Programming information for the Western Digital 1770-00 and 1772-00 floppy disk drive controllers

Programming information from the data sheets for the Western Digital
1770-00 and 1772-00 floppy disk drive controllers.  David Gahris,
dgahris@eece.maine.edu, typed and edited this on 10 Mar 1995.

Unless I note otherwise, this file applies to both the 1770-00 and the
1772-00, and I do not deal with other chips in the 1770 family, such
as the 1773-00 or the 1770-02.  I call the 1770 and the 1772
collectively the 177x.  Except as noted, "clock cycles" are CPU clock
cycles at exactly 1 MHz.

OUTLINE OF CONTENTS:
--------------------
Registers
Commands
Interrupts
Disk Formatting
Miscellaneous


REGISTERS:
----------

The names are self-explanatory.  All registers are 8 bits wide.  After
the CPU writes to any register, it cannot read that register for 16
cycles.

r0 (write) - Command Register - When the 177x is busy, it ignores CPU
writes to this register UNLESS the new command is a force interrupt.

r0 (read) - Status Register - The value in this register depends on
the previous 177x command.  If the 177x receives a Force Interrupt
command while it is executing another command, the FDDC will clear the
Busy bit (Status bit 0: see later in this paragraph), and leave all
other Status bits unchanged.  If the 177x receives a Force Interrupt
command while it is not executing a command, the 177x will update the
entire Status Register as though it had just executed a Type I
command.  (For an explanation of Type I, Type II, Type III, and Type
IV commands, see the section on commands.)  When the CPU is connected
(directly or indirectly) to the 177x's interrupt output, it is a bad
idea to check the Busy bit because a CPU read of the Status Register
clears the 177x's interrupt output.  After the CPU writes to the
Command Register, it should not attempt to read the Busy bit for 24
cycles.  The CPU should not follow a Command Register write with a
read of Status bits 1-7 until 32 clock cycles have elapsed.

Bits:
Bit 7 - Motor On.  This bit is high when the drive motor is on, and
low when the motor is off.

Bit 6 - Write Protect.  This bit is not used during reads.  During
writes, this bit is high when the disk is write protected.

Bit 5 - Spin-up / Record Type.  For Type I commands, this bit is low
during the 6-revolution motor spin-up time.  This bit is high after
spin-up.  For Type II and Type III commands, Bit 5 low indicates a
normal data mark.  Bit 5 high indicates a deleted data mark.

Bit 4 - Record Not Found.  This bit is set if the 177x cannot find the
track, sector, or side which the CPU requested.  Otherwise, this bit
is clear.

Bit 3 - CRC Error.  This bit is high if a sector CRC on disk does not
match the CRC which the 177x computed from the data.  The CRC
polynomial is x^16+x^12+x^5+1.  If the stored CRC matches the newly
calculated CRC, the CRC Error bit is low.  If this bit and the Record
Not Found bit are set, the error was in an ID field.  If this bit is
set but Record Not Found is clear, the error was in a data field.

Bit 2 - Track Zero / Lost Data.  After Type I commands, this bit is 0
if the mechanism is at track zero.  This bit is 1 if the head is not
at track zero.  After Type II or III commands, this bit is 1 if the
CPU did not respond to Data Request (Status bit 1) in time for the
177x to maintain a continuous data flow.  This bit is 0 if the CPU
responded promptly to Data Request.

Bit 1 - Index / Data Request.  On Type I commands, this bit is high
during the index pulse that occurs once per disk rotation.  This bit
is low at all times other than the index pulse.  For Type II and III
commands, Bit 1 high signals the CPU to handle the data register in
order to maintain a continuous flow of data.  Bit 1 is high when the
data register is full during a read or when the data register is empty
during a write.  "Worst case service time" for Data Request is 23.5
cycles.

