SATA to IDE bridge adapter

I mistakenly purchased a dvd burner that has a SATA interface. My
machines are all older, and they only support IDE. Rather than return
the drive, I decided to try a low cost bridge adapter board. This
board can be identified by its UPC code # which is:
837654148396

Doing a search on that UPC # turns up many hits, and you can see
what the board looks like and what it costs. In my case, they
practically gave the board away and just charged 4 bucks shipping.

The dvd burner works well using this adapter. I was amazed at the high
speed of burning a few gigs of data (a few minutes). The markings
on the chip show it's a SunplusIT SATALink SPLF223A-HL022
You can find its specs on the internet.

Since my research turned up some negative comments on this
particular board (someone called it "junk" for example) I wonder
if anyone here has experience with it, either good or bad.

Art

Art wrote:

I mistakenly purchased a dvd burner that has a SATA interface. My
machines are all older, and they only support IDE. Rather than return
the drive, I decided to try a low cost bridge adapter board. This
board can be identified by its UPC code # which is:
837654148396

Doing a search on that UPC # turns up many hits, and you can see
what the board looks like and what it costs. In my case, they
practically gave the board away and just charged 4 bucks shipping.

The dvd burner works well using this adapter. I was amazed at the high
speed of burning a few gigs of data (a few minutes). The markings
on the chip show it's a SunplusIT SATALink SPLF223A-HL022
You can find its specs on the internet.

Since my research turned up some negative comments on this
particular board (someone called it "junk" for example) I wonder
if anyone here has experience with it, either good or bad.

It's good to know that there's an adapter that works because the only
other 100% reliable one I've heard of use Marvell brand chips (slanted
"M" on chips).

Exactly which revision of the SPLF223A-HL022 does your adapter have?
Because I have an adapter with this chip

SPLF223A-HL022
MQ0N839.1
0915-00600

and a different circuit board so it can be used with either a SATA or
a PATA drive:

http://www.meritline.com/showLargIma...sku=400-379_1_

But it didn't work with any of the CD or DVD drives I tried with it,
whether they were SATA or PATA, but it was fine with every PATA hard
drive. With SATA hard drives, I could run the HDAT2 diagnostic for
anywhere from 30 seconds to 5 hours before the program locked up and
caused the drive's SMART data to permanently indicate a UDMA error.

On Wed, 25 May 2011 12:47:22 -0700 (PDT), "larry moe 'n curly"
wrote:



Art wrote:

I mistakenly purchased a dvd burner that has a SATA interface. My
machines are all older, and they only support IDE. Rather than return
the drive, I decided to try a low cost bridge adapter board. This
board can be identified by its UPC code # which is:
837654148396

Doing a search on that UPC # turns up many hits, and you can see
what the board looks like and what it costs. In my case, they
practically gave the board away and just charged 4 bucks shipping.

The dvd burner works well using this adapter. I was amazed at the high
speed of burning a few gigs of data (a few minutes). The markings
on the chip show it's a SunplusIT SATALink SPLF223A-HL022
You can find its specs on the internet.

Since my research turned up some negative comments on this
particular board (someone called it "junk" for example) I wonder
if anyone here has experience with it, either good or bad.

It's good to know that there's an adapter that works because the only
other 100% reliable one I've heard of use Marvell brand chips (slanted
"M" on chips).

Hadn't heard of that source. Someone recommended JMicron. Can you
point me to a source of the reliability info? Are you referring to a
bridge module using the Marvell chip?

Exactly which revision of the SPLF223A-HL022 does your adapter have?

MQ2V932.1
1109-00600

Because I have an adapter with this chip

SPLF223A-HL022
MQ0N839.1
0915-00600

and a different circuit board so it can be used with either a SATA or
a PATA drive:

http://www.meritline.com/showLargIma...sku=400-379_1_

But it didn't work with any of the CD or DVD drives I tried with it,
whether they were SATA or PATA, but it was fine with every PATA hard
drive. With SATA hard drives, I could run the HDAT2 diagnostic for
anywhere from 30 seconds to 5 hours before the program locked up and
caused the drive's SMART data to permanently indicate a UDMA error.

Glad I didn't buy/try that module then Thanks for the feedback!

