Seagate MARATHON 541 Product Manual

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Marathon 541

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ATA Interface Drive

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Product Manual

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Marathon 541 (ST9546A)

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ATA Interface Drive

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Product Manual

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1995 Seagate Technology, Inc. All rights reserved
Publication Number: 36329-101, Rev. A, September 1995
Seagate, Seagate Technology and the Seagate logo are registered

trademarks of Seagate Technology, Inc. Marathon is a trademark of
Seagate Technology, Inc. Other product names are registered trade­marks or trademarks of their owners.

Seagate reserves the right to change, without notice, product offerings
or specifications. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any
form without written permission from Seagate Tec hnology, Inc.

Marathon 541 (ST9546A) Product Manual, September 1995 iii

Contents

Intr od u ction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Specificatio n summary table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

1.0 Drive specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

1.1 Formatted capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

1.1.1 Default logical geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

1.1.2 Supported translation geometries . . . . . . . . . . . 5

1.2 Physical organization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

1.3 Recording and interface technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

1.4 Physical dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

1.5 Seek time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

1.6 Startup times . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

1.7 Power specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

1.7.1 Power consumption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

1.7.2 Power recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

1.7.3 Conducted noise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

1.7.4 Voltage tolerance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

1.7.5 Power-management modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

1.8 Environmental tolerances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

1.8.1 Ambient temperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

1.8.2 Temperature gradient . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

1.8.3 Relative humidity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

1.8.4 Altitude . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

1.8.5 Shock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

1.8.6 Vibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

1.9 Drive acoustics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

1.10 Reliability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

1.11 Agency certification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

1.11.1 Safety certification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

iv Marathon 541 (ST9546A) Product Manual, September 1995

1.11.2 FCC verification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

2.0 Drive mounting and configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

2.1 Handling and static-discharge precautions . . . . . . . . . 15

2.2 Jumper settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

2.2.1 Master/slave configurati on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

2.3 Remote LED configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

2.4 Drive mounting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

2.5 ATA interface connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

3.0 ATA interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

3.1 ATA interface signals and connector pins . . . . . . . . . . 21

3.1.1 AT bus signal levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

3.2 ATA Interface commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

3.2.1 Supported ATA commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

3.2.2 Identify Drive comman d . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

3.2.3 Set Features command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Appendix. Compatibility notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Marathon 541 (ST9546A) Product Manual, September 1995 v

Figures

Figure 1. Typical startup and operation current profile for

the Marathon 541 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Figure 2. Connector and master/slave jumper set up for

the Marathon 541 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Figure 3. Mounting dimensions for the Marathon 541 . . . . . . . . 18

Figure 4. ATA Interface connector dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Figure 5. I/O pins and associated ATA signals the

Marathon 541 supports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Marathon 541 (ST9546A) Product Manual, September 1995 1

Introduction

The Marathon 541 (ST9546A) provides high storage capacity in a
small, low-profile hard disc drive.

Key features:

• Low power consumption

• Compact, MCC-compatible form-factor

• Quiet operation

• Advanced partial-response, maximum-likelihood (PRML) read channel

• Supports logical block addressing

• Supports PIO modes 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4, and DMA modes 0, 1 and 2.

• High instant aneous data-transfer r ates (up to 16.6 Mbytes per s econd

using PIO mode 4 and DMA mode 2).

• Fast microprocessor for lower command overhead

• 120-Kbyte multisegmented adaptive cache

• Advanced caching and on-the-fly error-correction algorithms

• Supports Read Multiple and Write Multiple commands

• Supports autodetection of master/slave drives using cable select and

DASP– signals.

2 Marathon 541 (ST9546A) Product Manual, September 1995

Specification summary table

The specifications listed in this table are for quick reference. For details
on specification measurement or definition, see the appropriate section
of this manual.

Drive Specifi cation Marathon 541

Guaranteed Capacity (×106 bytes)
Guaranteed se ctors 1,055 ,376
Bytes per sect or 512
Default sectors per track 63
Default read/write heads 16
Default cylinders 1,047
Physical read/write he ads 6
Number of discs 3
Recording densit y (bits/ inch) 90,000
Track density (tracks/inch) 3,807
Areal density (M bit s/inch
Spindle speed (RPM) 4,500
Internal data -t ra nsf er rat e (M bits/sec, max) 44
I/O data-transfer rate (M bytes/s ec, max) 16.6
A TA dat a-tr ansf er mo des su ppor t ed PIO modes 0, 1, 2, 3, 4;

Cache buffer (Kbytes) 120

2

)342

Multiword DMA modes 0, 1, 2

540.3

Height (inches, max) 0.754
Width (inches, max) 2.76
Depth (inches, m ax, excluding I/O pins) 4.01 0
Weight (ounces, typical) 7.4
Track-t o-tr ack seek time (msec, typical) 6 (read), 7 (write)
Average see k time (mse c, typic al) 16 (read), 20 (write)
Full-stroke seek t ime (ms ec, ma x) 26 (read), 28 (write)

