Maxtor D540X 4K Users Manual 01 AT Book

D540X-4K d540x-4k_ata100_manual

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2015-02-09

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© November 1, 2001 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® and No Quibble Service® are registered trademarks of Maxtor Corporation, registered in
the U.S.A. and other countries. Maxtor D540X-4K, 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
restrictions 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-INFRINGE-
MENT.
You can request Maxtor publications from your Maxtor Sales Representative or order them directly from
Maxtor.
Publication Number: 81-126201-02
Corporate Headquarters:
510 Cottonwood Drive
Milpitas, California 95035
Tel: 408-432-1700
Fax: 408-432-4510
Research and Development Center:
2190 Miller Drive
Longmont, Colorado 80501
Tel: 303-651-6000
Fax: 303-678-2165
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 Center at 800-2MAXTOR or 408-922-2085.
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 temperature.
3 During handling, NEVER drop, jar, or bump a drive.
4 Once a drive is removed from the Maxtor shipping container, IMMEDIATELY secure the
drive through its mounting holes within a chassis. Otherwise, store the drive on a padded,
grounded, antistatic surface.
5NEVER switch DC power onto the drive by plugging an electrically live DC source cable into
the drive's connector. NEVER connect a live bus to the drive's 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.
Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT v
1.1 AUDIENCE............................................................................................................. 1-1
1.2 MANUAL ORGANIZATION................................................................................ 1-1
1.3 TERMINOLOGY AND CONVENTIONS ........................................................... 1-1
1.4 REFERENCES........................................................................................................ 1-3
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
3.1 SPACE REQUIREMENTS..................................................................................... 3-1
3.2 UNPACKING INSTRUCTIONS........................................................................... 3-2
3.3 HARDWARE OPTIONS ....................................................................................... 3-4
3.3.1 Cable Select (CS) Jumper .................................................................................3-5
3.3.2 Drive Select (DS) Jumper .................................................................................3-6
3.3.3 Master Jumper configuration .............................................................................3-6
3.3.4 Jumper Parking (PK) Position ...........................................................................3-6
3.3.5 Alternate Capacity (AC) ...................................................................................3-7
3.4 ATA BUS ADAPTER.............................................................................................. 3-8
3.4.1 40-Pin ATA Bus Connector .............................................................................3-8
3.4.2 Adapter Board ..................................................................................................3-8
3.5 MOUNTING THE DRIVE ON PERSONAL COMPUTERS.............................. 3-9
3.5.1 Orientation .......................................................................................................3-9
3.5.2 Clearance .......................................................................................................3-11
3.5.3 Ventilation ..................................................................................................... 3-11
3.6 COMBINATION CONNECTOR (J1)................................................................. 3-11
3.6.1 DC Power (J1, Section A) ..............................................................................3-12
3.6.2 External Drive Activity LED ..........................................................................3-12
3.6.3 ATA Bus Interface Connector (J1, Section C) ................................................3-12
3.7 FOR SYSTEMS WITH A MOTHERBOARD ATA ADAPTER ........................ 3-13
3.8 FOR SYSTEMS WITH AN ATA ADAPTER BOARD....................................... 3-13
3.8.1 Adapter Board Installation ...............................................................................3-13
Table of Contents
vi Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT
3.9 TECHNIQUES IN DRIVE CONFIGURATION................................................ 3-16
3.9.1 The 528-Megabytes Barrier ............................................................................3-16
3.9.2 The 8.4-Gigabytes Barrier ...............................................................................3-16
3.9.3 Operating system limitations ...........................................................................3-17
3.10 SYSTEM STARTUP AND OPERATION ........................................................... 3-17
4.1 SPECIFICATION SUMMARY............................................................................... 4-1
4.2 FORMATTED CAPACITY.................................................................................... 4-4
4.3 DATA TRANSFER RATES.................................................................................... 4-4
4.4 TIMING SPECIFICATIONS................................................................................... 4-5
4.5 POWER................................................................................................................... 4-6
4.5.1 Power Sequencing ............................................................................................4-6
4.5.2 Power Reset Limits ..........................................................................................4-6
4.5.3 Power Requirements ........................................................................................4-7
4.6 ACOUSTICS............................................................................................................ 4-8
4.7 MECHANICAL ....................................................................................................... 4-9
4.8 ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS.................................................................... 4-9
4.9 SHOCK AND VIBRATION................................................................................. 4-10
4.10 HANDLING the DRIVE ....................................................................................... 4-11
4.11 RELIABILITY........................................................................................................ 4-11
4.12 ELECTROMAGNETIC SUSCEPTIBILITY......................................................... 4-12
4.13 SPINDLE IMBALANCE........................................................................................ 4-12
4.14 DISK ERRORS ..................................................................................................... 4-12
5.1 MAXTOR D540X-4K DRIVE MECHANISM....................................................... 5-1
5.1.1 Base Casting Assembly ......................................................................................5-3
5.1.2 DC Motor Assembly .........................................................................................5-3
5.1.3 Disk Stack Assemblies .......................................................................................5-3
5.1.1 Base Casting Assembly ......................................................................................5-3
5.1.2 DC Motor Assembly .........................................................................................5-3
5.1.3 Disk Stack Assemblies .......................................................................................5-3
5.1.4 Headstack Assembly ..........................................................................................5-5
5.1.5 Rotary Positioner Assembly ..............................................................................5-5
5.1.6 Automatic Actuator Lock ..................................................................................5-5
5.1.7 Air Filtration .....................................................................................................5-6
5.2 DRIVE ELECTRONICS......................................................................................... 5-6
5.2.1 µProcessor ........................................................................................................5-7
5.2.2 Digital Synchronous Spoke ...............................................................................5-7
5.2.3 Error Correction Code (ECC) Control .............................................................5-7
5.2.4 Formatter ..........................................................................................................5-7
5.2.5 Buffer Controller ..............................................................................................5-8
Table of Contents
Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT vii
5.2.6 Servo Processor ................................................................................................5-8
5.2.7 Read/Write Interface .......................................................................................5-8
5.2.8 ATA Interface Controller .................................................................................5-8
5.2.9 Motor Controller .............................................................................................5-8
5.3 Read/Write ASIC..................................................................................................... 5-8
5.3.1 Pre-Compensator .............................................................................................5-9
5.3.2 Variable Gain Amplifier (VGA) ........................................................................5-9
5.3.3 Butterworth Filter ............................................................................................5-9
5.3.4 FIR (Finite Impulse Response) Filter ................................................................5-9
5.3.5 Flash A/D Converter ........................................................................................5-9
5.3.6 Viterbi Detector ...............................................................................................5-9
5.3.7 ENDEC ...........................................................................................................5-9
5.3.8 Servo Processor ................................................................................................5-9
5.3.9 Clock Synthesizer .............................................................................................5-9
5.3.10 PLL ..................................................................................................................5-9
5.3.11 Serial Interface ................................................................................................5-10
5.3.12 TA Detection and Correction .........................................................................5-10
5.3.13 PreAmplifier and Write Driver .......................................................................5-10
5.4 FIRMWARE FEATURES..................................................................................... 5-10
5.4.1 Disk Caching ..................................................................................................5-10
5.4.2 Head and Cylinder Skewing ...........................................................................5-12
5.4.3 Error Detection and Correction ......................................................................5-14
6.1 INTRODUCTION................................................................................................. 6-1
6.2 MECHANICAL INTERFACE................................................................................ 6-1
6.2.1 Signal Cable and Connector .............................................................................6-1
6.3 ELECTRICAL INTERFACE .................................................................................. 6-1
6.3.1 ATA Bus Interface ............................................................................................6-1
6.4 REGISTER ADDRESS DECODING..................................................................... 6-2
6.5 COMMAND INTERFACE..................................................................................... 6-2
6.5.1 General Feature Set ..........................................................................................6-2
6.5.2 Multiword DMA ..............................................................................................6-3
6.5.3 Ultra DMA Feature Set ....................................................................................6-3
6.5.4 Power Management Feature Set .......................................................................6-3
6.5.5 Security Mode Feature Set ................................................................................6-4
6.5.6 Self-monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting (SMART) Feature Set ......................6-4
6.5.7 Host Protected Area Feature Set .......................................................................6-4
6.5.8 Automatic Acoustic Management Feature Set ...................................................6-4
6.5.9 IDENTIFY DEVICE Information ....................................................................6-5
6.5.10 SET FEATURES Supported Commands .........................................................6-7
6.5.11 Maxtor Specific Commands ..............................................................................6-8
6.5.12 SMART READ ATTRIBUTE THRESHOLDS ..........................................6-15
6.5.13 Device Configuration Overlay Feature Set ......................................................6-21
viii Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT
Figure 3-1 Mechanical Dimensions of Maxtor D540X-4K Hard Disk Drive .................3-1
Figure 3-2 Drive Packing Assembly ............................................................................... 3-2
Figure 3-3 Drive Packing Assembly of a Polypropylene 20-Pack Container ...................3-3
Figure 3-4 Jumper Locations for the Maxtor D540X-4K Hard Disk Drive .....................3-4
Figure 3-5 Jumper Locations on the Interface Connector ...............................................3-4
Figure 3-6 AT Connector and Jumper Location ............................................................3-7
Figure 3-7 Mounting Dimensions for the Maxtor D540X-4K Hard Disk Drives ............3-9
Figure 3-8 Mounting Screw Clearance for the Maxtor D540X-4K Hard Disk Drives .. 3-10
Figure 3-9 J1 DC Power and ATA Bus Combination Connector ................................ 3-11
Figure 3-10 Drive Power Supply and ATA Bus Interface Cables .................................... 3-14
Figure 3-11 Completing the Drive Installation ............................................................... 3-15
Figure 5-1 Maxtor D540X-4K AT Hard Disk Drive Exploded View ..................................5-2
Figure 5-2 Maxtor D540X-4K AT Hard Disk Drive Block Diagram .............................5-6
Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT ix
Table 3-1 AT Jumper Options.............................................................................................. 3-5
Table 3-2 J1 Power Connector, Section A.......................................................................... 3-12
Table 3-3 Logical Addressing Format.................................................................................. 3-18
Table 4-1 Specifications ........................................................................................................ 4-1
Table 4-2 Formatted Capacity............................................................................................... 4-4
Table 4-3 Timing Specifications............................................................................................ 4-5
Table 4-4 Power Reset Limits............................................................................................... 4-6
Table 4-5 Typical Power and Current Consumption............................................................. 4-7
Table 4-6 Acoustical Characteristics—Sound Power.............................................................. 4-8
Table 4-7 Environmental Specifications................................................................................. 4-9
Table 4-8 Shock and Vibration Specifications...................................................................... 4-10
Table 4-9 Error Rates......................................................................................................... 4-12
Table 5-1 Cylinder Contents................................................................................................. 5-3
Table 5-1 Cylinder Contents................................................................................................. 5-4
Table 5-2 Skew Offsets....................................................................................................... 5-13
Table 6-1 Identify Device Parameters.................................................................................... 6-5
Table 6-2 Supported Features................................................................................................ 6-7
Table 6-3 READ DEFECT LIST LENGTH Command Bytes ............................................. 6-8
Table 6-4 READ DEFECT LIST Command Bytes .............................................................. 6-9
Table 6-5 DEFECT LIST DATA FORMAT..................................................................... 6-10
Table 6-6 DEFECT ENTRY DATA FORMAT ............................................................... 6-10
Table 6-7 Accessing the READ CONFIGURATION Command...................................... 6-11
Table 6-8 Accessing the SET CONFIGURATION Command.......................................... 6-12
Table 6-9 Accessing the SET CONFIGURATION WITHOUT
SAVING TO DISK Command .......................................................................... 6-12
Table 6-10 Configuration Command Format........................................................................ 6-13
Table 6-11 Device Attribute Thresholds Data Structure ....................................................... 6-16
Table 6-12 Individual Threshold Data Structure ................................................................... 6-17
Table 6-13 Device SMART Data Structure.......................................................................... 6-17
Table of Contents
x Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT
Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT 1-1
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.
The Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB 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 Maxtor D540X-4K family of drives provide a high-quality, low-cost, market
leading 40 GB per disk products to serve the consumer and mainstream commercial
markets, as well as the consumer electronics market.
This manual is organized into the following chapters:
•Chapter 1 – About This Manual
•Chapter 2 – General Description
•Chapter 3 – Installation
•Chapter 4 – Specifications
•Chapter 5 – Basic Principles of Operation
•Chapter 6 – ATA Bus Interface and ATA Commands
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
About This Manual
1-2 Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT
•ATA advanced technology attachment
•bpi bits per inch
•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
•tpi tracks per inch
•µs microseconds
•Vvolts
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.
Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT 1-3
•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.
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).”
About This Manual
1-4 Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT
Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT 2-1
This chapter summarizes the general functions and key features of the Maxtor
D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT hard disk drives, as well as the applicable
standards and regulations.
Maxtor’s D540X-4K hard disk drives are 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 Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT hard disk drives feature 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 Maxtor D540X-4K hard disk drives incorporate
leading edge technologies such as UltraATA/100, Advanced Cache Management,
Shock Protection System™II (SPS II), and Data Protection System (DPS). These
enhanced technologies enable Maxtor to produce a family of high-performance,
high-reliability drives.
Additionally, the Maxtor D540X-4K family of drives are CE-class drives designed
for the consumer electronics market. Acoustics is one of the most important features
in the CE arena. These hard disk drives are available with very quiet seek codes
resulting in very low acoustical emissions from the drive. This makes the Maxtor
D540X-4K drives an attractive choice for most CE users.
General Description
2-2 Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT
The Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT hard disk drives include the
following key features:
General
•Formatted storage capacity of 20.4 GB (1 disk, 1 heads), 40.0 GB (1 disks,
2 heads), 60.0 (2 disks, 3 heads) and 80.0 (2 disks, 4 heads)
•Low profile, 1-inch height
•Industry standard 3 1/2-inch form factor
•Compliance with ANSI/NCITS interface standard for AT Attachment,
revision 6 (ATA/ATAPI-6).
•Windows NT and 9X Certification
Performance
•Average seek time of 12 ms
•Average rotational latency of 5.56 ms
•New Ultra ATA interface with Maxtor-patented UltraATA/100
protocol supporting burst data transfer rates of 100 MB/s.
•Extra quiet seek code available (Maxtor Quiet Drive Technology)
•2 MB buffer
•Look-ahead DisCache feature with continuous prefetch and
WriteCache write-buffering capabilities
•Read promotion and Write Reordering features
•AutoTask Register update, Multi-block AutoRead, and Multi-block
AutoWrite features in a custom ASIC
•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 and 5
Reliability
•800,000 hours mean time between failure (MTBF) in the field
•Automatic retry on read errors
•Error Correcting Code (ECC) with 15 symbols cross checking
correction up to 142 bits in length
•S.M.A.R.T. 4 (Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology)
•Patented Airlock® automatic shipping lock, magnetic actuator retract,
and dedicated landing zone
•Transparent media defect mapping
General Description
Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT 2-3
•High performance, in-line defective sector skipping
•Reassignment of defective sectors discovered in the field, without
reformatting
•Shock Protection System II to enhance protection against both operating
and non-operating shock
•Data Protection System to verify drive integrity
Versatility
•Power saving modes
•Downloadable firmware
•Cable select feature
•Ability to daisy-chain two drives on the interface
Windows MS Logo Certification
•Passed Windows Me, Windows 98, Windows 2000, and Windows NT
Workstation 4.0 Logo testing by Microsoft Windows Hardware Quality
Labs (WHQL)
•Master ID# 43395
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 drive models in the
U.S.A. and Canada.
•TUV Rheinland Standard EN60 950. This certificate is a category
certification pertaining to all 3.5-inch drive models.
•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.
•Approval from Taiwan BSMI. Number: 3892A638
•Korea EMI certification approved. MIC number: EH011-01-1977
General Description
2-4 Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT
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.
