• Updated 2023-07-12: Hello, Guest! Welcome back, and be sure to check out this follow-up post about our outage a week or so ago.

External SCSI-mounted SCSI2SD Housing?

EvieSigma

Young ThinkPad Apprentice
Would it be possible to build a SCSI2SD housing with a DB25 male connector for connecting directly to an external SCSI port while being much more compact than a conventional SCSI external hard drive?

I understand that it might end up needing external power (micro/mini USB?) but even with that it would still be a lot smaller, lighter, and more portable than an external SCSI HDD.

 

IlikeTech

Well-known member
Yes, I don't see why not.  You just need a cn50 cable like used in a scsi external drive, and just plug the scsi2sd into that.  You should just be able to use it normally.

 

EvieSigma

Young ThinkPad Apprentice
But you see, what I was hypothesizing is a cable-free solution...it's not really as much of a space-saver if you have to run a DB25 to CN50 cable from the Mac to the SCSI2SD housing.

 

Trash80toHP_Mini

NIGHT STALKER
There was a cable free solution back in the day. It was a box mounted vertically to the back of the Mac(usually a compact) that screwed directly into the DB-25 SCSI port and provided an in-line passthru for additional devices. It wouldn't be all that difficult to do with a filament printed case.

I'll run down a reference pic when I get a chance, I know I've got one posted somewhere.

 

EvieSigma

Young ThinkPad Apprentice
Oh wow, didn't know that existed! That in a little 3D printed case with a SCSI2SD on the 50pin end is exactly what I was thinking of.

 

Trash80toHP_Mini

NIGHT STALKER
Target system (unspecified) could be a problem for a right angle/case hugging build. Took a peek at the ass end of my SE/30 and clearances for backplane connector/power cables look nasty with a passthru located just above the connector to the mobo.

One nice thing is the SCSI port's proximity to power on the SE/30's FDD connector. Will that suffice for powering SCSI2SD? Placing header thruholes for those two connectors (connections for power only on the FDD side) diagonally on a 10cm x 10cm SEEED board would be about perfect. That keeps all four retaining screw attachment points on board for passthru connector rigidity and elimination of the lump-onna-rope requirement in one fell swoop.
default_icon_smile_big.gif


 

EvieSigma

Young ThinkPad Apprentice
So it gets powered by the floppy connector? Interesting!

And my target machine for this device is compacts  (128k/512k with SCSI added, Plus, dual floppy SE). 

 

Trash80toHP_Mini

NIGHT STALKER
Aha! Didn't know that, I've no experience with them.

V6 looks awesome, but much too large as an assflap of an SE/30. I see he switched to a full size SD Card for the V6 SCSI 2 version. Is it faster than Micro-SD or did the tiny chiplets prove to be more trouble in handling than the downsizing was worth? One day  .  .  .

 

aperezbios

Well-known member
Would it be possible to build a SCSI2SD housing with a DB25 male connector for connecting directly to an external SCSI port while being much more compact than a conventional SCSI external hard drive?

I understand that it might end up needing external power (micro/mini USB?) but even with that it would still be a lot smaller, lighter, and more portable than an external SCSI HDD.
The already exists :) good news!

 

Floofies

Maker of Logos
I usually just rip into external HDD/CD enclosures (like a LaCie Joule) when I need to externalize a drive or SCSI2SD. The added benefit of using those is the ability to chain additional SCSI devices, an enclosure-provided SCSI ID, and enclosure-provided term power.

 

EvieSigma

Young ThinkPad Apprentice
The whole point though is I want something smaller than an old external HD and something that doesn't require a cable and AC power to work.

 
Top