#WarpEngine SCSI Problems
36 messages in this thread
Hello,
After my A3640 card died, I bought a WarpEngine from MacroSystems… And it
works like a charm… Except… I have a SyQuest SQ105S SCSI drive and a
Wangtek 5150 ES, problem is that when they're both hooked to the WarpEngine,
neither one will work. I can use either without problem, but not together. I
have tried making one or the other the end device in the chain, I've checked
the unit numbers, I've tried it with the resistors either on, off, on the end
or in the middle; and just about every other varient that I can think up.
Nothing works. I've sent a fax to MacroSystems and tried SEVERAL times to
contact them by phone, but haven't gotten a reply or only got their machine,
including one time where I called during their "posted" hours and let it ring
enough times to turn on their answering machine.
What's even worse is that one of my SyQuests has developed a problem, and I
can't back the #$&#$@@#$ thing up! I've even called the BBS that they list as a
support board, but haven't gotten anything useful from there to date either.
Anyone using this setup without problems? Or a similar one? I was really,
really impressed by the board & its designers, but I am not impressed by the
support staff (or lack therof) so far… Maybe it's been timing… I don't
know.
Here's hoping,
Don Suhr 73117,1337
Don,
>> Afer my A3640 card died
Welcome to the club, so did mine.
I can also relate to your experience of poor customer service on MacroSystem's
part. I called during the time frame on one of their 3 days for support (a
Monday) and got the recorded message to call between 11-5 on Monday, Wednesday,
and Friday. I tried 2 days later and got an answering machine, I left a
message. I tried Friday and got the answering machine (left a message both
times). Called the following Monday and finally got a human but the answer to
my question (concerning softkicking the Warp Engine on a 4000) was "Duh, I
dunno".
As to your problem, I've both a HD and a Archive Viper hooked up to the Warp's
SCSI port. It works for me. Make sure that the first device does NOT have
terminating resistors and that the last device does. Also make sure that
they're set to different unit ID numbers. And, did you use HDToolBox-Warpdrive
to set up your Syquest?
Good luck.
-sja
Steve,
Zounds. Sounds like Commodore went a bit stingy with something on the
A3640… You're about the sixth (including myself) person who had theirs fail.
I have tried all types of settings for the SyQuest and WangTek… And all
the potential configurations for the resistors as well…
I used the v3.1 HDToolBox with the gvpscsi.device (when I was using their
4001 board) but have since changed all my utilities to use the
warpdrive.device… It works fine, extremely fast, and ejects & reinserts
fine… Besides, I haven't been able to do anything low-level with my existing
SyQuests, as I haven't been able to use the WangTek to back any of them up!!
Catch 22… 😉
Don 73117,1337
Don,
I hope you get it straighted up. I used to have a Syquest (but blew it up) so
I can't try to duplicate the problem you're having. All I can say is that is
does work for me with a HD and a tape unit.
The problem I had, tho, is that I've also got a 2091 in the computer and I
couldn't get the tape drive and a CD-ROM to co-exist there. Oh well.
OK, Steve, how do you blow up a Syquest, that I may learn from your
mistakes and avoid the extra bills <g>. What kind of Syquest was it?
DJ
On AP from Queens, the thrill and excitement of the Big Apple
Where Santa's always got a brand new bag …
DJ,
It was a 44M Syquest. I'm not sure how I blew it up. It was working fine. I
then got a CD-ROM. I removed the termination from the Syquest then put the
CD-ROM last in the chain (from the external SCSI connector of a 3000). When I
powered up the the Syquest didn't work. Within about 5 minutes, while I was
trying to get the Syquest to work from the HDToolBox, there emitted a large
amount of smoke from the Syquest enclosure.
As it turned out, the power supply was what went up in smoke. The drive itself
was fine. However, it was cheaper to buy a used 44M in external case with
power supply than to purchase a new power supply for mine (~$100)… at least
that was the case at my dealer … he'd taken in a couple of 44M external units
the week before on trade for something. I ended up giving the Syquest to a
friend who had an extra ps lying around. To my knowledge it's been working
fine for him for a year or so.
