Virtual H8/H89 Computer GIDE Interface

The H8 IDE Controller is a special piggy-back board for the Z80, designed to fit on the modern Z80 CPU boards, that provides an interface to IDE devices, including Compact Flash cards (using a simple adapter).

There are also separate add-on boards, of various vintage, for the H8 and H89.

This implementation supports two drives (LUNs), and treats them as CompactFlash cards.

Associated properties are:

slot_p504, slot_p505, slot_p506

For the H89, specifying "H89GIDE" for one of the H89 I/O slots will install the GIDE controller.

slot_p1 .. slot_p10

For the H8, specifying "H8GIDE" for one of the slots will install the GIDE controller.

h89_gide

For the H89, specifies that the piggy-back board was added to the Z80.

h8_cpu

For the H8, appending "_GIDE" to this parameter specifies that the piggy-back board was added to the Z80.

gide_port

Overrides the default I/O port setting. Be aware, most software is hard-coded for the default port.

gide_intr

Overrides the default IRQ setting. The interrupt feature is not normally used.

gide_drive0, gide_drive1

Media size (CF card capacity). Accepts expressions such as "64M" or "1G". Default is "64M".

gide_disk0, gide_disk1

Media (file) name for the CF card image. Default is "CF" (or "CF-1"). If the file does not exist (or is zero length), it will be created at the capacity specified by "gide_drive" (without header or partition/boot code). Otherwise, the capacity is derived from the size of the file. While the emulation does not use any header (unlike floppy and SASI emulations), it will ignore one if present.

File Format

The CF card images are simple blocks of data, of the specified size (capacity). MMS software will initialize/use the "magic sector" data with partitioning and filesystem information. This magic sector is the same format as used for the MMS 77320 or Z67 SASI disks (but with different boot code).

fmtsasi.jar may be used to create GIDE images that include the header, for use with the extended cpmtools. This also initializes the boot code for GIDE (different from SASI), as well as the partition tables. This is the preferred method for creating GIDE images.

MMS Software also supports segmentation of large (> 256M) CF cards. Segments are 256M in size, and are denoted in the boot string as 'A' thru 'Z'. Segments cannot be mixed or changed once booted.

In the MMS Monitor ROM, the boot letter for the GIDE is 'X' and the "unit number" is the partition number (only one LUN is supported). To boot partition 0 of the GIDE CF card, using segment A, the boot command is:

MMS: Boot XX-0:A

SW501 settings for default boot from GIDE are x101xxxx.

Refer to documentation for the new, universal H8, monitor ROM for information on how to boot in that environment ("ROMX" feature code to Norberto's Z80 CPU (v3.2), or the standard Z180 CPU, boards). The boot syntax for GIDE changes in the new monitor.