Re: Formatting a profile

[dempson@actrix.gen.nz (David Empson)]

Stephen Shaw <stephens@apple2.org.invalid.za> wrote:

> On Sun, 5 May 2002 18:30:06 -0700, Paul Grammens wrote:
> 
> >
> > "David Empson" <dempson@actrix.gen.nz> wrote in message
> > 1fbrap1.173vi921iapgn5N%dempson@actrix.gen.nz">news:1fbrap1.173vi921iapgn5N%dempson@actrix.gen.nz...
> >> Bart <you@somehost.somedomain> wrote:
> >>
> >> > David, Partick:
> >> > Is all of that truely needed?
> >>
> >> To do a low-level format, yes.
> >
> > It would be nice if someone, somewhere, had all the stuff required.  Seems
> > like there must have been relatively few setups to do this when the ProFile
> > was in its support life- a few at the factory, maybe a few at service
> > centers...  They may be gone forever. Anyone know?
> 
> Paul let me know if you want copies of the low level formatter ROM. You
> plug it into the back of the Z80 inside the Profile.

It is a Z8, not a Z80.  (They are completely different processor
families made by Zilog; there was also a Z8000, and probably Z800 and
Z80000, all of which were also different processor families.)

You can't "plug it into the back" of the Z8 chip which is supplied with
the ProFile - the standard Z8 processor is a single chip micro with
internal mask programmed ROM (or PROM).  You have to get hold of the
piggyback version of the Z8 from somewhere.

A final issue is that there are different versions of the ProFile
formatting firmware for the 5 MB and 10 MB variants of the drive.

-- 
David Empson
dempson@actrix.gen.nz