-sja
So you DIDN'T blow up the drive, just the PS :-). Well, we know those are
prone to smoke. Also, it bodes well for Syquest, as it survived a bad
ordeal. Now you have two drives. Ain't life sweet (sometimes) …
DJ
On AP from Queens, the thrill and excitement of the Big Apple
Where the ice cream truck plays Helter Skelter …
>I hope you get it straighted up. I used to have a Syquest (but blew it up)
Ummm, Steve… It wasn't a SQ105m was it? And how did you blow it up in the
first place??
I know what you mean about things not wanting to work with one another… The
GVP 4008 board seems to despise (or vice versa) the Warp board. I was able to
reinstall it, got the Tape drive (hooked to the GVP) to recognise, got the
SyQuest to recognise, but each time I try to send data from one to the other…
Softfailure.
What are you doing about heat disapation? The Commodore intstalled IDE drive
now has two hard faults on it from the high temperature being generated by the
Warp board… So, I went to the local Computer City, grabbed a Western Digital
540m drive and have that up and running (finally) after struggling to get
everything copied over.
Do you (or anyone reading this thread) know if the cpu coolers used with 486 &
P5 chips work (same form-factor) as the Motorola 040?
Don Suhr 73117,1337
Don,
I don't do much about heat dissapation — just have the little "fansink" that
came with the WE on the '040. I do experience 3-4 thermal shutdowns a day,
tho. John Gager said the got an additionly muffin fan for his that blows
directly down on the WE.
-sja
I ordered a Desert Cooler from Jameco. Two fans which exhaust air out two slot
covers. I guess most people can't afford to waste the slots…
PMFJI, but I've been reading about your heat build-up problems w/ the
WarpEngine.
I've got a 40MHz WarpEngine in my 4000, along with a Toaster4000,
Ethernet, and EMPLANT cards. Included in the case is 16MB RAM, the
original 120MB IDE HD, 200MB SCSI HD hooked to the EMPLANT, and an 88MB
Syquest.
I've had this configuration running for a good half year w/o any thermal
problems. (I too have only the little 'fansink'.)
Anyway, the thing I wanted to mention is that for the last few months,
I've had my system mounted in a vertical position.
While potentially dangerous, since the cards are hanging upside down and
could _eventually_ work themselves loose, it seems to be working just
fine. Last time I opened the case I didn't even notice any 'slippage'.
(I did use a small self-tapping screw, driven into the plastic card guides
at the end opposite the BNC connectors, to hold the Toaster card in place
– since it's normally only held in by the video connector and the edge
bracket screw.)
The major benefit of running it sideways, is that it _REALLY_ helped cool
the _whole_ system down. When I had it sitting on my desktop, the case
would usually get _quite_ warm. Now that it sits sideways, convection
causes much better airflow – even the air exiting is cooler, since the
airflow through the machine is greater.
Erik Flom
I keep my 4000 on my desktop and have 3 hard drives and a PAR, TBC-IV, and
an Opalvision card in it. After blowing my power supply I realized just
how hot it all got when I oped the case within a minute of the power
supply failure. I now keep it elevated about 1.5" from the desk with some
small (1.5 inch square) metal blocks. This really made quite a difference
in the heat inside the computer. I should have my Warp 040/40 by the end
of the week. If the fansink included with the Warp or did you have to
purchase it?
Jim R. Ollick
Using AP from Bergenfield, NJ
The WarpEngine I got a few months ago came with a fan/heatsink already
installed. I assume that's how they come from the factory, though others
have reported not getting one?!?
With everything you've got in your machine, you might want to consider
tipping on its side. Try it for a day or two—you'll be amazed at how
cool it runs. (Another benefit of mounting it sideways was being able to
get it off my desk. I don't know about your 4000, but mine's a real
howler-much quieter when a few feet away. :^)
BTW, have fun with the WarpEngine! It really make things like LightWave
and EMPLANT fly!