Bit 0 - Busy.  This bit is 1 when the 177x is busy.  This bit is 0
when the 177x is free for CPU commands.

r1 (r/w) - Track Register - The outermost track on the disk is
numbered 0.  During disk reading, writing, and verifying, the 177x
compares the Track Register to the track number in the sector ID
field.  When the 177x is busy, it ignores CPU writes to this register.
The highest legal track number is 240.

r2 (r/w) - Sector Register - During disk reading and writing, the 177x
compares the Sector Register to the sector number in the sector ID
field.  When the 177x is busy, it ignores CPU writes to this register.
Valid sector numbers range from 1 to 240, inclusive.

r3 (r/w) - Data Register



COMMANDS:
---------

The 177x accepts 11 commands.  Western Digital divides these commands
into four categories, labeled I,II, III, and IV.

Type I commands are Restore, Seek, Step, Step In, and Step Out.

The following table is a bit map of the values to store in the Command
Register.
Command      Bit 7     B6     B5     B4     B3     B2     B1     Bit 0
--------     -----     --     --     --     --     --     --     -----
Restore      0         0      0      0      h      V      r1     r0
Seek         0         0      0      1      h      V      r1     r0
Step         0         0      1      u      h      V      r1     r0
Step in      0         1      0      u      h      V      r1     r0
Step out     0         1      1      u      h      V      r1     r0

Flags:

u (Update Track Register) - If this flag is set, the 177x will update
the track register after executing the command.  If this flag is
cleared, the 177x will not update the track register.

h (Motor On) - If the value of this bit is 1, the controller will
disable the motor spin-up sequence.  Otherwise, if the motor is off
when the chip receives a command, the chip will turn the motor on and
wait 6 revolutions before executing the command.  At 300 RPM, the
6-revolution wait guarantees a one-second start time. If the 177x is
idle for 9 consecutive disk revolutions, it turns off the drive motor.
If the 177x receives a command while the motor is on, the controller
executes the command immediately.

V (Verify) - If this flag is set, the head settles after command
execution.  The settling time is 15 000 cycles for the 1772 and 30 000
cycles for the 1770.  The FDDC will then verify the track position of
the head.  The 177x reads the first ID field it finds and compares the
track number in that ID field against the Track Register.  If the
track numbers match but the ID field CRC is invalid, the 177x sets the
CRC Error bit in the status register and reads the next ID field.  If
the 177x does not find a sector with valid track number AND valid CRC
within 5 disk rotations, the chip sets the Seek Error bit in the
status register.

r (Step Time) - This bit pair determines the time between track steps
according to the following table:

r1       r0            1770                                        1772
--       --            ----                                        ----
0        0             6000 CPU clock cycles                       6000 cycles
0        1             12000 cycles                                12000 cycles
1        0             20 000 cycles                               2000 cycles
1        1             30 000 cycles                               3000 cycles

Restore:
If the FDDC receives this command when the drive head is at track
zero, the chip sets its Track Register to $00 and ends the command.
If the head is not at track zero, the FDDC steps the head carriage
until the head arrives at track 0.  The 177x then sets its Track
Register to $00 and ends the command.  If the chip's track-zero input
does not activate after 255 step pulses AND the V bit is set in the
command word, the 177x sets the Seek Error bit in the status register
and ends the command.

Seek:
The CPU must load the desired track number into the Data Register
before issuing this command.  The Seek command causes the 177x to step
the head to the desired track number and update the Track Register.

Step:
The 177x issues one step pulse to the mechanism, then delays one step
time according to the r flag.

Step in:
The 177x issues one step pulse in the direction toward Track 76 and
waits one step time according to the r flag.  [Transcriber's Note:
Western Digital assumes in this paragraph that disks do not have more
than 77 tracks.]

Step out:
The 177x issues one step pulse in the direction toward Track 0 and
waits one step time according to the r flag.



Type II commands are Read Sector and Write Sector.

