#Syquest drives on 4000?
25 messages in this thread
I've been thinking about getting some extra disk for my 4000, but it seems like
no matter what size I look at, I have this feeling it won't be enough. Plus,
there's the issue of how to back up all that storage.
This leads me to the Syquest removable drives, but I'm not sure if they'll work
in my 4000. The way I see it, I'd have to get a SCSI card first (A2091?), then
the Syquest drive. I am already using the 5.25" drive bay, so I'd also have to
get one of those external SCSI cases.
Does this setup sound like it would work? Has anyone done something similar? Is
there another way to do it?
All advice appreciated. Thanks!
Gene:
Doesn't the new SyQuest 128meg removable (3.5" drive) also come in an IDE
version? If so, you could possibly install it as a second drive on the
A4000's internal IDE controller.
// -Mike Schiller
\X/ AMIGA! On AutoPilot in sunny Fort Lauderdale
I hadn't heard about the new SyQuest. How large is the unit? Would it go i the
5.25" drive bay? If so, then I have a problem since my 5.25 diskette drive is
in there already. I suppose I could move it out, I'd rather have the 128Meg
cartridge than a dinky 360k diskette drive.
Gene:
The new SyQuest is a 3.5" drive, so you can leave the BB's floppy right
where it is! I don't know much about the drive, but I do believe they make
it in both SCSI & IDE versions. Also, you might want to try and find out
if it will in fact work on the 4000 before buying one, as I understand
that there are lots of drives that aren't compatible with the A4000.
// -Mike Schiller
\X/ AMIGA! On AutoPilot in sunny Fort Lauderdale
Ok, thanks. I'll call SyQuest and check with them. I would be nice if it would
fit in the 3.5" bay!
Well you could probably put a SyQuest 3.5 in the 3.5 bay of the 4000, but
where would you put the floppy drive? The room underneath the current
floppy drive is for a 1/2 height 3.5" drive, and I dought the SyQuest is a
half height drive.
// John – (Flying via AutoPilot)
\X/ "Worf: To Hell with the Prime Directive – Give the Borg Windows!"
John,
The new SyQuest 3.5" drive is very tiny – small enough to fit into your
shirt pocket, according to what I've read. And it weighs only a few
ounces, too.
—Betty
Sounds like that 3.5" SyQuest might just fit under the 4000's disk drive
after all. If it is that small, it sure is a radical change from the
monster 44MB SyQuest I bought a couple of years ago. I'm not sure I would
buy another SyQuest though. Although it's not a bad drive, sometimes when
writing to a cartridge you will think the data is OK, but when you try to
read it back it's corrupted. The carts are not the most reliable medium.
By the time I get around to looking for another removable media type of
drive, those 128MB optical's will be down to $500 or less.
// John – (Flying via AutoPilot)
\X/ "Worf: To Hell with the Prime Directive – Give the Borg Windows!"
John,
I've had two 44MB SyQuests for some time now and neither has ever
exhibited the tendencies that you mention. I must have a couple dozen
carts and only one has become unmountable. This one according to SyQuest
tech support is fixable if I return it to him. Tech Support is very
helpful too. He offered to install the latest firmware in one of my drives
free of charge besides fixing the cartridge. I would indeed consider one
of the new 3.5" devices now beginning to be offered by SyQuest.
Chris
Well you are one of the lucky one's who never have a problem with their
SyQuest. On the other hand, I know I'm not the only one who has problems
with the SyQuest carts either. Of course, I don't work in the cleanest
environment. I'm a smoker so that probably has a lot to do with data
reliability. Guess I'll just have to quit this nasty habit 8^)
// John – (Flying via AutoPilot)
\X/ "Worf: To Hell with the Prime Directive – Give the Borg Windows!"
John,
Well, I HAVE sent several SQ-555 drives back to the dealer (GVP) and SyQuest.
All have been replaced under warranty and without long time lags for the
exchange.
I guess I have more patience with them,
Chris
John:
I've had a SyQuest for quite a while now. I'm on my second drive, only
because my other SyQuest drive was one of the early ones, and with my
current setup of having 2 machines sharing the same SCSI bus I need to
have all my SCSI devices support reselection, and the early SyQuests
didn't handle it properly. All of my cartridges were bought around the
time I got my original drive, and I've never had a cartridge go bad on me.
I do have one cartridge that sounds like it's ready to die, but it's
always sounded like that, and I've never had a moments trouble from it,
and I've had it almost 2 years.
