Broader applications
6 messages in this thread
I have a Denon DRD-253 CDRom player with Microsoft's Bookshelf (a truly
dreadful product) and Microsoft's Programmer's Library (somewhat better,
but still remarkably poorly written).
I would like to get more use out of my CDRom player, and am curious about
other applications which might be available to run under this format. I
would b interested in feedback about sources for more useful databases
available on CDRom. Any suggestions or information would be welcome.
Also, I gather that I have a SCSI drive here, and I understand that the
SCSI interface is a loop, which I take to mean that I could hang other SCSI
devices off of this same board. Unfortunately, the documentation which
came with this (from Microsoft) was almost non-existant, and I have no idea
whether I could use this for something else, or how fast it would be or
anything else about it. Could anyone here enlighten me, or direct me to
better sources of information?
Thanks, Paul
I have a Denon DRD-253 too, but on a Mac. We have a Bernoulli drive hanging
off the Denon. (BTW, the Denon evidently puts out a strong magnetic field
underneath the case. We had it sitting on top of the Bernoulli, and it
would routinely erase the cartridges. We didn't know what was going on at
the time, but found this out later.)
I checked into switching it over to a PC, and they told me it would cost
nearly $300. Since it works on the Mac's SCSI port, I have to assume it is
just standard SCSI and should work on any standard SCSI interface. I don't
suppose you would know where I could get the PC cable and drivers for it?
There is 1 Reply.
Sorry, Nelson, I know very little about Mac's. I, too, assume that they
use a standard SCSI port. I'll flaunt my ignorance here and say that I
thought that the SCSI interface is "standard," ergo the same from machine
to machine. Heck, even my Ensoniq EPS keyboard even has a SCSI port. I
have sort of assumed that any SCSI device could work (with proper drivers,
of course) on any machine (including a washing machine) that supports the
SCSI interface.
But, as I say, this all comes from pure ignorance, so perhaps I should just
shut up and sit down now.
Paul
There is 1 Reply.
Greets, Paul:
A few comments re: SCSI. You're both right & wrong about compatibility
across machines. Understand that the term "SCSI" encompasses a broad range
of information: all the way from pin assignments, signal transition times,
connector types, signal definitions, & so forth, on up to the bit
definition of a remarkably rich set of software commands (& how the devices
which send & receive these commands should respond to them).
So yes, computer "A" with a SCSI port _should_ communicate with device
"B" (a SCSI CD-ROM for example), but it depends on how much of the standard
each of the mfrs paid attention to. There are some legitimate reasons why
a manufacturer may choose to deviate from the standard (for instance, the
standard is to some degree a moving target). But beyond all this, one
might contemplate what the computer "A"'s software does with the info it
gets from the SCSI bus. I know of cases where the extremely detailed error
info from the SCSI bus is filtered by the high level (system) software to
the point of meaninglessness.
The point here is not to depress you — rather it is to help you underst
that SCSI is still a relatively new concept to many computer mfrs, &
despite their best efforts, there will be problems. Some key points to
keep in mind are to ASK BEFORE YOU BUY – dear Mr. SCSI card mfr, can you
tell me which CDROM drives you've tested your card with? This is a
perfectly legit question – & don't forget to ask the other half of that
question: Mr. SCSI device mfr, what device drivers are available for your
product? (the device driver is a link between the low-level SCSI h/w & the
computer's operating system).
I do run on – sorry! 🙂 I'm just sorry to see anyone disillusioned
about SCSI – it is a remarkable concept, which holds tremendous (&
largely untapped) potential for computer makers & users. I have a system
at work (an IBM PS/2) which has 3 hardfiles, a tape drive, a WORM drive & a
CDROM all hanging off a single SCSI adapter. The system works perfectly,
but that is largely due to planning ahead!!! 🙂
Gerry O.
I know just enough to know that SCSI is a non-standard standard.
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