or limitation of implied warranties or liability for
incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitation or exclusion
may not apply to you.
ReActiveMicro
Ofce Toll Free: (800) REACTIVE (732-2848)
Ofce/Mobile Direct: [phone]
[e-mail]
www.reactivemicro.com
https://m.facebook.com/reactivemicrousa
@reactivemicro
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Contents
MicroDrive Turbo ......................................................... 1
Technical Specifications..........................................1
Advanced Features..................................................2
Setup Utility .................................................................. 4
Make a Backup Copy ..............................................4
Installation ................................................................... 5
Apple IIGS..............................................................5
Apple IIe Enhanced ................................................7
CF Backup & Restore................................................... 8
Using the Setup Utility............................................8
CiderPress — Backup & Restore ...........................14
Backing-up the CF Card .............................................14
Restoring the CF Card.................................................15
Raw Disk Copier.........................................................16
CiderPress — Copying Files..................................17
Copy a File to the ⇒CF Card ....................................17
Copy a File from the ⇐CF Card ...............................18
Technical Support ..................................................... 19
Uthernet/ADTPro with MicroDrive Turbo .............19
Copy Protected Software ......................................19
Self-Powered IDE to CF Adapters..........................20
IDE Pin 20 Power Mods .............................................20
The HFS File System.................................................... 21
HFS (MAC) File System .........................................21
Firmware .................................................................... 22
ROM Chip Removal...............................................22
Step by Step Instructions............................................22
Mechanical Hard Disk Drive Setup ........................... 24
Setup ....................................................................24
Install a IDE Connector Cable ....................................24
IDE 40-Pin Interface Connector .................................25
IDE Cable Colors.........................................................25
Powering the Hard Disk Drives ............................26
Typical IDE Hard Drive Connectors ..........................27
Preparing Your Hard Disk Drive ...........................27
Starting from Scratch ..................................................27

Changing Hard Drive Configuration .....................29
Modifying Partitions .............................................30
Another Look at the MicroDrive Installer..............30
New Hard Disk Setup ...........................................31
Installing the GS/OS Driver ..................................32
Using Two Hard Disk Drives................................. 33
Setting the Hard Drives' Jumpers..........................33
In a One-Drive Configuration.....................................33
In a Two-Drive Configuration ....................................33
Booting from a Different Volume..........................34
AE Vulcan Upgrade................................................... 35
Hard Disk Back Up...............................................35
Setting Up the Hard Drive ....................................35
Error Messages at Boot Time ................................36
Drive 1 Error ...............................................................36
Missing configuration data .........................................36
Error reading boot sector ...........................................36
Volume not formatted.................................................37
Unable to load ProDOS ..............................................37
Problematic Hard Disk Drives.................................... 38
WD Caviar Series ..................................................38
HD Installation............................................................39
IDE Interface Overview .............................................. 41
Introduction .........................................................41
The IDE Interface .................................................41
IDE Origins ..........................................................42
The Evolution of IDE (ATA):......................................43
Compact Flash Overview.......................................... 44
What is a CF Storage Card? ...................................44
CF Card Internal Diagram ..........................................44
MicroDrive Turbo Revision History............................. 45
First DMA IDE Controller......................................45
Card Revisions ............................................................45
Online Review.............................................................45

A Word About This Manual
Congratulations on your purchase of the MicroDrive Turbo from ReActiveMicro.com
This manual is designed to assist you in every phase of integrating the MicroDrive
Turbo Expansion Card into your Apple® IIGS™ and Apple® IIe™ Enhanced Personal
Computer.
The manual covers everything from the hardware installation, software configuration,
and much more. The hardware is the most sensitive part; an improperly-performed
hardware installation could damage the MicroDrive Turbo and the Apple Computer.
The MicroDrive Turbo is an Apple II Expansion Card that gives the Apple IIGS and
the Apple IIe Enhanced Personal Computer a complete Solid State Storage Solution.
Everything is included to get you up and running right out of the box.
There are two categories of Apple II owners: those who have installed peripheral
cards into their computers, and those who haven't.
Those of you who have ventured under the hood of their computer probably need
little explanation of the process. You will see that the MicroDrive Turbo’s installation
is not much more difficult than any other card in your system.
Those of you who have never explored the insides of your computer the installation
is not difficult if you follow the detailed steps in the Installation section.
Nevertheless, you may decide that this process is not for you; in this case, arrange for
a qualified computer technician to install the MicroDrive Turbo Expansion Card for
you.
No matter what your level of experience, do not attempt to install MicroDrive Turbo
until you have read the manual and understand all of the steps completely.
Static Precaution
Avoid any and all electrostatic discharges to the MicroDrive Turbo Expansion Board.
Like all electronics devices, a static discharge can destroy or shorten the life span of
the delicate components on the Expansion Card.
This risk is highest in areas where there is carpet, and especially during dry weather.
You can momentarily discharge any buildup by coming into contact with a grounded
piece of metal, the most convenient method is touching the metal case of the Apple
II’s internal power supply, the computer must be plugged in for this procedure to
work, the power cable has the grounded connection.