Art

Art wrote:

On Wed, 25 May 2011 12:47:22 -0700 (PDT), "larry moe 'n curly"
wrote:

I mistakenly purchased a dvd burner that has a SATA interface. My
machines are all older, and they only support IDE. Rather than return
the drive, I decided to try a low cost bridge adapter board. This
board can be identified by its UPC code # which is:
837654148396

Doing a search on that UPC # turns up many hits, and you can see
what the board looks like and what it costs. In my case, they
practically gave the board away and just charged 4 bucks shipping.

The dvd burner works well using this adapter. I was amazed at the high
speed of burning a few gigs of data (a few minutes). The markings
on the chip show it's a SunplusIT SATALink SPLF223A-HL022
You can find its specs on the internet.

Since my research turned up some negative comments on this
particular board (someone called it "junk" for example) I wonder
if anyone here has experience with it, either good or bad.

It's good to know that there's an adapter that works because the only
other 100% reliable one I've heard of use Marvell brand chips (slanted
"M" on chips).

Hadn't heard of that source. Someone recommended JMicron. Can you
point me to a source of the reliability info? Are you referring to a
bridge module using the Marvell chip?

Exactly which revision of the SPLF223A-HL022 does your adapter have?

MQ2V932.1
1109-00600

Because I have an adapter with this chip

SPLF223A-HL022
MQ0N839.1
0915-00600

and a different circuit board so it can be used with either a SATA or
a PATA drive:

http://www.meritline.com/showLargIma...sku=400-379_1_

But it didn't work with any of the CD or DVD drives I tried with it,
whether they were SATA or PATA, but it was fine with every PATA hard
drive. With SATA hard drives, I could run the HDAT2 diagnostic for
anywhere from 30 seconds to 5 hours before the program locked up and
caused the drive's SMART data to permanently indicate a UDMA error.

Glad I didn't buy/try that module then Thanks for the feedback!

Art

At least the dealer, Meritline, refunded the $3-4 cost without
requiring that I return the product.

I had problems finding compatibility/reliability information about
SATA-PATA adapters and relied mostly on NewEgg reviews but also found
these messages over at StorageReview:

http://forums.storagereview.com/inde...rd-converters/

I'm not surprised the Marvell bridge chip worked well because Marvell
also designs chips found on many hard drives. I couldn't find much
about JMicron adapters, but apparently some of their PCI-E SATA chips
have problems.

I think the "1109" on your SunPlusIT adapter's chip means it was made
in 2011, in the 9th week of the year, while my chip is from 2009, week
15. SunPlusIT doesn't provide information about any differences, but
I've seen other chips where different versions worked differently.
One was an Alcor USB flash memory card reader chip that required
plugging the card in before plugging in the USB, while the newer
version of the chip was fine. And the widely used VIA VT6421A chip
found on many PCI SATA adapters used to be completely incompatible
with SATA II and SATA III drives, but apparently some time in 2009 the
chip design was modified to fix that defect. VIA won't provide any
information about this, not even to its own tech support.

On Wed, 25 May 2011 15:03:47 -0700 (PDT), "larry moe 'n curly"
wrote:

I had problems finding compatibility/reliability information about
SATA-PATA adapters and relied mostly on NewEgg reviews but also found
these messages over at StorageReview:

http://forums.storagereview.com/inde...rd-converters/

I just found 22 pages of related stuff to wade through:
http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=94262

I'm not surprised the Marvell bridge chip worked well because Marvell
also designs chips found on many hard drives. I couldn't find much
about JMicron adapters, but apparently some of their PCI-E SATA chips
have problems.

I think the "1109" on your SunPlusIT adapter's chip means it was made
in 2011, in the 9th week of the year, while my chip is from 2009, week
15. SunPlusIT doesn't provide information about any differences, but
I've seen other chips where different versions worked differently.
One was an Alcor USB flash memory card reader chip that required
plugging the card in before plugging in the USB, while the newer
version of the chip was fine. And the widely used VIA VT6421A chip
found on many PCI SATA adapters used to be completely incompatible
with SATA II and SATA III drives, but apparently some time in 2009 the
chip design was modified to fix that defect. VIA won't provide any
information about this, not even to its own tech support.

Yes, it's difficult to get a handle on what's going on under such
conditions. As you've suggested, it's quite possible the later
Sunplus chips are ok and work reliably. It's tempting to do some
more testing. We shall see ....