Marathon 541 (ST9546A) Product Manual, September 1995 3

Drive Specifi cation Marathon 541

Average lat ency (msec) 6.67
Power-on to ready (seconds , typical) 7
Standby to ready (seconds , typical) 3
Spinup power and cur ren t (typical) 3.50 watts, 0. 700 amps
Seek power and cur ren t (typical) 2.10 watts, 0. 420 amps
Read/Writ e power and curr ent (typica l) 2.10 watts, 0. 420 amps
Idle mode power and cu rrent (typica l) 1.30 watts, 0. 260 amps
Standby mode power and curr ent (typical) 0.40 watts, 0. 080 amps
Sleep mode power a n d curren t (ty pical) 0.30 watts, 0.060 am ps
Volt age toler ance (including noise) +5 volts +5% –10%
Ambient temperature (range) 5° to 55°C (op.),

–40° to 70°C (nonop.)
Temperature grad ient (°C per hour, max) 30°C
Relative humidity 8%–80% (10%/ hr max grad. )
Wet bulb temper at ur e (max) 29°C (op.), 40°C (non op. )
Altitude (mete rs above m ean sea level, max) –300 to 3,040 (op. ),

–300 to 12,1 90 (non op. )
Shock, operating (Gs, max at 2 or 11 msec) 10
Shock, nonopera ting (Gs, max) 250 (2 msec), 150 (11 msec)
Vibration (Gs max at 22–450 Hz) 0.50 (op. ) 4.0 (nonop .)
Drive acoustics, Idle mo de (dBA) 26 (typical), 30 (max )
Drive acoustics, seeking (d BA) 29 (typical), 33 (max )
Nonrecovera ble rea d error s 1 per 10

13

bits read
Mean time between failures (power-on hours) 300,000
Contact start-st op cycles 50,000
Service life (years) 5

Marathon 541 (ST9546A) Product Manual, September 1995 5

1.0 Drive specifications

Unless otherwise noted, all specifications are measured at nominal
power under ambient conditions, at 25°C, at sea level.

1.1 Formatted capacity

Guaranteed Mbytes
(1 Mbyte = 10

Guaranteed sectors 1,055,376
Bytes per sector 512

6

bytes)

540.3

1.1.1 Default logical geometry

Sectors per track 63
Read/Write heads 16
Cylinders 1,047

1.1.2 Supported tra nslation geometries

The Marathon 541 supports all head, cylinder and sector geometries,
subject to the maximums s pecified below and to t he following condit ion:

(sectors) × (heads) × (cylinders) ≤ total sectors per drive

Sectors per track (max) 63
Read/Write heads (max) 16
Cylinders (max) 1,047

1.2 Physical or ganization

Read/Write heads 6
Number of discs 3

6 Marathon 541 (ST9546A) Product Manual, September 1995

1.3 Recording and inte rf ace tec hn olo gy

Interfac e ATA
Recording method RLL (1,7)
Recording density (bits/inch) 90,000
Flux density (flux change/inch) 67,500
Track density (tracks/inch) 3,807

2

Areal density (Mbits/inch

) 342

Spindle speed (RPM)
( ± 0.5%)

Internal data-transfer rate
(Mbits per sec max—ZBR)

I/O data-transfer rate
(Mbytes per sec max)

Interleave 1:1
Cache buffer (Kbytes) 120

4,500

44

16.6 (PIO mode 4 with IORDY)

16.6 (multiword DMA mode 2)

1.4 Physical dim ensions

Height (max) inches

(mm)

Width (max) inches

(mm)

Depth (max) inches

(mm)

Weight (typical) ounces

(kg)

Note. Maximum depth excludes I/O connector pins, which may extend

up to 0.010 inches beyond the edge of the head/disc assembly.

0.754
(19.15)

2.76
(70.10)

4.010
(101.85)

7.4
(0.21)

Marathon 541 (ST9546A) Product Manual, September 1995 7

1.5 Seek time

All seek times are measured using a 25 MHz 486 AT computer (or f aster)
with a 8.3 MHz I/O bus . The measurements are t aken with nominal power
at sea level and 25°C ambient temperature. The specifications in the
table below are defined as follows:

• Track-to-track seek time is an average of all possible single-track
seeks in both directions.

• Average seek time is a true statistical random average of at least 5,000
measurements of seeks between random tracks, less overhead.

• Full-stroke seek time is one-half the time needed to seek from the first
data cylinder to the maximum data cylinder and back to the first data
cylinder. The full-stroke typical value is determined by averaging 1 00
full-stroke seeks in both directions.

Seek type T ypical read

(msec)

Track-to-track 6 7
Average 16 20
Full-stroke 26 28
Average latency: 6.67 msec

Typical writ e
(msec)

1.6 Startup times

Power-on to Ready (sec) 7 (typical)
Standby to Ready (sec) 3 (typical), 10 (max.)

Note. The drive responds to nonmedia commands within 2 seconds

(max) of power-up and responds to media commands with in 12
seconds (max) of power-up.