The Maxtor D540X-4K hard disk drives are compatible with computers and other
hosts that support the ATA interface. It connects to the host either by means of a
third-party ATA-compatible adapter board, or by plugging a cable from the drive
directly into a PC motherboard that supplies an ATA interface.
Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT 3-1
This chapter explains how to unpack, configure, mount, and connect the Maxtor
D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT hard disk drive prior to operation. It also
explains how to start up and operate the drive.
The Maxtor D540X-4K hard disk drives are shipped without a faceplate. Figure 3-
1 shows the external dimensions of the Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0
GB AT drives.
Mechanical Dimensions of Maxtor D540X-4K Hard Disk Drive
Installation
3-2 Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT
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.
Figure 3-2 shows the packing assembly for a single Maxtor D540X-4K hard disk
drive. A 20-pack shipping container is available for multiple drive shipments.
Drive Packing Assembly
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 Maxtor D540X-4K drives are not stacked or placed on any
hard surface after they are unpacked. Such handling could cause
media damage.
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 D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT 3-3
Drive Packing Assembly of a Polypropylene 20-Pack Container
Note: The 20-pack container should be shipped in the same way it was
received from Maxtor. When individual drives are shipped from
the 20-pack container then it should be appropriately packaged
(not supplied with the 20-pack) to prevent damage.
Installation
3-4 Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT
The configuration of a Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB 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 shows the printed circuit board (PCB) assembly, indicating the jumpers that
control some of these options.
Jumper Locations for the Maxtor D540X-4K Hard Disk Drive
Jumper Locations on the Interface Connector
Installation
Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT 3-5
The configuration of the following four jumpers controls the drive’s modes of
operation:
•CS – Cable Select
•DS – Drive Select
•PK– Jumper Parking Position (Slave mode)
•AC– Alternate Capacity
The AT PCB has two jumper locations provided to configure the drive in a system.
The default configuration for the drive as shipped from the factory is with a jumper
across the CS location, and open positions in the DS, PK and AC positions.
Table 3-1 defines the operation of the master-slave jumpers and their function
relative to pin 28 on the interface. 1 indicates that the specified jumper is installed;
0 indicates that the jumper is not installed.
AT Jumper Options
Note: In Table 3-1, a 0 indicates that the jumper is removed, a 1 indi-
cates that the jumper is installed, and an X indicates that the
jumper setting does not matter.
When a Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT hard disk drive and
another ATA hard disk drive are daisy-chained together, they can be configured as
Master or Slave either by the CS or DS jumpers. To configure the drive as a Master
or Slave with the CS feature, the CS jumper is installed (1). The drive's position on
the 80 conductor Ultra ATA data cable then determines whether the drive is a
Master (Device 0) or a Slave (Device 1). If the drive is connected to the end of the
Ultra (cable Select) data cable the drive is a Master. If the drive is connected to the
middle connection it is set as a Slave.
0 0 X X Drive is configured as a slave
1 0 X Gnd Drive is configured as Master (Device 0) when
attached to the end of a 80 conductor Ultra ATA
cable
0 1 X X Drive is configured as a Master
1 0 X Open Drive is configured as a Slave (Device 1) when
attached to the middle of a 80 conductor Ultra ATA
cable
1 1 X X Drive is configured as a Master with an attached slave
that does not support DASP
Installation
3-6 Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT
Once you install the CS jumper, the drive is configured as a Master or Slave by the
state of the Cable Select signal: pin 28 of the ATA bus connector. Please note that
pin 28 is a vendor-specific pin that Maxtor is using for a specific purpose. More than
one function is allocated to CS, according to the ATA CAM specification (see
reference to this specification in Chapter 1). If pin 28 is a 0 (grounded), the drive is
configured as a Master. If it is a 1 (high), the drive is configured as a Slave. In order
to configure two drives in a Master/Slave relationship using the CS jumper, you
need to use a cable that provides the proper signal level at pin 28 of the ATA bus
connector. This allows two drives to operate in a Master/Slave relationship
according to the drive cable placement.
The Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT hard disk drives are shipped
from the factory as a Master (Device 0 - CS jumper installed). To configure a drive
as a Slave (Device 1- DS scheme), the CS jumper must be removed. In this
configuration, the spare jumper removed from the CS position may be stored on the
PK jumper pins.
You can also daisy-chain two drives on the ATA bus interface by using their Drive
Select (DS) jumpers. To use the DS feature, the CS jumper must not be installed.
To configure a drive as the Master (Device 0), a jumper must be installed on the DS
pins.
Note: The order in which drives are connected in a daisy chain has no
significance.
In combination with the current DS or CS jumper settings, the Slave Present (SP)
jumper can be implemented if necessary as follows:
Note: The CS position doubles as the Slave present on this drive.
•When the drive is configured as a Master (DS jumper installed or CS
jumper installed, and the Cable Select signal is set to (0), adding an
additional jumper (both jumpers DS and CS now installed) will indicate
to the drive that a Slave drive is present. This Master with Slave Present
jumper configuration should be installed on the Master drive only if the
Slave drive does not use the Drive Active/Slave Present (DASP–) signal
to indicate its presence.
The PK position is used as a holding place for the jumper for a slave drive in systems
that do not support Cable Select. The pins used for the parking position are vendor
unique.
Installation
Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT 3-7
For user capacities below 66,055,248 sectors (32 GB), inserting the AC jumper limits
the Number of Cylinders field to a value of 4,092, as reported in IDENTIFY
DEVICE data word 1. This allows software drivers to determine that the actual
capacity is larger than indicated by the maximum CHS, requiring LBA addressing to
use the full capacity.
For larger user capacities above 66,055,248 sectors (32 GB), inserting the AC jumper
limits the Total Number of User Addressable Sectors field to a value of 66,055,248,
as reported in IDENTIFY DEVICE data words 60 and 61. This protects hosts which
are not able to address beyond this capacity.
A summary of these effects for the Maxtor D540X-4K drives is shown in the
following table:
AT Connector and Jumper Location
C=16,383
H=16
S=63
LBA=39,876,480
C=4,092
H=16
S=63
LBA=39,876,480
C=16,383
H=16
S=63
LBA=78,198,750
C=16,383
H=16
S=63
LBA=66,055,248
C=16,383
H=16
S=63
LBA=117,266,688
C=16,383
H=16
S=63
LBA=66,055,248
C=16,383
H=16
S=63
LBA=156,301,488
C=16,383
H=16
S=63
LBA= 66,055,248
Installation
3-8 Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT
There are two ways you can configure a system to allow the Maxtor D540X-4K
hard disk drives to communicate over the ATA bus of an IBM or IBM-compatible
PC:
2. Install an IDE-compatible adapter board in the PC, and connect the drive
to the adapter board.
Most PC motherboards have a built-in 40-pin ATA bus connector that is compatible
with the 40-pin ATA interface of the Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB
AT hard disk drives. If the motherboard has an ATA connector, simply connect a
40-pin ribbon cable between the drive and the motherboard.
You should also refer to the motherboard instruction manual, and refer to Chapter
6 of this manual to ensure signal compatibility.
If your PC motherboard does not contain a built-in 40-pin ATA bus interface
connector, you must install an ATA bus adapter board and connecting cable to allow
the drive to interface with the motherboard. Maxtor does not supply such an adapter
board, but they are available from several third-party vendors.
Please carefully read the instruction manual that comes with your adapter board, as
well as Chapter 6 of this manual to ensure signal compatibility between the adapter
board and the drive. Also, make sure that the adapter board jumper settings are
appropriate.
Installation
Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT 3-9
Drive mounting orientation, clearance, and ventilation requirements are described
in the following subsections.
The mounting holes on the Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT hard
disk drives allow the drive to be mounted in any orientation. Figure 3-6 and Figure
3-7 show the location of the three mounting holes on each side of the drive. The
drive can also be mounted using the four mounting hole locations on the PCB side
of the drive.
Note: It is highly recommended that the drive is hard mounted on to
the chassis of the system being used for general operation, as well
as for test purposes. Failure to hard mount the drive can result in
erroneous errors during testing.
Drives can be mounted in any orientation. Normal position is
with the PCB facing down.
All dimensions are in millimeters. For mounting, #6-32 UNC screws are
recommended.
Mounting Dimensions for the Maxtor D540X-4K Hard Disk Drives
Installation
3-10 Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT
Mounting Screw Clearance for the Maxtor D540X-4K Hard Disk Drives
The PCB is very close to the mounting holes. Do not exceed
the specified length for the mounting screws. The specified
screw length allows full use of the mounting hole threads,
while avoiding damaging or placing unwanted stress on the
PCB. Figure 3-8 specifies the minimum clearance between
the PCB and the screws in the mounting holes. To avoid
stripping the mounting hole threads, the maximum torque ap-
plied to the screws must not exceed 8 inch-pounds. A maxi-
mum screw length of 0.25 inches may be used.
Installation
Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT 3-11
Clearance from the drive to any other surface (except mounting surfaces) must be a
minimum of 1.25 mm (0.05 inches).
The Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT hard disk drives operate
without a cooling fan, provided the ambient air temperature does not exceed 131°F
(55°C) at any point along the drive form factor envelope.
J1 is a three-in-one combination connector. The drive’s DC power can be applied
to section A. The ATA bus interface (40-pin) uses section C. The connector is
mounted on the back edge of the printed-circuit board (PCB), as shown in Figure
3-9.
J1 DC Power and ATA Bus Combination Connector
Installation
3-12 Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT
The recommended mating connectors for the +5 VDC and +12 VDC input power
are listed in Table 3-2.
J1 Power Connector, Section A
Note: Labels indicate the pin numbers on the connector. Pins 2 and 3 of
section A are the +5 and +12 volt returns and are connected together
on the drive.
An external drive activity LED may be connected to the DASP-I/O pin 39 on J1.
For more details, see the pin description in Table 6-1.
On the Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT hard disk drives, the ATA
bus interface cable connector (J1, section C) is a 40-pin Universal Header, as shown
in Figure 3-9.
To prevent the possibility of incorrect installation, the connector has been keyed by
removing Pin 20. This ensures that a connector cannot be installed upside down.
See Chapter 6, “ATA Bus Interface and ATA Commands,” for more detailed
information about the required signals. Refer to Table 6-1 for the pin assignments
of the ATA bus connector (J1, section C).
J1 Section A (4-Pin):
1 +12 VDC 4-Pin Connector:
AMP P/N 1-480424-0
Loose piece contacts:
AMP P/N VS 60619-4
Strip contacts:
AMP P/N VS 61117-4
2 Ground
Return for
+12 VDC
3 Ground
Return for
+5 VDC
4+5 VDC
Installation
Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT 3-13
You can install the Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT hard disk
drives in an AT-compatible system that contains a 40-pin ATA bus connector on
the motherboard.
To connect the drive to the motherboard, use a 40 conductor ribbon cable (80
conductor ribbon cable if using UltraATA/66 drive) 18 inches in length or shorter.
Ensure that pin 1 of the drive is connected to pin 1 of the motherboard connector.
To install the Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT hard disk drive in
an AT-compatible system without a 40-pin ATA bus connector on its motherboard,
you need a third-party IDE-compatible adapter board.
Carefully read the manual that accompanies your adapter board before installing it.
Make sure that all the jumpers are set properly and that there are no address or signal
conflicts. You must also investigate to see if your AT-compatible system contains a
combination floppy and hard disk controller board. If it does, you must disable the
hard disk drive controller functions on that controller board before proceeding.
Once you have disabled the hard disk drive controller functions on the floppy/hard
drive controller, install the adapter board. Again, make sure that you have set all
jumper straps on the adapter board to avoid addressing and signal conflicts.
Note: For Sections 3.7 and 3.8, power should be turned off on the
computer before installing the drive.
Installation
3-14 Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT
Use a 40-pin ribbon cable to connect the drive to the board. See Figure 3-10. To
connect the drive to the board:
2. Insert the other end of the cable into the header on the drive. When
inserting this end of the cable, make sure that pin 1 of the cable connects to
pin 1 of the drive connector.
3. Secure the drive to the system chassis by using the mounting screws, as
shown in Figure 3-11.
Drive Power Supply and ATA Bus Interface Cables
Installation
Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT 3-15
Completing the Drive Installation
Installation
3-16 Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT
Older BIOS that only support Int 13 commands for accessing ATA drives through
DOS based operating systems will be limited to use only 1024 cylinders. This will
reduce the effective capacity of the drive to 528 Mbytes.
Whenever possible the Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT drive
should be used on systems that support LBA translation to ensure the use of the
entire capacity of the disk drive. If that is not possible the following are some
techniques that can be used to overcome this barrier.
•Use a third party software program that translates the hard drive
parameters to an acceptable configuration for MS-DOS.
•Use a hard disk controller that translates the hard drive parameters to an
appropriate setup for both MS-DOS and the computer system’s ROM-
BIOS.
•Insert the Alternate Capacity jumper on the drive (see Section 3.3.5).
Newer BIOS’s allow users to configure disk drives to go beyond the 528 MB barrier
by using several BIOS translation schemes. However, while using these translations
the BIOS using Int 13 functions are limited to 24 bits of addressing which results in
another barrier at the 8.4 GB capacity.
To overcome this barrier a new set of Int 13 extensions are being implemented by
most BIOS manufacturers. The new Int 13 extensions use a 64-bit address field
resulting in 9.4 terabytes of accessible space.
Whenever possible the Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT drive
should be used on systems with BIOS that support Int 13 extensions. If that is not
possible the following are some techniques that can be used to overcome this barrier:
•Use a third party software that supplements the BIOS and adds Int 13
extension support.
•Obtain a BIOS upgrade from the system board manufacturer. Many
system board manufacturers allow their BIOS to be upgraded in the field
using special download utilities. Information on BIOS upgrades can be
obtained on the System Board Customer Service respective web sites on
the Internet.
•Insert the Alternate Capacity jumper on the drive (see Section 3.3.5).
Installation
Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT 3-17
Most popular operating systems available today have additional limitations which
affect the use of large capacity drives. However, these limitations can not be
corrected on the BIOS and it is up to the operating system manufacturers to release
improved versions to address these problems.
The most popular operating systems available today, DOS and Win 95, use a File
Allocation Table (FAT) size of 16 bits which will only support partitions up to 2.1
GB. A newer release of Win 95 called OSR2 with a 32 bit FAT has been released
to system manufacturers only. This new FAT size table will support partitions of up
to 2.2 terabytes. The Windows NT file system (NTFS) does not have this limit.
Once you have installed the Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT hard
disk drive, and adapter board (if required) in the host system, you are ready to
partition and format the drive for operation. To set up the drive correctly, follow
these steps:
2. Run the SETUP program. This is generally on a Diagnostics or Utilities
disk, or within the system’s BIOS. Some system BIOS have an auto-
detecting feature making SETUP unnecessary.
3. Enter the appropriate parameters.
4.
The SETUP program allows you to enter the types of optional hardware installed—
such as the hard disk drive type, the floppy disk drive capacity, and the display
adapter type. The system’s BIOS uses this information to initialize the system when
the power is switched on. For instructions on how to use the SETUP program, refer
to the system manual for your PC.
During the AT system CMOS setup, you must enter the drive type for the Maxtor
D540X-4K hard disk drives. The drive supports the translation of its physical drive
geometry parameters such as cylinders, heads, and sectors per track to a logical
addressing mode. The drive can work with different BIOS drive-type tables of the
various host systems.
You can choose any drive type that does not exceed the capacity of the drive. Table
3-3 gives the logical parameters that provide the maximum capacity on the Maxtor
D540X-4K family of hard disk drives.
Installation
3-18 Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT
Note: *Capacity may be restricted to 8.4 GB (or less) due to system
BIOS limitations. Check with your system manufacturer to de-
termine if your BIOS supports LBA Mode for hard drives greater
than 8.4 GB. Default logical cylinders is limited to 16,383 by the
ATA standard.