MicroDrive Turbo
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MicroDrive Turbo
Technical Specifications
Requires an Apple IIGS or Apple IIe Enhanced
Fully ProDOS and GS/OS compatible.
Compatible with all known Apple II hardware.
DMA Capable.
Compatible with memory up to 8 MB on the Apple IIGS.
GS/OS driver with GS/OS caching support included.
Can boot a minimum GS/OS System in 12 seconds.
With an Accelerator installed 9 seconds.
Allows to boot any partition.
Up to 8 partitions on one CF Card, 16 partitions on two CF Cards.
Fully compatible with all hardware such as:
TransWarp GS, ZIP GSX, PC Transporter, RAM Cards from Apple,
Applied Engineering, CV-Tech, Harris, Q-Labs, Sequential Systems etc.
MicroDrive Turbo Expansion Card 1

MicroDrive Turbo
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Advanced Features
The MicroDrive Turbo uses CompactFlash Cards. Solid State, readily available,
inexpensive, low power, noise free, high degree of durability with a very long
lifespan, superb quality.
For more information on CF Cards see Compact Flash Overview at the end of this
manual.
CF Storage - Benefits
Moving software downloaded from the Internet to your Apple II Personal
Computer has never been quicker or easier. Just remove the CF Card
from your MicroDrive Turbo, insert it in to your PC Card
Reader, start CiderPress. You can read and write directly to
the CF Card. Using your PC for transferring files and
backing everything up, taking care of your Apple II files has
never been so quick and painless!
Standard IDE Interface
The 40 Pin IDE interface on the MicroDrive Turbo is a standard 16-bit IDE port. It is
capable of addressing Primary and Secondary (Master/Slave) IDE storage.
IDE to Dual CF Adapter
The MicroDrive Turbo comes standard with a 40 Pin IDE to Dual CF Adapter. Users
can control which of the Two CF Slots is Primary and Secondary using a Jumper on
the Adapter.
Note: The Dual mode feature is only available on Apple IIGS Personal Computer.
DMA
As the name implies, the MicroDrive Turbo performs Direct Memory Access which
bypasses the CPU and allows for an incredible 40% faster read and write speeds
when compared to conventional controllers.
With an accelerator installed in your IIGS you can boot GS/OS in as fast as 7 seconds!
The DMA option can be turned on or off using the Setup Utility.

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ProDOS 8 and 16
The MicroDrive Turbo is ProDOS compatible. It's recognized as a Standard Mass
Storage Device just like any Hard Disk Drive on your Apple II. Large Volume DOS
3.3 support is provided through the use of a program called DOS.MASTER
(preloaded on CF Card).
Boot Options
By default, Volume 1 is set to boot. However, when setting up a New CF Card the
user sets which Volume they desire to boot. Or on an existing CF Card the Setup
utility can modify the default boot Volume. The MicroDrive Turbo also offers a
temporary option to boot to ANY volume.
When powering on the Apple II the user will press and hold the key. This will
pause the MicroDrive Turbo's splash screen.
The user then presses the corresponding Volume's number key, and the MicroDrive
Turbo will boot to that Volume.
Apple IIGS and Apple IIe Enhanced Operation
The MicroDrive Turbo comes standard with the Apple IIGS Firmware. You can
however order one with Apple IIe Firmware, or buy an upgrade ROM to convert a
IIGS MicroDrive Turbo for use in an Apple IIe Enhanced.