Art

Art wrote:
On Wed, 25 May 2011 15:03:47 -0700 (PDT), "larry moe 'n curly"
wrote:

I had problems finding compatibility/reliability information about
SATA-PATA adapters and relied mostly on NewEgg reviews but also found
these messages over at StorageReview:

http://forums.storagereview.com/inde...rd-converters/

I just found 22 pages of related stuff to wade through:
http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=94262

I'm not surprised the Marvell bridge chip worked well because Marvell
also designs chips found on many hard drives. I couldn't find much
about JMicron adapters, but apparently some of their PCI-E SATA chips
have problems.

I think the "1109" on your SunPlusIT adapter's chip means it was made
in 2011, in the 9th week of the year, while my chip is from 2009, week
15. SunPlusIT doesn't provide information about any differences, but
I've seen other chips where different versions worked differently.
One was an Alcor USB flash memory card reader chip that required
plugging the card in before plugging in the USB, while the newer
version of the chip was fine. And the widely used VIA VT6421A chip
found on many PCI SATA adapters used to be completely incompatible
with SATA II and SATA III drives, but apparently some time in 2009 the
chip design was modified to fix that defect. VIA won't provide any
information about this, not even to its own tech support.

Yes, it's difficult to get a handle on what's going on under such
conditions. As you've suggested, it's quite possible the later
Sunplus chips are ok and work reliably. It's tempting to do some
more testing. We shall see ....

Art

If you download the pseudo-datasheet for the Sunplus chip, it has a processor
and firmware inside. The processor inside is labeled as an "8051", and the
amount of RAM and ROM inside the SPIF223A is not stated. And that means,
there is room for them to change the behavior of the design, as the
years pass. Just change the mask ROM (a lithography layer) and ship a new
version of chip. Mask ROM cannot be changed in the field, so once the chip
is manufactured, any mistakes stay in there. That's how a chip from
2008 might not support DVD burners, while one from 2011 does. A good manufacturer
documents this kind of stuff (but may require an NDA before handing over
details).

http://www.sunplusit.com/download/if...eb20101130.pdf

Paul

Paul wrote:
Art wrote:
On Wed, 25 May 2011 15:03:47 -0700 (PDT), "larry moe 'n curly"
wrote:

I had problems finding compatibility/reliability information about
SATA-PATA adapters and relied mostly on NewEgg reviews but also found
these messages over at StorageReview:

http://forums.storagereview.com/inde...rd-converters/


I just found 22 pages of related stuff to wade through:
http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=94262

I'm not surprised the Marvell bridge chip worked well because Marvell
also designs chips found on many hard drives. I couldn't find much
about JMicron adapters, but apparently some of their PCI-E SATA chips
have problems.

I think the "1109" on your SunPlusIT adapter's chip means it was made
in 2011, in the 9th week of the year, while my chip is from 2009, week
15. SunPlusIT doesn't provide information about any differences, but
I've seen other chips where different versions worked differently.
One was an Alcor USB flash memory card reader chip that required
plugging the card in before plugging in the USB, while the newer
version of the chip was fine. And the widely used VIA VT6421A chip
found on many PCI SATA adapters used to be completely incompatible
with SATA II and SATA III drives, but apparently some time in 2009 the
chip design was modified to fix that defect. VIA won't provide any
information about this, not even to its own tech support.

Yes, it's difficult to get a handle on what's going on under such
conditions. As you've suggested, it's quite possible the later
Sunplus chips are ok and work reliably. It's tempting to do some
more testing. We shall see ....

Art

If you download the pseudo-datasheet for the Sunplus chip, it has a
processor
and firmware inside. The processor inside is labeled as an "8051", and the
amount of RAM and ROM inside the SPIF223A is not stated. And that means,
there is room for them to change the behavior of the design, as the
years pass. Just change the mask ROM (a lithography layer) and ship a new
version of chip. Mask ROM cannot be changed in the field, so once the chip
is manufactured, any mistakes stay in there. That's how a chip from
2008 might not support DVD burners, while one from 2011 does. A good
manufacturer
documents this kind of stuff (but may require an NDA before handing over
details).

http://www.sunplusit.com/download/if...eb20101130.pdf

Paul

If I may, I would like to pose a kindergarten question. I have a few IDE
HDs in cases and want to connect them to SATA connections on a computer.
I know that I can buy these connectors. Are there any pitfalls involved
here. Yup, gulp!, a kindergarten question :-(

Seum wrote:


If I may, I would like to pose a kindergarten question. I have a few IDE
HDs in cases and want to connect them to SATA connections on a computer.
I know that I can buy these connectors. Are there any pitfalls involved
here. Yup, gulp!, a kindergarten question :-(

I don't know if "pitfall" is the right word or not. The adapters
tend to work or not work. I haven't heard a lot of reports of
damage to data.