To match the logical specifications of the drive to the drive type of a particular
BIOS, consult the system’s drive-type table. This table specifies the number of
cylinders, heads, and sectors for a particular drive type.
5. Boot the system using the operating system installation disk—for example,
MS-DOS—then follow the installation instructions in the operating system
manual.
LBA Capacity 20,416 MB 40,037 MB 60,040 MB 80,026 MB
CHS Capacity 8,455 MB*
(Default)
20,416 MB
(Configurable)
8,455 MB*
(Default)
40,037 MB
(Configurable)
8,455 MB*
(Default)
60,040 MB
(Configurable)
8,455 MB*
(Default)
80,026 MB
(Configurable)
Logical Cylinders 16,383* 16,383* 16,383* 16,383*
Logical Heads 16 16 16 16
Logical Sectors/
Track 63 63 63 63
Total Number
Logical Sectors 39,876,480 78,198,750 117,266,688 156,301,488
Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT 4-1
This chapter gives a detailed description of the physical, electrical, and environmental
characteristics of the Maxtor D540X-4K hard disk drives.
Table 4-1 gives a summary of the Maxtor D540X-4K hard disk drives.
Specifications
Capacity 20.41 GB 40.03 GB 60.04 GB 80.02 GB
Nominal rotational
speed (rpm)15388 5388 5388 5388
Number of Disks 1 1 2 2
Number of R/W
heads 123 4
Data Organization:
Zones per surface 15 15 15 15
Tracks per surface 54,982 54,982 54,982 54,982
Total tracks 54,982 109,964 164,946 219,928
Sectors per track:
Inside zone 486 486 486 486
Outside zone 950 950 950 950
Total User Sectors 39,876,480 78,198,750 117,266,688 156,301,488
Bytes per sector 512 512 512 512
Number of tracks
per cylinder 123 4
Specifications
4-2 Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT
1. Disk to read buffer transfer rate is zone-dependent, instantaneous
2. Refer to Section 4.14, “DISK ERRORS” for details on error rate definitions.
Recording:
Recording technology Multiple
Zone Multiple
Zone Multiple Zone Multiple Zone
Maximum linear den-
sity 535,671 fci 535,671 fci 535,671 fci 535,671 fci
Encoding method 24/25
NPRML 24/25
NPRML 24/25
NPRML 24/25
NPRML
Interleave 1:1 1:1 1:1 1:1
Track density 56,170 tpi 56,170 tpi 56,170 tpi 56,170 tpi
Maximum effective
areal density 29.88
Gbits/in 29.88
Gbits/in 29.88
Gbits/in 29.88
Gbits/in
Performance:
Seek times:
Average Read 12 ms typ.
15 ms max. 12 ms typ.
15 ms max. 12 ms typ.
15 ms max. 12 ms typ.
15 ms max.
Track-to-track 2 ms
typical 2 ms
typical 2 ms
typical 2 ms
typical
Average write 15 ms typ.
18 ms max. 15 ms typ.
18 ms max. 15 ms typ.
18 ms max. 15 ms typ.
18 ms max.
Full stroke 24 ms typ.
28 ms max. 24 ms typ.
28 ms max. 24 ms typ.
28 ms max. 24 ms typ.
28 ms max.
Data transfer Rates:
Disk to Read Once a
Revolution2, 3 175.39 Mb/
sec. min.
377.84 Mb/
sec. max.
175.39 Mb/
sec. min.
377.84 Mb/
sec. max.
175.39 Mb/
sec. min.
377.84 Mb/
sec. max.
175.39 Mb/
sec. min.
377.84 Mb/
sec. max.
Disk to Read
Instantaneously2230.77 Mb/
sec. min.
493.59 Mb/
sec. max.
230.77 Mb/
sec. min.
493.59 Mb/
sec. max.
230.77 Mb/
sec. min.
493.59 Mb/
sec. max.
230.77 Mb/
sec. min.
493.59 Mb/
sec. max.
Read Buffer to ATA
Bus
(PIO Mode with
IORDY)
16.7 MB/
sec. maxi-
mum
16.7 MB/
sec. maxi-
mum
16.7 MB/sec.
maximum 16.7 MB/sec.
maximum
Read Buffer to ATA
Bus
(Ultra ATA Mode)
100 MB/sec.
maximum 100 MB/sec.
maximum 100 MB/sec.
maximum 100 MB/sec.
maximum
Buffer Size 2 MB 2 MB 2 MB 2 MB
Specifications
Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT 4-3
1. Spindle speed is 5388 RPM +/- 0.1%.
2. Disk to read buffer transfer rate is zone-dependent, instantaneous
3. Refer to Section 4.14, “DISK ERRORS” for details on error rate definitions.
4. CSS specifications assumes a duty cycle of one power off operation for every one
idle spin down.
Reliability:
Seek error rate 1 in 10 1 in 10 1 in 10 1 in 10
Unrecoverable error
rate 1 in 10 1 in 10 1 in 10 1 in 10
Error correction
method
(with cross check)
360-bit
Reed
Solomon
360-bit
Reed
Solomon
360-bit
Reed
Solomon
360-bit
Reed
Solomon
Projected MTBF 800,000 hrs 800,000 hrs 800,000 hrs 800,000 hrs
Contact Start/Stop
Cycles (Ambient
temperature) 50,000 min. 50,000 min. 50,000 min. 50,000 min.
Auto head-park method
Specifications
4-4 Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT
At the factory, the Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT hard disk drives
receive a low-level format that creates the actual tracks and sectors on the drive. Table
4-2 shows the capacity resulting from this process. Formatting done at the user level,
for operation with DOS, UNIX, or other operating systems, may result in less capacity
than the physical capacity shown in Table 4-2.
Formatted Capacity
Data is transferred from the disk to the read buffer at a rate of up to 283.20 Mb/s
in bursts. Data is transferred from the read buffer to the ATA bus at a rate of up to
16.7 MB/s using programmed I/O with IORDY, or at a rate of up to 66 MB/s
using Ultra ATA/100. For more detailed information on interface timing, refer to
Chapter 6.
Capacity 20.41 GB 40.03 GB 60.04 GB 80.02 GB
Number of 512-
byte sectors avail-
able 39,876,480 78,198,750 117,266,688 156,301,488
Specifications
Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT 4-5
Table 4-3 illustrates the timing specifications of the Maxtor D540X-4K hard disk
drives.
Timing Specifications
1. Nominal conditions are as follows:
•Nominal temperature 77°F (25°C)
•Nominal supply voltages (12.0V, 5.0V)
•No applied shock or vibration
2. Worst case conditions are as follows:
•Worst case temperature extremes 41°F to 131°F (5°C to 55°C)
•Worst case supply voltages (12.0V ±10%, 5.0 V ±5%)
3. Sequential Cylinder Switch Time is the time from the conclusion of the last sector
of a cylinder to the first logical sector on the next cylinder (no more than 6% of
cylinder switches exceed this time).
4. Sequential Head Switch Time is the time from the last sector of a track to the
beginning of the first logical sector of the next track of the same cylinder (no more
than 6% of head switches exceed this time).
5. Power On is the time from when the supply voltages reach operating range to
when the drive is ready to accept any command.
6. Drive Ready is the condition in which the disks are rotating at the rated speed,
and the drive is able to accept and execute commands requiring disk access
without further delay at power or start up. Error recovery routines may extend
the time to as long as 45 seconds for drive ready.
Sequential Cylinder Switch Time 2 ms 3 ms
Sequential Head Switch Time 2 ms 3 ms
Random Average (Read or Seek) 12 ms 15 ms
Random Average (Write) 15 ms 18 ms
Full-Stroke Seek 24 ms 28 ms
Average Rotational Latency 5.56 ms —
Power On to Drive Ready 7.5 seconds 12 seconds
Standby to Interface Ready 6 seconds 12 seconds
Spindown Time, Standby Com-
mand 6 seconds 15 seconds
Spindown Time, Power loss 12 seconds 30 seconds
Specifications
4-6 Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT
7. Standby is the condition at which the microprocessor is powered, but not the
HDA. When the host sends the drive a shutdown command, the drive parks the
heads away from the data zone, and spins down to a complete stop.
8. After this time it is safe to move the disk drive
9. Average random seek is defined as the average seek time between random logical
block addresses (LBAs).
The Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT hard disk drives operate from
two supply voltages:
• +12V ±10%
• +5V ±5%
The allowable ripple and noise is 250 mV peak-to-peak for the +12 Volt supply and
150 mV peak-to-peak for the +5 Volt supply. The allowable ripple noise for each
voltage is measured at the power supply with the drive not attached to it.
You may apply the power in any order, or open either the power or power return
line with no loss of data or damage to the disk drive. The drive can withstand transient
voltages of +10% to -100% from nominal when powering up or down. However, data
may be lost in the sector being written at the time of power loss. Also if power voltage
dwells in the range around reset (9.2 - 9.7 V at 12 V or 3.4 - 4.0 at 5 V) for several
seconds, the drive may disable itself. These voltages are outside expected operational
limits. However, they will occur during testing. To avoid this event during the testing
of reset limits, increase line voltages in 200 mV increments.
When powering up, the drive remains reset (inactive) until both rising voltage
thresholds reset limits are exceeded. When powering down, the drive becomes reset
when any supply voltage drops below the falling voltage threshold.
Power Reset Limits
+5 V V = 4.10 V minimum
V= 4.10 V maximum 75 mV (typical)
+12 V V = 9.30 V minimum
V= 10.45 V maximum 425 mV (typical)
Specifications
Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT 4-7
Table 4-5 lists the voltages and typical average corresponding currents for the various
modes of operation of the Maxtor D540X-4K hard disk drives.
Typical Power and Current Consumption
1. Current is rms except for startup. Startup current is the typical peak current
measured an average (over 1 ms) from power-on till the drive is ready.
2. Power requirements reflect nominal for +12V and +5V power.
Startup
(peak) 1700 1700 700 700
Idle 200 250 580 580
Maximum
Seeking 600 570 590 600
Standby 35 35 100 110
Read/Write On
Track 210 250 630 630
Startup (peak) 20 20
Idle 6.0 6.0
Maximum Seeking 10 10
Standby 0.9 0.9
Read/Write On Track 6.0 7.0
Specifications
4-8 Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT
3. Idle mode is in effect when the drive is not reading, writing, seeking, or executing
any commands. A portion of the R/W circuitry is powered down, the motor is
up to speed and the Drive Ready condition exists.
4. Maximum seeking is defined as continuous random seek operations with typical
host command overhead.
5. Standby mode is defined as when the motor is stopped, the actuator is parked, and
all electronics except the interface control are in low power state. Standby occurs
after a programmable time-out after the last host access. Drive ready and seek
complete status exist. The drive leaves standby upon receipt of a command that
requires disk access or upon receiving a spinup command.
6. Read/Write On Track is defined as 50% read operations and 50% write
operations on a single physical track.
Table 4-6 specifies the acoustical characteristics of the Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/
60.0/80.0 GB AT hard disk drive. The acoustics are measured in an anechoic chamber
with background noise at least <10dBA less than the expected sound pressure Lp(A).
To distinguish between sound power and sound pressure standards, sound power
Lw(A) is specified in Bels. The relationship between bels and dBA for sound power is
1 bel = 10dBA.
Acoustical Characteristics—Sound Power
Idle On Track
20.4/40.0 GB AT (1-Disk)
60.0/80.0 GB GB AT (2-Disk)
Seeking Random
20.4/40.0 GB AT (1-Disk)
60.0/80.0 GB AT (2-Disk)
2.8 Bels
2.9 Bels
2.9 Bels
3.1 Bels
3.4 Bels
3.5 Bels
3.4 Bels
3.6 Bels
Specifications
Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT 4-9
Height: 1.0 in.(25.4 mm)
Width: 4.0 in.(101.6 mm)
Depth: 5.75 in.(146.1 mm)
Weight: Maxtor D540X-4K 40.0 GB AT (2-Disk) 1.3 lb
Table 4-7 summarizes the environmental specifications of the Maxtor D540X-4K
hard disk drives.
Environmental Specifications
1. Maximum operating temperature must not exceed the drive at any point along
the drive form factor envelope. Airflow or other means must be used as needed
to meet this requirement.
2. The humidity range shown is applicable for temperatures whose combination
does not result in condensation in violation of the wet bulb specifications.
3. Altitude is relative to sea level.
4. The specified drive uncorrectable error rate will not be exceeded over these
conditions.
Temperature
(Non-condensing) 5° to 55°C
(41° to 131°F) -40° to 65°C
(-40° to 149°F)
Temperature Gradient
(Non-condensing) 24°C/hr maximum
(75.2°F/hr) 48°C/hr maximum
(118.4°F/hr)
Humidity (Non-condens-
ing)
Maximum Wet Bulb
Temperature
5% to 85% RH
37°C (98.6°F) 5% to 95% RH
46°C (114.8°F)
Humidity Gradient 30% / hour 30% / hour
Altitude –200 m to 3,000 m
(–650 to 10,000 ft.) –200 m to 12, 000 m
(–650 to 40,000 ft.)
Altitude Gradient 1.5 kPa/min 8 kPa/min
Specifications
4-10 Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT
The Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT hard disk drives can withstand
levels of shock and vibration applied to any of its three mutually perpendicular axes,
or principal base axis, as specified in Table 4-8. A functioning drive can be subjected
to specified operating levels of shock and vibration. When a drive has been subjected
to specified nonoperating levels of shock and vibration, with power to the drive off,
there will be no loss of user data at power on.
When packed in its 1-pack shipping container, the Maxtor D540X-4K drives can
withstand a drop from 30 inches onto a concrete surface on any of its surfaces, six
edges, or three corners. The 20-pack shipping container can withstand a drop from
30 inches onto a concrete surface on any of its surfaces, six edges, or three corners.
Shock and Vibration Specifications
1. The specified drive unrecovered error rate will not be exceeded over these
conditions.
Translational 1/2 sine wave
2 ms duration
1 ms duration 20 Gs (write)
63 Gs (read) 300 Gs
110 Gs
Rotational 2 ms applied at
actuator pivot point 2,000 rad/sec 20,000 rad/sec
Vibration
Random Vibration (G /Hz)
Sine wave (peak to peak)
1/2 octave per minute sweep
0.004 (10–500 Hz)
1.0 Gs P-P (5–500 Hz) 0.05 (10–300 Hz)
2 Gs P-P 5–500 Hz
Specifications
Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT 4-11
Before handling the Maxtor hard disk drive some precautions must to be taken to
ensure that the drive is not damaged. Use both hands while handling the drive and
hold the drive by its edges. Maxtor drives are designed to withstand normal handling,
however, hard drives can be damaged by electrostatic discharge (ESD), dropping the
drive, rough handling, and mishandling. Use of a properly grounded wrist strap to the
earth is strongly recommended. Always keep the drive inside its special antistatic bag
until ready to install.
Note: To avoid causing any damage to the drive do not touch or remove
the Printed Circuit Board (PCB) or any of its components when
handling the drive. Doing so will cause ESD damage to the drive.
Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF): The projected field MTBF is 800,000
hours. The Maxtor MTBF numbers
represent Bell-Core TR-332 Issue #6,
December 1997 MTBF predictions and
represent the minimum MTBF that
Maxtor or a customer would expect from
the drive.
Component Life: 5 years
Preventive Maintenance (PM): Not required
Start/Stop: 50,000 cycles @ ambient
Note: Drive reliability is closely related to the temperature the drive is ex-
posed to. The operational design environment is 35°C at 71% uti-
lization or 6240 POH/year.
Specifications
4-12 Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT
5 Volts/meter over a range of 10 KHz to 1 GHz.
0.5 g-mm maximum
(This is approximately equivalent to 0.05 g emitted vibrations)
Table 4-9 provides the error rates for the Maxtor D540X-4K hard disk drives.
Error Rates
1. Retry recovered read errors are errors which require retries for data correction.
Errors corrected by ECC on-the-fly are not considered recovered read errors.