MicroDrive Turbo
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Setup Utility
Make a Backup Copy
Before using your MicroDrive Turbo, make a backup of the MicroDrive Turbo Setup
Utility. Without this Utility you will be unable to re-setup the CF Card(s) should your
run into problems or accidentally format the original copy.
Note: It is advised to make copies of the Setup Utility (Backup floppy).
Step by Step Instructions:
1
Upon booting the MicroDrive Turbo you will be taken to Volume 1
which holds the ProDOS 8 utilities. You will see menu item named
COPYIIPLUS9.1
2 Using the Arrow keys highlight the item and press .
3 Press the letter to select COPY, and the letter for FILES.
4 Use the Arrow keys to select the Slot where you installed the
MicroDrive Turbo, and Drive 1. Press .
5
Use the Arrow keys to select the Slot and Drive where your backup
floppy is located. Press . You will see a folder named
MICRODRIVE.
6 Using the Arrow keys highlight the folder and press . You will
see a file called MICRODRV.SETUP
7 Using the Arrow keys highlight the file and press .
8
Press the letter to start the Copy Process. This assumes your
Floppy Disk is preformatted with ProDOS. If not, then you can use
Copy II Plus to also format the Disk.

MicroDrive Turbo
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Installation
Apple IIGS
When installing the MicroDrive Turbo in your Apple IIGS a few things need to first be
taken into consideration.
For example, will you want to primary boot the MicroDrive Turbo, your Floppy
Drives, or other bootable devices installed in your system?
For most installations users will want to boot primarily to the MicroDrive Turbo. In
this case we recommend installing the MicroDrive Turbo in Slot 7.
And when you want to boot to the Floppy Drives hold down the key on boot.
This allows the IIGS to skip booting the MicroDrive Turbo and move on to checking
the other bootable devices such as a floppy disk drive.
For other configurations, the good news is that the Apple IIGS allows a lot of
flexibility when it comes to booting. You will need to decide however what is the
best to meet your needs.
If not installing the MicroDrive Turbo in Slot 7, then we usually recommend Slot 2.
By default, the IIGS is set to use Slot 2 for a Modem. Since most users no longer use
a Modem, Slot 2 is a good choice. The default setting in the Apple IIGS will need to
be changed in order for the MicroDrive Turbo to work in Slot 2.
To edit the settings or change the way your Apple IIGS boots you will need to enter
the Control Panel.
There are a couple of ways to do this:
A
Hold down the Option key on the keyboard and power on the IIGS. Select 1
for the Control Panel. Press to select Control Panel. Once in the Control
Panel use the Arrow keys to select the Slots Menu and press .
B
Power on the IIGS and at any time hold down the Key and keys, then
press the key. Press to select Control Panel. Once in the Control
Panel use the Arrow keys to select the Slots Menu and press .
Most Apple IIGS Computers will be set to the default configuration, denoted by the
Check Mark on the left of the option. Use the ↑↓keys to select an option, then
←→keys to set the option.
Be sure to press when done to save any changes.

MicroDrive Turbo
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There is nothing needed to use the MicroDrive Turbo in Slot 7. It is already defaulted
to Your Card. There is also no need to change the Startup Option if it is set to Slot
7or Scan.
If, however you want to use the MicroDrive Turbo in Slot 2 you will need to change
the Slot setting to Your Card.
And if you would like the Apple IIGS to boot the MicroDrive Turbo in Slot 2 then you
will also need to change the Startup Option to Slot 2.
Be sure to press when done to save any changes.
☛
The Startup Option in the Control Panel allows you to control how the Apple
IIGS looks for bootable devices when powered on. Scan will tell the Computer
to look from Slot 7 to Slot 1.
☛Selecting Slot X,(Xrefers to the Slot number) will tell the computer to ONLY
boot that Slot. If no bootable devices are found, then the Apple IIGS will report
Check startup device!
☛
You can however tell the IIGS to boot from another Slot by breaking into
BASIC (hold down the key and press the Reset key), then type
PR#X and press the key, (Xrefers to the Slot number).
☛The MicroDrive Turbo allows the IIGS to skip trying to boot it by holding down
the key on boot.

