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Author Topic: Promise EIDE MAX (Apr 1995 - Oct 1996)  (Read 3738 times)

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Offline chrisNova777

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Promise EIDE MAX (Apr 1995 - Oct 1996)
« on: September 11, 2017, 03:34:02 PM »


Quote
Our Universal EIDE BIOS Upgrade


Instantly upgrade any PC system – PCI, VESA or ISA – to EIDE compatibility. No more clumsy software solutions to high capacity drives. EIDEMAX converts your existing IDE controller with 80% improved 16-bit ISA bus data transfers and automatic LBA BIOS upgrade. Conquers any BIOS limitations on 2.1GB+ EIDE drives caused by some motherboards*. Supports ATAPI CD-ROMs. Co-exists with SCSI controller. Even allows booting from a SCSI drive - very rare. WOW!


"My advice: get Promise Technology’s new driverless EIDEMAX if you can’t upgrade your system BIOS to EIDE."
-- Hardware Q&A; Section, PC WORLD, May ’96

- Instant LBA BIOS upgrade supports EIDE drives up to 8.4GB in any system with a 16-bit ISA slot
- Detects Triton 1&2 chipsets and reprograms motherboard BIOS to overcome 2.1GB storage limitation if necessary*
- Supports ATAPI-ready IDE CD-ROMs and/or tape backups (manufacturer’s hardware device drivers required)
- Converts your older, existing IDE controller to support two EIDE drives; adds second channel for two more EIDE devices
- Co-exists with SCSI controllers and even allows booting from a SCSI drive -- a very hard-to-find feature anywhere
- Boosts ISA IDE bus transfers by up to 80%
- Supports DOS 5.0 and above, Windows 3.1x, Windows for Workgroups 3.11, Windows NT 3.1, 3.5, Windows 95, OS/2 2.1, Warp, SCO UNIX 3.2.4, UNIX SVR 4.0.2, Netware 3.1x, 4.1
* EIDEMAX BIOS version 1.17 or later. Customers using older EIDEMAX controllers can order a replacement BIOS that includes the Triton reprogramming feature for $10 including standard U.S. postage. Order directly from Promise at 800-888-0245 (408-452-0948) ext.260




Offline chrisNova777

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Re: Promise EIDE MAX (Oct 1996)
« Reply #1 on: September 19, 2017, 09:17:19 AM »
https://web.archive.org/web/20000511225712/http://www.promise.com:80/Products/idecards/emax2.htm

Quote
EIDEMAX II is the first jumperless 16-bit IDE drive upgrade and port expansion card and offers easy plug and play installation. It instantly upgrades your existing EIDE/IDE controller to support Ultra DMA storage capacities up to and beyond 8.4GB! Works on most older PCs regardless of type.

Adds 2 extra IDE ports for using more ATAPI devices. Using more independent IDE ports also ends device conflicts and intermittent errors caused by attaching faster hard drives and slower IDE devices on the same IDE cable.

Data Sheet (PDF)
News Release

Summary Points

 
Upgrades existing controller to accept drives up to 8.4GB and larger
Adds two extra IDE ports for more ATAPI devices
First jumperless 16-bit drive and port upgrade card
Helps reduce errors caused by conflicting devices on same cable
Allows using IDE CD-ROMs, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD, tape, and removable media drives

Quote
EIDEMAX Product Launch

To: All Distributors & Dealers/VARs

Date: April 24, 1995

Enhanced IDE for ISA Bus
Promise Technology introduces a better IDE solution for ISA: EIDEMAX. Users now can get more from their existing ISA-based IDE controller than ever before...more storage capacity, more device support, easier device recognition, and higher performance. Designed to work as the primary or secondary IDE disk controller on the ISA bus, EIDEMAX offers three low-cost, high performance answers to the corporate upgrade dilemma.

First, there's instant LBA Mode support for an existing IDE controller. Get all the storage capacity your customer needs by attaching two Enhanced IDE drives with 8.4GB capacity each to the existing controller card. Second, EIDEMAX adds a second drive connector to accept two more high capacity EIDE drives. Need multimedia or tape backup? Instead of two more drives, attach an IDE CD-ROM or IDE tape backup to EIDEMAX. It's completely ATAPI-ready. Third, EIDEMAX offers an advanced multiple sector read/write function to instantly boost ISA-based IDE disk controller performance by up to 80%.

For you, the reseller, to become fully aware of how best to position and sell EIDEMAX, we've put together information on these and other major product features, product positioning in the market, and our basic competition. Our product launch information specifically covers: market overview, product specifications, features & benefits, competitive analysis & product positioning, and cost vs. performance/features comparisons.

Market Overview
Increased data storage needs and larger program sizes (Word 6.0 and WordPerfect 6.1 take up to 30MB+ alone, for example) demand more from operating platforms and subsystems than ever before. Despite rapidly falling prices for hard disk storage and systems, many corporate users in particular are faced with large scale upgrades of their company desktops. Many individual users face the same decision at home. Simply to get more capacity or configure multimedia and tape backup support, these customers are faced with changing from ISA-based architectures to more costly and complex 32-bit platform choices.

One low-cost alternative to an expensive storage upgrade is Enhanced IDE with its large capacity hard drives and IDE-based ATAPI peripheral devices. The EIDE specification breaks through the 528MB barrier and provides faster data seek times, inclusion of four IDE devices and attachment of IDE CD-ROMs and tape backups. Up to now these advances have been available ONLY on the newest 32-bit platforms leaving ISA users to employ software drivers and/or partitioning to get more storage capacity. CD-ROMs and tape backup meant getting another SCSI card or using the slower floppy tape channel. No longer....