Command          Bit 7     B6     B5     B4     B3     B2     B1     Bit 0
------------     -----     --     --     --     --     --     --     -----
Read Sector      1         0      0      m      h      E      0      0
Write Sector     1         0      1      m      h      E      P      a0

Flags:

m (Multiple Sectors) - If this bit = 0, the 177x reads or writes
("accesses") only one sector.  If this bit = 1, the 177x sequentially
accesses sectors up to and including the last sector on the track.  A
multiple-sector command will end prematurely when the CPU loads a
Force Interrupt command into the Command Register.

h (Motor On) - If the value of this bit is 1, the controller will
disable the motor spin-up sequence.  Otherwise, if the motor is off
when the chip receives a command, the chip will turn the motor on and
wait 6 revolutions before executing the command.  At 300 RPM, the
6-revolution wait guarantees a one- second start time.  If the 177x is
idle for 9 consecutive disk revolutions, it turns off the drive motor.
If the 177x receives a command while the motor is on, the controller
executes the command immediately.

E (Settling Delay) - If this flag is set, the head settles before
command execution.  The settling time is 15 000 cycles for the 1772
and 30 000 cycles for the 1770.

P (Write Precompensation) - On the 1770-02 and 1772-00, a 0 value in
this bit enables automatic write precompensation.  The FDDC delays or
advances the write bit stream by one-eighth of a cycle according to
the following table.

Previous          Current bit           Next bit
bits sent         sending               to be sent       Precompensation
---------         -----------           ----------       ---------------
x       1         1                     0                Early
x       0         1                     1                Late
0       0         0                     1                Early
1       0         0                     0                Late

Programmers typically enable precompensation on the innermost tracks,
where bit shifts usually occur and bit density is maximal.  A 1 value
for this flag disables write precompensation.

a0 (Data Address Mark) - If this bit is 0, the 177x will write a
normal data mark.  If this bit is 1, the 177x will write a deleted
data mark.

Read Sector:
The controller waits for a sector ID field that has the correct track
number, sector number, and CRC.  The controller then checks for the
Data Address Mark, which consists of 43 copies of the second byte of
the CRC.  If the controller does not find a sector with correct ID
field and address mark within 5 disk revolutions, the command ends.
Once the 177x finds the desired sector, it loads the bytes of that
sector into the data register.  If there is a CRC error at the end of
the data field, the 177x sets the CRC Error bit in the Status Register
and ends the command regardless of the state of the "m" flag.

Write Sector:
The 177x waits for a sector ID field with the correct track number,
sector number, and CRC.  The 177x then counts off 22 bytes from the
CRC field.  If the CPU has not loaded a byte into the Data Register
before the end of this 22-byte delay, the 177x ends the command.
Assuming that the CPU has heeded the 177x's data request, the
controller writes 12 bytes of zeroes.  The 177x then writes a normal
or deleted Data Address Mark according to the a0 flag of the command.
Next, the 177x writes the byte which the CPU placed in the Data
Register, and continues to request and write data bytes until the end
of the sector.  After the 177x writes the last byte, it calculates and
writes the 16-bit CRC.  The chip then writes one $ff byte.  The 177x
interrupts the CPU 24 cycles after it writes the second byte of the
CRC.


Type III commands are Read Address, Read Track, and Write Track.

Command          Bit 7     B6     B5     B4     B3     B2     B1     Bit 0
------------     -----     --     --     --     --     --     --     -----
Read Address     1         1      0      0      h      E      0      0
Read Track       1         1      1      0      h      E      0      0
Write Track      1         1      1      1      h      E      P      0

Flags:

h (Motor On) - If the value of this bit is 1, the controller will
disable the motor spin-up sequence.  Otherwise, if the motor is off
when the chip receives a command, the chip will turn the motor on and
wait 6 revolutions before executing the command.  At 300 RPM, the
6-revolution wait guarantees a one- second start time.  If the 177x is
idle for 9 consecutive disk revolutions, it turns off the drive motor.
If the 177x receives a command while the motor is on, the controller
executes the command immediately.

