SATA drives with 65XX

[floobydust]

In a post from here: viewtopic.php?f=4&t=6223&start=15#p81360

It was noted that being able to get access to a SATA drive would be a nice project. I also agree that this could be a fun project and be able to use newer common storage on our older 8-bit wonders. However, having done some digging around on this, it seems the simpler the interface (i.e., the SATA connector) the more complicated it is underneath. I found a pretty detailed document for SATA:

sata_im.pdf

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However, I don't see a direct advantage in attempting to design and build an interface for SATA. Fortunately, there are some other options.... one that caught my attention is the Micron JM20330 bridge chip. This allows a SATA drive to be interfaced to the older PATA/IDE interface.

JM20330_Spec_Rev.-2.3.pdf

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This chip takes the real work out of interfacing SATA, but rather than obtaining the chip and designing away, there are many adapter boards already available based on the Micron chip. You can easily buy a SATA to IDE converter board for under $10 which will allow you to simply take any standard SATA drive and attach it to an IDE controller port.

As I've already made an IDE controller for the 65C02 (albeit the current connector is for Compact Flash) this seems a likely course of action to get a SATA drive working. I do need to go back to my initial IDE design which has a 44-pin 2.5-inch IDE connector and get some PCBs made up, but that should be fairly trivial. The adapter I found via eBay should allow quick and easy interfacing.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/7-15-Pin-SATA- ... Swaelbqy85

Let the fun begin!

[Chromatix]

NB: JMicron is not at all the same as Micron. The latter is a highly respected memory vendor. The former is a barely competent interface chip slinger.

[floobydust]

Yea, my bad... typo... as the datasheet clearly states Jmicron.

As a fabless shop, I don't they quite qualify as a "chip slinger", but pretty much most semiconductor manufacturers have had their issues, or growing pains, over the years. Still, it looks like an viable part for interfacing a SATA drive via an IDE controller to the 65XX chips.