gdavis@rhesus.primate.wisc.edu (Gary Davis) (12/14/89)
Thanks to the people for answered my previous query about boxes for the TEAC N50 drive. I bought the cheapest, $120, from True Data Products in Uxbridge, MA. It seems to be adequate if a little Spartan. But now I've got two other questions. The drive from Microland came with no manual and they don't want to send me one. So how do I set the SCSI address (the case I bought doesn't have a switch for this). I assume the little jumpers just below the SCSI connector provide the means. I've looked at the TEAC archives from Texas and noted on fellow was recommending that we clip out the temporary ground connection by removing resistor W1. Have people done this? Three questions, I guess. As I was starting to assemble the drive in the case, I noticed that one lead on the large circuit board, back near the SCSI connection, looked like it had been resoldered. The area was darkened and there were little bits of solder and flux scattered around. The blue jumper wire running nearby had a big gob on it. Can this be normal or acceptible. Microland wasn't too helpful on the phone. I haven't tested the drive yet (no tapes yet), but even if it does seem to work, I wonder about future problems. Should I insist they send me a new one? Well I quess I actually have 4 questions. A local dealer has ordered me some tapes for $18 each. But they're Maxells, not TEACs. Some in the TEAC archives said that the Maxells are noisier and potentially less reliable. Is there any new information on this? I plan on writing up my experiences with assembling my own drive for our local user group newsletter, giving complete details (such as how to deal with incompatible threads). I'll post it to the net unless someone beats me with a better article, which shouldn't be too hard. Thanks again for past and future help. By the way, I know I should have posted this to c.s.m.hardware, but our mailer doesn't agree with me. Gary Davis