First post, by AceTomato
Hey all,
I've been browsing this site for a few months now and just recently joined. I'm currently building a 486 and have been knocking the dust off some of my previous knowledge. It's been decades since I've owned one, but the more I dive in the more comes back to me.
I've got a couple of questions that I haven't been able to find the answers to regarding VLB Hard Disk / Floppy Controllers.
1. Why do I frequently see 24.00mhz crystals on controllers? Don't they use the external clock from your motherboard?
2. If VLB is 32-bits wide, is it safe to assume that with a 33mhz external clock you could (hypothetically) achieve a maximum transfer rate of 125MB/s? Or are you limited to the crystal on the controller? In that case, 91MB/s?
3. If you are actually limited by the controller crystal, do controllers exist that have 33mhz crystals? If not, can you swap one in--Or are you asking for trouble here?
4. Does there exist a database that allows you to sort controller cards (or any other vintage component) by attributes such as this?
5. Finally, general consensus on the "best" Hard Disk / Floppy Controller?
Any insight you all might be able to offer would be greatly appreciated.