Troubleshooting booting from CF card using IODATA idsc21-e scsi to ide adapter

[Motu]

Hi there, I have been trying to boot my PowerBook 520c from an external SCSI hdd enclosure housing an Iodata idsc21-e scsi to ide adapter connected to a ide cf card adapter and a 2gb Transcend cf card.
I have been able to install an image of system 7.6.1 (the same image I am to successfully boot from on my BlueSCSI) onto the cf card after formatting it to hfs.

The 520c will see, access/read & write to the card if I boot the machine from the BlueSCSI attached to the scsi hdd enclosure, but once I remove the BlueSCSI and try booting from the cf card itself I can't get the machine to boot.

Has anyone else had success booting from cf cards with these iodata scsi to ide devices in their Macintosh's?

Thank you

 

[bigmessowires]

Is there SCSI adapter terminated? Maybe the BlueSCSI is providing your termination, and when you remove it your SCSI bus becomes unterminated.

 

[Motu]

I have tried the iodata with both termination on and termination off (by means of a jumper just like on BlueSCSI).

It refuses to boot either way.

Noob Mac question alert...

Is there a type of open firmware I can access on the powerbook 520c that might allow me to grant boot access at a deeper level on the computer itself?

 

[MacUp72]

does the Iodata idsc21-e look like that? how does that fit into a 520?

 

[Motu]

Yes, it looks exactly like that.

I have it fitted inside an external scsi hdd enclosure connected via a Macintosh hdi 30 scsi adapter.

 

[MacUp72]

external, ok..and what is installed inside the PowerBook? ..a BlueScsi?

 

[Motu]

The external SCSI enclosure has the iodata idsc21-e connected to an ide cf card adapter (the jumper on this is set to master), on the back of the enclosure it has 2 x female centronics 50 sockets, one goes to the powerbook 520c via a centronics 50 to db25 scsi cable and the other has my BlueSCSI v2 centronics 50 version with a 16gb micro sd card in it.
I have an image of system 7.6.1 on my sd card set on scsi id 6. The BlueSCSI is terminated.
My cf card is set to scsi id 4 via the jumpers on the iodata adapter

 

[Motu]

I have had success with this iodata idsc21-e scsi to ide adapter/ide cf card adapter in my Atari Falcon, my Atari TT and three of my vintage Akai sound samplers (s2000, s3200 & s5000), all have been able to boot from the cf card.
Unfortunately the Macintosh is not wanting to boot from the cf card even though it can identify/read & write to it if booted from the BlueSCSI

 

[s_pupp]

Try formatting the CF card with FWB hard disk toolkit, version 1.6 or 3. With the similar Acard SCSI-IDE adapter connected to a CF-IDE adapter with a Transcend industrial CF card, that’s the combo that allowed me to boot (SE/30 and IIfx). As far as ability to boot goes, I had no luck with Intech HDST, Lido, Anubis, in LaCie, or patched Apple HD Setup. I also had little luck with recent Transcend industrial cards - what has worked consistently is an older version…

 

[Motu]

Thanks s_pupp, I will give that a try

 

[register]

Try formatting the CF card with (…)

Yes, the operability of a setup might depend on the software used to format the drive. The results vary for each combination of actual storage media hardware, adapter, host computer and drive setup software. A while ago, in the Wiki we assembled a table of tested flash memory with configuration details and results. I found the Wiki to be troublesome to edit or even access for just some time. Is there hope to get the Wiki back to an operational state?

 

[Motu]

Hi s_pupp,

Thanks heaps for the tip.
FWB Hard Disk Toolkit v3 did the trick!
I am now able to boot successfully off the 2gb Transcend cf card in the iodata idsc21-e.

Thanks so much for that.

Best regards,

Motu

 

[s_pupp]

Hi s_pupp,

Thanks heaps for the tip.
FWB Hard Disk Toolkit v3 did the trick!
I am now able to boot successfully off the 2gb Transcend cf card in the iodata idsc21-e.

Thanks so much for that.

Best regards,

Motu

I’m glad to hear that. Thanks for the update.