1.7 Power specif icat ions

The drive receives DC power (+5V) through pin 41 and pin 42 of the ATA
interface connector.

1.7.1 Power consumption

Power requir ements f or the drive are liste d in the f ollowing t able. T ypical
power measurements are based on an average of drives tested under
nominal conditions, using 5.0V input voltage at 25°C ambient temperature

8 Marathon 541 (ST9546A) Product Manual, September 1995

at sea level. Active mode current and power are measured with a
32-msec delay between each operation and the drive in default logical
geometry. Seeking power and currents are measured during one-third­stroke buf fered s eeks. Rea d/Write po wer and cu rrent ar e measured w ith
the heads on track, based on a 16-sector write fol lowed by a 32-msec
delay, th en a 16-s ector r ead f ollowe d b y a 32 -msec delay. Sp inup po wer
is measured from time of power-on to time of drive-ready for normal
operation.

Mode

Typical watts RMS

(at nominal vol tag e )

Typical amps RMS

(at nominal vol tag e )

Spinup 3.50 0.700
Active

Seeking
Read/Write

2.10

2.10

0.420

0.420
Idle 1.30 0.260
Standby 0.40 0.080
Sleep 0.30 0.060

1.7.1.1 Typical current profile

Figure 1 shows a typical current profile for the Marathon 541.

Current (Amps)

1.6

Spinup

1.4

1.2

1.0

0.8

0.6

Drive ready

Upload code

Active

mode

Idle

mode

Standby

mode

Sleep

mode

0.4

0.2

0.0
0123455678910111213

Time (seconds)

Figure 1. Typical startu p and o p era tion current profile for the

Marathon 541

Marathon 541 (ST9546A) Product Manual, September 1995 9

1.7.2 Power recovery

Except during execution of a write command, the drive’s power can be
interrupted without adversely affecting the drive or previously written
data. If power is removed while the drive is performing a write operat ion,
the integrity of the data being written cannot be guaranteed.

1.7.3 Conducted noise

The drive is expected to operate with a maximum of:

• 150 mV peak-to-peak triangular-wave injected noise at the power
connector. The frequency is 10 Hz to 100 KHz with equivalent resistive
loads.

• 100 mV peak-to-peak triangular-wave injected noise at the power
connector. The frequency is 100 KHz to 10 MHz with equivalent
resistive loads.

Note. Equivalent resistance (11.9 ohms) is calculated by dividing the

nominal voltage (5.0V) by the typical RMS read/write current
(0.420 amps).

1.7.4 Voltage tolerance

Voltage tolerance (including noise): +5 volts + 5% – 10%

1.7.5 Power-management modes

Power management is required for low-power and portable computer
systems. In most system s, you can control power m anagement through

®

the system setup program . This Seagate
management modes, which are described briefly below:

Active mode. The drive is in Active mode during the read/write and s eek
operations.

Idle mode. At power-on, the drive sets the id le timer to enter Idle mod e
after 5 seconds of inactivity. You can set the idle timer delay using the
system setup utility. In Idle mode, the spindle remains up to speed. The
heads are parked away from the data zones for maximum data safety.
The buffer remains enabled, and the drive accepts all commands and
returns to Active m ode any t ime disc acces s is necessary.

Standby mode. The drive en ters St andby mode when t he host send s a
Standby Immediate command. If the host system sets the standb y timer,
the drive can also enter Standby mode automatically after the drive has been
inactive for a specifiable length of time. The standby timer delay is system-

drive features several power-

10 Marathon 541 (ST9546A) Product Manual, September 1995

dependent and is usually established using the system setup utility. In
Standby mode , the buffer remains enabled, the heads are parked and
the spindle is at rest. The drive accepts all commands and returns to
Active mode any time disc access i s necessary.

Sleep mode. The drive enters Sleep mode after receiving a Sleep
Immediate command from the host. The heads are parked and the
spindle is at rest. The drive leaves Sleep mode when it receives a Hard
Reset or Soft Reset com mand f rom the host. After receiving a soft r eset,
the drive exits Sleep mode and enters Standby mode with all current
emulation and translation parameters intact.

Idle and standby timers. The drive sets the default time delay for the idle
timer at power-on. In m ost systems, you ca n set this delay using the system
setup utility. Each time the drive performs an Active function (read, write or
seek), the idle and standby timers are reinitialized and begin counting down
from their specified delay times to zero. If the idle timer reaches zero before
any drive activity is required, the drive enters Idle mode. If the host has set
the standby timer, the standby countdown continues. If the host has not set
the standby timer, the drive remains in Idle mode. If the standby timer
reaches zero before any drive activity is required, the drive enters Standby
mode. In both Idle and Standby mode, the drive accepts all commands and
returns to Active mode when disc access is necessary.