EIDEMAX serves as a very powerful way to extend the life of and investment in ISA bus systems. At the same time, users can begin taking advantage of the higher standards of IDE technology. This latest IDE technology revolution will, we believe, continue to evolve and grow. EIDEMAX gives the ISA bus-based PC user the chance to use this new technology immediately without complicated setups, upgrades or configuration costs.

EIDEMAX answers the needs of higher storage capacity support, faster data throughput (within the physical limits of the 16-bit ISA bus), and ATAPI device support for corporate and stand-alone users right now. EIDEMAX also offers easier set-up. An external smart BIOS auto-recognizes virtually all IDE drives and Enhanced IDE disk drives available.

With more than 30 million ISA-based PCs still on the market, and a majority of those still in corporations, the potential upgrade market for the EIDEMAX represents a tremendous opportunity for Promise and resellers alike.

EIDEMAX Product Specifications

Model                                 EIDEMAX               

Drive Types                                EIDE & IDE               

Bus                                        16-bit ISA               

ATAPI-ready                                    Yes                 

# EIDE/IDE Hard Drives         2 EIDE drives on existing IDE card   
Supported                                       +                   
                               2 EIDE HDD or 1EIDE & CD-ROM/tape*   
                                           on EIDEMAX               

Data Transfer Rate            Increases ISA IDE data transfer rate 
                               by up to 80% using multiple sector   
                                           read/write               

Primary/Secondary Support                      Yes                 

Co-Exists**                                    Yes                 

Max. Storage Capacity                 Up to 8.4GB per drive         

Compatibility                   DOS 6.2, Windows 3.1, Windows for   
                                 Workgroups 3.11, OS/2 2.0, 2.1,   
                                    Warp, NetWare 3.1x, 4.01       

Advanced Features                 Auto-senses drive parameters     
                                     Selectable IDE channel         
                                     Selectable BIOS Address       
                                Driver for Windows 32-bit access   


* Requires drivers from device manufacturer(s)

** Works with second controller

Product Features & Benefits

The following section highlights features and benefits of EIDEMAX.

                        IDE Device Support                         

Features                          Benefits             

BIOS LBA Mode supports two high   Allows higher storage capacities 
capacity Enhanced IDE drives on   for your software and data.       
existing controller card                                           

Controls two high capacity EIDE   Provides additional storage       
drives OR one EIDE HDD and        capacity and/or CD-ROM device     
CD-ROM/tape* on EIDEMAX           option for single slot solution   

Bundles drivers for Windows 3.1   Provides 32-bit access for       
                                  higher performance.               



Advanced Hardware & Firmware Design                 

Features                          Benefits             

Onboard BIOS implements multiple  Offers higher data transfer rate 
sector read/write                 for existing controller and       
                                  EIDEMAX                           

Selectable IDE channel            EIDEMAX can stand alone as       
                                  single controller or provides     
                                  flexible boot-up controller       
                                  option                           




                          Compatibility                           

Features                          Benefits             

Register-level compatible with    Fully compatible with all ANSI   
ANSI ATA standard                 ATA IDE devices                   

Compatible with DOS 6.2, Windows  Provides higher level             
3.1, Windows NT 3.1, Windows for  compatibility with wide variety   
Workgroups 3.11, OS/2 2.0, 2.1,   of popular operating systems     
Warp, Netware 3.1x, 4.01                                           

* with manufacturer's driver                                       




Competitive Analysis & Product Positioning
EIDEMAX's simple, yet high storage capacity and performance-driven solution to ISA IDE gives our customers the ability to mix and match system requirements and specs to fit their particular applications. EIDEMAX offers both enduser and reseller amazing flexibility options...an ideal solution for users looking for a cost-effective upgrade to their existing ISA PC systems on any PC with a 16-bit ISA slot.

Most 16-bit IDE disk controllers rely on external device drivers to recognize bigger drives. Our only other competitor, GSI, only offers BIOS support to connect high capacity drives and higher data transfer for their own card not for an existing controller...and at a higher cost. Of course Promise offers all of the above capabilities for EIDEMAX and for the existing ISA-based IDE disk controller at the lowest cost possible.

But you're also getting one more thing that our competitor cannot possibly offer. You're getting the satisfaction of the reliable and proven Promise Technology name. We are the creator of IDE disk accelerators with a proven track-record in innovative IDE controller products. EIDEMAX is 100% designed and manufactured by us -- not a nameless one-product wonder.

Only Promise Technology's EIDEMAX and GSI's Model 18 offer ISA-based controller support for high capacity drives. Yet Promise clearly demonstrates striking product/price/performance advantages. The following chart compares the major features of these cards that most affect user system performance.
                           Product Comparison Chart                             

Features                  PROMISE                GSI               Standard       
                EIDEMAX              Model 18            ISA card       

Stand-Alone              2.21MB/sec           2.13MB/sec           1.21MB/sec     
Product                                                                           
Performance Test*                                                                 

Standard ISA card        2.21MB/sec           1.54MB/sec              n/a         
test results with    (83% improvement)     (no improvement)                       
add-on card                                                                       
installed*                                                                         

# of high capacity           4                    2                    0           
drives supported                                                                   

Primary/Secondary           Yes                  Yes                   No         
support                                                                           

Maximum Storage         up to 33.6GB         up to 16.8GB         up to 1.1GB     
Capacity                 (4x8.4GB)            (2x8.4GB)            (2x528MB)       

Windows 32-bit              Yes                   No                   No         
disk access                                                                       
support                                                                           

Price                    $39.- (SRP)              $45.-**                 n/a         
*Coretest v.2.92 (all tests performed on a 486/66DX-2 system, 4MB memory, Seagate ST31220A drive, test date 04/16/95)
**Based on nationally advertised price (no SRP quoted)

All trademarks are properties of their respective holders. Specifications subject to change without notice. Operating system and peripheral support quoted are current as of this publication date.