ferdie@coyote.datalog.com (fred jarvis) (03/24/91)
Does anyone have any experience using an external hard drive running
off the parallel port? (I've asked this before & gotten no response,
so there are apparently few of you using these things.)
Fred Jarvis ferdie@coyote.datalog.comlairdt@mist.CS.ORST.EDU (Tom Laird) (03/25/91)
I plan on getting such a device within the next month. I plan on getting a Trantor T338 Mini-SCSI host adapter and hooking it up to a 32meg 3.5" SCSI drive. The drive I'm not sure about, since the T338 will probably have a listing of which drives it will work with, but they say it comes with software for hard drives,optical drives, and CD-ROMs. This will be hooked up to my T1000. Here is some of the info from their spec. sheet which I had them fax to me: Trantor Systems Ltd. 5415 Randall Place Fremont, CA 94538-3151 (415)770-1400 (415)770-9910 fax Device allows simultanious use of printer while connected Up to seven SCSI devices are allowed 75kb/sec read transfer, 150kb/sec write transfer (depending on port design) supports MS-DOS 3.x & 4.x size= 4.25" 2.13" 0.7" (L,W,H) weight 2.5 oz. 500mw max. power consumption supports multiple partitions span multiple drives into a single volume of any size extended partitions (>32MB) under MS-DOS 3.3 or later Requirements-system must be 100% IBM BIOS compatible have a 100% IBM compatible hardware printer port design PLEASE NOTE! ============ This is not a word for word translation. There is more info on the sheet than I feel like typing in. Specific questions should be directed to Trantor or in email to me. Please keep in mind that I only have their data sheet and do not (as of yet) have their product.
nemossan@uitec.ac.jp (Sakurao NEMOTO) (03/26/91)
In article <mLTaZ2w163w@coyote.datalog.com> ferdie@coyote.datalog.com (fred jarvis) writes: >Does anyone have any experience using an external hard drive running >off the parallel port? (I've asked this before & gotten no response, >so there are apparently few of you using these things.) "EasyHard" is Hard-disk-drive software besides the explanation how to connect SASI/SCSI-hard-drive to the parallel-port of J3100-series. It worked well. But these days I don't use it, because wired-laptops dones not coicide my opinion. {^_^} J3100-series is for Japanese-version of T3100-series from Toshiba, but I can find no reason not to work on IBM-machines. EASYHD3.LZH(21) 90-01-13 01:56:16 37905 for SASI-drive EASYHARD.LZH(21) 90-02-24 01:04:50 38652 for SCSI-drive EH13PAT.LZH(21) 90-05-07 01:02:44 12354 patches for update Unfortunately all the documents are written in Japanese-Shift-JIS-code.
lairdt@mist.CS.ORST.EDU (Tom Laird) (03/27/91)
I'm also interested in the parallel port hard drive option, but in your previous message you did not state WHERE to locate the easyhard.lzh files... is there an ftp site where I can get them anonymously?
nemossan@uitec.ac.jp (Sakurao NEMOTO) (03/28/91)
In article <1991Mar27.022835.11591@lynx.CS.ORST.EDU> lairdt@mist.CS.ORST.EDU (Tom Laird) writes: >I'm also interested in the parallel port hard drive option, but in your >previous message you did not state WHERE to locate the easyhard.lzh files... >is there an ftp site where I can get them anonymously? Sorry, I have no-access to FTP, thus I don't know WHERE you can obtain via ftp. I have down-loaded them from Japanese-BBS, and gatewayed into JUnet, so somewhere in Japan, you *may* get via ftp. If you want it eagerly and you can read Japanese-written documents, I'll send them in floppy-diskette. I can use 3.5'/5'-1.21MB/720KB ms-dos format (not 1.44MB), and I'll soon be able to use 3.5'-1.44MB/720-kB unix-formatted FDs. nemossan@uitec.ac.jp
coryc@sequent.com (Cory Carpenter) (04/09/91)
>nemossan@uitec.ac.jp (Sakurao NEMOTO) writes: >>In article <mLTaZ2w163w@coyote.datalog.com> >> ferdie@coyote.datalog.com (fred jarvis) writes: >>Does anyone have any experience using an external hard drive running >>off the parallel port? (I've asked this before & gotten no response, >>so there are apparently few of you using these things.) > > >"EasyHard" is Hard-disk-drive software besides the explanation how to connect >SASI/SCSI-hard-drive to the parallel-port of J3100-series. It worked well. >But these days I don't use it, because wired-laptops dones not coicide my >opinion. {^_^} > >J3100-series is for Japanese-version of T3100-series from Toshiba, but I can >find no reason not to work on IBM-machines. > > > EASYHD3.LZH(21) 90-01-13 01:56:16 37905 for SASI-drive > EASYHARD.LZH(21) 90-02-24 01:04:50 38652 for SCSI-drive > EH13PAT.LZH(21) 90-05-07 01:02:44 12354 patches for update > >Unfortunately all the documents are written in Japanese-Shift-JIS-code. Someone later asked about anonymous FTP sites for this software. I did some looking around, and was able to find it at the following site: ftp.cs.titech.ac.jp 131.112.16.39 I managed to find an X-term application (kterm) which is capable of displaying shift-JIS code, and looked the documentation over. Wow. The only thing I can make out is a couple of cable pinouts... the rest is (of course) Japanese to me! I *may* be able to find someone to translate it, and if so, will try to make the translated version of the documentation available (assuming there's any interest in it). -coryc