1.8 Environmental tolerances

1.8.1 Ambient temperatur e

Operating 5° to 55°C (41° to 131°F)
Nonoperating –40° to 70°C (–40° to 158°F)

1.8.2 Temperature gradient

Operating 30°C / hr (54°F / hr) max, without condensation
Nonoperating 30°C / hr (54°F / hr) max, without condensation

1.8.3 Relative humid it y

Operating 8% to 80% noncondensing (10% per hour max)

Max. wet bulb temperature: 29.4°C (85° F)

Nonoperating 8% to 80% noncondensing (10% per hour max)

Max. wet bulb temperature: 40°C (104°F)

Marathon 541 (ST9546A) Product Manual, September 1995 11

1.8.4 Altitude

Operating –300 m to 3,040 m (–1,000 ft to 10,000 ft)
Nonoperating –300 m to 12,190 m (–1,000 ft to 40,000 ft)

1.8.5 Shock

All shock specifications assume that the drive is m ounted in an approved
orientation with the input levels at the drive mounting screws. The
nonoperating specifications assume that the read/write heads are posi­tioned in the shipping zone.

Note. At power-down, the read/write heads automatically move to the

shipping zone. The head and slider assembly park inside of the
maximum data cylinder. When power is applied, the heads re­calibrate to Track 0.

1.8.5.1 Operating shock

This drive can withstand a maximum operating shock of 10 Gs without
nonrecoverable data errors (based on half-sine shock pulses of 2 or 11
msec).

1.8.5.2 Nonoperating shock

The nonoperating shock level that the drive can experience with com­plete data recovery is 250 Gs (based on half-sine shock pulses of 2 msec
duration) or 150 Gs (based on half-sine shock pulses of 11 msec
duration). Shock pulses are defined by MIL-STD-202 F with the ampli­tude tolerance controlled to ± 5%.

1.8.6 Vibratio n

All vibration specifications assume that the drive is mounted in an
approved orientation with the input levels at the drive mounting screws.
The nonoperating specifications assume that the read/write heads are
positioned in the shipping zone.

1.8.6.1 Operating vibration

The following table lists the maximum vibration levels that the drive may
experience withou t incurring physical d amage or degr adation in perfo rmance.

5–450 Hz 0.50 Gs acceleration (peak)
450–5 Hz 0.50 Gs acceleration (peak)

12 Marathon 541 (ST9546A) Product Manual, September 1995

1.8.6.2 Nonoperating vibration

The following table lists the maximum nonoperating vibration that the
drive may experience without incurring physical dam age or degr adation
in performance when put into operation.

5–22 Hz 0.162-inch displacement (double amplitude)
22–450 Hz 4 Gs acceleration (peak)
450–22 Hz 4 Gs acceleration (peak)
22–5 Hz 0.162-inch displacement (double amplitude)

1.9 Drive acoustics

Drive acoustics are measured as sound pressure 1 meter f rom the drive.

Mode Typical Maximum

Idle mode (dBA) 26 30
Seek (dBA) 29 33

1.10 Reliab ilit y

Nonrecoverable read errors 1 per 1013 bits read
Mean time between failures 300,000 power-on hours

(nominal power, at sea level,
25°C ambient temperature)

Contact start-stop cycles 50,000 cycles

(at nominal voltage and temperature,
with 60 cycles per hour and a 50%

duty cycle)
Preventive maintenance None required
Service life 5 years

Marathon 541 (ST9546A) Product Manual, September 1995 13

1.11 Agency certification

1.11.1 Safety certification

The Marathon 541 is listed in accordance wit h UL 1950 and CSA C22. 2
(950-M89) and meets all applicable sections of IEC 380, IEC 435,
IEC 950, VDE 0806/08.81 and EN 60950 as tested by TUV-Rheinland,
North America.

1.11.2 FCC verification

The Marathon 541 is intended to be contained solely within a personal
computer or similar enclosure (not attached to an external device). As
such, each drive is considered to be a subassembly even when it is
individually marketed to the customer. As a subassembly, no Federal
Communications Commission authorization, verification or certification
of the device is required.

Seagate Technology, Inc. has tested this device in enclosures as de­scribed above to ensure that the total assembly (enclosure, disc drive,
motherboard, power supply, etc .) does comply with the limits for a Class
B computing device, pursuant to Subpart J of Part 15 of the FCC rules.
Operation with noncertified assemblies is likely to result in interference
with radio and television reception.

Radio and television interference. This equipment generates and
uses radio frequency energy and if not installed and used in strict
accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions, may cause interfer­ence to radio and television reception.

This equipment is designed to provide reasonable protection against
such interference in a residential installation. However, th ere is no
guarantee that inte rferenc e will not oc cur in a p artic ular insta llation. If
this equipment does cause interference to radio or television, which
can be determined by turning the equipment on and off, you are
encouraged to try one or more of the following corrective measures:

• Reorient the receiving antenna.

• Move the device to one side or the other of the radio or TV.

• Move the device farther away from the radio or TV.

• Plug the computer into a different outlet so t hat the receiver and

computer are on different branch outlets.

