ATTO Silicon Express IV 2.1rc2 BIOS help?

[dir_marillion]

I am searching for help for the latest BIOS for ATTO Silicon Express IV scsi 2/3 card.

I have found the file: SE-IV_Updater_2.1rc2.zip to the page: http://www.fenestrated.net/~macman/stuff/SiliconExpress/ which is available for downloading but it is not working, it crashes (I have a Mac Quadra 950).

So the latest BIOS I have applied is the official 1.65 (to the same page). With this BIOS the card does not recognize my IBM hard disk (cables are ok, I have test them on a SUN workstation (68 pins) - cable and disk are working properly.

I have already sent an email to the administrator of the page but still no answer. I know that many people who own that card, they have applied the new unofficial BIOS with success. Could anybody help ?

 

[Unknown_K]

The owner of that website is a member of the forum here. I have 3 SEIV cards but I only use the official 1.65 BIOS, so can't help you there.

Do you need the card to be bootable?

 

[dir_marillion]

Yes of course.

 

[Unknown_K]

Try a 3rd party formatting utility to see if the drives show up. Also recheck your termination (just because a SUN likes it doesn't mean a Mac will).

 

[dir_marillion]

I cannot see the disk, that's why I think I cannot boot from it. I can see the controller via SCSI Director 4 or Anubis tool, but not the disk when it is connected to the controller. The same happens with the existence of a terminator.

For the moment, as SEIV is unusable with the BIOS 1.65, I am using an adaptor from the back side external SCSI of the Quadra to 68 pin female. With this type of connection the hard disk boots correctly. That's why I am asking for the new BIOS for SEIV...

 

[TylerEss]

The 2.1rc2 BIOS flasher crashes on your Quadra? That's a lot of no fun.

Do you have a NuBus PowerMac that you can try making the flash in?

I haven't actually used or owned a SE-IV for a few years now, but I still like them. Back when I had mine, I flashed it to 2.1rc2 using a PowerMac 8100.

Also, are you quite certain that you don't have a SE-IVD? The Differential SCSI version of the card uses High Voltage Differental SCSI and is incompatible with nearly all modern drives...

 

[dir_marillion]

I accidentally I typed 0A to the Hex question of the Slot of the update and the Card updated to 2.1rc2 !!!! The program crashes on Quadra but if you press SHIFT during loading it runs and asks for the hex number of the NUBUS SLOT you have installed the Card.

TATTLETECH approve that the card updated to the new BIOS 2.1rc2 !!!

I will let you know later ... If it can see the hard disk (18GB IBM 68pin) and boot ...

 

[dir_marillion]

New BIOS doesn't work with SCSI probe 3.5 or SCSI Director 3.x.

So, I probably have the differential version of the card.

Which possibilities do I have to work a SCSI device with this card ?

 

[TylerEss]

to the best of my understanding, your only hope is to find old Differential SCSI drives and use them.

If you can post a high-res picture of your card (so we can read all the writing on it) we might be able to identify it as differential or not for sure...

 

[dir_marillion]

What about buying a scsi converter ACI-1080-CW of the page http://www.ace-electronics.com/Hardware/SCSI_Products/SCSI_Converters/scsi_converters.htm

in case I have a SEIV differential ?

 

[Unknown_K]

There is LVD/SE and HVD (LVD being low voltage differential and HVD being high voltage differential). If you have a HVD card putting a LVD or SE drive on it could smoke it.

Before you do anything verify which card you have.

 

[dir_marillion]

Ok, I 'll try to send a photo of the card.

If these could help,

Serial Number is: AH11742

The card has not 50 pin connector (some SEIV card they had I think) and somewhere it has 0018-PCBX-003.

On the back side of the card it says: ATTO TECHNOLOGY INC. ECCC4 3995

The disk is working after the tests with ATTO card, so maybe it is an LVD card ??!??

 

[Unknown_K]

http://cgi.ebay.com/Avid-Apple-Atto-Silicon-Express-4D-IV-NuBus-SCSI-Card_W0QQitemZ160143190127

Is this it?

If so it looks like HVD to me. I think early cards labeled differential were made before the LVD standard was made so they do not state high voltage differential.

 

[dir_marillion]

Yes, this is the card.

 

[Unknown_K]

I think you need a HVD hard drive to work then, would probably kill any other drive connected.

 

[dir_marillion]

As my disk is still alive, after connecting it to the card, the scsi card must not be "HVD", is n't it ?

 

[TylerEss]

Or could just be that hooking a standard drive up to a HVD doesn't always make the magic smoke come out.

 

[dir_marillion]

So, this project is also dead >

 

[Unknown_K]

Research before you buy.