Read on arrival is disabled to meet this specification. Errors corrected by the
thermal asperity correction are not considered recovered read errors.
2. Unrecovered read errors are errors that are not correctable using ECC or retries.
The drive terminates retry reads either when a repeating error pattern occurs, or
after the programmed limit for unsuccessful retries and the application of
quadruple-burst error correction.
3. Seek errors occur when the actuator fails to reach (or remain) over the requested
cylinder and the drive requires the execution of a full recalibration routine to
locate the requested cylinder.
Note: Error rates are for worst case temperature and voltage.
Retry recovered read errors 1 event per 10 bits read
Unrecovered data errors 1 event per 10 bits read
Seek errors 1 error per 10 seeks
Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT 5-1
This chapter describes the operation of Maxtor D540X-4K AT hard disk drives’
functional subsystems. It is intended as a guide to the operation of the drive, rather
than a detailed theory of operation.
This section describes the drive mechanism. Section 5.2 describes the drive
electronics. The Maxtor D540X-4K hard disk drives consist of a mechanical assembly
and a PCB as shown in Figure 5-1.
The head/disk assembly (HDA) contains the mechanical subassemblies of the drive,
which are sealed under a metal cover. The HDA consists of the following
components:
•Automatic actuator lock
•Air filter
The drive is assembled in a Class-100 clean room.
To ensure that the air in the HDA remains free of
contamination, never remove or adjust its cover and seals.
Tampering with the HDA will void your warranty.
Basic Principles of Operation
5-2 Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT
Hard Disk Drive Exploded View
Basic Principles of Operation
Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT 5-3
A single-piece, e-coated, aluminum-alloy base casting provides a mounting surface for
the drive mechanism and PCB. The base casting also acts as the flange for the DC
motor assembly. To provide a contamination-free environment for the HDA, a gasket
provides a seal between the base casting, and the metal cover that encloses the drive
mechanism.
Integral with the base casting, the DC motor assembly is a fixed-shaft, brushless DC
spindle motor that drives the counter-clockwise rotation of the disks.
The disk stack assembly in the Maxtor D540X-4K hard disk drives consist of disks
secured by a disk clamp. The aluminum-alloy disks have a sputtered thin-film
magnetic coating.
A carbon overcoat lubricates the disk surface. This prevents head and media wear due
to head contact with the disk surface during head takeoff and landing. Head contact
with the disk surface occurs only in the landing zone outside of the data area, when
the disk is not rotating at full speed. The landing zone is located at the inner diameter
of the disk, beyond the last cylinder of the data area.
1. For user data, zone 15 is the innermost zone and zone 1 is the outermost zone.
Cylinder Contents
15 3562 487 251.01
14 3680 525 269.23
13 3680 560 286.54
12 3680 600 298.64
11 3680 633 325.44
10 3680 671 346.15
9 3680 709 365.38
8 3680 742 384.62
7 3680 800 403.85
6 3680 805 417.58
5 3680 836 432.69
4 3680 857 445.05
3 3680 883 459.13
2 3680 907 472.85
1 3680 925 481.78
System Data 0 60 400 197.44
A single-piece, e-coated, aluminum-alloy base casting provides a mounting surface for
the drive mechanism and PCB. The base casting also acts as the flange for the DC
motor assembly. To provide a contamination-free environment for the HDA, a gasket
provides a seal between the base casting, and the metal cover that encloses the drive
mechanism.
Integral with the base casting, the DC motor assembly is a fixed-shaft, brushless DC
spindle motor that drives the counter-clockwise rotation of the disks.
The disk stack assembly in the Maxtor D540X-4K hard disk drives consist of disks
secured by a disk clamp. The aluminum-alloy disks have a sputtered thin-film
magnetic coating.
A carbon overcoat lubricates the disk surface. This prevents head and media wear due
to head contact with the disk surface during head takeoff and landing. Head contact
with the disk surface occurs only in the landing zone outside of the data area, when
the disk is not rotating at full speed. The landing zone is located at the inner diameter
of the disk, beyond the last cylinder of the data area.
1. For user data, zone 15 is the innermost zone and zone 1 is the outermost zone.
Cylinder Contents
15 3462 486 243.59
14 3680 520 260.18
13 3680 560 280.54
12 3680 600 291.86
11 3680 628 315.93
10 3680 666 332.69
9 3680 700 348.08
8 3680 738 372.47
7 3680 771 389.42
6 3680 804 408.12
5 3680 836 423.08
4 3680 860 437.50
3 3680 900 452.66
2 3680 920 467.31
1 3680 950 481.78
System Data 0 60 400 269.23
Basic Principles of Operation
5-4 Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT
The headstack assembly consists of read/write heads, head arms, and a coil joined
together by insertion molding to form a rotor subassembly, bearings, and a flex circuit.
Read/write heads mounted to spring-steel flexures are swage mounted onto the rotary
positioner assembly arms.
The flex circuit connects the headstack assembly to the PCB through a compression
connector. The flex circuit contains a read preamplifier/write driver IC.
The rotary positioner, or rotary voice-coil actuator, is a Maxtor-proprietary design
that consists of upper and lower permanent magnet plates, a rotary single-phase coil
molded around the headstack mounting hub, and a bearing shaft. The single bi-polar
magnet consists of two alternating poles and is bonded to the magnet plate. A resilient
crash stop prevents the heads from being driven into the spindle or off the disk surface.
Current from the power amplifier induces a magnetic field in the voice coil.
Fluctuations in the field around the permanent magnet cause the voice coil to move.
The movement of the voice coil positions the heads over the requested cylinder.
To ensure data integrity and prevent damage during shipment, the drive uses a
dedicated landing zone, an actuator magnetic retract, and Maxtor’s patented Airlock .
The Airlock holds the headstack in the landing zone whenever the disks are not
rotating. It consists of an air vane mounted near the perimeter of the disk stack, and a
locking arm that restrains the actuator arm assembly.
When DC power is applied to the motor and the disk stack rotates, the rotation
generates an airflow on the surface of the disk. As the flow of air across the air vane
increases with disk rotation, the locking arm pivots away from the actuator arm,
enabling the headstack to move out of the landing zone. When DC power is
removed from the motor, an electronic return mechanism automatically pulls the
actuator into the landing zone, where the magnetic actuator retract force holds it until
the Airlock closes and latches it in place.
Basic Principles of Operation
Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT 5-5
The Maxtor D540X-4K AT hard disk drives are Winchester-type drives. The heads
fly very close to the media surface. Therefore, it is essential that the air circulating
within the drive be kept free of particles. Maxtor assembles the drive in a Class-100
purified air environment, then seals the drive with a metal cover. When the drive is
in use, the rotation of the disks forces the air inside of the drive through an internal
0.3 micron filter. The internal HDA cavity pressure equalizes to the external pressure
change by passing air through a 0.3 micron, carbon impregnated breather filter.
Advanced circuit (Very Large Scale Integration) design and the use of miniature
surface-mounted devices and proprietary VLSI components enable the drive
electronics, including the ATA bus interface, to reside on a single printed circuit board
assembly (PCBA).
Figure 5-2 contains a simplified block diagram of the Maxtor D540X-4K hard disk
drive electronics.
The only electrical component not on the PCBA is the PreAmplifier and Write
Driver IC. It is on the flex circuit (inside of the sealed HDA). Mounting the
preamplifier as close as possible to the read/write heads improves the signal-to-noise
ratio. The flex circuit (including the PreAmplifier and Write Driver IC) provides the
electrical connection between the PCB, the rotary positioner assembly, and read/
write heads.
Maxtor D540X-4K AT Hard Disk Drive Block Diagram
Basic Principles of Operation
5-6 Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT
The integrated µProcessor, Disk Controller, and ATA Interface Electronics have nine
functional modules (described below):
•µProcessor
•Digital Synchronous Spoke (DSS)
•Error Correction Code (ECC) Control
•Formatter
•Buffer Controller
•Servo Controller, including PWM
•Serial Interface
•ATA Interface Controller
•Motor Controller
The µProcessor core provides local processor services to the drive electronics under
program control. The µProcessor manages the resources of the Disk Controller, and
ATA Interface internally. It also manages the Read/Write ASIC (Application Specific
Integrated Circuit), and the Spindle/VCM driver externally.
The DSS decodes servo information written on the drive at the factory to determine
the position of the read/write head. It interfaces with the read/write channel, process
timing and position information, and stores it in registers that are read by the servo
firmware.
The Error Correction Code (ECC) Control block utilizes a Reed-Solomon encoder/
decoder circuit that is used for disk read/write operations. It uses a total of 36
redundancy bytes organized as 32 ECC (Error Correction Code) bytes with four
interleaves, and four cross-check bytes. The ECC uses eight bits per symbol and four
interleaves. This allows quadruple-burst error correction of at least 96, and as many as
128 bits in error.
The Formatter controls the operation of the read and write channel portions of the
ASIC. To initiate a disk operation, the µProcessor loads a command into the ASIC
registers.
The Formatter also directly drives the read and write gates (RG, WG) and Command
Mode Interface of the Read/Write ASIC and the R/W Preamplifier, as well as passing
write data to the Precompensator circuit in the Read/Write ASIC.
Basic Principles of Operation
Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT 5-7
The Buffer Controller supports a 1.75 MB buffer. The 16-bit width implementation
provides a 60 MB/s maximum buffer bandwidth. This increased bandwidth allows the
µProcessor to have direct access to the buffer, eliminating the need for a separate
µProcessor RAM IC.
The Buffer Controller supports both drive and host address rollover and reloading, to
allow for buffer segmentation. Drive and host addresses may be separately loaded for
automated read/write functions.
The Buffer Controller operates under the direction of the µProcessor.
The Servo Processor in the Read Write Channel ASIC provides servo data recovery
and burst demodulation to extract the actuator position information. This information
is processed in the controller ASIC/microprocessor, and a control signal is output to
the VCM in the Power ASIC. This controls the current in the actuator coil which
controls the position of the actuator.
The Read/Write interface allows the integrated µprocessor, disk controller to
communicate with the Read/Write chip.
The ATA Interface Controller portion of the ASIC provides data handling, bus
control, and transfer management services for the ATA interface. Configuration and
control of the interface is accomplished by the µController across the MAD bus. Data
transfer operations are controlled by the Buffer Controller module.
The Motor Controller controls the spindle and voice coil motor (VCM) mechanism
on the drive.
The Read/Write ASIC integrates an Advanced Partial Response Maximum
Likelihood (PRML) processor, a selectable code rate Encoder-Decoder (ENDEC),
and a Servo Processor with data rates up to 270 MHz (259 Mb/s). Programming is
done through a fast 40 MHz serial interface. The controller and data interface through
an 8-bit wide data interface. The Read/Write ASIC is a low power 3.3 Volts, single
supply, with selective power down capabilities.
The Read/Write ASIC comprises 12 main functional modules (described below):
•Pre-Compensator
•Variable Gain Amplifier (VGA)
•Butterworth Filter
•FIR Filter
Basic Principles of Operation
5-8 Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT
•Flash A/D Converter
•Viterbi Detector
•ENDEC
•Servo Processor
•Clock Synthesizer
•PLL
•Serial Interface
•TA Detection and Correction
The pre-compensator introduces pre-compensation to the write data received from
the sequencer module in the DCIIA. The pre-compensated data is then passed to the
R/W Pre-Amplifier and written to the disk. Pre-compensation reduces the write
interference from adjacent write bit.
Digital and analog controlled AGC function with input attenuator for extended range.
Continuous time data filter which can be programmed for each zone rate.
Digitally controlled and programmable filter for partial response signal conditioning.
Provides very high speed digitization of the processed read signal.
Decodes ADC result into binary bit stream.
Provides 16/17 or 24/25 code conversion to NRZ. Includes preamble and sync mark
generation and detection.
Servo processor with servo data recovery and burst demodulation.
Provides programmable frequencies for each zone data rate.
Provides digital read clock recovery.
Basic Principles of Operation
Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT 5-9
High speed interface for digital control of all internal blocks.
Detects thermal asperities’ defective sectors and enables thermal asperity recoveries.
The PreAmplifier and Write Driver provides write driver and read pre-amplifier
functions, and R/W head selection. The write driver receives precompensated write
data from the PreCompensator module in the Read/Write ASIC. The write driver
then sends this data to the heads in the form of a corresponding alternating current.
The read pre-amplifier amplifies the low-amplitude voltages generated by the R/W
heads, and transmits them to the VGA module in the Read/Write ASIC. Head select
is determined by the controller. The preamp also contains internal compensation for
thermal asperity induced amplitude variation.
This section describes the following firmware features:
•Disk caching
•Head and cylinder skewing
•Error detection and correction
•Defect management
The Maxtor D540X-4K AT hard disk drives incorporate DisCache, a 380 K
(minimum) disk cache, to enhance drive performance. This integrated feature is user-
programmable and can significantly improve system throughput. Read and write
caching can be enabled or disabled by using the Set Configuration command.
The cache buffer for the Maxtor D540X-4K drives features adaptive segmentation for
more efficient use of the buffer’s RAM. With this feature, the buffer space used for
read and write operations is dynamically allocated. The cache can be flexibly divided
into several segments under program control. Each segment contains one cache entry.
A cache entry consists of the requested read data plus its corresponding prefetch data.
Adaptive segmentation allows the drive to make optimum use of the buffer. The
amount of stored data can be increased.
DisCache anticipates host-system requests for data and stores that data for faster access.
When the host requests a particular segment of data, the caching feature uses a prefetch
strategy to “look ahead”, and automatically store the subsequent data from the disk
into high-speed RAM. If the host requests this subsequent data, the RAM is accessed
rather than the disk.
Basic Principles of Operation
5-10 Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT
Since typically 50 percent or more of all disk requests are sequential, there is a high
probability that subsequent data requested will be in the cache. This cached data can
be retrieved in microseconds rather than milliseconds. As a result, DisCache can
provide substantial time savings during at least half of all disk requests. In these
instances, DisCache could save most of the disk transaction time by eliminating the
seek and rotational latency delays that dominate the typical disk transaction. For
example, in a 1K data transfer, these delays make up to 90 percent of the elapsed time.
DisCache works by continuing to fill its cache memory with adjacent data after
transferring data requested by the host. Unlike a noncaching controller, Maxtor’s disk
controller continues a read operation after the requested data has been transferred to
the host system. This read operation terminates after a programmed amount of
subsequent data has been read into the cache segment.
The cache memory consists of a 369 K (approximately) DRAM buffer allocated to
hold the data, which can be directly accessed by the host by means of the READ and
WRITE commands. The memory functions as a group of segments with rollover
points at the end of cache memory. The unit of data stored is the logical block (that
is, a multiple of the 512 byte sector). Therefore, all accesses to the cache memory must
be in multiples of the sector size. All non-read/write commands force emptying of the
cache:
When a write command is executed with write caching enabled, the drive stores the
data to be written in a DRAM cache buffer, and immediately sends a GOOD
STATUS message to the host before the data is actually written to the disk. The host
is then free to move on to other tasks, such as preparing data for the next data transfer,
without having to wait for the drive to seek to the appropriate track, or rotate to the
specified sector.
While the host is preparing data for the next transfer, the drive immediately writes the
cached data to the disk, usually completing the operation in less than 20 ms after
issuing GOOD STATUS. With WriteCache, a single-block random write, for
example, requires only about 3 ms of host time. Without WriteCache, the same
operation would occupy the host for about 20 ms.
WriteCache allows data to be transferred in a continuous flow to the drive, rather than
as individual blocks of data separated by disk access delays. This is achieved by taking
advantage of the ability to write blocks of data sequentially on a disk that is formatted
with a 1:1 interleave. This means that as the last byte of data is transferred out of the
write cache and the head passes over the next sector of the disk, the first byte of the
of the next block of data is ready to be transferred, thus there is no interruption or
delay in the data transfer process.
