CompuServe Thread

#Drive Blinking

5 messages in this thread
#63641From: TIM STONISJul 24, 1992 6:54 PM
I have a Mac external SyQuest drive which works perfectly fine with my A3000 except about every three seconds, the drive access light on both the drive and the computer flashes. It kind of reminds me of the way the internal floppy drive clicks when there isn't a disk in the drive. Is there any way to stop this light flashing? It gets on my nerves sometimes! -Tim Stonis
#63666From: Christopher TolmieJul 24, 1992 10:47 PM
Timothy, Both of my Syquest drives do the same thing. I'm using a GVP controller and it has the diskchange in the ROM, I think that is what your controller is doing, every so often it checks to see what disk is in the drive. If it has changed it will dismount the old cart and mount the new one. Nothing that I know can stop the drive light. If it did stop how would it know when to recheck the cartridge to issue the diskchange command? I don't think there is a hardware switch in the drive to indicate a disk swap. Of course, I don't know the real technical info on the drive mechanics either. Chris
#63671From: Michael GerardJul 24, 1992 11:46 PM
Tim: My external CD-ROM and Tape Backup do the ssame thing. I can only guess that the controller needs to keep checking these removable media devices to make sure that a diskchange hasn't taken place. I know of no way to disable it… of course you _could_ put a small piece of tape over the drive light(s) <g> Michael …..on AutoPilot
#63729From: John GagerJul 25, 1992 6:23 PM
Tim: The flickering drive light is normal if you have an external drive hooked up to your SCSI port. It's just checking for disk changes, which you want it to do if you are using removable media devices. John – K7KB (via Whap!)
#63980From: TIM STONISJul 28, 1992 1:01 PM
I realize that a floppy drive is a lot different from these rem media drives, but why is it that there are utils to stop the floppy from clicking yet it still recognizes a diskchange? -Timothy