I only own the one of them myself, and right now, use it for connecting
SATA drives to my IDE enclosure. At least a few of the chips are
bidirectional, meaning the chip can be used to build SATA to IDE or
IDE to SATA adapters. The adapter can be a bit more compact, if it
only has one operating mode. And then you end up owning two adapters,
if you want to cover all possible situations.

A very few of the adapters, are bidirectional on their own. They went to
the trouble of putting all necessary connectors and cables, so the adapter
can be used in either situation. But the adapter then tends to be physically
larger, and it won't fit in a confined space (there probably wouldn't be
room to shove this inside my IDE enclosure).

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16812186078

http://www.sybausa.com/resource/SD-A...016_Manual.pdf

Now, at least one data sheet I've looked at, the adapter chip,
had a logic signal to select mode (SATA to IDE or IDE to SATA).
That particular SYBA adapter has two SATA connectors, one labeled as
being for the computer, the other for a SATA drive. So I'm guessing
the adapter figures out the mode, based on which SATA interface
"comes alive" at powerup. The adapter has a couple switches, but they're
for jumper settings on the IDE side.

Paul

Paul wrote:
Seum wrote:


If I may, I would like to pose a kindergarten question. I have a few
IDE HDs in cases and want to connect them to SATA connections on a
computer. I know that I can buy these connectors. Are there any
pitfalls involved here. Yup, gulp!, a kindergarten question :-(

I don't know if "pitfall" is the right word or not. The adapters
tend to work or not work. I haven't heard a lot of reports of
damage to data.

I only own the one of them myself, and right now, use it for connecting
SATA drives to my IDE enclosure. At least a few of the chips are
bidirectional, meaning the chip can be used to build SATA to IDE or
IDE to SATA adapters. The adapter can be a bit more compact, if it
only has one operating mode. And then you end up owning two adapters,
if you want to cover all possible situations.

A very few of the adapters, are bidirectional on their own. They went to
the trouble of putting all necessary connectors and cables, so the adapter
can be used in either situation. But the adapter then tends to be
physically
larger, and it won't fit in a confined space (there probably wouldn't be
room to shove this inside my IDE enclosure).

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16812186078

http://www.sybausa.com/resource/SD-A...016_Manual.pdf

Now, at least one data sheet I've looked at, the adapter chip,
had a logic signal to select mode (SATA to IDE or IDE to SATA).
That particular SYBA adapter has two SATA connectors, one labeled as
being for the computer, the other for a SATA drive. So I'm guessing
the adapter figures out the mode, based on which SATA interface
"comes alive" at powerup. The adapter has a couple switches, but they're
for jumper settings on the IDE side.

Paul

Very interesting. Thanks again Paul.

Somewhere on teh intarwebs larry moe 'n curly wrote:
[snip]
I think the "1109" on your SunPlusIT adapter's chip means it was made
in 2011, in the 9th week of the year, while my chip is from 2009, week
15. SunPlusIT doesn't provide information about any differences, but
I've seen other chips where different versions worked differently.
One was an Alcor USB flash memory card reader chip that required
plugging the card in before plugging in the USB, while the newer
version of the chip was fine. And the widely used VIA VT6421A chip
found on many PCI SATA adapters used to be completely incompatible
with SATA II and SATA III drives, but apparently some time in 2009 the
chip design was modified to fix that defect. VIA won't provide any
information about this, not even to its own tech support.

Interesting. I have a couple of PCI - SATA boards that I haven't used in
years which worked fine every time I've used them. Your post propmted me to
have a look at one of them. It has that VIA chip and I know for a fact that
they're pre-2009 as I bought them at least a year before '09.

I guess I should drop one in a PC and see if it works with a SATA-II HDD. Do
you know if there's any chance of HDD damage? The only modern 3.5" HDDs that
I have are 2TB WD things that I use in external USB - SATA docks. They are
the repository of my legacy, all of my digital life is on those two HDDs.
I'd hate to kill one of them.

Cheers,
--
Shaun.

"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a
monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also
into you." Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche