[comp.sys.atari.st.tech] SCSI observation

kenc@vaxb.acs.unt.edu (01/20/91)

There has been quite a bit of discussion about whether SCSI devices will work
with the Spectre and ST world.  I don't have a Spectre, so I can't specify for
that machine, BUT the components DO work!
  I bought an ICD host adapter, and an ST296N mechanism, (with power supply),
and had that running just fine on the ST...after a while, I decided I needed
more storage on my Mac plus.  I had two 20MB Mac harddrives.
  All I did was switch the SCSI mechanisms.  I took the two 20MB mechnisms, and
hooked them into the cable coming off the back of the ICD, and put the 296N on
the cable on the inside of one of the 20MB cases.  Boom!  40MB on the ST, and
85MB on the Mac.  It worked.
  What I'm getting at is that the mechanisms SHOULD work interchangably, right?
  If the ST can 'see' the SCSI device, then is there any reason the Spectre
won't?  Seems like you'd just have to format a spectre-specific partition, and
you're off and running...

  
+---------------------------------+-----------------------------------------+
| Ken Corey                       |                                         |
| kenc@vaxb.acs.unt.edu           | "Look, I just can't work up the energy  |
| SysOp:Intersect BBS             |   to be concerned about apathy."        |
|       214/317-5722              |                                         |
+--Disclaimer: These opinions are mine. Hell, I can barely GIVE 'em away!---+

kawakami@volcano.Berkeley.EDU (John Kawakami) (01/20/91)

In article <1991Jan19.161057.44274@vaxb.acs.unt.edu> kenc@vaxb.acs.unt.edu writes:
>  What I'm getting at is that the mechanisms SHOULD work interchangably, right?
>  If the ST can 'see' the SCSI device, then is there any reason the Spectre
>won't?  Seems like you'd just have to format a spectre-specific partition, and
>you're off and running...
>
>  
>+---------------------------------+-----------------------------------------+
>| Ken Corey                       |                                         |
>| kenc@vaxb.acs.unt.edu           | "Look, I just can't work up the energy  |
>| SysOp:Intersect BBS             |   to be concerned about apathy."        |
>|       214/317-5722              |                                         |
>+--Disclaimer: These opinions are mine. Hell, I can barely GIVE 'em away!---+

The SCSI-Spectre incompatibility problem probably has more to do with the
way the Mac software deals with SCSI.

Dave Small seems to have written software to convert the Mac disk file I/O
into something that the Atari/GCR can do.  Mac SCSI devices probably demand
more specificity and might even bypass the OS software if it is inadequate.
If the last thing is not the case, then there might be a software (non
megatalk) method of using Mac SCSI devices on the ST.  Of course, since 
Small was revving up with appletalk compatibility anyway, it probably made
more sense to do SCSI in hardware anyway.


John Kawakami                  kawakami@ocf.berkeley.edu
                               ucbvax!ocf.berkeley.edu!kawakami
Amateur crank!                 My Atari Macks!