The WriteCache algorithm fills the cache buffer with new data from the host while
simultaneously transferring data to the disk that the host previously stored in the cache.
Basic Principles of Operation
Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT 5-11
In a drive without DisCache, there is a delay during sequential reads because of the
rotational latency, even if the disk actuator already is positioned at the desired cylinder.
DisCache eliminates this rotational latency time (7.14 ms on average) when requested
data resides in the cache.
Moreover, the disk must often service requests from multiple processes in a
multitasking or multiuser environment. In these instances, while each process might
request data sequentially, the disk drive must share time among all these processes. In
most disk drives, the heads must move from one location to another. With DisCache,
even if another process interrupts, the drive continues to access the data sequentially
from its high-speed memory. In handling multiple processes, DisCache achieves its
most impressive performance gains, saving both seek and latency time when desired
data resides in the cache.
The cache can be flexibly divided into several segments under program control. Each
segment contains one cache entry. A cache entry consists of the requested read data
plus its corresponding prefetch data.
The requested read data takes up a certain amount of space in the cache segment.
Hence, the corresponding prefetch data can essentially occupy the rest of the space
within the segment. The other factors determining prefetch size are the maximum and
minimum prefetch. The drive’s prefetch algorithm dynamically controls the actual
prefetch value based on the current demand, with the consideration of overhead to
subsequent commands.
Head and cylinder skewing in the Maxtor D540X-4K AT hard disk drives minimize
latency time and thus increases data throughput.
Head skewing reduces the latency time that results when the drive must switch read/
write heads to access sequential data. A head skew is employed such that the next
logical sector of data to be accessed will be under the read/write head once the head
switch is made, and the data is ready to be accessed. Thus, when sequential data is on
the same cylinder but on a different disk surface, a head switch is needed but not a
seek. Since the sequential head-switch time is well defined on the Maxtor D540X-4K
drives, the sector addresses can be optimally positioned across track boundaries to
minimize the latency time during a head switch. See Table 5-2.
Cylinder skewing is also used to minimize the latency time associated with a single-
cylinder seek. The next logical sector of data that crosses a cylinder boundary is
positioned on the drive such that after a single-cylinder seek is performed, and when
the drive is ready to continue accessing data, the sector to be accessed is positioned
directly under the read/write head. Therefore, the cylinder skew takes place between
the last sector of data on the last head of a cylinder, and the first sector of data on the
first head of the next cylinder. Since single-cylinder seeks are well defined on the
Maxtor D540X-4K drives, the sector addresses can be optimally positioned across
cylinder boundaries to minimize the latency time associated with a single-cylinder
seek. See Table 5-2.
Basic Principles of Operation
5-12 Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT
In the ID-less environment, the drive’s track and cylinder skewing will be based in
unit of wedges instead of the traditional sectors. The integrated µprocessor, disk
controller and ATA interface contains a “Wedge Skew Register” to assist in the task
of skewing, where the skew offset must now be calculated with every read/write
operation. The firmware will program the skew offset into this register every time the
drive goes to a new track. The integrated µprocessor, disk controller and ATA
interface will then add this value to the wedge number in the ID calculator, effectively
relocating the “first” sector of the track away from the index. For example, if without
skew, sector 0 is to be found following wedge 0, then if the skew register is set to 10,
sector 0 will be found following wedge 10.
Since the wedge-to-wedge time is constant over the entire disk, a single set of head
and cylinder skew off-sets will fulfill the requirement for all recording zones.
Skew Offsets
The switch time is calculated on the basis of the normal wedge-
to-wedge time with the spindle speed variation accounted for.
Wedge offsets are rounded to the closest whole number.
Since the wedge-to-wedge time is constant over the entire disk, a single set of head
and cylinder skew offsets will fulfill the requirement for all recording zones. The
formula used to compute the wedge skew for a given cylinder and head is:
Wedge skew = [C* ((# of heads – 1) * TS + CS) + H * TS] MOD 180
Where:C = Cylinder number
H = Head number
TS = Head Skew Offset
CS Cylinder Skew Offset
(wedges/track = 200)
Head Skew 2 ms 45
Cylinder Skew 1 ms 36
Basic Principles of Operation
Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT 5-13
As disk drive areal densities increase, obtaining extremely low error rates requires a
new generation of sophisticated error correction codes. Maxtor D540X-4K hard disk
drive series implement 288-bit quadruple-burst Reed-Solomon error correction
techniques to reduce the uncorrectable read block error rate to less than one bit in 1
x 10 bits read.
When errors occur, an automatic retry, a double-burst, and a more rigorous
quadruple-burst correction algorithm enable the correction of any sector with four
bursts of four incorrect bytes each, or up to sixteen multiple random one-byte burst
errors. In addition to these advanced error correction capabilities, the drive uses an
additional cross-checking code and algorithm to double check the main ECC
correction. This greatly reduces the probability of a miscorrection.
When a data error occurs, the Maxtor D540X-4K hard disk drives check to see if the
error is correctable using hardware on-the-fly ECC correction. If the error is
correctable using hardware on-the-fly ECC correction, the error is corrected via
hardware and the data is transferred to the host system. The hardware on-the-fly ECC
correction process is very quick and does not stop the disk transfer.
If the data is not correctable using hardware on-the-fly ECC correction, the sector is
re-read in an attempt to read the data correctly without applying firmware triple, or
quadruple-burst ECC correction. Before invoking the firmware triple, or quadruple-
burst ECC algorithm, the drive will always try to recover from an error by attempting
to re-read the data correctly. This strategy prevents invoking correction on non-
repeatable errors. Each time a sector in error is re-read a set of ECC syndromes is
computed. If all of the ECC syndrome values equal zero, and XC syndrome value
equals to 0 or 0FF, the data was read with no errors, and the sector is transferred to
the host system. If any of the syndrome values do not equal zero, an error has
occurred, the syndrome values are retained, and another re-read is invoked. If the
retry algorithm reaches the last step of the retry table, or the last pass through the retry
table, and the sector still has a data error, then the drive will apply firmware ECC
correction to recover the data.
Non-repeatable errors are usually related to the signal to noise ra-
tio of the system. They are not due to media defects.
If the automatic read reallocation feature is enabled, and the drive used firmware ECC
correction to recover the data, then the drive will perform a media test on the sector
to determine if the error was caused by a grown media defect. The media test consists
of writing and reading the sector four times. If any one of the writes or reads fails, or
if any read requires firmware ECC correction to recover the data, then the sector is
automatically reassigned.
The Maxtor D540X-4K AT drives are shipped from the factory
with the automatic read reallocation feature enabled so that any
new defective sectors can be easily and automatically reallocated
for the average AT end user.
Basic Principles of Operation
5-14 Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT
The Maxtor D540X-4K drives use two techniques for replacing defective sectors -
inline replacement and offline replacement.
During manufacturing, if a sector on a cylinder is found to be defective, the address
of the sector is added to the drive's defect list. The defective sector is “skipped,” and
is replaced by the next immediate sector, which maintains a sequential ordering of
logical blocks. This inline sparing technique is employed in an attempt to eliminate
slow data transfer that would result from requiring a seek to another cylinder to access
a replacement sector.
The Maxtor D540X-4K drives are divided into 30 logical zones for purposes of defect
management. Each zone has a pool of 32 spare sectors, which are reserved for offline
replacement.
Defects that occur in the field are known as grown defects. If such a defective sector
is found in the field, the sector is reallocated to a spare sector from the nearest available
pool of spares. The defect list supports a maximum of 500 grown defects.
Sectors are considered to contain grown defects if the quadruple-burst ECC algorithm
must be applied to recover the data. If this algorithm is successful, the corrected data
is stored in the newly allocated sector. If the algorithm is not successful, a pending
defect will be added to the defect list. Any subsequent read to the original logical block
will return an error if the read is not successful. A host command to over-write the
location will result in several write/read/verifies of the suspect location. If any of these
operations fail, the new data will be written to a spare sector, and the original location
will be added to the permanent defect list. If all of the operations are successful, data
will be written to the location, and the pending defect will be removed from the list.
Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT 6-1
This chapter describes the interface between Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0
GB AT hard disk drives and the ATA bus. The commands that are issued from the
host to control the drive are listed, as well as the electrical and mechanical
characteristics of the interface.
Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT hard disk drives use the standard
ATA/ATAPI-6 interface. Support of various options in the standard are explained
in the following sections.
The Maxtor D540X-4K hard disk drive contains a 50-pin unitized connector for
both signal and power connections as well as configuration jumpers. The
dimensions of the unitized connector comply with figure A.12 and table A.15 of
the ATA/ATAPI-6 standard.
Signals on the ATA interface are assigned to connector pins according to Table A.1
and A.8 of the ATA/ATAPI-6 standard. The signaling protocol complies with section
9 and signal timing complies with section 10 of the standard.
The Maxtor D540X-4K hard disk drives support all Ultra DMA Data Transfer modes
of ATA/ATAPI-6. In Mode 5, it can send and receive data at the full 100 MB/s
transfer rate.
Hosts may assert the RESET- signal for longer than the minimum. When power is
applied with RESET- asserted, the Maxtor D540X-4K disk media will not begin to
spin up until RESET- is negated. This may reduce maximum current consumption
for the overall system.
ATA Bus Interface and ATA Commands
6-2 Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT
The Maxtor D540X-4K hard disk drives allow their host systems to address the full set
of command and control registers as specified in ATA/ATAPI-6 section 7.
The µProcessor, Disk Controller, and ATA Interface electronics are contained in a
proprietary ASIC developed by Maxtor.
The Maxtor D540X-4K hard disk drives support all the mandatory commands from
the general feature set for non-packet devices. They are:
•EXECUTE DEVICE DIAGNOSTIC
•FLUSH CACHE
•IDENTIFY DEVICE
•INITIALIZE DEVICE PARAMETERS
•READ DMA
•READ MULTIPLE
•READ SECTOR(S)
•READ VERIFY SECTOR(S)
•SEEK
•SET FEATURES
•SET MULTIPLE MODE
•WRITE DMA
•WRITE MULTIPLE
•WRITE SECTOR(S)
The drives support the following optional commands from the general feature set for
non-packet devices:
•DOWNLOAD MICROCODE
•NOP
•READ BUFFER
•WRITE BUFFER
ATA Bus Interface and ATA Commands
Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT 6-3
The drives support the Multiword DMA protocol.
The drives support the Ultra DMA feature set for the following commands:
•READ DMA
•WRITE DMA
The drives support the following commands from the optional Power Management
feature set:
•CHECK POWER MODE
•IDLE
•IDLE IMMEDIATE
•SLEEP
•STANDBY
•STANDBY IMMEDIATE
ATA Bus Interface and ATA Commands
6-4 Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT
The drives support the following commands from the optional Security Mode feature
set:
•SECURITY SET PASSWORD
•SECURITY UNLOCK
•SECURITY ERASE PREPARE
•SECURITY ERASE UNIT
•SECURITY FREEZE LOCK
•SECURITY DISABLE PASSWORD
The drives support the following commands from the optional SMART feature set:
•SMART DISABLE OPERATIONS
•SMART ENABLE/DISABLE AUTOSAVE
•SMART ENABLE OPERATIONS
•SMART RETURN STATUS
•SMART EXECUTE OFF-LINE IMMEDIATE
•SMART READ DATA
•SMART READ LOG SECTOR
•SMART WRITE LOG SECTOR
The drives support the following commands from the optional Host Protected Area
feature set including security extensions:
•READ NATIVE MAX ADDRESS
•SET MAX ADDRESS
•SET MAX SET PASSWORD
•SET MAX LOCK
•SET MAX FREEZE LOCK
•SET MAX UNLOCK
The drives support the optional Automatic Acoustic Management feature set which
uses subcommands of the SET FEATURES command.
ATA Bus Interface and ATA Commands
Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT 6-5
Identify Device Parameters
015
14-8
7
6
5-3
2
1
0
General configuration bit-significant information:
0 = ATA device
Retired
Removable media device
Not removable controller and/or device
Retired
Response incomplete
Retired
Reserved
045Ah
1 Obsolete 3FFFh
2 Specific configuration 0000h
3 Obsolete 0010h
4-5 Retired 7E00h-
5332h
6 Obsolete 003Fh
7-8 Reserved for the CompactFlash™ Association 0000h-
0000h
9 Retired 5154h
10-19 Serial number (20 ASCII characters) Variable
20-21 Retired 0003h-
0344h
22 Obsolete 0004h
23-26 Firmware revision (8 ASCII characters) Variable
27-46 Model number (40 ASCII characters) MX 4K020H1
MX 4K040H2
MX 4K060H3
MX 4K080H4
47 15-8
7-0 80h
Maximum sectors per interrupt on MULTIPLE
commands
8010h
48 Reserved Reserved
ATA Bus Interface and ATA Commands
6-6 Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT
49 15-14
13
12
11
10
9
8
7-0
Capabilities
Reserved for the IDENTIFY PACKET DEVICE
command.
Standby timer values are supported
Reserved for the IDENTIFY PACKET DEVICE
command.
IORDY supported
IORDY may be disabled
LBA supported
DMA supported.
Retired
0F00h
50 15
14
13-2
1
0
Capabilities
Shall be cleared to zero.
Shall be set to one.
Reserved.
Obsolete
Shall be set to one to indicate a device specific
Standby timer value minimum.
0
1
000h
0
0
51-52 Obsolete 0200h-
0200h
53 15-3
2
1
0
Reserved
the fields reported in word 88 are valid
the fields reported in words 64-70 are valid
the fields reported in words 54-58 are valid
0
1
1
1
54 Obsolete 3FFFh
55 Obsolete 0010h
56 Obsolete 0100h
57-58 Current capacity in Sectors Variable
59 Multiple sector setting 0100h
60-61 Total number of user addressable sectors Variable
62 Obsolete 0000h
63 Multiword DMA mode 0407h
64 Advanced PIO modes 0003h
65 Minimum Multiword DMA transfer cycle time 0078h
66 recommended Multiword DMA transfer cycle time 0078h
67 Minimum cycle time without flow control 0078h
68 Minimum cycle time with IORDY flow control 0078h
69-70 Reserved Reserved
71-74 Reserved Reserved
75 Maximum queue depth – 1 0000h
76-79 Reserved Reserved
ATA Bus Interface and ATA Commands
Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT 6-7
Table 6-2 shows the supported subcommands of SET FEATURES organized by
feature name. The ID Word column shows if the current default setting can be
80 Major version number 003Eh
81 Minor version number 0015h
82 Command set supported 346Bh
83 Command set supported 5B01h
84 Command set/feature supported extension 4003h
85 Command set/feature enabled 3468h
86 Command set/feature enabled 1A01h
87 Command set/feature default 4003h
88 Ultra DMA mode 003Fh
89 Time required for security erase unit completion Variable
90 Time required for Enhanced security erase
completion 0000h
91 Current advanced power management value 0000h
92 Master Password Revision Code FFFEh
93 Hardware reset result Variable
94 acoustic management value 8080h
95-99 Reserved Reserved
100-103 Maximum user LBA address for 48-bit Address
feature set 777Fh,
0260h,
0000h,
0000h
104-126 Reserved Reserved
127 Removable Media Status Notification feature set
support 0000h
128 Security status 0001h
129-159 Vendor specific Reserved
160 CFA power mode 1 0000h
161-175 Reserved for assignment by the CompactFlash™
Association Reserved
176-254 Reserved Reserved
255 15-8
7-0 Integrity word checksum
Integrity word signature Variable
41A5h
ATA Bus Interface and ATA Commands
6-8 Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT
determined from the information returned from the IDENTIFY DEVICE command.
Where the entry is none, the default setting must be determined by other analytical
means or by asking a trusted human source. The last column shows the default setting
(enabled or disabled) for each supported feature.