E (Settling Delay) - If this flag is set, the head settles before
command execution.  The settling time is 15 000 cycles for the 1772
and 30 000 cycles for the 1770.

P (Write Precompensation) - On the 1770-02 and 1772-00, a 0 value in
this bit enables automatic write precompensation.  The FDDC delays or
advances the write bit stream by one-eighth of a cycle according to
the following table.

Previous          Current bit           Next bit
bits sent         sending               to be sent       Precompensation
---------         -----------           ----------       ---------------
x       1         1                     0                Early
x       0         1                     1                Late
0       0         0                     1                Early
1       0         0                     0                Late

Programmers typically enable precompensation on the innermost tracks,
where bit shifts usually occur and bit density is maximal.  A 1 value
for this flag disables write precompensation.

Read Address:
The 177x reads the next ID field it finds, then sends the CPU the
following six bytes via the Data Register:
Byte #     Meaning                |     Sector length code     Sector length
------     ------------------     |     ------------------     -------------
1          Track                  |     0                      128
2          Side                   |     1                      256
3          Sector                 |     2                      512
4          Sector length code     |     3                      1024
5          CRC byte 1             |
6          CRC byte 2             |

[Transcriber's Note:  | is the vertical bar character.]

The 177x copies the track address into the Sector Register.  The chip
sets the CRC Error bit in the status register if the CRC is invalid.

Read Track:
This command dumps a raw track, including gaps, ID fields, and data,
into the Data Register.  The FDDC starts reading with the leading edge
of the first index pulse it finds, and stops reading with the next
index pulse.  During this command, the FDDC does not check CRCs.  The
address mark detector is on during the entire command.  (The address
mark detector detects ID, data and index address marks during read and
write operations.)  Because the address mark detector is always on,
write splices or noise may cause the chip to look for an address mark.
[Transcriber's Note: I do not know how the programmer can tell that
the AM detector has found an address mark.]  The chip may read gap
bytes incorrectly during write-splice time because of synchronization.

Write Track:
This command is the means of formatting disks.  The drive head must be
over the correct track BEFORE the CPU issues the Write Track command.
Writing starts with the leading edge of the first index pulse which
the 177x finds.  The 177x stops writing when it encounters the next
index pulse.  The 177x sets the Data Request bit immediately after
receiving the Write Track command, but does not start writing until
the CPU loads the Data Register.  If the CPU does not send the 177x a
byte within three byte times after the first index pulse, the 177x
ends the command.  The 177x will write all data values from $00 to $f4
(inclusive) and from $f8 to $ff (inclusive) unaltered.  Data values
$f5, $f6, and $f7, however, have special meanings.  The value $f5
means to write an $a1 to the disk.  The $a1 value which the 177x
writes to the disk will lack an MFM clock transition between bits 4
and 5.  This missing clock transition indicates that the next normally
written byte will be an address mark.  In addition, a Data Register
value of $f5 will reset the 177x's CRC generator.  A Data Register
value of $f6 will not reset the CRC generator but will write a pre-
address-mark value of $c2 to the disk.  The written $c2 will lack an
MFM clock transition between bits 3 and 4.  A Data Register value of
$f7 will write a two-byte CRC to the disk.


The Type IV command is Force Interrupt.

Force Interrupt:
Programmers use this command to stop a multiple-sector read or write
command or to ensure Type I status in the Status Register.  The format
of this command is %1101(I3)(I2)00.  If flag I2 is set, the 177x will
acknowledge the command at the next index pulse.  If flag I3 is set,
the 177x will immediately stop what it is doing and generate an
interrupt.  If neither I2 nor I3 are set, the 177x will not interrupt
the CPU, but will immediately stop any command in progress.  After the
CPU issues an immediate interrupt command ($d8), it MUST write $d0
(Force Interrupt, I2 clear, I3 clear) to the Command Register in order
to shut off the 177x's interrupt output.  After any Force Interrupt
command, the CPU must wait 16 cycles before issuing any other command.
If the CPU does not wait, the 177x will ignore the previous Force
Interrupt command.  Because the 177x is microcoded, it will
acknowledge Force Interrupt commands only between micro- instructions.


