THE MGT LIFETIME DISC DRIVE
The Multi-Computer Disc Drive
suitable for use with the
* Acorn BBC * Spectrum * QL * Atari ST * Amiga *
* Amstrad PC * IBM PC and Compatibles *
from
Miles Gordon Technology Ltd
USER MANUAL
© MGT 1989
Notice
This manual, and the information contained herein, is copyright
material and may not be reproduced, transcribed, stored in a
retrieval system, translated into any language or computer
language, or transmitted in any form whatsoever without the prior
written consent of Miles Gordon Technology Ltd.
This manual is intended to provide the user with detailed
information adequate for the efficient installation and operation
of the equipment involved. However, while every effort has been
taken to ensure accuracy, the manufacturer assumes no liability
resulting from errors or omissions in this manual, or from the
use of the information contained herein.
Miles Gordon Technology Ltd reserves the right both to change the
specifications of the Lifetime Drive and to revise this
publication from time to time without obligation to notify any
person of such revision or changes.
All trade-marks and registered names used in this manual are
gratefully acknowledged.
Issue 1 April 1989
Page 1
INDEX
Introduction to the Lifetime Drive and MGT ..... 3
How the Lifetime Drive Works ................... 3
Types of Lifetime Drive ........................ 4
What Your Lifetime Drive Package should contain 5
Double-Sided, Double Density, 80 Track ......... 6
How Many Drives Are You Using? ................. 7
Setting up your Lifetime Drive for use with the:
Amstrad PC 1512/1640 ........................... 8
IBM PC and Compatibles ......................... 9
Amiga .......................................... 10
Atari ST ....................................... 11
Acorn Range .................................... 12
Sinclair QL .................................... 13
Spectrum Range ................................. 14
What If Things Go Wrong? ....................... 15
Other MGT Products ............................. 16
Lifetime Drive Specifications .................. 17
Figures 1 - 10 ................................. 18
Page 2
INTRODUCTION TO THE LIFETIME DRIVE AND MGT
Thank you for buying the MGT Lifetime Disc Drive - a product
which we believe offers an innovative solution to those who use
more than one computer, or are planning to do so in the future.
What's different about the Lifetime is that we've made it
compatible with a whole range of different computers - the
Spectrum (we suggest you use our PLUS D Disc/Printer Interface
with the Lifetime), the BBC, the QL, the Atari ST, the Amiga, and
most PCs. In the case of the last three categories, no separate
disc interface will be required; the Spectrum, the QL and some
BBC computers do require a separate interface.
There are a great number of different computers available, and
there may be others which work with the Lifetime range. If so,
please let us know. Equally, you may discover a computer which
you would expect to work with the Lifetime, but does not. Again,
your input would be helpful.
If you run into installation difficulties, your local dealer
should be able to help. However, if there are problems you
cannot solve, or if there are comments you would like to pass on,
please do not hesitate to call us at MGT. Our Customer Support
team is on 0792-791100 from Monday to Friday between 0900 and
1800. The Guarantee Form will tell you what to do if you get
into serious difficulty.
HOW THE LIFETIME DRIVE WORKS
To enable the Lifetime Drive to work with a range of computers,
we've fitted an external socket at the back of the Drive to which
you attach any one of a special series of MGT drive cables.
These in turn connect to your computers.
You'll also notice a set of red micro-switches at the back of the
Drive. These are connected to a printed circuit board inside the
casing. By changing the positions of these switches, as described
later, you set up the drive to work with your particular system.
In some cases, you'll need to make small changes to your
computer's Disc Operating System to inform it that you are now
using a floppy disc drive or a second drive. Generally, these
changes will be well described in your computer manual, but we
also give guidance here, together with a few additional hints and
tips.
Page 3
TYPES OF LIFETIME DRIVE
Four types of Lifetime Drive available from Spring 1989:
* THE LIFETIME 350 PA - a 3.5" disc drive with an
internal power supply.
* THE LIFETIME 350 NA - a 3.5" drive with no internal
power supply, but with a socket to
which an external power supply may be
fitted.
* THE LIFETIME 525 WA - a 5.25" drive with an internal
power supply.
* THE LIFETIME 525 XA - a 5.25" drive with no internal
power supply, but with a socket for
an external power supply.