If necessary you should consult your dealer or an experienced ra­dio/television technician for additional suggestions. You may find
helpful the following booklet prepa red by the Federal Communications

14 Marathon 541 (ST9546A) Product Manual, September 1995

Commission:

Problems

ments, US Government Printing Office, Washi ngton, DC 20402. Refer
to publication number 004-000-00345-4.

How to Identify and Resolve Radio-Television Interference

. This booklet is available from the Superintendent of Docu-

Marathon 541 (ST9546A) Product Manual, September 1995 15

2.0 Drive mounting and configuration

2.1 Handling and sta tic -d isch arge precautions

After unpacking, and before instal lation, the drive may be exposed to
potential handling and ESD hazards. O bserve standard st atic-discharge
precautions. A grounded wrist-strap is preferred.

Handle the drive only by the sides of the head/disc assembly. Avoid
contact with the printed circuit board, all electronic components and the
interface connector. Do not apply pressur e t o the t op cov er. Always rest
the drive on a padded antistatic surface until you mount it in the host
system.

2.2 Jumper settings

2.2.1 Master/slave co nfiguration

You must establish a master/slave relationship between two drives attached
to a single AT bus. You can configure a drive to become a master or slave
by setting the master/slave jumpers, as described below and shown in
Figure 2 on page 16.

Alternatively, you can configure the dr ive as a m ast er or slave using t h e
cable select option. This requires a specialized daisy-chain cable that
grounds pin 28 (CSEL) on one of its two drive connectors. If you attach
the drive to the grounded CSEL connector, it becomes a master. If you
attach the drive to the ungrounded CS EL connector, it becomes a slave.
To use this option, the host system and both drives must support cable
select and both drives must be configured f or c ab le select. To conf igure
a Marathon 541 for cable select, install both master/slave jumpers.

For the host to recognize the slave drive using the DASP– signal, the
slave drive must assert the DASP– signal at power up, and the master
drive must monitor DASP– at power up.

16 Marathon 541 (ST9546A) Product Manual, September 1995

Note. Drive is shown with

circuit board up.

Master/slave

configuration jumpers

Drive is master; slave may be detected using DASP– signal
Drive is master; Seagate slave drive present
Drive is slave; Seagate master drive present
Use CSEL pin grounding to differentiate master from slave


B D
A C

Pin 1

Pin 20 removed for keying

Circuit board

Figur e 2. Connector and master/slave jumper setup for the Marathon 541

Marathon 541 (ST9546A) Product Manual, September 1995 17

Jumper
for pin s
A and B

Removed Removed Drive is master; slave drive may be detected

Removed Installed Drive is master; slave drive is present. CSEL

Installed Removed Drive is slave (a master drive should be

Installed Installed Dif f e r e n t i a t e mast e r a n d s l a v e dri v e s u s i n g c a b l e

Jumper
for pins
C and D Configurati o n

using DASP– signal. CSEL is ignored.

is ignored. DASP– is ignored.

present also). CSEL is ignored.

select: If a drive is attached to a connector in which
pin 28 is gro unde d, th en it be com es a mas ter. If a
drive is a ttac hed to a conn ect or i n whic h pin 28 is
unground ed , the n i t be comes a slave.

2.3 Remote LED configuration

The drive indicates activity to the host through the DASP– line (pin 39) on
the ATA in terface. This line may be connec ted to a dri ve status indicator
driving an LED at 5V. The line has a 30 mA nominal current limit. To avoid
potential damage to the drive, the host should include a resistor in line with
the LED for current limiting. This resistor should have a minimum resistance
of 470 ohms (1,000 to 3,000 ohms is recommended).

2.4 Drive mounting

You can mount the drive in any orientation. Allow a minimum clearance
of 0.030 inches (0.76 mm) around the entire perimeter of the drive for
cooling. The drive conforms to the indust ry-standard MCC direct- mount­ing specifications and requires MCC-compatible connectors for direct­mounting applications. See Figure 3 on page 18 for drive mounting
dimensions.

Note. The I/O connector pins may extend up to 0.010 inches beyond

the edge of the head/disc assembly.

Caution. To avoid damaging the drive:

metric

• Use M3X0.5

• Do not insert mounting screws more than 0.150 inches (3.81 m m) into

the mounting holes.

not

• Do

overtighten the screws (maximum tor que: 3 inch-lb).

mounting screws

only

.

18 Marathon 541 (ST9546A) Product Manual, September 1995

Dimensions are in inches (mm)

0.747 ± 0.007 (18.97 ± 0.18)

4.010 (101.85) max.