INTERRUPTS:
-----------

The 177x interrupts the CPU: *each time it finishes a command, *if a
Force Interrupt condition is true, or *if the FDDC tries to write to a
write-protected disk.  The 177x's interrupt output pin resets when the
CPU reads the status register or writes to the command register,
except after a Force Interrupt (immediate) command.  See the section
on the Force Interrupt command.

DISK FORMATTING:
----------------

The 177x formats disks according to the IBM 3740 or System/34
standard.  See the Write Track command for the CPU formatting method.
The recommended physical format for 256-byte sectors is as follows.

Number of Bytes     Value of Byte      Comments
---------------     -------------      --------
60                  $4e                Gap 1 and Gap 3.  Start and end of index
                                       pulse.
12                  $00                Gap 3.  Start of bytes repeated for each
                                       sector.
3                   $a1                Gap 3.  Start of ID field.  See section
                                       on Write Track command.
1                   $fe                ID address mark
1                   track #            $00 through $4c (0 through 76)
1                   side #             0 or 1
1                   sector #           $01 through $10 (1 through 16)
1                   length code        See section on Read Address command.
2                   CRC                End of ID field.  See section on Write
                                       Track command.
22                  $4e                Gap 2.
12                  $00                Gap 2.  During Write Sector commands the
                                       drive starts writing at the start
                                       of this.
3                   $a1                Gap 2.  Start of data field.  See
                                       section on Write Track command.
1                   $fb                data address mark
256                 data               Values $f5, $f6, and $f7 invalid.  See
                                       section on Write Track command.  IBM
                                       uses $e5.
2                   CRC                End of data field.  See section on Write
                                       Track command.
24                  $4e                Gap 4.  End of bytes repeated for each
                                       sector.  During Write Sector
                                       commands the drive stops writing shortly
                                       after the beginning of this.
668                 $4e                Continue writing until the 177x
                                       generates an interrupt.  The listed byte
                                       count is approximate.

Variations in the recommended formats are possible if the following
requirements are met:
(1)  Sector size must be 128, 256, 512, or 1024 bytes.
(2)  All address mark indicators ($a1) must be 3 bytes long.
(3)  The $4e section of Gap 2 must be 22 bytes long.  The $00 section of Gap 2
     must be 12 bytes long.
(4)  The $4e section of Gap 3 must be at least 24 bytes long.  The $00 section
     of Gap 3 must be at least 8 bytes long.
(5)  Gaps 1 and 4 must be at least 2 bytes long.  These gaps should be longer
     to allow for PLL lock time, motor speed variations, and write splice time.

The 177x does not require an Index Address Mark.

MISCELLANEOUS:
--------------

The chip steps the drive head in the same direction it last stepped
unless the command changes the direction.  Each step pulse takes 4
cycles.  The 177x begins outputting a direction signal to the drive 24
cycles before the first stepping pulse.  The 177x is designed for a
head data rate of 250 kilobits per second.  If the CPU does not give
the 177x a byte by the time the 177x needs to write to the disk, the
177x writes a zero byte instead.  The minimum cycle time of the raw
head data input is 3 CPU clock cycles.  The head data output has a
cycle time of 4, 6, or 8 CPU clock cycles.  The head data output pulse
width is .82 clock cycles for an early bit, .69 cycles for a normal
bit, and .57 cycles for a late bit.  See the Commands section for
information on write precompensation.  The 1772-02 is 100%
software-compatible with the 1772-00.  During DMA between the 177x and
CPU RAM, the DRQ (Data Request) pin of the 177x controls data
transfer.  The DRQ pin is high when the Data Request bit in the Status
Register is high, and the DRQ pin is low when the Data Request bit is
low.

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