Why four models? Well, in the first place there are some people
who will use software saved in the 5.25" format; others may have
data on 3.5" discs. You may, if you wish, use a 3.5" Lifetime
Drive together with your computer's internal 5.25" drive, or vide
versa. Using a combination of this sort will allow you to
transfer your files from one format to another.
Then, there are some computers - notably the Amiga - which supply
the disc drive with electrical power - no further power source is
required, so the 350 NA or 525 XA may be more appropriate.
(Incidentally, don't worry if you want to use the PA or the WA
with a computer that supplies its own power, like the Amiga: the
Lifetime automatically senses this and continues to work.)
Customers outside the UK may also prefer to buy the Lifetime
without a power supply and to add their own regulated 5 volt
power supply instead. (Regulated 5 volt power supplies are
widely available in high street electrical retailers in the UK
too.)
To confirm which model you have, check the model number on the
outer box. The serial number on the underside of the Drive
itself will also being with a P (for PA), an N, a W, or an X as
appropriate.
Page 4
WHAT YOUR LIFETIME DRIVE PACKAGE SHOULD CONTAIN
* THE LIFETIME DRIVE itself
* This manual.
* A dust cover - use this when the drive is not in use as
extra security to prevent dust and dirt entering the
drive mechanism.
* A single 3.5" or 5.25" disc as appropriate.
* A Guarantee Registration card. Be sure to read this
carefully and to return the reply coupon to us
immediately. FAILURE TO DO THIS COULD INVALIDATE YOUR
GUARANTEE.
You will also need the appropriate Lifetime Drive cables to
connect the drive to your computers.
* * * * *
In the next sections, we describe how to install your Lifetime
Drive. Read the section for your computer very carefully.
PLEASE BE PARTICULARLY CAREFUL TO FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS ABOUT
WHEN TO TURN THE ELECTRICAL POWER ON OR OFF.
In case of any difficulty in installation, please contact your
dealer or MGT.
Page 5
DOUBLE-SIDED, DOUBLE DENSITY, 80-TRACK
Lifetime drives all have the capability to read both sides of a
double-sided disc. To do this, there are two heads inside the
drive mechanism itself, in the same way that you find two heads
in a compact disc player. IT IS NOT NECESSARY TO TURN THE DISC
OVER WHEN YOU WISH TO READ THE SECOND SIDE WITH A 3.5" OR 5.25"
DISC DRIVE. In most cases, the heads are automatically brought
into use by the computer and the disc interface. And when you
display a catalogue, the listing will normally display the
contents of both sides of the disc, without telling you what's on
the first side and what's on the second. Only in the case of the
BBC B computer is it necessary to identify the two sides of the
disc separately.
Lifetime Drives operate in double density. This is standard for
most disc drives available today. Earlier single density drives
stored half the amount of material in the same space on the disc,
Finally, Lifetime Drives are 80-track mechanisms. The tracks are
the number of "grooves" on the magnetic disc. (The grooves on a
disc are separate and concentric - unlike the single groove on a
long-playing record.) Some computers ask you to specify whether
you are using a 40-track or 80-track disc drive in the
installation process - and indeed some, including the PC and
compatibles, assume that you are using a 40-track drive. In some
cases also, you may find that you need to read from a disc which
has been saved on a 40-track 5.25" mechanism, which was standard
for several years. For this reason, the Lifetime 525 drives
feature a 40/80 track switch on the front of the unit. Switch to
40-track if you wish to read a disc saved in the 40-track format.
If you decide to work with 40 tracks rather than 80, the amount
of data you can save on a disc is halved - on a PC you will have
a 360K instead of a 720K capacity, for example.
To get the best performance, we recommend that you use discs
which allow for 80-track, double-sided, double density
performance. In the case of 5.25" discs, these are also referred
to as 96 t.p.i. (tracks per inch), while standard 3.5" discs are
135 t.p.i. MGT-brand discs are guaranteed to give excellent
performance.
Page 6
HOW MANY DRIVES ARE YOU USING?
Many of you will already have a disc drive installed in your
computer and will be using the Lifetime Drive as your second unit
for backup or additional storage. Others may not have a drive
already and will be using their Lifetime Drive as their only
drive unit.