Supported Features
The drives support the following Maxtor specific commands:
•READ DEFECT LIST
•READ CONFIGURATION
•SET CONFIGURATION
The READ DEFECT LIST command enables the host to retrieve the drive’s defect
list. Prior to issuing this command the host should issue the READ DEFECT LIST
LENGTH command. This command will not transfer any data. It instead, stores the
length in sectors of the defect list in the Sector Count register (1F2), and the Sector
Number register (1F3), with the Sector Count register containing the LSB of the 2-
byte value (see Table 6-3). The defect list length is a fixed value for each Maxtor
product and can be calculated as follows:
length in sectors = (((maximum number of defects) * 8 + 4) + 511)/512
At the completion of the command, the task file registers 1F2 – 1F6 will contain bytes
necessary to execute the READ DEFECT LIST command, and the host will only
need to write the extended command code (F0h) to the Command register (1F7) to
proceed with the READ DEFECT LIST command execution.
02h 82h Write cache 88 bit 5 02h
03h na Set transfer mode 63, 88 03h
42h C2h Automatic Acoustic Management
feature set 86 bit 9,
94 42h
55h AAh Read look-ahead feature 85 bit 6 55h
CCh 66h Reverting to power-on defaults None CCh
ATA Bus Interface and ATA Commands
Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT 6-9
READ DEFECT LIST LENGTH Command Bytes
Registers 1F2h through 1F5h must contain the exact values
shown. These values function as a key. The drive issues the
message ILLEGAL COMMAND if the bytes are not entered
correctly.
The READ DEFECT LIST command is an extended AT command that enables the
host to retrieve the drive’s defect list. The host begins by writing to address 1F6h to
select the drive. Then the host writes to addresses 1F2h – 1F5h using values indicated
in Table 6-4. When the host subsequently writes the extended command code F0h to
address 1F7h, the drive sets BSY, retrieves the defect list, sets DRQ, and resets BSY.
The host can now read the requested number of sectors (512 bytes) of data. An
INTRQ precedes each sector. Bytes 1F2h and 1F3h contain the 2-byte number of
sectors that the host expects to read, with address 1F2h containing the LSB (see Table
6-4). The sector count (1F2h – 1F3h) may vary from product to product and if the
wrong value is supplied for a specific product, the drive responds by setting the ABRT
bit in the Error register. If the host does not know the appropriate sector count for a
specific product, it can issue the Read Defect List Length command, described in the
previous section to set up the task file for the Read Defect List command.
Sector
Count 0 Defect List Subcode Length in Sectors
(LSB)
Sector
Number FFh Password Length in Sectors
(MSB)
Cylinder
Low FFh Password FFh
Cylinder
High 3Fh Password 3Fh
Device/
Head AXh (Drive 0) Drive Select AXh = Drive 0
BXh (Drive 1) —BXh = Drive 1
Command F0h Extended Command
Code Status Register
ATA Bus Interface and ATA Commands
6-10 Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT
READ DEFECT LIST Command Bytes
Registers 1F2h and 1F3h must contain the transfer length that is
appropriate for the specific product, and 1F4h and 1F5h must
contain the exact values shown. These values function as a key.
The drive responds by setting the ABRT bit in the Error register
if the bytes are not entered correctly.
Pending defects will be excluded from the list, since no alternate sector is being used
as their replacement, and since they may be removed from the drive’s internal pending
list at a later time. Table 6-5 shows the overall format of the defect list, and Table 6-
6 shows the format of the individual defect entries.
Sector
Count Variable Length in Sectors
(LSB)
Sector
Number Variable Length in Sectors
(MSB)
Cylinder
Low FFh Password
Cylinder
High 3Fh Password
Device/
Head AXh = Drive 0 Drive Select
BXh = Drive 1 —
Command F0h Extended Command
Code
ATA Bus Interface and ATA Commands
Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT 6-11
DEFECT LIST DATA FORMAT
DEFECT ENTRY DATA FORMAT
Bytes 4 – 7 will be set to FFh for bad track entries.
In addition to the SET FEATURES command, the Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/
60.0/80.0 GB AT hard disk drives provide two configuration commands:
•The SET CONFIGURATION command, which enables the host to
change DisCache and Error Recovery parameters
•The READ CONFIGURATION command, which enables the host to
read the current configuration status of the drive
See Chapter 5 for more details about DisCache and setting cache parameters. See
Chapter 5 also for more information about error detection and defect management.
00
11Dh
2 8* (Number of Defects)
(MSB)
3 8* (Number of Defects)
(LSB)
4–11 Defect Entry #1
12–19 Defect Entry #2
•
•
0 Defect cylinder (MSB)
1 Defect cylinder
2 Defect cylinder (LSB)
3 Defect head
4 Defect sector (MSB)
5 Defect sector
6 Defect sector
7 Defect sector (LSB)
ATA Bus Interface and ATA Commands
6-12 Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT
The READ CONFIGURATION command displays the configuration of the drive.
Like the SET CONFIGURATION command, this command is secured to prevent
accidentally accessing it. To access the READ CONFIGURATION command, you
must write the pattern shown in Table 6-7 to the Command Block Registers. The first
byte, 01h, is a subcode to the extended command code, F0h.
Accessing the READ CONFIGURATION Command
In Table 6-7:
Only the value in address 1F2h of the Command Block Registers
is different from the SET CONFIGURATION command.
Registers 1F2h through 1F5h must contain the exact values
shown in Table 6-7. These values function as a key. The drive
responds by setting the ABRT bit in the Error register if the key
is not entered correctly.
To select the drive for which the configuration is to be read, set
register 1F6h. For execution of the command to begin, load
register 1F7h with F0h.
A 512-byte data field is associated with the READ CONFIGURATION command.
A 512-byte read sequence sends this data from the drive to the host. The information
in this data field represents the current settings of the configuration parameters. The
format of the READ CONFIGURATION command data field is similar to that for
the data field of the SET CONFIGURATION command, shown in Table 6-8.
However, in the READ CONFIGURATION command, bytes 0 through 31 of the
data field are not KEY information, as they are in the SET CONFIGURATION
command. The drive reads these bytes as Maxtor CONFIGURATION, followed by
eleven spaces. Users can read the configuration into a buffer, then alter the
configuration parameter settings.
Sector Count 01h Read Configuration Subcode
Sector Number FFh Password
Cylinder Low FFh Password
Cylinder High 3Fh Password
Device/Head AXh
(Drive 0) Drive Select
BXh
(Drive 1) Drive Select
Command F0h Extended Command Code
ATA Bus Interface and ATA Commands
Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT 6-13
The SET CONFIGURATION command is secured to prevent accessing it
accidentally. To access the SET CONFIGURATION command, you must write the
pattern shown in Table 6-8 to the Command Block Registers. The first byte, FFh, is
a subcode to the extended command code F0h.
Accessing the SET CONFIGURATION Command
Registers 1F2h through 1F5h must contain the exact values
shown above. These values function as a key. The drive responds
by setting the ABRT bit in the Error register if the key is not
entered correctly.
To select the drive being reconfigured, register 1F6h should be
set. For execution of the command to begin, load register 1F7h
with F0h.
The SET CONFIGURATION WITHOUT SAVING TO DISK command is
secured to prevent accidentally accessing it. To access this command, you must write
the pattern shown in Table 6-9 to the Command Block Registers. The first byte, FEh,
is a subcode to the extended command code F0h.
Accessing the SET CONFIGURATION WITHOUT SAVING TO DISK Command
1F2h FFh Set Configuration Subcode
1F3h FFh Password
1F4h FFh Password
1F5h 3Fh Password
1F6h AXh
(Drive 0) Drive Select
BXh
(Drive 1) Drive Select
1F7h F0h Extended Command Code
1F2h FEh Set Configuration Subcode
1F3h FFh Password
1F4h FFh Password
1F5h 3Fh Password
1F6h AXh
(Drive 0) Drive Select
BXh
Drive 1) Drive Select
1F7h F0h Extended Command Code
ATA Bus Interface and ATA Commands
6-14 Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT
In Table 6-9:
Registers 1F2h through 1F5h must contain the exact values
shown above. These values function as a key. The drive responds
by setting the ABRT bit in the Error register if the key is not
entered correctly.
To select the drive being reconfigured, set register 1F6h. For
execution of the command to begin, load register 1F7h with F0h.
A 512-byte data field is associated with this command. This data field is sent to the
drive through a normal 512-byte write handshake. Table 6-10 shows the format of the
data field. Bytes 0 through 31 of the data field contain additional KEY information.
The drive responds by setting the ABRT bit in the Error register if this information is
not entered correctly. Bytes 32 through 35 control the operation of DisCache. Bytes
36 through 38 control operation of the error recovery procedure. The drive does not
use bytes 40 through 511, which should be set to 0.
Configuration Command Format
All fields marked RESERVED or N/A should be set to zero.
Bytes 0–6 must contain the ASCII characters Q, U, A, N, T, U, and M; byte 7, the
ASCII character space; and bytes 8–20 must contain the ASCII characters C, O, N, F,
I, G, U, R, A, T, I, O, and N. Bytes 21–31 must contain an ASCII space. If this
information is not entered correctly, the drive responds by setting the ABRT bit in
the Error register.
PE – Prefetch Enable (Byte 32, Bit 1): When set to 1, this bit indicates that the
drive will perform prefetching. A PE bit set to 0 indicates that no prefetching will
occur. The CE bit (bit 0) must be set to 1 to enable use of the PE bit. The default
value is 1.
0–31 MAXTOR CONFIGURATION KEY
32 RESERVED = 0 PE CE
33 RESERVED
34 RESERVED = 0
35 RESERVED = 0
36 AWRE ARR N/A RC EEC N/A N/A DCR
37 NUMBER OF RETRIES
38 ECC CORRECTION SPAN
39 RESERVED = 0 WCE RUEE 0
40–511 RESERVED = 0
ATA Bus Interface and ATA Commands
Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT 6-15
CE – Cache Enable (Byte 32, Bit 0): When set to 1, this bit indicates that the drive
will activate caching on all READ commands. With the CE bit set to 0, the drive will
disable caching and use the RAM only as a transfer buffer. The default setting is 1.
AWRE – Automatic Write Reallocation Enabled (Byte 36, Bit 7): When set
to 1, indicates that the drive will enable automatic reallocation of bad blocks.
Automatic Write Reallocation is similar to the function of Automatic Read
Reallocation, but is initiated by the drive when a defective block has become
inaccessible for writing. An AWRE bit set to 0 indicates that the Maxtor D540X-4K
20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT drives will not automatically reallocate bad blocks. The
default setting is 1.
ARR – Automatic Read Reallocation (Byte 36, Bit 6): When set to 1, this bit
indicates that the drive will enable automatic reallocation of bad sectors. The drive
initiates reallocation when the ARR bit is set to 1 and the drive encounters a hard
error—that is, if the triple-burst ECC algorithm is invoked. The default setting is 1.
When the ARR bit is set to 0, the drive will not perform automatic reallocation of
bad sectors. If RC (byte 36, bit 4) is 1, the drive ignores this bit. The default value is 1.
RC – Read Continuous (Byte 36, Bit 4): When set to 1, this bit instructs the drive
to transfer data of the requested length without adding delays to increase data
integrity—that is, delays caused by the drive’s error-recovery procedures. With RC
set to 1 to maintain a continuous flow of data and avoid delays, the drive may send
data that is erroneous. When the drive ignores an error, it does not post the error. The
RC bit set to 0 indicates that potentially time-consuming operations for error recovery
are acceptable during data transfer. The default setting is 0.
EEC – Enable Early Correction (Byte 36, Bit 3): When set to 1, this bit indicates
that the drive will use its ECC algorithm if it detects two consecutive equal, nonzero
error syndromes. The drive will not perform rereads before applying correction, unless
it determines that the error is uncorrectable. An EEC bit set to 0 indicates that the
drive will use its normal recovery procedure when an error occurs: rereads, followed
by error correction. If the RC bit (byte 36, bit 4) is set to 1, the drive ignores the EEC
bit. The default setting is 0.
SilentMode (Byte 36, Bit 2): When set to 1, this bit indicates that the drive’s
acoustic emanations will be reduced.
DCR – Disable Correction (Byte 36, Bit 0): When set to 1, this bit indicates that
all data will be transferred without correction, even if it would be possible to correct
the data. A DCR bit set to 0 indicates that the data will be corrected if possible. If the
data is uncorrectable, it will be transferred without correction, though the drive will
attempt rereads. If RC (byte 36, bit 4) is set to 1, the drive ignores this bit. The default
setting is 0. The drive will post all errors, whether DCR is set to 0 or 1.
NUMBER OF RETRIES (Byte 37):This byte specifies the number of times that
the drive will attempt to recover from data errors by rereading the data, before it will
apply correction. The drive performs rereads before ECC correction—unless EEC
(byte 36, bit 3) is set to 1, enabling early correction. The default is eight.
ECC CORRECTION SPAN (Byte 38): This byte specifies the maximum number
of 10-bit symbols that can be corrected using ECC. The default value for this byte is
20h or 32 decimal.
ATA Bus Interface and ATA Commands
6-16 Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT
WCE – Write Cache Enable (Byte 39, Bit 2): When this bit is set to1, the Maxtor
D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT hard disk drives enable the Write Cache.
This indicates that the drive returns GOOD status for a write command after
successfully receiving the data, but before writing it to the disk. A value of zero
indicates that the drive returns GOOD status for a write command after successfully
receiving the data and writing it to the disk.
If the next command is another WRITE command, cached data continues to be
written to the disk while new data is added to the buffer. The default setting is 1.
RUEE – Reallocate Uncorrectable Error Enables (Byte 39, Bit 1): When set
to 1, this bit indicates that the Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT hard
disk drives will automatically reallocate uncorrectable hard errors, if the ARR bit (byte
36, bit 6) is set to 1. The default setting is 1.
COMMAND CODE - B0h
TYPE - Optional - SMART Feature set. If the SMART feature set is implemented,
this command is optional and not recommended.
PROTOCOL - PIO data in
INPUTS - The Features register shall be set to D1h. The Cylinder Low register shall
be set to 4Fh. The Cylinder High register shall be set to C2h.
NORMAL OUTPUTS - None
ERROR OUTPUTS - If the device does not support this command, if SMART
disabled or if the values in the Features, Cylinder Low or Cylinder High registers are
invalid, an Aborted command error is posted.
Features D1h
Sector Count
Sector Number
Cylinder Low 4Fh
Cylinder High C2h
Device/Head 1 1 D
Command B0h
Error na UNC na IDNF na ABRT na na
Sector Count na
Sector Number na
Cylinder Low na
ATA Bus Interface and ATA Commands
Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT 6-17
PREREQUISITES - DRDY set equal to one. SMART enabled.
DESCRIPTION - This command returns the device’s attribute thresholds to the host.
Upon receipt of this command from the host, the device sets BSY, reads the attribute
thresholds from non-volatile memory, sets DRQ, clears BSY, asserts INTRQ, and
then waits for the host to transfer the 512 bytes of attribute threshold information from
the device via the Data register.
The following defines the 512 bytes that make up the attribute threshold information.
The sequence of active attribute thresholds must appear in the same order as their
corresponding attribute values (see Section 6.5.12.2).
The data structure revision number shall be the same value used in the device attribute
values data structure.
Table 6-11 defines the twelve bytes that make up the information for each threshold
entry in the device attribute thresholds data structure. Attribute entries in the
individual threshold data structure must be in the same order and correspond to the
entries in the individual attribute data structure.
The attribute ID numbers are vendor specific. Any non-zero value in the attribute ID
number indicates an active attribute.
Attribute threshold values are to be set at the factory and are not changeable in the
field.
The data structure checksum is the two’s compliment of the result of a simple eight-
bit addition of the first 511 bytes in the data structure.
Device Attribute Thresholds Data Structure
Cylinder High na
Device/Head obs na obs DEV na
Status BSY DRDY DF na DRQ na na ERR
Data structure revision number =
0x0004h for this revision 2 binary Rd only
1st attribute threshold 12 Rd only
.....
.....