(head/disc assembly)

0.118 ± 0.010
(3.00 ± 0.25)

0.000



4X 3 mm × 0.5 mm
× 0.15 in. (3.81 mm) deep
min. full thread
(2 each side)

4.020 (102.11) max

(head/disc assembly

1.227 ± 0.020
(31.17 ± 0.51)

to tip of pins)

0.152 ± 0.005
(3.86 ± 0.13)

1.375 ± 0.015
(34.93 ± 0.38)

4X 3 mm × 0.5 mm
× 0.15 in. (3.81 mm) deep
min. full thread

Pin 1

0.079 (2.00)

1.500 ± 0.010
(38.10 ± 0.25)

0.000

Pin 20 removed
for keying

0.079 (2.00)

1.659 (42.14)

Figur e 3. Mounting dim ensi o n s for the Marathon 541

0.155 ± 0.020
(3.94 ± 0.51)

0.000

0.239 ± 0.035
(6.07 ± 0.89)

2.760 (70.10) max

2.430 ± 0.010
(61.72 ± 0.25)

0.157 ± 0.015
(3.99 ± 0.38)

Marathon 541 (ST9546A) Product Manual, September 1995 19

2.5 ATA interface connector

The drive connector is a 44- conduct or connec tor with 2 rows of 22 male
pins on 0.079-inch (2-mm) centers (see Figure 4 below and Figure 5 o n
page 22). The mating cable connector is a 44-conductor, nonshielded
connector with 2 rows of 22 female contacts on 0.079-inch (2-mm)
centers. The cable connector should provide strain relief and should be
keyed with a plug in place of pin 20.

These drives are designed to support the industry-standard MCC direct ­mounting specifications. When installing these drives in fixed mounting
applications, use only MCC-compatible connectors such as Molex part

x

number 87368-442
circuit cables (PCCs), use Molex part number 87259-4413 or equivalent
to connect the drive to the system. Select a connector that provides
adequate clearance for the master/slave configuration jumpers if the
application requires the use of such jumpers. The ATA interface cable
should be no more than 18 inches long.

Note. The I/O connector pins may extend up to 0.010 inches beyond

the edge of the head/disc assembly.

Dimensions are in inches (mm)

. For applications involving flexible cables or printed

Master/slave jumpers

0.152 ± 0.005
(3.71

± 0.20)

0.079 ± 0.003 
(2.00 ± 0.08)

1.654 (42.01)

Figur e 4. ATA Interface connec tor dime nsi ons (for refer enc e only)

0.020 ± 0.002
(0.51 ± 0.05)

0.020 ± 0.002
(0.51 ± 0.05)

0.079 ± 0.003 (

0.158 ± 0.003 (4.00 ± 0.08)

2.00 ± 0.08)

Marathon 541 (ST9546A) Product Manual, September 1995 21

3.0 ATA interface

The Marathon 541 uses the industr y-standard ATA int erface. It supports
both 8-bit and 16-bit data transfers. It supports ATA programmed in­put/output (PIO) modes 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4, ATA single-word DMA modes
0, 1 and 2, and ATA multiword DMA modes 0, 1 and 2. The drive also
supports the use of the IORDY signal to provide reliable high-speed data
transfers.

The drive can differentiate between a hard reset and a soft reset while
in Sleep mode. You can use a daisy-chain cable to connect two drives
to a single AT host bus. For detailed information regarding the ATA
interface, refer to the

posed American National Standard

sequently referred to as the Draft Proposed ATA-2 Standard).

3.1 ATA interface signals and connector pins

Figure 5 on page 22 summarizes the signals on the ATA interface
connector that the Marathon 541 supports. For a detailed description of
these signals, refer to the

3.1.1 AT bus signal levels

Proposed Working Draft of the ATA-2 Draft Pro-

, document X3T9.2/948D (sub-

Draft Proposed ATA-2 Standard.

Signals that the drive sends have the following output characteristics at
the drive connector:

Logic Low 0.0V to 0.4V
Logic High 2.5V to 5.25V

Signals that the drive receives must have the foll owing input charac­teristics, measured at the drive connect or:

Logic Low 0.0V to 0.8V
Logic High 2.0V to 5.25V

22 Marathon 541 (ST9546A) Product Manual, September 1995

Drive pin #

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44

Pins 28, 34 and 39 are used for master-slave communication (details shown below).

28
34
39

Signal name

Reset–

Ground

DD7
DD8
DD6
DD9
DD5

DD10

DD4

DD11

DD3

DD12

DD2

DD13

DD1

DD14

DD0

DD15

Ground

(removed)

DMARQ

Ground

DIOW–

Ground

DIOR–

Ground

IORDY

CSEL

DMACK–

Ground

INTRQ

IOCS16–

DA1

PDIAG–

DA0

DA2
CS1FX–
CS3FX–

DASP–

Ground

Power
Power

Ground

Reserved

Drive 0 (master)Drive 1 (slave)

28
34
39

Host pin # and signal description

1

Host Reset

2

Ground

3

Host Data Bus Bit 7

4

Host Data Bus Bit 8

5

Host Data Bus Bit 6

6

Host Data Bus Bit 9

7

Host Data Bus Bit 5

8

Host Data Bus Bit 10

9

Host Data Bus Bit 4

10

Host Data Bus Bit 11

11

Host Data Bus Bit 3

12

Host Data Bus Bit 12

13

Host Data Bus Bit 2

14

Host Data Bus Bit 13

15

Host Data Bus Bit 1

16

Host Data Bus Bit 14

17

Host Data Bus Bit 0

18

Host Data Bus Bit 15

19

Ground
(No Pin)