It makes a difference whether the Lifetime is your first or
second drive in use. In the first place, when you type in a
Basic command on your computer, you will need to state which
drive you wish to read from or write to. Some computers refer to
the first drive in use as A and the second as B, while others
refer to the first drive as 0 and the second as 1. (This is
confusing, but it's the terminology tha the hardware developers
choose to use; to make matters worse - or better, depending on
your point of view - other machines refer to the first drive as 1
and the second as 2.) Your computer manual will tell you how to
address your drive; and our notes below also give guidance.
But it's also important to set up the drive mechanism as either
the first or second drive in use. Essentially, the drive needs
to be able to respond to the signals which are sent to it.
That's why the left-hand switch in the bank of micro-swithces on
the Lifetime Drive is used to select whether it is your first or
second drive. In our illustrations at the back of this manual we
show where the switch should be for either Drive 1 - the only or
first drive in use - or Drive 2 - the second drive in use.
IF YOUR LFIETIME DRIVE APPEARS NOT TO BE RESPONDING TO BASIC
COMMANDS AFTER INSTALLATION, PLEASE CHECK THAT YOU HAVE SET THE
MICRO-SWITCHES CORRECTLY - CHECK WHETHER YOU'VE GOT IT SET AS
DRIVE 1 OR 2.
If you wish to use the Lifetime Drive as either a third or fourth
floppy drive - some computers allow this - please contact MGT for
further instructions.
Page 7
AMSTRAD PC 1512/1640
Your Lifetime Drive must be one with a power supply to use with
the Amstrad PCs.
* Before connecting the Lifetime Drive set the
micro-switches at the back of the Drive as shown in
Figure 8 (or 7 if the Lifetime is to serve as drive A).
* Disconnect the power to the Amstrad computer and remove
the top cover.
* Look at the Lifetime Drive cable - which must be the
version for the Amstrad PC. You'll see a small card at
one end of the cable, which slots into the drive
connector inside the computer. You'll be able to
identify the connector in the computer because it's at
the end of a multi-coloured stranded cable.
* Feed the cable end of the Lifetime Drive cable through
one of the expansion slots at the back of the computer
and fit it into the drive connector inside the
computer. Now you can replace the computer's top
cover.
* Connect the other end of the Drive cable to the
connector on the Lifetime Drive. Pull the metal ears
into the lugs on the Drive conenctor to make the
attachment secure.
* Turn the power on at the back of the Lifetime drive.
The red power switch will then light up. Now you can
turn the computer on and boot up the system.
* For the computer to recognise the drive you now need to
add an extra command to the CONFIG.SYS file on your
main directory or disc. Using EDLIN as described in
your MSDOS manual add the command:
DRIVPARM=/D:N/F:2
where N=0 if you want to setup the Lifetime as Drive
A, and 1 if you want to set it up as drive B. Ignore
/F:2 if you are formatting to 360K with 525 models)
* You must now reboot your computer. Use Ctrl, Alt, Del.
When the A> prompt (or C> for hard disc users) appears,
you can format a blank disc on the Lifetime drive by
typing FORMAT B: and proceeding using all the standard
disc commands. But check that you've set the switches
on the Lifetime correctly - in case you start to format
the wrong disc!
Page 8
IBM PC AND COMPATIBLES
Your Lifetime Drive must have a power supply to be used with PCs
and compatibles.
* Turn all power off, and remove the cover from your
computer. Inside the computer, locate the cable that is
connected to your internal drive.
* Feed the Lifetime Drive cable through one of the
expandsion slots at the back of your computer. Connect
the circuit board at the end of the Lifetime Drive
cable to the empty socket on the cable that is
connected to your internal drive. You can now replace
the computer cover.
* Set the micro-switches on the Lifetime drive as shown
in Figure 8 (Fig 7 to set the Lifetime as Drive A.
Note the different switch settings for ATs showin in
Figure 9 and 10.)
* Turn the Lifetime Drive on using the red switch at the
back of the drive. The switch will light up. Then
turn the computer on and boot up your system as usual.
* You now have to add a command to your CONFIG.SYS file.
Copy the file DRIVER.SYS to your root directory if you
have a hard disk. Using EDLIN as described in your
computer manual, inser the following line:
DEVICE=DRIVER.SYS/D:N/F:2
where N=0 if you wish to set the Lifetime as Drive A,
N=1 to set the Lifetime as Drive B.