.....
30th attribute threshold 12 Rd only
reserved (0x00) 18 Rd only
Vendor specific 131 Rd only
Data structure checksum 1 Rd only
Total bytes 512
ATA Bus Interface and ATA Commands
6-18 Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT
Individual Threshold Data Structure
Device SMART Data Structure
The attribute ID numbers and their definitions are vendor specific. Any non-zero
value in the attribute ID number indicates an active attribute. Valid values for this byte
are from 0x01 through 0xFFh.
Attribute ID number 1 binary Rd only
Attribute threshold (for comparison
with attribute values from 0x00 to
0xFFh)
1 binary Rd only
0x00 “always passing” threshold value
to be used for code test purposes
0x01 minimum value for normal
operation
0xFD maximum value for normal
operation
0xFE invalid for threshold value - not to
be used
0xFF “always failing” threshold value to
be used for code test purposes
Reserved 10 Rd only
Total bytes 12
0-361 Vendor Specific
362 Off-line data collection Status
363 Vendor specific
364-
365 Total time in seconds to complete
off-line data collection
366 Vendor Specific
367 Off-line data collection capability
368-
369 SMART capability
370-
385 Reserved
386-
510 Vendor Specific
511 Data Structure check sum
ATA Bus Interface and ATA Commands
Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT 6-19
•Bit 0 -Pre-failure/advisory - If the value of this bit equals zero, an
attribute value less than or equal to its corresponding attribute threshold
indicates an advisory condition where the usage or age of the device has
exceeded its intended design life period. If the value of this bit equals
one, an attribute value less than or equal to its corresponding attribute
threshold indicates a pre-failure condition where imminent loss of data
is being predicted.
•Bit 1 Reserved for future use.
•Bits 3 - 6 - Vendor specific.
•Bits 7 - 15 - Reserved for future use.
The range and meaning of the attribute values is described in Table 6-13. Prior to the
monitoring and saving of attribute values, all values are set to 0x64h. The attribute
values of 0x00h and 0xFFh are reserved and should not be used by the device.
•Bit 0 - Pre-power mode attribute saving capability - If the value of this
bit equals one, the device will save its attribute values prior to going into
a power saving mode (Idle, Standby or Sleep modes).
•Bit 1 - Attribute autosave after event capability - If the value of this bit
is equal to one, the device supports the SMART ENABLE/DISABLE
ATTRIBUTE AUTOSAVE command.
•Bits 2-15 - Reserved for future use.
The data structure checksum is the two’s compliment of the result of a simple eight-
bit addition of the first 511 bytes in the data structure.
COMMAND CODE - B0h
TYPE - Optional - SMART Feature set. If the SMART feature set is implemented,
this command shall be implemented.
PROTOCOL - Non-data command.
INPUTS - The Features register shall be set to DAh. The Cylinder Low register shall
be set to 4Fh. The Cylinder High register shall be set to C2h.
Features DAh
Sector Count
Sector Number
Cylinder Low 4Fh
ATA Bus Interface and ATA Commands
6-20 Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT
NORMAL OUTPUTS - If the device has not detected a threshold exceeded
condition, the device sets the Cylinder Low register to 4Fh and the Cylinder High
register to C2h. If the device has detected a threshold exceeded condition, the device
sets the Cylinder Low register to F4h and the Cylinder High register to 2Ch.
ERROR OUTPUTS - If the device does not support this command, if SMART is
disabled or if the values in the Features, Cylinder Low or Cylinder High registers are
invalid, an Aborted command error is posted.
PREREQUISITES - DRDY set equal to one. SMART enabled.
DESCRIPTION - This command is used to communicate the reliability status of
the device to the host at the host’s request. Upon receipt of this command the device
sets BSY, saves any updated attribute values to non-volatile memory and compares the
updated attribute values to the attribute thresholds.
COMMAND CODE - B0h
TYPE - Optional - SMART Feature set. If the SMART feature set is implemented,
this command is optional and not recommended.
PROTOCOL - Non-data command
INPUTS - The Features register shall be set to D3h. The Cylinder Low register shall
be set to 4Fh. The Cylinder High register shall be set to C2h.
Cylinder High C2h
Device/Head 1 1 D
Command B0h
Error na UNC na IDNF na ABRT na na
Sector Count na
Sector Number na
Cylinder Low na
Cylinder High na
Device/Head obs na obs DEV na
Status BSY DRD
YDF na DRQ na na ERR
ATA Bus Interface and ATA Commands
Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT 6-21
NORMAL OUTPUTS - None
ERROR OUTPUTS - If the device does not support this command, if SMART is
disabled or if the values in the Features, Cylinder Low or Cylinder High registers are
invalid, an Aborted command error is posted.
PREREQUISITES - DRDY set equal to one. SMART enabled.
DESCRIPTION - This command causes the device to immediately save any updated
attribute values to the device’s non-volatile memory regardless of the state of the
attribute autosave timer. Upon receipt of this command from the host, the device sets
BSY, writes any updated attribute values to non-volatile memory, clears BSY and
asserts INTRQ.
Features D3h
Sector Count
Sector Number
Cylinder Low 4Fh
Cylinder High C2h
Device/Head 1 1 D
Command B0h
Error na UNC na IDNF na ABRT na na
Sector Count na
Sector Number na
Cylinder Low na
Cylinder High na
Device/Head obs na obs DEV na
Status BSY DRD
YDF na DRQ na na ERR
ATA Bus Interface and ATA Commands
6-22 Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT
The drives support the following commands from the optional Device Configuration
Overlay feature set:
•DEVICE CONFIGURATION FREEZE LOCK
•DEVICE CONFIGURATION IDENTIFY
•DEVICE CONFIGURATION RESTORE
•DEVICE CONFIGURATION SET
Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT G-1
A
ACCESS – (v) Read, write, or update
information on some storage medium, such as
a disk. (n) One of these operations.
ACCESS TIME – The interval between the
time a request for data is made by the system
and the time the data is available from the
drive. Access time includes the actual seek
time, rotational latency, and command
processing overhead time. See also seek,
rotational latency, and overhead.
ACTUATOR – Also known as the positioner.
The internal mechanism that moves the
read/write head to the proper track. The
Maxtor actuator consists of a rotary voice coil
and the head mounting arms. One end of each
head mounting arm attaches to the rotor with
the read/write heads attached at the opposite
end of each arm. As current is applied to the
rotor, it rotates, positioning the heads over the
desired cylinder on the media.
AIRLOCK – A patented Maxtor feature that
ensures durable and reliable data storage.
Upon removal of power from the drive for
any reason, the read/write heads
automatically park and lock in a non data area
called the landing zone. AIRLOCK allows
the drive to withstand high levels of
non-operating shock. When power is applied
to the drive, airflow created from the spinning
disks causes the AIRLOCK arm to swing
back and unlock the actuator, allowing the
heads to move from the landing zone. Upon
power down, the AIRLOCK swings back to
the locked position, locking the heads in the
landing zone. A park utility is not required to
park the heads on drives equipped with
AIRLOCK (all Maxtor drives).
ALLOCATION – The process of assigning
particular areas of the disk to particular files.
See also allocation unit.
ALLOCATION UNIT – An allocation
unit, also known as a cluster, is a group of
sectors on the disk that can be reserved for the
use of a particular file.
AVERAGE SEEK TIME – The average
time it takes for the read/write head to move
to a specific location. To compute the average
seek time, you divide the time it takes to
complete a large number of random seeks all
over the disk by the number of seeks
performed.
B
BACKUP – A copy of a file, directory, or
volume on a separate storage device from the
original, for the purpose of retrieval in case the
original is accidentally erased, damaged, or
destroyed.
BAD BLOCK – A block (usually the size of
a sector) that cannot reliably hold data because
of a media flaw or damaged format markings.
BAD TRACK TABLE – A label affixed to
the casing of a hard disk drive that tells which
tracks are flawed and cannot hold data. The
listing is typed into the low-level formatting
program when the drive is being installed.
Because Maxtor disk drive’s
defect-management scheme handles all such
flaws automatically, there is no need to
concern yourself with bad track tables.
BIT – Abbreviation for binary digit. A binary
digit may have one of two values—1 or 0.
This contrasts with a decimal digit, which
may have a value from 0 to 9. A bit is one of
the logic 1or logic 0 binary settings that make
up a byte of data. See also byte.
BLOCK – A sector or group of sectors. By
default, a block of data consists of 512 bytes.
Glossary
G-2 Maxtor D540X-4K 20.0/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT
BPI – Abbreviation for bits per inch. A
measure of how densely information is packed
on a storage medium. Flux changes per inch is
also a term commonly used in describing
storage density on a magnetic surface.
BUFFER – An area of RAM reserved for
temporary storage of data that is waiting to be
sent to a device that is not yet ready to receive
it. The data is usually on its way to or from the
disk drive or some other peripheral device.
BUS – The part of a chip, circuit board, or
interface designed to send and receive data.
BYTE – The basic unit of computer
memory, large enough to hold one character
of alphanumeric data. Comprised of eight bits.
See also bit.
C
CACHE – Random-access memory used as a
buffer between the CPU and a hard disk.
Information more likely to be read or changed
is placed in the cache, where it can be accessed
more quickly to speed up general data flow.
CAPACITY – The amount of information
that can be stored on a disk drive. The data is
stored in bytes, and capacity is usually
expressed in megabytes.
CDB – Command Descriptor Block. The
SCSI structure used to communicate requests
from an initiator (system) to a target (drive).
CLEAN ROOM – An environmentally
controlled dust-free assembly or repair facility
in which hard disk drives are assembled or can
be opened for internal servicing.
CLUSTER – A group of sectors on a disk
drive that is addressed as one logical unit by
the operating system.
CONTROLLER – Short form of disk
controller. The chip or complete circuit that
translates computer data and commands into a
form suitable for use by the disk drive.
CONTROLLER CARD – An adapter
holding the control electronics for one or
more hard disks, usually installed in a slot in
the computer.
CPU – Acronym for Central Processing Unit.
The microprocessor chip that performs the
bulk of data processing in a computer.
CRC – Acronym for Cyclic Redundancy Check.
An error detection code that is recorded
within each sector and is used to see whether
parts of a string of data are missing or
erroneous.
CYLINDER – On a disk drive that has more
than one recording surface and heads that
move to various tracks, the group of all tracks
located at a given head position. The number
of cylinders times the number of heads equals
the number of tracks per drive.
D
DATA SEPARATOR – On a disk drive
that stores data and timing information in an
encoded form, the circuit that extracts the
data from the combined data and clock signal.
DEDICATED SERVO – A surface separate
from the surface used for data that contains
only disk timing and positioning information
and contains no data.
DEFECT MANAGEMENT – A method
that is implemented to ensure long term data
integrity. Defect management eliminates the
need for user defect maps. This is
accomplished by scanning the disk drives at
the factory for defective sectors. Defective
sectors are deallocated prior to shipment. In
addition, during regular use, the drive
continues to scan and compensate for any new
defective sectors on the disk.
DISK – In general, any circular-shaped
data-storage medium that stores data on the
flat surface of the platter. The most common
type of disk is the magnetic disk, which stores
data as magnetic patterns in a metal or
metal-oxide coating. Magnetic disks come in
two forms: floppy and hard. Optical recording
is a newer disk technology that gives higher
capacity storage but at slower access times.
DISK CONTROLLER – A plug-in board,
or embedded circuitry on the drive, that
Glossary
Maxtor D540X-4K 20.0/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT G-3
passes information to and from the disk. The
Maxtor disk drives all have controllers
embedded on the drive printed-circuit board.
DISKWARE – The program instructions
and data stored on the disk for use by a
processor.
DMA – Acronym for direct memory access. A
process by which data moves directly between
a disk drive (or other device) and system
memory without passing through the CPU,
thus allowing the system to continue
processing other tasks while the new data is
being retrieved.
DRIVE – Short form of disk drive.
DRIVE GEOMETRY – The functional
dimensions of a drive in terms of the number
of heads, cylinders, and sectors per track. See
also logical format.
E
ECC – Acronym for error correction code. The
recording of extra verifying information
encoded along with the disk data. The
controller uses the extra information to check
for data errors, and corrects the errors when
possible.
EMBEDDED SERVO – A timing or
location signal placed on the disk’s surface on
the tracks that also store data. These signals
allow the actuator to fine-tune the position of
the read/write heads.
ENCODING – The protocol by which
particular data patterns are changed prior to
being written on the disk surface as a pattern
of On and Off or 1 and 0 signals.
EXTERNAL DRIVE – A drive mounted in
an enclosure separate from the PC or
computer system enclosure, with its own
power supply and fan, and connected to the
system by a cable.F
FAT – Acronym for file allocation table. A data
table stored on the outer edge of a disk that
tells the operating system which sectors are
allocated to each file and in what order.
FCI – Acronym for flux changes per inch. See
also BPI.
FILE SERVER – A computer that provides
network stations with controlled access to
shareable resources. The network operating
system is loaded on the file server, and most
shareable devices (disk subsystems, printers)
are attached to it. The file server controls
system security and monitors
station-to-station communications. A
dedicated file server can be used only as a file
server while it is on the network. A non
dedicated file server can be used
simultaneously as a file server and a
workstation.
FLUX DENSITY – The number of
magnetic field patterns that can be stored in a
given length of disk surface. The number is
usually stated as flux changes per inch (FCI),
with typical values in the thousands.
FLYING HEIGHT – The distance between
the read/write head and the disk surface
caused by a cushion of air that keeps the head
from contacting the media. Smaller flying
heights permit more dense storage of data, but
require more precise mechanical designs.
FORMAT – To write onto the disk surface a
magnetic track pattern that specifies the
locations of the tracks and sectors. This
information must exist on a disk before it can
store any user data. Formatting erases any
previously stored data.
FORMATTED CAPACITY – The
amount of room left to store data on the disk
after the required space has been used to write
sector headers, boundary definitions, and
timing information generated by a format
operation. All Maxtor drive capacities are
expressed in formatted capacity.
FORM FACTOR – The physical outer
dimensions of a device as defined by industry
standard. For example, most Maxtor disk
drives use a 3 1/2-inch form factor.
G
GIGABYTE (GB) – One billion bytes (one
thousand megabytes).
GUIDE RAILS – Plastic strips attached to
Glossary
G-4 Maxtor D540X-4K 20.0/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT
the sides of a disk drive mounted in an IBM
AT and compatible computers so that the
drive easily slides into place.
H
HALF HEIGHT – Term used to describe a
drive that occupies half the vertical space of
the original full size 5 1/4-inch drive. 1.625
inches high.
HARD DISK – A type of storage medium
that retains data as magnetic patterns on a rigid
disk, usually made of an iron oxide or alloy
over a magnesium or aluminum platter.
Because hard disks spin more rapidly than
floppy disks, and the head flies closer to the
disk, hard disks can transfer data faster and
store more in the same volume.
HARD ERROR – A repeatable error in disk
data that persists when the disk is reread,
usually caused by defects in the media surface.
HEAD – The tiny electromagnetic coil and
metal pole piece used to create and read back
the magnetic patterns (write and read
information) on the media.
HIGH-CAPACITY DRIVE – By industry
conventions typically a drive of 1 gigabytes or
more.
HIGH-LEVEL FORMATTING –
Formatting performed by the operating
system’s format program. Among other
things, the formatting program creates the
root directory and file allocation tables. See
also low-level formatting.
HOME – Reference position track for
recalibration of the actuator, usually the outer
track (track 0).
HOST ADAPTER – A plug-in board that
forms the interface between a particular type
of computer system bus and the disk drive.
I
INITIALIZE – See low level formatting.
INITIATOR – A SCSI device that requests
another SCSI device to perform an operation.
A common example of this is a system
requesting data from a drive. The system is the
initiator and the drive is the target.
INTERFACE – A hardware or software
protocol, contained in the electronics of the
disk controller and disk drive, that manages
the exchange of data between the drive and
computer.