20
21

DMA Request

22

Ground

23

Host I/O Write

24

Ground

25

Host I/O Read

26

Ground

27

I/O Channel Ready

28

Cable Select pin

29

DMA Acknowledge

30

Ground

31

Host Interrupt Request

32

Host 16 Bit I/O

33

Host Address Bus Bit 1

34

Passed Diagnostics

35

Host Address Bus Bit 0

36

Host Address Bus Bit 2

37

Host Chip Select 0

38

Host Chip Select 1

39

Drive Active / Slave Present

40

Ground

41

+5 volts DC (logic)

42

+5 volts DC (motor)

43

Ground for power pins

44

Reserved

Host

CSEL 

PDIAG

DASP–

–

28
34
39

Figur e 5. I/O pins and associ ated ATA si gna ls that the Marat hon 54 1 sup-

ports

Marathon 541 (ST9546A) Product Manual, September 1995 23

3.2 ATA Interface commands

3.2.1 Supported ATA commands

The following table lists ATA-standard and Seagate-specific drive com­mands that the Marathon 541 supports. For a detailed description of the
ATA commands, refer to the

Draft Proposed ATA-2 Standard.

Command

Command name

code

ATA-standa rd comman d s

Execute Drive Diagnostics 90
Format Track 50
Identify Drive EC
Initialize Drive Parameters 91
NOP 00
Read Buffer E4
Read DMA (with retry) C8
Read DMA (no retry) C9
Read Long (with retry) 22
Read Long (no retry) 23
Read Multiple C4
Read Sectors (with retry) 20
Read Sectors (no retry) 21

Supported by
Marathon 541

H
H

H
H
H

H
H

H
H
H

H
H
H

Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes

No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes

Read Verify Sectors (with retry) 40
Read Verify Sectors (no retry) 41
Recalibrate 1
Seek 7
Set Features EF
Set Multiple Mode C6
Write Buffer E8

H
H

x

H

x

H

H
H
H

Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes

24 Marathon 541 (ST9546A) Product Manual, September 1995

Command

Command name

code

Write DMA (with retry) CA
Write DMA (no retry) CB
Write Long (with retry) 32
Write Long (no retry) 33
Write Multiple C5
Write Same E9
Write Sectors (with retry) 30
Write Sectors (no retry) 31
Write Verify 3C

ATA-standard power-management commands

Check Power Mode 98
Idle 97
Idle Immediate 95
Sleep 99

or E5

H

or E3

H

or E1

H

or E6

H

Supported by
Marathon 541

H

H
H
H

H

H
H
H

H

H
H
H
H

Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes

No
Yes
Yes

No

Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes

Standby 96
Standby Immedi ate 94

or E2

H

or E0

H

Seagate-specific commands

Active and Set Idle timer FB
Active Immediate F9
Check Idle Mode FD
Idle Immediate F8
Idle and Set Idle timer FA

H
H

H

H

H

H

H

Yes
Yes

Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes

Marathon 541 (ST9546A) Product Manual, September 1995 25

The following commands contain drive-specific features or are not de­scribed in the

Draft Proposed ATA-2 Standard.

3.2.2 Identify Drive command

The Identify Drive command (com mand code ECH) transfers information
about the drive to the host after power up. The data is organized as a single
512-byte blo ck of data, whose c ontents are show n in the table bel ow. All
reserved bits or words should be set to zero. Parameters listed with an “x”
are driv e-speci fic or vary w ith t he stat e of t he dri ve. See Se ctio n 1 of this
manual for default parameter settings for the Marathon 541.

Word Description Contents

Configuration information:

• Bit 10: disc transfer > 10 Mbits/sec

• Bit 6: fixed drive

0

• Bit 4: head switch time > 15 µsec

• Bit 3: not MFM encoded

• Bit 1: hard-sectored disc

Number of fixed cylinders

1

(default logical emulation): 1,047

045A

0417

H

H

2 ATA-reserved 0000
3 Number of heads (default logical emulation): 16 0010
4 Number of unformatted bytes per track (36,240) 8D90
5 Number of unformatted bytes per sector (584) 248

Number of sectors per track

6

(default logical emulation): 63

003F

7–9 ATA-reserved 0000

10–19

Serial number:
(20 ASCII characters, 0000

Controller type (dual-port multisector buffer

20

with caching)

H

= none)

ASCII

0003

21 Buffer size (240 sectors of 512 bytes each) 00F0
22 Number of ECC bytes available (16) 0010

Firmware revision (8 ASCII character string):

23–26

xx

= ROM version, ss = RAM version, tt = RAM

xx.ss.tt

version

H
H
H

H

H

H

H

H
H

26 Marathon 541 (ST9546A) Product Manual, September 1995

Word Description Contents

27–46

Drive model number: (40 ASCII characters,
padded with blanks to end of string) ST9546A

