[comp.sys.amiga.hardware] SyQuest via Mail Order

brians@hpcljms.HP.COM (Brian Sullivan) (10/03/90)

  I would like to add a SyQuest removable SCSI hard drive to my Amiga 
2000HD.  I have the A2091 SCSI controller from Commodore and already
have one Quantum 40 MB drive hooked up as "DH0:" as an autobooting
hard drive.  I have examined the 2000HD internally and see that it
comes with an additional 50-pin SCSI connector and an additional 8-pin
power connector. (Might not be exacly 8, I didn't count them)  The
SysQuest drive is a 5 1/4 drive and will fit nicely inside the 5 1/4
bay on the 2000.  It is ideal for holding large volumes of related data.
I plan on using one cartridge to hold my Amiga TeX fonts and executables,
another to hold my project data, etc...  It also is supposed to work with 
AMAX II, so one cartridge can be used as a MAC system drawer if you
have AMAX.  I also would like to run UNIX when it comes out but I kinda
doubt that UNIX would fix on a measly little 44 MB disk (too bad).

  I have the phone numbers for two mail-order houses that have extremely 
competitive prices for the SyQuest SCSI drive.  I would like to just
order it from one of them an install it in the 5 1/4 bay on my Amiga 2000
myself.  Has anyone else done this?  Is it straight forward to connect
this drive up to the pre-existing cables that are supplied with the A2091
controller?  I don't need to autoboot from the SyQuest, I only need it
to be available as "DH1".  

  Also, some, people have mentioned that the A2091 has a hardware flaw
that sometimes causes problems when more than one SCSI device is connected
to it.  Can anyone else confirm or deny the A2091 problem, with multiple
drives connected to it. 

clj@rtmvax.UUCP (Chuck Joslin) writes in comp.sys.amiga.hardware:
>Service centers have received a bulletin concerning this problem on the
>A2091. A fix will be (or recently has been) released. Check with your
>dealer/service center for the current status. You will need to bring your
>controller in to have the offending IC replaced.
>
>This is a known problem. I believe it will be covered as an in-warranty
>repair. As it should be.
>
>A3000s have a similar, but unrelated problem with multiple SCSI devices. At
>least in the early units that were shipped.

  Here is the mail order information that I have from the lastest issue of
Computer Shopper.  It is a great issue and it has valuable information on 
the different Amiga video modes from Peggy Herrington.   (Maybe I'll post
the two tables, when I have time to type them in.)


Mail-Order Information

D-C-Drives                $575   SyQuest 44 MB removeable with Cartridge
1(800)872-6007            $ 75   Additional SyQuest Cartridge

Hard Drives International $598   SyQuest 44 MB removeable with Cartridge
1(800)736-3475            $ 79   Additional SyQuest Cartridge

jeh@sisd.kodak.com (Ed Hanway) (10/03/90)

Here's a stupid question that barely has anything to do with the Amiga, but
since SyQuest drives seem to be popular among Amiga owners, perhaps someone
can answer this:

	Does the Bernoulli Box II for the PC use the same hardware as the
	SyQuest and, if so, is it possible to use MSH or CrossDos to read
	an MS-DOS formatted cartridge on an Amiga?

Thanks,
Ed Hanway
uunet!sisd!jeh

jbn35564@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (J.B. Nicholson) (10/04/90)

jeh@sisd.kodak.com (Ed Hanway) writes:

>	Does the Bernoulli Box II for the PC use the same hardware as the
>	SyQuest and, if so, is it possible to use MSH or CrossDos to read
>	an MS-DOS formatted cartridge on an Amiga?

I think all the Bernoulli Boxes have their own cartidge format and style
that is different from the SyQuest standard (I say standard because there
are different manufacturers [PLI, Peripheral Land Inc., CMS and others]
that make cartridges that work in SyQuest drives (as well as their own
SyQuest-compatible drives of course).

I'll see if I can get together a list of manufacturers that make SyQuest
cartridges, but from what I've heard from mail-order people, the SyQuest
brand is the cheapest cartridge that works with the SyQuest-type drives.

Also, there was a guy who was kind enough to mail me about different
densities in SyQuest cartridges.  I lost his address, but if he could
either remail or post his info on lower and higher (if they exist)
density cartridges for SyQuest-type drives, I'd be grateful [Are there
really any higher density cartridges that we can use in our existing
SyQuest drives that we usually use to read the 44MB cartridges?].

>Thanks,
>Ed Hanway
>uunet!sisd!jeh

Sure, Ed.
--
Jeff
jeffo@mrcnext.cso.uiuc.edu