coryc@sequent.UUCP (Cory Carpenter) (04/10/91)
In article <57135@sequent.UUCP> coryc@sequent.com (Cory Carpenter) writes: >Someone later asked about anonymous FTP sites for this software. I did >some looking around, and was able to find it at the following site: > > ftp.cs.titech.ac.jp 131.112.16.39 > >I managed to find an X-term application (kterm) which is capable of >displaying shift-JIS code, and looked the documentation over. Wow. >The only thing I can make out is a couple of cable pinouts... the rest >is (of course) Japanese to me! I *may* be able to find someone to >translate it, and if so, will try to make the translated version of the >documentation available (assuming there's any interest in it). > >-coryc From coryc@sequent.com Tue Apr 9 10:22:33 1991 From: Cory Carpenter <coryc@sequent.com> To: pwong@theory.TN.CORNELL.EDU Subject: Re: External hard drive through parallel port Hi Patrick, I can't promise a translation very soon (if at all), since I'm depending on the charity of a couple of people here at work who read Japanese. Also, I have no great urgency to get this stuff translated, since I can't do anything with it until I get hold of a drive to try it out on. Anyway, here's the full path to the sources, binaries, and documentation: ftp.cs.titech.ac.jp (131.112.16.39) directory: fj.binaries.msdos/v003 files: v003i0090.Z v003i0091.Z v003i0092.Z v003i0093.Z The files are `compress'ed for transmission, and `uuencode'ed. The SCSI version of the software is *91.Z and *92.Z, which need to be edited a bit and `cat'ed together before `uudecode'ing. (*90.Z is the SASI version, and *93.Z is a collection of patches and improvements.) Good luck! -coryc >From pwong@theory.TN.CORNELL.EDU Tue Apr 9 09:31:42 1991 >To: coryc@gateway.sequent.com >Subject: Re: External hard drive through parallel port >Newsgroups: comp.sys.laptops > >Cory: > >Glad to see your posting! I would like very much to receive a copy >of the translated hard drive info. as I am also looking into opportunities >to put an ext. hard drive to my T1000SE. I am still waiting for another >netter to tell me his experience regarding using a SCSI adaptor thru the >parallel port (it is a $179 device) together with an ext SCSI drive on his >T1000 (I think this is the model he has). > >By the way, would you please tell me exactly is what directory on >ftp.cs.titech.ac.jp I can find the original Japanese info EASYHARD*.LZH ? >Thanx in advance! > >Patrick -- | >> Disclaimer: I speak for Sequent only in our hardware manuals << | | Cory R. Carpenter, Tech Writer | | | Sequent Computer Systems, Inc. | Don't play with my mind... you don't know | | Beaverton, Oregon, USA | where it's been! || coryc@sequent.com | |
pwong@theory.tn.cornell.edu (Patrick Wong) (04/12/91)
Laptop owners:
As I am pretty busy these days, I try to do a quick summary here regarding
what I have found based on my research into the subject matter for the last
few months.
For ext. (expensive) hard drives that connect to your parallel port:
company name tel no. approx price comments
Liberty Systems 408-983-1127 from $899 (52 meg) SCSI; daisy chain possible
Axonix 800-866-9797 from $599 (20 meg) optional battery
CCSI 800-782-3525 from $295 an expansion box with
interface card installed
user has to put in a
8-bit hd controller card in
its single slot and a 3.5"
or 5.25" HD
its drive bay.
Trantor 415-770-1400 $179 a parallel-to-SCSI adaptor
user gets his/her own ext.
SCSI drive
SPC 619-693-8611 from $495 (20 meg) optional battery; also avail.
ext hd that uses Toshiba
100-pin expansion port
ASI 408-929-2482 from $679 (40 meg) NOT connected to parallel
port; uses your laptop's
exp. slot or Toshiba's
100-pin port; hd is
removable; SCSI; daisy chain
possible; extra hd pack
is available
***LATEST INFO***
BSE 714-832-4316 $199 an ext. hd drive kit that
comes with everthing except
the drive; *CUSTOM* chip;
thus fast transfer rate
(500K bytes/s); user puts
in his/her own IDE drive;
2 models supporting 2.5" and
3.5" hd; 2.5" hd model comes
with rechargeable battery
OK! Guys, that's all I have found. If you need more info., please call
individual companies. However, if you have experience with any of the above
units, please let me (or the whole comp.sys.laptops) know ! Thanx!
Personally, I am targeting towards BSE. They are sending me some literature.
On the other hand, the flexibility and price offerred by CCSI are very
attractive. Imagine, if you are tired of using the hd, remove the hd
controller card and install other card like ethernet card, game card, etc
(Remember, the slot is a full-length 8- or 16-bit slot.) Actually, CCSI also
sells a few other models, one of which has 7 slots and 4 open drive bays for
$500. (Remember again, these boxes are connected to parallel port and thus
data transfer to and from hd is quite slow but it works).
Disclaimer: Sigh! If I were cOnnected to any or all of the above companies,
I won't be here in Ithaca doing what seems to be life-long
PhD study at Cornell earning next to pitiful stipend.
Patrick Wong