The Lo-tech TRS-80 IDE adapter is an external IDE storage adapter for Tandy TRS-80 model 3/4/4P PCs, enabling connection of standard IDE drives (and CompactFlash cards, with an adapter).
A limitation has been that the machines needed to be booted from floppy disk still, since there is no HDD boot code in the Model 3 and 4 ROMs, and the HDD boot code in the 4P ROM is expecting a WD1010 controller rather than an ATA drive.
Community to the rescue as Audronic, Gazza and Hans have burnt plenty of midnight oil patching the 4P ROM with enough code to get LSDOS 6.3.1 to start up directly from the Lo-tech adapter! Here it is in action:
Currently this has been tested with a number of hard disks (full list in the download) but doesn’t currently work with SD cards. Some DoM devices can though be used, this one having been tested OK. Gazza has kindly put together a RAR achive with the patched ROM binary along with very detailed documentation, which is available via the Lo-tech wiki now.
No more floppy disks needed for your 4P!
Product links have been included here for convenience; Lo-tech has no connection with the sellers.
Social tagging: TRS-80