jgh@atom.OZ (John G. Haub) (09/12/88)
Home made SCSI Hard disks. When I started this project I new nothing about how to go about it, I have since learn't a great deal but obviously not enough to solve all my problems. I am therefore appealing to the net for a possible solution to my dilemma. AIM: To build a home made SCSI hard disk system using 2x20Mb winchesters (that happened to be lying around) for as cheaply as possible (sound familiar :-) ). HARDWARE Macintosh Plus (version 1 ROMS) USED: Adaptec hard disk controller card model ACB4000-A 2x20Mb Epson winchesters, 5 1/4", ST412/506 interface,4 heads, 614 cylinders (ie. fairly generic). SOFTWARE System 3.2, Finder 5.3 AVAILABLE:Format, a low level format program by Tim Standing (MacTutor June 87) SF&I, a SCSI disk formatter and installer by Ephraim M. Vishniac, version 0.92. EasyTools, a formatter and installer by D-K research Inc. ver. 2.19 Apples HD SC setup 1.4, 1.5 and 2.0. PROBLEM: After doing a low level format using 'FORMAT' I was then able to format and instal the drives using 'SF&I' or 'EASYTOOLS'. Apples 'HD SC 1.4, 1.5 or 2.0" didn't work (no great surprise). The system works sort of, in fact I used it to write this. However, the Mac only knows that one hard disk exists. The Adaptec card has facilities to control two hard disks but I can only ever access Disk 1. Disk 2 CAN be used PROVIDED that I configure it as Disk 1 (and likewise Disk 1 as 2). MY (1) Although I constructed all the cabling myself I am confident CONCLUSIONS: that no hardware problem exists. As I noted above both drives have worked, but separately, ie. for the second drive to be used the jumpers on the winchesters must be changed and the connnectors for the Drive 1 and 2 data lines must be swapped at the controller card end. The control lines do not need to be swapped. I get the impression that the 2nd drive is not recognised by the formatting program as having a unique address and therefore can't be accessed. (2) I am therefore led to believe that I have a software problem. I think I've heard that phrase somewhere before :-). After much re-reading of literature (yes I'm running out of ideas) I note that those people who have made their own SCSI drives tend to use only one winchester, the author of 'FORMAT' included. Has anyone controlled two winchesters off the one card? if so please respond. After examining the code for 'FORMAT' I note that that the only address that it seems to know about is the SCSI bus address (in this case '0'). Now I don't know if the drive card is smart enough to work out that there are two separate drives and should be able to format both or whether need to tell it via the low level format program that I am interested in address 0 Drive 1 or address 0 Drive 2? If so how? I suspect the latter, my impression is that during low level formatting the Mac should provide information describing each drive which the controller card stores on the disk and which is read into the controllers RAM during power up. From my experience at work with IBM PC clones the low level format routine does give you the option of formatting one or more drives. 'FORMAT' doesn't appear to have this facility. For those people with experience with the Adaptec ACB4000-A card; does the manual give any clues as to how a low level formatter should adress both drives and so enable me to modify 'FORMAT'. When I recieved my card I found no documentation, a quick call to the agents gave the reply 'That's a separate invoicable item'. I have therefore gone this far without a manual. At work we find that IBM PC controller card manuals are generally useless for setting up clones. I will get a copy of the Adaptec manual if people advise that it is useful but if it isn't then there's no point. Any feedback on whether I'm on the right track or any information on how to get both drives operational would be appreciated. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- John Haub ACSNET: jgh@atom.oz C.S.I.R.O. ARPANET: jgh%atom.oz@seismo.css.gov Division of Mineral and Process UUCP: {seismo,ukc,prlb2,ubc-vision}! Engineering munnari!atom.oz!jgh Lucas Heights Research Laboratory Private Mailbag 7 Menai 2234 Sydney N.S.W. Australia -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
mpease@cvedc.UUCP (Mark Pease) (09/15/88)
In article <801@atom.OZ> jgh@atom.OZ (John G. Haub) writes: > > Home made SCSI Hard disks. > ... The Adaptec card has facilities to control > two hard disks but I can only ever access Disk 1. Disk 2 CAN be used > PROVIDED that I configure it as Disk 1 (and likewise Disk 1 as 2). > >------------------------------------------------------------------------------->John Haub ACSNET: jgh@atom.oz >C.S.I.R.O. ARPANET: jgh%atom.oz@seismo.css.gov >Division of Mineral and Process UUCP: {seismo,ukc,prlb2,ubc-vision}! >Engineering munnari!atom.oz!jgh >Lucas Heights Research Laboratory >Private Mailbag 7 Menai 2234 >Sydney >N.S.W. >Australia >------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ahh! The old two Hard Disks on an Adaptec 4000A with a Mac problem!! The problem is not with the software (well, maybe. I have not tried to format two disks with the formaters discribed in the article.) but with the Adaptec! They put out a App. Note that discribes a problem with the Mac/4000A combinations. There is some timing problem (that is OK in the SCSI spec.). The fix is to get a new prom from Adaptec that fixes the problem. I have not tried to run down the prom, has anyone? Mark Pease ..tektronix.csnet!ogcvax.uucp!cvedc!mpease Computervision ..sun.arpa!cvbnet.uucp!cvedc!mpease 14952 N.W. Greenbrier Pkway Beavertion, Oregon 97006 (503)645-2410 -- Mark Pease ..tektronix.csnet!ogcvax.uucp!cvedc!mpease Computervision ..sun.arpa!cvbnet.uucp!cvedc!mpease 14952 N.W. Greenbrier Pkway Beavertion, Oregon 97006 (503)645-2410
tom@iconsys.UUCP (Tom Kimpton) (09/27/88)
>Ahh! The old two Hard Disks on an Adaptec 4000A with a Mac problem!! The >problem is not with the software (well, maybe. I have not tried to format >two disks with the formaters discribed in the article.) but with the >Adaptec! They put out a App. Note that discribes a problem with the Mac/4000A >combinations. There is some timing problem (that is OK in the SCSI spec.). >The fix is to get a new prom from Adaptec that fixes the problem. I have not >tried to run down the prom, has anyone? > >Mark Pease ..tektronix.csnet!ogcvax.uucp!cvedc!mpease >Computervision ..sun.arpa!cvbnet.uucp!cvedc!mpease >14952 N.W. Greenbrier Pkway >Beavertion, Oregon 97006 (503)645-2410 Whoever finds this out, please post their information. Adaptec 4000A owners want to know! Thanks. S t u p i d l i n e c o u n t e r ! -- Tom Kimpton UUCP: {uunet,caeco,nrc-ut}!iconsys!tom Software Development Engineer ARPANET: icon%byuadam.bitnet@cunyvm.cuny.edu Icon International, Inc. BITNET: icon%byuadam.bitnet (multi-user acct) Orem, Utah 84058 PHONE: (801) 225-6888