On some versions of MSDOS the DEVICE DRIVER command is
replaced by
DRIVPARAM =/D:N/F:2
(Ignore the /F:2 if formatting to 360K with the 525
model.)
* You must now reboot your comptuer. Use Ctrl, Alt, Del.
When the A> prompt (or C> for hard disc users), appears
you can format a blank disc on the Lifetime drive by
typing FORMAT B: and proceeding using all the standard
disc commands. But check that you've set the switches
on the Lifetime correctly - in case you start to format
the wrong disc!
If your Lifetime Drive appears not to work with the PC at first,
turn the power off, disconnect the Lifetime cable from the
connector inside the computer, and then reconnect it the other
way round. Power up and try again.
Page 9
AMIGA
With the Amiga you can use the Lifetime drive without a power
supply. But it doesn't matter if you use the versions with a
power supply. It is unlikely that you would use a Lifetime 525
Drive with the Amiga, unless you were running a PC emulation as
described in the Amiga manual.
* Set up the Amiga as described in the Amiga manual but
do not power up.
* Connect the Lifetime Drive cable to the Amiga and the
Lifetime Drive, set the microswitches on the Drive as
shown in Figure 6 and turn the power on at the back of
the drive.
* Put the Amiga Workstation Disk in the internal drive
and the Extras Disc in the Lifetime Drive. Then turn
the computer on. The usual screen will appear with an
extra icon marked DF1:EXTRAS.
* To format a blank disc, place a blank disc in the
Lifetime drive and the extra icon on the screen should
then say DF1:BAD. Position the arrow cursor on the
screen over the icon marked DFI:BAD and press the
left-hand button on the mouse. The icon will then
change colour. Position the cursor over the title bar
at the top of the screen. Then hold down the right
hand button on the mouse and move the cursor to the
word DISK. When the menu appears, move the cursor to
the word INITIALIZE and release the button. Another
menu appears: place the cursor to the box marked
CONTINUE and press the left-hand button on the mouse.
The menu reappears: select CONTINUE. The screen
will confirm that the disc is being formatted. When it
has finished formatting the cursor returns to the main
screen.
All standard disc commands will work by replacing
the normal DF0 command with DF1 when you wish to use the
Lifetime drive.
Page 10
ATARI ST
You will need a Lifetime drive with a power supply to work with
the Atari ST.
* Connect the Atari as described in the Atari manual, but
do not power up.
* Set the micro-switches on the Lifetime drive as shown
in Figure 5, and connect the Lifetime Drive cable to the
computer and drive.
* Plug the Lifetime drive into the mains and turn on at
the back of the drive.
* Turn the computer on with the boot disk in the internal
drive. The usual menu appears on the screen with an
extra disc drive present. Your drive is now ready
use will all the standard disc drive commands, but when
you wish to use a Lifetime Drive, refer to it as
drive B instead of drive A.
* To format a disc in drive B, place a blank disc in the
Lifetime Drive, then move the arrow cursor to the
symbol for disc drive B. Press the left-hand button on
the mouse and move the cursor to the word FILE at the
top of the screen. A menu will appear. Position the
cursor over the word FORMAT at the bottom of the menu
and press the left-hand button on the mouse. A warning
screen will appear to remind you not to format a disc
that contains valuable data. To continue, position the
cursor over the box marked OK and press the left-hand
button. A FORMAT menu will appear which enables you to
type a "DOUBLE SIDED" and press the left-hand mouse button:
the box will then be highlighted with inverse white on
black. To start formatting, place the cursor over the
box marked FORMAT and press the left-hand button. When
formatting is complete, place the cursor over the box
marked EXIT, press the left-hand mouse button and the
original screen will be restored, ready for you to
start work.
Page 11
THE ACORN RANGE
Acorn computers should be used with the 350 PA or 525 WA.
The Lifetime Drive will work with the BBC B, the Master and the
Compact computers from Acorn. Usually, your computer will come
ready-fitted with a disc interface, although some of the earlier
BBC B models may not have an interface installed.
