Adding a Zip Drive to a Mac Classic?

[68K-Trooper]

Hello,

I would like to add a zip drive to my mac classic. What kind of driver do I need to do that and does it require a specific OS version in order to recognize it?

Thanks in advance.

 

[porter]

I've used a SCSI ZIP drive on a Mac Plus using System 7.5.

If you have the disk in when the system boots it will mount the disk. If you want it removeable you need the IOMEGA ZIP drivers.

I've had a MacIIvx boot from a ZIP, but not a Mac Plus. I assume it's the default sector size issue.

 

[MacMan]

This should link should provide suitable information: http://www.jagshouse.com/zipMacPlus.html

It describes how to use a Zip drive as a boot disk for a Mac Plus, but the information regarding drivers is there as well as a working download link for the Iomega driver version 4.2. For using the Zip drive in the ordinary manner as removeable media a simple installation of the driver is all that is necessary.

Just download unstuff the driver, plonk it in your Classic's System folder and restart with the Zip drive connected. I've got the driver working with both System 6 & 7 with no problems at all.

 

[MrMacPlus]

If your gonna do this, for heaven's sake do NOT use the iomega driver, you'll run into problems. Use Silverlining from LaCie to format and install drivers.

 

[tomlee59]

If your gonna do this, for heaven's sake do NOT use the iomega driver, you'll run into problems. Use Silverlining from LaCie to format and install drivers.

Hmmm....I've not had this negative experience with the v4.2 driver. That's all I've really ever used, with both system 6 and 7. I can't recall suffering from any driver-related problems (bad disks are another story).

 

[Charlieman]

Tom, my guess is that TetrisMaster512 is referring to the voodoo that occurs when a cartridge formatted using the Iomega 4.2 driver is used in a Mac with a later version of Iomegaware installed.

 

[MrMacPlus]

Tom, my guess is that TetrisMaster512 is referring to the voodoo that occurs when a cartridge formatted using the Iomega 4.2 driver is used in a Mac with a later version of Iomegaware installed.

Certainly, and Silverlining does not open this anomaly.

 

[Mac128]

Tom, my guess is that TetrisMaster512 is referring to the voodoo that occurs when a cartridge formatted using the Iomega 4.2 driver is used in a Mac with a later version of Iomegaware installed.

And by "voodoo" I assume you are referring to the behavior of later Iomega INITs in the system file automatically updating an older disk driver to that of the INIT (assuming like Apple that the latest version is always better without regard for use). Not sure why one would format an Iomage formatted drive with LaCie's Silverlining though. As far as I know they are mutually exclusive.

However, this is a moot issue for all but the Mac Plus. The Classic can use the latest Iomega INIT supported by the Classic. However, if one wants to preserve Mac Plus ZIP boot capability, then 4.2 is the only INIT to use.

You are much too modest not including your own links to your solutions.

http://www.vintagemacworld.com/pluszip.html

and of course this one:

http://www.mac128.com/zip.html

 

[MrMacPlus]

Also, using Lido (for me) produced an unbootable zip disk. Silverlining works, so I can recommend it.

 

[tomlee59]

Tom, my guess is that TetrisMaster512 is referring to the voodoo that occurs when a cartridge formatted using the Iomega 4.2 driver is used in a Mac with a later version of Iomegaware installed.

Ah, that makes sense. Thanks, Charlieman!

 

[68K-Trooper]

Hi Guys,

It's been a while since I started this thread and I thank you all for your posts. (I got side-tracked with some other work projects and didn't have much time to pursue my hobbies)

I am still trying to get my Mac Classic to recognize my Zip 100 SCSI Drive, but so far unsuccessfully. Basically what I'm trying to do is to add the SCSI Zip100 Plus Drive as a removable storage device, not as a booting disk. My Classic boots from the 40MB drive.

If the zip drive is connected to my Classic without installing any drivers, it won't boot I get the Floppy Disk/blinking Question mark icon upon start-up. I tried to install the zip driver (I believe it's V 4.2) which someone in this posts had recommended into my systems extensions folder, but I don't think I unstuffed it properly. I have some version of stuffit installed on my Classic, but it doesn't seems to unstuff it properly, becaues after the expansion process the file still has the .sit extension. I'm wondering if the zip driver has been stuffed with a newer version of stuffit than the version that I have on my mac classic? FYi, I downloaded the zip driver on my PC and used a program called "MacDisk" for PC to format/copy to Mac Standard format.

Also, maybe worth mentioning.. My Zip 100 Plus drive has two outputs in the back. One is a "AutoDetect" connector, the other seems to be a regular SCSI output connector, with a switch between SCSI ID5 and ID6. I connected the Mac to the regular SCSI connector and tried both SCSI IDs.

Can anyone help? Thanks.