Maximum sectors per interrupt on read/write

47

multiple

48 Double word I/O (not supported) 0000

Standby timer (A TA-compliant), IORDY

49

(supported; can be disabled), LBA mode

(supported), DMA mode (supported)
50 ATA-reserved 0000
51 PIO data-transf er cycle timing mode 0200
52 DMA transfer cycle timing mode (not used) 0000

Validity of words 54–58 and words 64–70

53

(words may be valid)
54 Number of cylinders (current emulat ion mode)

Number of heads

55

(current emulation mode)

Number of sectors per track

56

(current emulation mode)

57–58 Number of sectors (current emulat ion mode)

0010

2F00

0003

xxxx
xxxx

xxxx
xxxx

H

H

H

H
H
H

H

H

H

H

H

Number of sectors transferred during a Read

59

Multiple or Write Multiple command

01

xx

H

60–61 LBA sectors available (1,055,388) 101 A 9 C

Single-word DMA active/DMA modes supported

62

(see Note following table)

Multiword DMA active/DMA modes supporte d

63

(see Note following table)

Advanced PIO modes supported (modes 3 and

64

4 supported)

Minimum multiword DMA transfer cycle time

65

per word (120 nsec)

Recommended multiword DMA transfer cycle

66

time per word (180 nsec)

x

07

0

x

07

0

0003

0078

00B4

H

H

H

H

H

H

Marathon 541 (ST9546A) Product Manual, September 1995 27

Word Description Contents

Minimum PIO cycle time without IORDY flow

67

control (363 nsec)
Minimum PIO cycle time with IORDY flow

68

control (120 nsec)

016B

0078

H

H

69–127 ATA-reserved 0000
128–159 Seagate-reserved
160–255 AT A-res erved 0000

xxxx

H

H

H

Note. DMA mode settings in the Identify Drive com mand ar e ref lected

in the bit settings for words 62 and 63, as shown below.

Word Bit Description (if bit is set to 1)

62 0 Single-word DMA mode 0 available
62 1 Single-word DMA mode 1 available
62 2 Single-word DMA mode 2 available
62 8 Single-word DMA mode 0 currently active
62 9 Single-word DMA mode 1 currently active
62 10 Single-word DMA mode 2 currently active

63 0 Multiword DMA mode 0 available
63 1 Multiword DMA mode 1 available
63 2 Multiword DMA mode 2 available
63 8 Multiword DMA mode 0 currently active
63 9 Multiword DMA mode 1 currently active
63 10 Multiword DMA mode 2 currently active

28 Marathon 541 (ST9546A) Product Manual, September 1995

3.2.3 Set Features command

This command controls the implementation of various features that the
drive supports. When the drive receives this command, it sets BSY,
checks the contents of the F eatur es regist er, clears BSY and generates
an interrupt. If the value in the re gister does not repr esent a featur e that
the drive supports, the command is aborted. Power-on default has the
read look-ahead and write-caching features enabled and 4 bytes of ECC.
The acceptable values for the Features register are defined as follows:

Set PIO mode to default (PIO mode 2) and enable IORDY

00

H

Set PIO mode to default (PIO mode 2) and disable IORDY

01

H

Enable write cache

02

H

03HSet transfer mode (based on value in Sector Count register)

Sector Count register values:

Set PIO mode to default (PIO mode 2)

00

H

PIO mode 0

08

H

PIO mode 1

09

H

PIO mode 2

0A

H

0BHPIO mode 3

PIO mode 4

0C

H

Single-word DMA mode 0

10

H

Single-word DMA mode 1

11

H

Single-word DMA mode 2

12

H

Multiword DMA mode 0

20

H

Multiword DMA mode 1

21

H

Multiword DMA mode 2

22

H

Sixteen bytes of ECC apply on Read Long and Write Long

44

H

commands
Disable read look-ahead (read cache) feature

55

H

Disable reverting to power-on defaults

66

H

Disable write cache

82

H

Enable read look-ahead (read cache) feature

AA

H

BBH4 bytes of ECC apply on Read Long and Write Long

commands

(default)

CCHEnable reverting to power-on defaults

(default)

(default)

(default)

(default)

Note. At power-on, or after a hardware reset, the default values of the

features are as indicated above. A software reset also changes
the features to default values unless a 66

command has been

H

received.

Marathon 541 (ST9546A) Product Manual, September 1995 29

Appendix. Compatibility notes

ECC testing

When a Marathon 541 performs hardware-based ECC error correction
on-the-fly, the drive does not report an ECC error. This allows ECC
correction without degrading drive perform ance. Som e o lder drive diag­nostic programs test ECC features by creat ing small data errors and then
checking to see if they are reported. These tests, when run on a Marathon
541, may incorrectly report an ECC detection failure because the drive
hardware corrects the data automatica lly, avoiding the error rather th an
reporting it. This type of report does not indicate a drive malfunction.

Seagate Techno log y, Inc.
920 Disc Drive, Scotts Valley, Cali fo rni a 95066, USA

Publication Number: 36329-101, September 1995, Printed in USA