CompuServe Thread – CompuServe test bed

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#ST157N & A2090

13 messages in this thread

#123816From: Glenn NielsenMay 11, 1988 9:10 PM

I finally got my Seagate ST157N and spent most of the day installing and trying to get it up and running, unsuccessfully. When I run BindDrivers, I can hear the drive resetting. Then I mount it as RES2: unit 3 and run Prep. Prep just hangs up the system, and doesn't seem to access the drive. I've tried changing the jumper on the ST157N for the device number, and have also tried mounting and preping it as other device numbers, but still no luck. The only thing I can think may be wrong is that I don't have the right device number selected on the driDoes anyone have documentation on the configuration of the jumper for the device number for the ST157N? I called Seagate, but it might be days before they return my call. <Glenn

#123854From: Don Curtis/SYSOPMay 12, 1988 12:33 AM

That sound exactly like a problem I had with trying to get another type of HD working with the 2090. If you can, look at the drive when you turn the computer on. Does it spin up when you power on the computer? If not…the problem is that SCSI line #40 is being held LOW by the 2090 and the drive won't reset. When you hit binddrivers, the drive will spin up then, but never reset it self (you won't see the the drive light come on). IF that is the problem, remove the wire attached to pin #40 on the header plug (don't cut it, just peel it back from the ribbon cable) and see if that makes your problem go awaY. Don

#123982From: Glenn NielsenMay 12, 1988 4:31 PM

Thanks Don, I'll give it a shot. But since I posted my message I noticed something else. The system hangs on any command that tries to access RES2:, not just PREP. Did your problem exhibit this? i.e. If you did a DIR RES2:, did the system hang, or did you get a requester that RES2: wasn't a DOS disk?

#124060From: Don Curtis/SYSOPMay 13, 1988 12:38 AM

Glenn, I'm trying to adapt a SASI drive to the SCSI bus…so I have some other problems. This particular drive doesn't like the reset line held low, so binddrivers would hang…thus I couldn't do anything with RES2: until I removed line 40 from the cable. Once I did that, the drive reset on boot up just fine, binddrivers worked just fine and RES2: showed up just fine…except it won't PREP or FORMAT because of some slight incompatabilities between SASI and SCSI. I may have to write a low level format program myself to take care of the problem…if it can be done that is. Oh…after trying FORMAT or PREP RES2:, (or the associated DH2:) I would get the NOT A DOS DISK requester. Don

#124273From: Glenn NielsenMay 13, 1988 10:24 PM

Don, sounds like quite the project, good luck with it. I finally talked to Seagate, and all my questions about configuring the device number, location of terminator packs, where pin 1 is for the 50 pin IDC connector on the drive, and everything is set up properly. I have also talked to CATS, and the ST157N should just drop in with no problems. They wondered if it was cabled right. I don't think that the cable is the problem tho because I've tried several cables and I am sure of the pin assignments. Also, when BindDrivers is run, you can hear the drive reset ( it does something anyway ) but I haven't noticed the light come on. So, the only conclusion I can come to is that either the drive, or the SCSI side of the 2090 is bad. I currently have a drive running on the ST506 side. Hopefully I can find someone locally with a 2090 I can try the drive on. This sure has been frustrating, I thought that ST157N would just drop in and be up and running in an hour or so. <glenn

#124311From: Don Curtis/SYSOPMay 13, 1988 11:59 PM

Glenn, Try my little trick, just to see what will happen, peel the wire back off of pin #40 and then try it again. If it doesn't work, you can always push it back onto the pin…no harm done. Don

#124326From: Glenn NielsenMay 14, 1988 12:20 AM