* With the power to the computer off, set the
micro-switches on the Lifetime Drive as shown in Figure
3 (or 4 if setting up the Lifetime as Drive B). Then
connect the Lifetime Drive and its cable to the
computer as instructed in the computer manual. Turn on
the power to the Lifetime Drive, then the power to the
computer.
* Depending on the model of computer you have, you will
probably see the letters DFS or ADFS towards the top
left-hand corner of the screen. This is an indication
that a disc interface is already installed in your
computer. If the letters do not appear, you will need
to cquire a disc interface. If your local stockist
cannot help you, please contact MGT for further
information.
* If you are not familar with the Acorn disc drive
commands, they will be displayed if you type:
* help DFS (or ADFS if appropriate)
The disc commands are also explained in your computer
manual.
* Unlike most other computers, the BBC B reads each side
of a disc in a double-sided disc drive as if it were
a separate disc drive. Thus, if you are using the
Lifetime Drive as Drive 0, the two sides of the disc
are referred to as 0 and 2; if the Lifetime is Drive 1,
the two sides are 1 and 3. This does not apply to the
Master and Compact computers.
* To format a disc, type:
* Enable
* F80 (or * F40 to format to 40 tracks)
Some BBC B models require a special boot disc in order
to format. If you know that the DFS interface is
present, but the Lifetime Drive appears not to work,
contact your dealer or MGT for further assistance.
Page 12
SINCLAIR QL
When using a Lifetime Drive with the QL, the drive must have its
own power supply (i.e. the PA or WA versions - or add an external
power supply to the MA or XA versions.)
To use the Sinclair QL with a disc drive, you'll need to add a
disc interface to your computer. Your dealer or the QL magazines
- or MGT - will be able to tell you which interfaces are
currently available.
The various disc interfaces are supplied with a manual and a
Tool-Kit. Amongst other things, the Tool-Kit normally allows you
to select the term FLP1_ or MDV1_ when addressing the disc drive.
We will not go into this here, since conventions vary from
interface to interface.
* When installing your Lifetime Drive, make sure as usual
that all power is turned off before connections are
made. Attach the Lifetime Drive and cable to the disc
interface, which itself is normally fitted into the
expansion socket on the left-hand side of the QL. Set
the micro-switches on the Lifetime Drive according to
Figure 1.
* When all connections have been made, turn on the power
to the Lifetime Drive, using the red switch at the back
of the unit. Then turn on the power to the computer.
* Then follow the instructions in your disc interface
manual.
Page 13
THE SPECTRUM RANGE
When used with Spectrum computers, the Lifetime Drive must have
its own internal (PA or WA) or external power supply.
For all version of the Spectrum except the +3, a separate
interface will be required - we recomment the MGT PLUS D
interface, which allows cassette software to be transferred to
disc and has excellent load/save rates. (With the Spectrum 128K
+2A or Spectrum +3, a seperate MGT interface - The Fixer - is
also required.)
* With all power off, connect the Lifetime Drive and
cable to the PLUS D, and the PLUS D to the computer as
described in the PLUS D manual.
* Set the Lifetime's micro-switches to the positions
shown in Figure 1.
* Turn on the power to the Lifetime Drive, using the red
switch at the back of the unit.
* Then turn on the computer, and follow the instructions
in the PLUS D manual. When setting up your Disc
Operating System, identify the Lifetime Drive as being
an 80-track, double-sided unit, which will give you a
capacity of 780K with the PLUS D. The stepping rate
can be set at 6 milliseconds, though the ideal access
time may vary slightly from system to system.
Experiment with between 3 and 8 milliseconds, until
your Lifetime Drive sounds as though it is operating
smoothly.
If you are using the Lifetime Drive with the Spectrum +3, the
capacity of the drive is limited by the internal interface in the
computer. However, using the Locomotive's CP/M for the +3, formatted
capacity can be increased to 706K. Micro-switch settings are as
normal for the Spectrum, althought you will of course have to set
up the Drive as the second in use. For installation, follow the
instructions in the +3 manual.
If you use the PLUS D/Lifetime/Fixer combination with the
Spectrum +3, Lifetime disc operations are only possible in 48K
mode, although with the +2a, 128K mode is available as well. In
both cases it will be possible to transfer software directly to
disc via the PLUS D.
Page 14
WHAT IF THINGS GO WRONG?