 

[Mac128]

Also, maybe worth mentioning.. My Zip 100 Plus drive has two outputs in the back. One is a "AutoDetect" connector, the other seems to be a regular SCSI output connector, with a switch between SCSI ID5 and ID6. I connected the Mac to the regular SCSI connector and tried both SCSI IDs.

If your HD won't boot when the Zip is connected and there's not a SCSI conflict, then there can only be a termination issue. THere should be a switch for term power on/off. Also, the auto-detect is most likely a parallel/SCSI hybrid. It auto-detects which you are connected to. The other SCSI port should be the pass-through ONLY. So, use the auto-detect port, select 5 or 6 (should not matter if nothing else is connected) and set term power off. Use alternate settings if that does not work. Assume you have plugged in the Zip drive to external power supply?

 

[Charlieman]

The Zip 100 Plus (SCSI + Parallel) is more problematic than the traditional Zip 100 SCSI and may be the source of your problems.

Looking at reviews from the 1990s, I gather that you are supposed to use the Autodetect connector when connecting to a SCSI port or a PC parallel port. The Zip drive then performs some clever logic to determine which interface is being used on the host, which possibly does not occur if you connect to the SCSI pass through port. So try plugging into Autodetect with an appropriate SCSI address.

Does the Zip 100 Plus have a SCSI bus termination switch? If so it should be on, but an external terminator may help if it is not provided. Slow SCSI devices are generally unfussy about termination.

On the Mac install a suitable version of SCSI probe -- it will tell you whether the Zip 100 Plus is recognised as a SCSI device.

If you want to add more devices to the SCSI chain, get rid of the Zip 100 Plus and buy a Zip 100 SCSI -- you will save a lot of time and frustration.

 

[wally]

If you have the proper Zip 100 plus blue Iomega cable connect the end marked AutoDetect to the Autodetect male DB25 bulkhead connector, and the other end with the Iomega logo to your Mac. If you are using improvised cabling possibly with gender converters make sure all 25 pins and also shield ground are passed thru direct without handshake signal swaps. A barebones RS232 patch cable with a subset of wires will not cut it.

 

[68K-Trooper]

I forgot to mention in my last post that I had already tried to use the blue autodetect cable at first. The Classic will boot fine if hooked up this way but the drive will not show up. I don't have the zip drive with me right now to check, but I don't think there was a termination switch anywhere. Only the ID 5/ID6 switch.

Again, the driver file I downloaded has the extension .sit.hex. When I copied it onto a floppy on my pc using "MacDisk", the application asks me if I want to convert the Hex file or something in that manner. When I choose to convert, the file would change to a .sit extension. Then I transferred the driver via floppy to my classic and copied the driver.sit file to my extensions folder on the HD. Then I started up the stuffit app and tried to expand it, but the driver.sit file won't show up in the extensions folder in order to select it through stuffit. Not so when I select "do not convert the hex file" when copying the driver file to a floppy disk on the pc. This way it DOES show up in the extensions folder when trying to expand via stuffit. But after the "decoding" process the driver shows up in the extensions folder with a .sit file. Is that the way it is supposed to be? I thought after successfully unstuffing the driver the .sit extension would change to something else? So, I'm not sure if I"m experiencing a driver problem or if it's related to SCSI termination.

Thanks for any help.

 

[wally]

Use the blue cable. That the Classic boots with the blue cable is a good sign, likely a missing driver causing non recognition. There is no termination switch on the Zip 100 plus. Just leave the second female bulkhead passthru connector unused for initial debug. When the Iomega driver is fully decompressed it will not have that .sit suffix, just the name Iomega Driver. It could be that you need to select the Iomega.sit after using your second method of transfer and invoke one more round of Stuffit decompression either by double clicking or a Stuffit menu pulldown. There is perhaps the possibility that a later version of Stuffit created the .sit than you have running on the Classic to decompress it. But even simpler, should you be fortunate to have your CDROM drive finally working and any of the following install CDs, you can try (no guarantee) various uncompressed versions of the Iomega driver extension simply drag and drop copied from: CD Extras folder within MacOS 7.6.1/8.1/8.5/8.6; or Extensions folder within System Folder MacOS 9.0.4/9.1

 

[68K-Trooper]

I was never able to find out if my CD-rom drive works because I never dug around to find a proper disk to test it. I have OS 7.0.1 installed. Where can I get those OS disks you're referring to? Is there any other source on the web you know of that might have the unzipped driver i need?

Thanks.

 

[68K-Trooper]

OR are there other, newer versions of stuffit that will run on os7.0.1 that might be able to unstuff this thing?

thanks.

 

[68K-Trooper]

Guys,

Nevermind, I found another 4.2 driver after digging around on the web and was able to fully unstuff it. The zip drive was recognized immediately via the AutoDetect connector. Works beautifully.

Thanks all for your help.

George