Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!seismo!gatech!hao!husc6!necntc!ames!amdcad!amd!ching From: ching@amd.UUCP (Mike Ching) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac Subject: Re: Making *own* SCSI Hard Drive Message-ID: <4212@amd.UUCP> Date: Mon, 13-Jul-87 12:51:09 EDT Article-I.D.: amd.4212 Posted: Mon Jul 13 12:51:09 1987 Date-Received: Tue, 14-Jul-87 06:33:20 EDT References: <380@umbc3.UMD.EDU> <458@osupyr.UUCP> <19683@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> Reply-To: ching@amd.UUCP (Mike Ching) Organization: Advanced Micro Devices Lines: 48 Keywords: mondo cheap ibm haters >>I've never actually seen a SCSI controller, so I don't have any concrete >>examples of what they cost, but one thing is certain: they're alot more >>expensive than an IBM standard controller. > >Nonsense. On an IBM you start with a drive that already speaks the >SCSI interface standard. I'll repeat that, because it is important. >Drives for the IBM PC market already speak the SCSI interface >standard. Not true. IBM drives speak ST506/ST412. There are adapters by Xebec, Adaptec, DTC, etc. to go from SCSI/SASI to ST506/ST412. There *are* SCSI drives, eg., Seagate ST225N is a SCSI version of the ST225, but the majority of drives are ST506/ST412. >All you need to connect such a drive to a mac is an appropriate cable. >(The mac has a 25 pin connector, the drive a 50. Half of the drive's >pins are tied to ground.) A bare bones SCSI driver is trivial. The cable is not trivial to construct. It took me over 3 hours to get it done. Go out and buy one if you do this. >The extra cost of the packaged Macintosh disk over those bare bargain >drives goes for: >1.) a drive power supply >2.) a case >3.) software >4.) service (handling DOA drives, software upgrades >5.) cables >6.) profit. My out of pocket cost was ~$450 and the project took a fair amount of time. I only did it because when my Relax drive went south, I couldn't reformat it but had to go back to them for a low level format (which they did by connecting it to a IBM PC). Not being able to format my own disk bothers me. mike ching Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac Subject: Re: Making *own* SCSI Hard Drive Summary: Expires: References: <380@umbc3.UMD.EDU> <458@osupyr.UUCP> <19683@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> Sender: Reply-To: ching@amd.UUCP (Mike Ching) Followup-To: Distribution: Organization: Advanced Micro Devices Keywords: mondo cheap ibm haters