* If the Lifetime Drive appears not to be working, please
check the following carefully. (It may seem obvious,
but even the most experienced user can sometimes miss
the obvious.);
- Do the micro-switch settings correspond to those
shown in the illustration for your computer?
- Is the power switched on: the mains power, the On
switch on your computer and the disc drive?
- Is there a disc in the drive?
- Have you followed the instructions in this manual
and in your computer or disc interface manual
correctly?
If you've checked all this and you still can't work it
out, don't worry - we can help. There's a good chance
we'll have come across your difficulty before. Call
the MGT technical department, preferably between 3 p.m.
and 5 p.m., and be prepared to tell us:
- When you bought the Lifetime Drive?
- Whether you've ever had it working - with this
computer, or with any others?
- Which computer(s) you're using? Which interfaces
too, if you're using an external disc interface?
- Whether the on/off switch light and the disc
access light come on.
- Whether you've ever used another external disc
drive with your unit before?
- What micro-switch settings you've used.
And don't forget, if you find out anything new about the Lifetime
- that it works with computers we haven't mentioned, or in new
ways with those that we have - please let the team at MGT know!
Page 15
OTHER MGT PRODUCTS
MGT provides a wide range of other disc drive and data storage
products too. Talk to us or your dealer about:
* the MGT PLUS D - a disc/printer interface for
the Spectrum
* standard BBC (or Spectrum/QL) drives - 3.5" or
5.2" - single or dual format
* external 3.5" PC drives - 1 or 2 Mb
* replacement 3.5" drive kits for PCs with 5.25"
drives - a kit for easy internal installation
* multi 3.5"/5.25" external drive units
* bare 3.5" or 5.25" drives for hobbyists
* hard cards for PCs
We also supply MGT-brand discs, and disc boxes for your
libraries, as well as cleaning kits to prolong the life of the
heads on your disc drive.
Further details of our entire product range, together with the
names, addresses and phone numbers of accredited MGT dealers
nationwide are available when you send a stamped addressed
envelope to:
MGT (Data Division)
Lakeside
Phoneix Way
Swansea Enterprise Park
Swansea SA7 9EH
Page 16
LIFETIME DRIVE SPECIFICATIONS
350 Models
Unformatted Storage Capacity ........ 1 Mb Double Density
Data Transfer Rate .................. 250 Kbit/sec
Recording Dennsity .................. 8717 BPI
Recording Method .................... MFM
Track Density ....................... 135 TPI
Number of Cylinders ................. 80
Total No of Cylinders ............... 160
Rotational Speed .................... 300 rpm
Average Latency Time ................ 100 mSec
Motor Start Time .................... 0.5 sec
Access Time - Track to Track ........ 3/6 mSec
- Settling Time ......... 15 mSec
- Average with Settling . 94/173 mSec
DC Power Supply ..................... 3.5 - 5.5 Volts
Power Consumption - Standby Mode .... 25 mWatts
- Read/Write Mode . 1.8 Watts
Shock - Operating ................... 5 G
- Non-Operating ............... 60 G
Vibration - Operating ............... 5 - 100Hz / 2 G
100 - 500Hz / 0.5 G
- Non-Operating ........... 5 - 1000Hz / 4.5 G
Environmental: Ambient Temperature .. Operating 5 - 55 C
Storage -20 - 60 C
Relative Humidity ................... Operating 20 - 80%
Wet Bulb Maximum 29 C, No Condensation
Reliability: MTBF: 12,000 POH Min; MTTR: 30 Mins;
Life: 5 years
Media Life - Passes per Track ....... 3 x 10
- Insertions ............. 20,000 +
Error Rate SOFT: 10 HARD: 10 SEEK: 10
Page 17
FIGURES
ON OFF
--- ___
123456
(1) +D/QL -DRIVE A -_____
(2) +D/QL -DRIVE B _-____
(3) BBC - DRIVE A -_____
(4) BBC - DRIVE B _-____
(5) ATARI -_____
(6) AMIGA -_-_-_
(7) AMSTRAD + IBM - DRIVE A -_-_-_
(8) AMSTRAD + IBM - DRIVE B _--_-_
(9) IBM AT - DISC READY,PIN 34 _-_-__
(10) IBM AT - DISC READY,PIN 2 _--_-_
Transcribed by Damien Guard, 2003.