P.P.S. On your problems with 700-900CPS uploads…..I've had the same
results with my Supra 14.4 modem. I wasn't too concerned, since "uploads
are free" anyway! <G>
(If you find a solution, make sure and let us all know. :^)
Erik Flom
Erik,
When I first got my 4000 (seems like eons) I also stood it on its end. I
had heard the Seagate drives didn't like the vertical position, but
ignored it as jabber. Guess what? After about six-seven months, the
drive went. Weird noises first, then intermittent failures to spin up,
then nada. Fortunately I got the drive replaced within warranty (in spite
of the broken seal – yes, I had the audacity of inserting my own memory
SIMM and Ethernet card). It's been horizontal ever since …
DJ
On AP from Queens, the thrill and excitement of the Big Apple
Where the ice cream truck plays Helter Skelter …
Steve,
"Thermal Shutdowns" does not sound promising at all! I never had that
problem with the A3640 (at least that I know of)… It sounds like the
high-clocked '040's are running as hot as the Pentiums… Hey, there's a
thought… They have a "chip freezer" for the Pentium… I wonder if it is the
same form factor… Time to check.
I noticed a "flickering" of the screen after using the system for about 4
hours, and immediatly shut down and let it cool off…
Don Suhr 73117,1337
Don –
> Sounds like Commodore went a bit stingy with something on the A3640…
> You're about the sixth (including myself) person who had theirs fail.
If you're making a list, count me in….
Like you and Steve, I went for the Warp option (4040), but have not, as
yet, connected more than the single gigabyte drive to it.
jsaklad@welchlink.welch.jhu.edu . . JimDoc, on AutoPilot
Jim,
What are you doing about heat dissapation? My Warp didn't come with any type
of heat-sink or chip cooler… So I loaded the C= heatsink up with heatsink
compound and just placed it on top of the '040…
Don Suhr 73117,1337
Don –
> What are you doing about heat dissapation? My Warp didn't come with any
> type of heat-sink or chip cooler…
Mine came with a mini-fan mounted on top of the 040 chip.
I have the Rev 3.1 A3640 daughterboard as "dead computer sculpture" next
to the working machine.
jsaklad@welchlink.welch.jhu.edu . . JimDoc, on AutoPilot
Hey Guys,
I think I have a solution for you, place a second fan inside the computer.
It doesn't have to be over the chip as long as it's blowing in the
general direction I had a similar problem and the second fan fixed it.
This will limit the amount of heat build up.
Jim Handy 74461,3033 On AutoPilot 1.80 Now even better
Just kidding 1.74, But I can dream, yes?
Don:
I have a Warp Engine in an A4000 with a Bernoulli 150. Every time I
replace a disk it shows up on the workbench "not a DOS Disk". I have
talked with Macrosystems and I have talked with Iomega. In my opinion the
Warp Engine has some serious SCSI Problems. But with the speed that it
gives me I can live with just rebooting when I switch a disk (for now).
Boo-Radley
Hayes Visual Communication
Brad,
>Serious SCSI Problems
Oy! Not what I wanted to hear, but something that I was growing afraid I
might…
Thanks for the input…
Don 73117,1337
Don:
Maybe Serious was kind of a strong choice of words. but there does
seem to be a problem with removable media. But as long as I leave one disk
in between the times I boot, all has worked flawlessly.
Boo-Radley
Hayes Visual Communication
Don:
I had similar problems with the 4091 HD controller being used along with a
HD and Tandberg tape drive. I dumped the passive term resistors and added
ACTIVE TERMINATORS to both ends of the SCSI chain. That cleared up my
problems.
Norm M.
From Connecticut
>>>>On AUTOPILOT…..
Norm,
Ok, Active Terminators… Those Centronic blocks that the Mac uses on the
end lines of their drives, along with setting the jumper on the board to
provide power out the resistor line, right? Thing is, the WarpEngine is one end
of the SCSI chain, so how do you add an active terminator there? Or is there
some special sort of resistor pack that I was previously unaware of?