MicroDrive Turbo
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Apple IIe Enhanced
When installing the MicroDrive Turbo in your Apple IIe a few things need to first be
taken into consideration.
For example, will you want to primary boot the MicroDrive Turbo, your Floppy
Drives, or other bootable devices installed in your system?
For most installations users will want to boot primary to the MicroDrive Turbo. In this
case we recommend installing the MicroDrive Turbo in Slot 7.
When you want to boot to an external floppy drive(s) simply hold down the key
during the boot-up sequence. This allows the Apple IIe to Skip booting the
MicroDrive Turbo and move on to checking the floppy drive(s) or possible other
bootable devices in lower numbered Slots.
If, however you install the MicroDrive Turbo in another Slot then it may not boot and
depends on what other bootable devices are installed in your Apple IIe Computer.
You can however tell the Apple IIe to boot to another Slot
by breaking into BASIC if needed.
1 Hold the key and press the key.
2 Then type PR#X and press the key, (X is the Slot number).

MicroDrive Turbo
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CF Backup & Restore
One important feature of the MicroDrive Turbo the ability to remove the CF Card(s)
and use CiderPress to back up the Volumes on it.
To do this you will need the following:
✔CiderPress installed on your PC or Mac Computer.
✔USB Card Reader that supports CF Cards.
32Meg Volume Images or whole CF Card images can be downloaded from the
following wiki link: ReActiveMicro 32 Meg Hard Drive Image
Using the Setup Utility
Installation:
The MicroDrive Turbo is shipped Pre-Setup. Just install in any Slot. It is
recommended that Slot 7 be used if possible since you will most likely want to boot
from the MicroDrive Turbo more often than your Floppy Drive(s).
And when you want to boot to a Floppy Drive(s):
1 During the boot-up procedure, press and hold .
This will bypass the MicroDrive Turbo in favor of the Floppy Drive(s).
2
Apple IIGS users may need to make a change to Slot settings in the Control
Panel. To access the Control Panel first boot the IIGS, then press and hold
down the key, key, and then press the .

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Setup Utility: Be sure to back-up the MicroDrive Turbo Setup utility to floppy!
This disk will be for backup purposes or if you need to setup a New CF Card.
1 Upon booting the MicroDrive Turbo you will be taken to Volume which holds
the ProDOS 8 utilities. You will see a folder named SHRINK.IT
2 Using the Arrow keys to highlight the folder and press . You will now see
a file called SHRINK.IT.V3.4
3 Press to Execute it.
4 Press the letter to open an archive. MICRODRV.IIE.S1 is for a 5¼" disk.
MICRODRV.TURBO is for a 3½" disk.
5 Select One and press Twice.
6
Next Select the Drive on which to write. When done be sure to boot the disk
and run the Setup utility to make sure it restored correctly. Repeat the above
process if needed.
✓Done!
If you require a Setup utility disk be mailed to you, there will be a charge.
Email: ReActiveMicro for more information.

MicroDrive Turbo
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Check The DMA Setting: It is advised to check the DMA setting in the Setup utility
to make sure it is set correctly. Usually there isn't any issue, however you can
experience data corruption or loss if the setting is not correct.
1 Upon booting the MicroDrive Turbo you will be taken to Volume 1 which holds
the ProDOS 8 utilities. You will see a folder named MICRODRIVE.
2 Using the Arrowkeys highlight the folder and press .
3 You will now see a file called MICRODRV.SETUP. Press to execute it.
4 Press the letter to select DMA Mode. If it's set currently to your Apple II,
then you are finished. If not, then continue to the next step.
5 Press to change the setting. For Apple IIe users select Enable.
6 Press the letter to Select Write Configuration.
7 Press , then the letter to Save the New Configuration.
✓Done!
Note: Set DMA Mode to "Disable" to experience the performance loss of your Apple
II System if you were using a Non-DMA Mass Storage Device. DMA
Performance is the key feature that you get with the MicroDrive Turbo, only
from ReActiveMicro.
The Pre-setup and Pre-loaded CF Card: The MicroDrive Turbo comes with a Pre-
Setup CF Card which has 4 ProDOS Volumes on it. The CF Card comes pre-loaded
the same for the Apple IIGS or IIe.
Volume 1 has ProDOS 8 Utilities loaded on it and is bootable into ProDOS 8.
Volume 2 has GS/OS v6.0.1 loaded on it and is bootable. You will need at
least 1Meg of RAM in order to RUN GS/OS or you will be forced to exit.
Volume 3 has DOS.MASTER loaded on it and is bootable into ProDOS 8 which
loads BASIC. You will see a folder called DOS.MASTER.
Volume 4 is formatted in ProDOS and is not bootable.
Note: You can setup more volumes on the CF Card if you wish, however you will
quickly run out of Slots under ProDOS 8.
ProDOS maps each Volume to a Slot and Drive, the same as what is done with the
Floppy Drives. So the current 4 Volumes take up 2 Slots, which have 2 Drives each.
If you don't have many peripheral cards in your Apple II then adding more Volumes
may not pose a problem. However, users which have other devices in Slots which get
a Volume mapped to them may not be able to use the card or the Volume.