// -Mike Schiller
\X/ AMIGA! On AutoPilot in sunny Fort Lauderdale
John,
What type of problems have you had with your Syquest? Mine bombed
within 2 weeks of getting it, had scads of data that was lost. Syquest
Technology told me it was cigerette smoke! after just two weeks! They
also told me not to leave the cart in when powering up or down. Mine
developed a squeak right before it failed. They made it good though and
sent me a new drive and cart, but sure has shaken my faith in putting
anything important on the cartridge. If I had known they where this
fragile I would have probably gotten one of the 21 meg MO drives instead.
Got me real scared to use it now. :-/ I hear a squeak every so often.
…Steve
====>>> Motorola 68030 Inside <<<====
2 Syquest44 carts, two years, much daily usage, one cart or other always
in drive = zero problems. I guess each has his own story. Mine does make a
strange squeak occasionally which I assume is a Syquest "feature". Seems
very reliable to me.
Goin' AP
…..Mark Sterling
Well, I guess I'll find out if it will fit this week. I have ordered the IDE
105 Meg SyQuest setup. I see a lot of people have had their problems with the
Syquest drives, wish I had known that before I ordered the 105. Maybe I'll be
one of the lucky ones.
Further bulletins as events warrant….
Gene,
Don't forget that the new SyQuest has been improved – they added filters
and other safety features. Sooo, don't feel so bad about ordering
SyQuest.
//Jonathan,
\\//via AutoPilot
Well, that makes me feel better.. :-). Still haven't got it yet, I'll have to
call the supplier & see whats happening.
Gene,
I've had a Syquest (44M type) for 2-3 years. I had it hooked up to my
3000 via the external scsi port. Now that I have a 4000 I'm using it
there as well. I had to purchase a 2091, but it's working without a flaw.
It is in its own case with power supply.
-sja
Where did you get your external case? What sort of performance do you get from
the drive? Are 2091's still available, or has CBM stopped production on them
already? Sooo many questions… but who else could I ask… :-).
Gene,
When I bought my Syquest I bought it from a Mac OEM supplier. It's a
Syquest in an external case/power supply — the name on the box is Total
Peripherals. SCSI cable out the back plugged directly into the external
SCSI connector on my 3000 (and now the external port on my 4000/2091).
I don't know if 2091s are still widely available. I got mine from my
dealer 3-4 months ago. The 4091 is now shipping so that might be the way
to go. In a 4000 the 2091 has problems. It can't DMA into 32 bit memory
so it falls back to pio (programmed i/o — using the processor directly to
read/write). There is a program that some one wrote (Mike Sinz, I
believe) called MapBoard that will greatly enhance the performance of the
2091 on a 4000 — I use it and noticed a 10x performance increase.
-sja
Thanks for the info on the 2091. I have an early 4000, and I noticed that
somone else here had a problem in getting the 4091 to work (new motherboard ,
new Buster). I know my Buster is soldered, so I'd probably need major upgrades
to get the 4091 to work. If I go the 2091 route, I'll probably just use the
Mapboard pgm.
Gene:
Keep in mind that the buggy buster that needs to be replaced for the 4091
to work could possibly affect other cards in the future. You might be
better off getting the 4091, and having your machine's motherboard (and
possibly processor board as well) replaced under warrantee now, rather
than waiting, and possibly having to pay big money later. Just a thought,
and also this way you will get the better proformace of the 4091 over the
2091 as well.
// -Mike Schiller
\X/ AMIGA! On AutoPilot in sunny Fort Lauderdale
Yeah, I thought of that, but I've already had to have my machine in the shop.
Blew the CPU board, and it tooks >3weeks to get it fixed. I'm not in any hurry
to send my machine back to CBM again. The way I see it, if CBM comes out with
other boards that need the new buster, I'll be able to get it fixed then, if I
need that board.
In the meantime, I have ordered SyQuest's IDE 105 Meg removable cartridge
system. Haven't got it yet, but it should arrive sometime next week. I'll post
a message after I get it working.
Gene:
Again, you still have the possibility that at a latter date some other 3rd
party comes out with a ZIII card for the A4000 (not Commodore), and IT
needs the newer buster, and they assume that the machines all have the new
buster, you might have to pay to get the buster update at that time.
Anyhow, good luck with the SyQuest 105meg IDE drive, I hope it's not too
hard to get it flying with the A4000.
// -Mike Schiller
\X/ AMIGA! On AutoPilot in sunny Fort Lauderdale
Thanks. I hope to post a full report here once I get it & try it out.