Drop me a note… I'm interested in anything that might help to make things
work…
Thanks for the input.
Don Suhr 73117,1337
Probably not. Most SCSI-II implementations don't use Centronic connectors, and
those blocks are probably passive terminators.
Dale –
There >are< Centronics-50 terminators that are (or claim to be) ACTIVE
terminators; unfortunately they look nearly indistinguishable from
Centronics-50 PASSIVE terminators….
**SIGH**
jsaklad@welchlink.welch.jhu.edu . . JimDoc, on AutoPilot
Right, you can get just about anything in any connector style. But the odds
are against you on centronics active.
Dale –
> you can get just about anything in any connector style. But the odds
> are against you on centronics active.
I just saw ads for a couple of different ones in one of the Mac magazines
that I have been perusing since getting my Emplant.
jsaklad@welchlink.welch.jhu.edu . . JimDoc, on AutoPilot
Don:
The board should be in the MIDDLE of the chain. Remove the jumpers from
the board itself and put ACTIVE terminators on both ends of the chain.
I'm not familiar with the Warp Engine, but doesn't it have an external and
internal SCSI connection??
If it doesn't, I'm not sure what you can do :(.
Norm M.
From Connecticut
>>>>On AUTOPILOT…..
Norm,
Unfortunatly, the board only has one connector. Which means that the board
itself is one end of the SCSI chain, although the manual does tell you how to
set the jumper to make the termination active and doesn't make mention of
changing the resistor packs on the board, mabye they are dual-function?
Don Suhr 73117,1337
Don: Your WarpEngine already has termination resistors on the board, so no
need to worry about whether or not they are passive (which I think it is)
or active. But you might try a active terminator at the end of your drive
chain and see if that helps. I have a active terminator that I use from
when I owned a 4091 and have 4 SCSI drives on the Warp (HD, Tape,
SyQuest-270, and CDROM) without any problems.
// John (Warp 4040 & Emplant Quadra 840)
\X/ Mercury@ins.infonet.net
John,
What manufacturer made your Tape drive? Mine is a WangTEK… If yours is as
well, I'll have to go out and get an active termination pack…
Don Suhr 73117,1337
The Tape drive I'm using is a Tandberg 3600 streaming tape. Not exactly a
speed demon but it gets the job done. By the way, did you get my message I
left for you on the Warp list server? You mentioned that you were putting
the warpdrive.device in your DEVS: directory. It needs to go into the
Expansion: directory as well as any icon for the file. Then a
"Binddrivers" needs to be in your startup-sequence to load in the driver.
This would only be needed if you disable the Warp's boot rom.
// John (Warp 4040 & Emplant Quadra 840)
\X/ Mercury@ins.infonet.net
John –
> …did you get my message I left for you on the Warp list server?
What's the internet address for the Warp list server?
> You mentioned that you were putting the warpdrive.device in your DEVS:
> directory. It needs to go into the Expansion: directory as well as any
> icon for the file. Then a "Binddrivers" needs to be in your
> startup-sequence to load in the driver.
Well, it isn't >warpdrive.device< in the Expansion: directory, but there
is a program called >warpdrive< (mine is 16872 bytes).
jsaklad@welchlink.welch.jhu.edu . . JimDoc, on AutoPilot
Jim: I'll have to do some checking again on how to subscribe to the Warp
list server. I subscribed some time ago but don't remember the procedure
now <g>. I do know it's run by Bill Coldwell of the Cryogenic BBS. You can
use Telnet to log onto the BBS by connecting to 199.2.115.2 Port 42.
// John (Warp 4040 & Emplant Quadra 840)
\X/ Mercury@ins.infonet.net
John,
No, I never got a message for a Warp list server, at least not that I saw…
Actually, the warpdrive.device does go in the devs: drawer, while the Warpdrive
icon & 16k program go in the expansion drawer.
I'm looking at 8mm or DAT tape for a backup device, but haven't found any
attractive pricing yet…
Don Suhr 73117,1337