INTERLEAVE – The arrangement of
sectors on a track. A 1:1 interleave arranges
the sectors so that the next sector arrives at the
read/write heads just as the computer is ready
to access it. See also interleave factor.
INTERLEAVE FACTOR – The number
of sectors that pass beneath the read/write
heads before the next numbered sector
arrives. When the interleave factor is 3:1, a
sector is read, two pass by, and then the next
is read. It would take three revolutions of the
disk to access a full track of data. Maxtor
drives have an interleave of 1:1, so a full track
of data can be accessed within one revolution
of the disk, thus offering the highest data
throughput possible.
INTERNAL DRIVE – A drive mounted
inside one of a computer’s drive bays (or a
hard disk on a card, which is installed in one
of the computer’s slots).
J
JUMPER – A tiny box that slips over two
pins that protrude from a circuit board. When
in place, the jumper connects the pins
electrically. Some board manufacturers use
Dual In-Line Package (DIP) switches instead
of jumpers.
K
KILOBYTE (K) – A unit of measure
consisting of 1,024 (210) bytes.
Glossary
Maxtor D540X-4K 20.0/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT G-5
L
LANDING ZONE – A position inside the
disk’s inner cylinder in a non data area
reserved as a place to rest the heads during the
time that power is off. Using this area prevents
the heads from touching the surface in data
areas upon power down, adding to the data
integrity and reliability of the disk drive.
LATENCY – The period of time during
which the read/write heads are waiting for the
data to rotate into position so that it can be
accessed. Based on a disk rotation speed of
3,662 rpm, the maximum latency time is 16.4
milliseconds, and the average latency time is
8.2 milliseconds.
LOGICAL FORMAT – The logical drive
geometry that appears to an AT system BIOS
as defined by the drive tables and stored in
CMOS. With an installation program like
Disk Manager, the drive can be redefined to
any logical parameters necessary to adapt to
the system drive tables.
LOOK AHEAD – The technique of
buffering data into cache RAM by reading
subsequent blocks in advance to anticipate the
next request for data. The look ahead
technique speeds up disk access of sequential
blocks of data.
LOW-LEVEL FORMATTING –
Formatting that creates the sectors on the
platter surfaces so the operating system can
access the required areas for generating the file
structure. Maxtor drives are shipped with the
low-level formatting already done.
LOW PROFILE – Describes drives built to
the 3 1/2-inch form factor, which are only 1
inch high.
M
MB – See megabyte.
MEDIA – The magnetic film that is
deposited or coated on an aluminum substrate
which is very flat and in the shape of a disk.
The media is overcoated with a lubricant to
prevent damage to the heads or media during
head take off and landing. The media is where
the data is stored inside the disk in the form of
magnetic flux or polarity changes.
MEGABYTE (MB) – A unit of
measurement equal to 1,024 kilobytes, or
1,048,576 bytes except when referring to disk
storage capacity.
1 MB = 1,000,000 bytes when referring to
disk storage capacity.
See also kilobyte.
MEGAHERTZ – A measurement of
frequency in millions of cycles per second.
MHz – See megahertz.
MICROPROCESSOR – The integrated
circuit chip that performs the bulk of data
processing and controls the operation of all of
the parts of the system. A disk drive also
contains a microprocessor to handle all of the
internal functions of the drive and to support
the embedded controller.
MICROSECOND (µs) – One millionth of
a second (.000001 sec.).
MILLISECOND (ms) – One thousandth of
a second (.001 sec.).
MTBF – Mean Time Between Failure. Used
as a reliability rating to determine the
expected life of the product expressed in
power on hours (POH). There are several
accepted methods for calculating this value
that produce very different results and
generate much confusion in the industry.
When comparing numbers you should first
verify which method was used to calculate the
values.
Glossary
G-6 Maxtor D540X-4K 20.0/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT
MTTR – Mean Time To Repair. The
average time it takes to repair a drive that has
failed for some reason. This only takes into
consideration the changing of the major
sub-assemblies such as circuit board or sealed
housing. Component level repair is not
included in this number as this type of repair
is not performed in the field.
O
OVERHEAD – The processing time of a
command by the controller, host adapter or
drive prior to any actual disk accesses taking
place.
OVERWRITE – To write data on top of
existing data, erasing it.
OXIDE – A metal-oxygen compound. Most
magnetic coatings are combinations of iron or
other metal oxides, and the term has become
a general one for the magnetic coating on tape
or disk.
P
PARTITION – A portion of a hard disk
devoted to a particular operating system and
accessed as one logical volume by the system.
PERFORMANCE – A measure of the speed
of the drive during normal operation. Factors
affecting performance are seek times, transfer
rate and command overhead.
PERIPHERAL – A device added to a system
as an enhancement to the basic CPU, such as
a disk drive, tape drive or printer.
PHYSICAL FORMAT – The actual
physical layout of cylinders, tracks, and sectors
on a disk drive.
PLATED MEDIA – Disks that are covered
with a hard metal alloy instead of an
iron-oxide compound. Plated disks can store
greater amounts of data in the same area as a
coated disk.
PLATTER – An disk made of metal (or
other rigid material) that is mounted inside a
fixed disk drive. Most drives use more than
one platter mounted on a single spindle (shaft)
to provide more data storage surfaces in a
small package. The platter is coated with a
magnetic material that is used to store data as
transitions of magnetic polarity.
POH – Acronym for power on hours. The unit
of measurement for Mean Time Between
Failure as expressed in the number of hours
that power is applied to the device regardless
of the amount of actual data transfer usage.
See MTBF.
POSITIONER – See actuator.
R
RAM – Acronym for random access memory.
An integrated circuit memory chip which
allows information to be stored and retrieved
by a microprocessor or controller. The
information may be stored and retrieved in
any order desired, and the address of one
storage location is as readily accessible as any
other.
RAM DISK – A “phantom disk drive” for
which a section of system memory (RAM) is
set aside to hold data, just as if it were a
number of disk sectors. The access to this data
is extremely fast but is lost when the system is
reset or turned off.
READ AFTER WRITE – A mode of
operation that has the computer read back
each sector on the disk, checking that the data
read back is the same as recorded. This slows
disk operations, but raises reliability.
READ VERIFY – A disk mode where the
disk reads in data to the controller, but the
controller only checks for errors and does not
pass the data on to the system.
READ/WRITE HEAD – The tiny
electromagnetic coil and metal pole piece
used to create and read back the magnetic
patterns (write or read information) on the
disk. Each side of each platter has its own
read/write head.
Glossary
Maxtor D540X-4K 20.0/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT G-7
REMOVABLE DISK – Generally said of
disk drives where the disk itself is meant to be
removed, and in particular of hard disks using
disks mounted in cartridges. Their advantage
is that multiple disks can be used to increase
the amount of stored material, and that once
removed, the disk can be stored away to
prevent unauthorized use.
RLL – Run Length Limited. A method used
on some hard disks to encode data into
magnetic pulses. RLL requires more
processing, but stores almost 50% more data
per disk than the MFM method.
ROM – Acronym for read only memory.
Usually in the form of an ROM in the
controller that contains programs that can be
accessed and read but not modified by the
system.
ROTARY ACTUATOR – The rotary
actuator replaces the stepper motor used in the
past by many hard disk manufacturers. The
rotary actuator is perfectly balanced and
rotates around a single pivot point. It allows
closed-loop feedback positioning of the heads,
which is more accurate than stepper motors.
ROTATIONAL LATENCY – The delay
between when the controller starts looking
for a specific block of data on a track and
when that block rotates around to where it
can be read by the read/write head. On the
average, it is half of the time needed for a full
rotation (about 8 ms.).
S
SCSI – Acronym for Small Computer System
Interface, an American National Standards
Institute (ANSI) version of Shugart Associates'
SASI interface between the computer and
controller. SCSI has grown in popularity and
is one of the most flexible and intelligent
interfaces available.
SECTOR – A section of space along a track
on the disk, or the data that is stored in that
section. Hard disks most often have sectors
that are 512 data bytes long plus several bytes
overhead for error correcting codes. Each
sector is preceded by ID data known as a
header, which cannot be overwritten.
SEEK – A movement of the disk read/write
head in or out to a specific track.
SERVO DATA – Magnetic markings
written on the media that guide the
read/write heads to the proper position.
SERVO SURFACE – A separate surface
containing only positioning and disk timing
information but no data.
SETTLE TIME – The interval between
when a track to track movement of the head
stops, and when the residual vibration and
movement dies down to a level sufficient for
reliable reading or writing.
SHOCK RATING – A rating (expressed in
Gs) of how much shock a disk drive can
sustain without damage.
SOFT ERROR – An error in reading data
from the disk that does not recur if the same
data is reread. Often caused by power
fluctuations or noise spikes.
SOFT SECTORED – Disks that mark the
beginning of each sector of data within a track
by a magnetic pattern.
SPINDLE – The center shaft of the disk
upon which the drive’s platters are mounted.
SPUTTER – A type of coating process used
to apply the magnetic coating to some
high-performance disks. In sputtering, the
disks are placed in a vacuum chamber and the
coating is vaporized and deposited on the
disks. The resulting surface is hard, smooth,
and capable of storing data at high density.
Maxtor disk drives use sputtered thin film
disks.
STEPPER – A type of motor that moves in
discrete amounts for each input electrical
pulse. Stepper motors used to be widely used
for read/write head positioner, since they can
be geared to move the head one track per
step. Stepper motors are not as fast or reliable
as the rotary voice coil actuators which
Maxtor disk drives use.
SUBSTRATE – The material the disk
Glossary
G-8 Maxtor D540X-4K 20.0/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT
platter is made of beneath the magnetic
coating. Hard disks are generally made of
aluminum or magnesium alloy (or glass, for
optical disks) while the substrate of floppies is
usually mylar.
SURFACE – The top or bottom side of the
platter which is coated with the magnetic
material for recording data. On some drives
one surface may be reserved for positioning
information.
T
THIN FILM – A type of coating, used for
disk surfaces. Thin film surfaces allow more
bits to be stored per disk.
TPI – Acronym for tracks per inch. The
number of tracks or cylinders that are written
in each inch of travel across the surface of a
disk.
TRACK – One of the many concentric
magnetic circle patterns written on a disk
surface as a guide to where to store and read
the data.
TRACK DENSITY – How closely the
tracks are packed on a disk surface. The
number is specified as tracks per inch (TPI).
TRACK TO TRACK SEEK TIME – The
time required for the read/write heads to
move to an adjacent track.
TRANSFER RATE – The rate at which the
disk sends and receives data from the
controller. Drive specifications usually
reference a high number that is the burst
mode rate for transferring data across the
interface from the disk buffer to system RAM.
Sustained data transfer is at a much lower rate
because of system processing overhead, head
switches, and seeks.
U
UNFORMATTED CAPACITY – The
total number of bytes of data that could be fit
onto a disk. Formatting the disk requires some
of this space to record location, boundary
definitions, and timing information. After
formatting, user data can be stored on the
remaining disk space, known as formatted
capacity. The size of a Maxtor drive is
expressed in formatted capacity.
V
VOICE COIL – A type of motor used to
move the disk read/write head in and out to
the right track. Voice-coil actuators work like
loudspeakers with the force of a magnetic coil
causing a proportionate movement of the
head. Maxtor's actuator uses voice-coil
technology, and thereby eliminates the high
stress wearing parts found on stepper motor
type actuators.
W
WEDGE SERVO – The position on every
track that contains data used by the closed
loop positioning control. This information is
used to fine tune the position of the
read/write heads exactly over the track
center.
WINCHESTER DISKS – Hard disks that
use a technology similar to an IBM model
using Winchester as the code name. These
disks use read/write heads that ride just above
the magnetic surface, held up by the air flow
created by the turning disk. When the disk
stops turning, the heads land on the surface,
which has a specially lubricated coating.
Winchester disks must be sealed and have a
filtration system since ordinary dust particles
are large enough to catch between the head
and the disk.
WRITE ONCE – In the context of optical
disks, technologies that allow the drive to
store data on a disk and read it back, but not
to erase it.
Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT I-1
actuator lock 5-5
adapter board 2-4, 3-13
Adaptive Caching 5-10
Adaptive segmentation 5-10
air filtration 5-6
AIRLOCK®5-5
ARR (automatic read reallocation) 6-14
AWRE (automatic write reallocation en-
abled) 6-14
base casting 5-3
block diagram 5-6
Buffer Controller 5-8
Cable Select 3-6
cable select (CS) jumper 3-5
CE (cache enable) 6-14
clean room 5-1
clearance 3-11
command descriptions 6-2
Configuration 6-10
configuration command data field 6-13
connector, IDE 3-12
cooling fan requirements 3-11
crash stops 5-5
daisy-chain 2-3
daisy-chained 3-5
Data Synchronizer 5-9
Data transfer operations 5-8
DATA TRANSFER RATE 4-4
Data transfer Rates 4-2
DC motor assembly 5-3
DCR (disable early correction) 6-14
DisCache parameters 6-13
DISK ERRORS 4-2, 4-3
disk stack assembly 5-3
DOS 4-4
DP8491 Read Channel Device 5-8
drive electronics 5-6
drive mechanism 5-1
drive parameters 6-15
drive select (DS) jumper 3-6
ECC correction span 6-14
EEC (enable early correction) 6-14
ENDEC 5-7
error detection, correction 5-14
error rates 5-14
error recovery parameters 6-14
faceplate 3-1
firmware features 5-10
flex circuit. 5-5
floppy drive 3-13
hardware options 3-4
headstack assembly 5-5
Humidity 4-9
Index
I-2 Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT
IDE 2-4, 3-8
IDE interface controller 5-8
IDE-bus interface 6-1
IDE-bus interface connector 3-12
Idle 4-7
input power connections 3-12
interface, IDE-bus 6-1
jumper configurations 3-5
jumper locations 3-4
jumper options 3-5
landing zone 5-5
logical cylinders 3-18
logical heads 3-18
logical sectors/track 3-18
low 4-4
low-level format 4-4
maximum screw torque 3-10
mechanical dimensions 3-1
microcontroller 5-7
motherboard 3-13
Motor Controller 5-8
mounting 3-9
mounting dimensions 3-9
mounting holes 3-9
mounting screw clearance 3-10
mounting screws 3-10
MS-DOS 3-18
MTBF 4-11
noise 4-6
Nominal conditions 4-5
number of retries 6-14
packing assembly 3-2
packing materials 3-2
PE (prefetch enable) 6-13
Peak Detect 5-9
PM 4-11
power and AT bus connector 3-11
power and bus interface cables 3-14
power connector 3-11
Power Requirements 4-7
Power Sequencing 4-6
pre-amplifier 5-10
pre-compensator 5-9
precompensator circuit 5-7
printed circuit board 3-4
Pulse Detector 5-9
PWM 5-7
Quantum configuration key 6-13
R/W head matrix 5-10
RC (read continuous) 6-14
read configuration 6-11
read defect list 6-8
read preamplifier 5-5
read/write ASIC 5-10
Reset Limits 4-6
ripple 4-6
rotary positioner 5-5
rotary positioner assembly 5-5
RUEE (reallocate uncorrectable error en-
ables) 6-15
Servo Controller 5-8
set configuration 6-12
set configuration without saving to disk 6-
12
shipping container 3-2
Index
Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT I-3
SHOCK 4-10
Slave Present 3-6
slave present (SP) jumper 3-6
Specifications 4-10
sputtered thin-film coating 5-3
supply voltages 4-5
tampering with the HDA 5-1
temperature 4-5
theory of operation 5-1
timebase generator 5-9
UNIX 4-4
ventilation 3-11
ventilation requirements 3-9
vibration 4-5
warranty (void) 5-1
WCE (write cache enable) 6-15
write driver 5-5, 5-10
Index
Maxtor D540X-4K 20.4/40.0/60.0/80.0 GB AT I-4

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