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Boot to Other Volumes: The MicroDrive Turbo comes set to boot to Volume 1 by
default. You can however temporary boot to other Volumes on the CF Card.
1 Hold down the key when powering on the Apple II. This will pause the
MicroDrive Turbo's splash screen.
2
Lastly press the corresponding Volume's number key. The MicroDrive Turbo
will boot to that Volume. You can also use the Setup utility to make booting to
another Volume the current setting.
3 Upon booting the MicroDrive Turbo you will be taken to Volume 1 which holds
the ProDOS 8 utilities. You will see folder named MICRODRIVE.
4 Using the Arrow keys highlight the folder and press . You will now see a
file called MICRODRV.SETUP.
5 Press to execute it.
6 Press the letter to select Default Boot Volume.
7 Press to change the setting to the desired NEW boot Volume.
8 Press the letter to select Write Configuration.
9 Press , then the letter to Save the New Configuration.
✓Done!

MicroDrive Turbo
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Adding Volumes to CF Card: To add more Volumes to your CF Card.
1 Upon booting the MicroDrive Turbo you will be taken to Volume 1 which holds
the ProDOS 8 utilities. You will see a folder named MICRODRIVE.
2 Using the Arrow keys to highlight the folder and press . You will now see
a file called MICRODRV.SETUP
3 Press to execute it.
4 Press the letter to select Partition Editor. You will immediately be taken to
the Partition Table area on the right side of the screen.
5 Press the letter to add a New Volume. Press the key for available
commands.
6 Press and hold both Apple keys, then press the →key. The Blk Size and
Dec/Hex column values will start to change.
7 Keep pressing the →Right Arrow key till the Blk Size reads $010000. Release
the Apple keys.
8
Press the ←key once. The Blk Size should now read $00FFFF. ProDOS can
only use UP TO 32Megs of space. $00FFFF is 32Meg in Blocks. You cannot use
volumes larger than 32Megs.
9 Press the letter to delete any volumes or to Start Over.
10 Press the letter twice if you DO NOT want to save your changes and exit.
Repeat the above steps if you want to add more Volumes.
11 Press the letter to select Write Configuration.
12 Press , then the letter to save the New Configuration.
✓Done!
Note: Don't forget you will need to Format any New Volumes before those volumes
can be used to store files.

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Deleting Volumes from CF Card: To remove Volumes from your CF Card.
1
Upon booting the MicroDrive Turbo you will be taken to Volume 1
which holds the ProDOS 8 utilities. You will see a folder named
MICRODRIVE. Using the Arrow keys highlight the folder and press .
You will now see a file called MICRODRV.SETUP
2 Press to execute it.
3 Press the letter to select Partition Editor. You will immediately be taken to
the Partition Table area on the right side of the screen.
4 Use the Arrow keys to select the Volume you want to delete.
5 Press the letter to delete the Volume.
6 Press the letter twice if you DO NOT want to save your Changes and exit.
Repeat the above steps if you want to add more Volumes.
7 Press the letter to select Write Configuration.
8 Press , then the letter to save the new configuration.
✓Done!
Setting Up a New CF Card: To use a new CF Card (or one that has been accidentally
formatted on your PC) you must first partition it.
However, if you do not have an existing bootable CF Card or a backup of the
MicroDrive Turbo Setup Utility on Floppy Disk then you will need to contact
ReActiveMicro support in order to obtain a new CF Card which is preloaded, or a
Diskette with the Setup Utility.
If you have the Setup Utility, then see Adding Volumes to CF Card: above.