AST  RESEARCH, INC.          TECHNICAL BULLETIN # 0958                8-22-94




                      CRU DATA PORT FAILS IN BRAVO LC SYSTEM


PROBLEM:        When attaching a CRU Data Port Drive bay adapter with a Maxtor
                7345A hard drive to an AST Bravo LC system, Microsoft Windows
                3.1 causes corruption with the Windows group files such as
                Accessories and Main, and eventually corrupts data on the hard
                drive.

CAUSE:          The IDE cable is too long. The cable specifications affect
                system integrity and the maximum length that can be supported
                in any application.  The ATA specification for IDE cables is
                18".

SYSTEMS
AFFECTED:           AST
                PART NUMBER       DESCRIPTION

                501196-XXX      BRAVO LC2 4-25S
                501197-XXX      BRAVO LC2 4-33D
                501198-XXX      BRAVO LC2 4-50D
                501199-XXX      BRAVO LC2 4-66D
                501233-XXX      BRAVO LC2 4-33S

SOLUTION:       Since the CRU Data Port adds 4" to the cable length, the
                customer should purchase a cable no longer than 14".  This
                will comply with the ATA specification and will resolve the
                problem.