040 PDS SCSI card: Storage Dimensions DataCannon/PDS aka TechNoir NX720

[cheesestraws]

(this thread is a followon of a kind from @jeremywork's sixty eight thousand thread, which got diverted into discussion of different PDS SCSI cards. To enable that thread to keep talking about sixty eight thousand stuff when anyone has more to say, and to help people who might find this card, I've started a new thread here.)

The Storage Dimensions DataCannon/PDS is an 040 PDS SCSI card. Mine has the version 1.1 ROM (attached below). Mine also had the Storage Dimensions stickers torn off (before I had it) revealing the name of the presumed actual manufacturer of the board, "Tech Noir". Because the forum search isn't very smart, I'm going to also say TechNoir here without the space to assist people in finding it.



I know some people have had trouble getting this to work, but for me this was relatively easy to get going. The trick is:

1. You must use MacinStor to set the disk up.
2. MacInStor is extremely picky about what disks it will talk to so you need to lie to it.

I'm using MacinStor 3.1.4, from the Garden. To work out which disks it supports, I looked at the 'driv' resources in the MacinStor application, which all conveniently have names:




I chose the Seagate ST3283N totally at random and told a ZuluSCSI to present itself as that. You probably want to resist the urge to click 'Initialise' - when I did that it froze - and instead use the Auto Setup function to set up partitions.

After I did this, the drive appeared on the desktop with a cannon icon, and this now mounts every startup.

 

[cheesestraws]

(and yes, you can select the drive in the Startup Disk control panel and it is bootable)

 

[finkmac]

does it work the other way? if you edit one of those values to match a Zulu will that work too?

 

[cheesestraws]

does it work the other way? if you edit one of those values to match a Zulu will that work too?

Haven't tried yet, but you're right, it's a good idea to try

 

[cheesestraws]

does it work the other way? if you edit one of those values to match a Zulu will that work too?

Further notes:

1. The drive type check is only done while initialising, the driver doesn't care.
2. Adding an extra 'driv' resource doesn't magically make it supported. There's probably something more complicated going on that I don't currently have the energy or will to dissect
3. This is a deeply impractical card to have in a Q700.

 

[lobust]

This is a deeply impractical card to have in a Q700.

How so?

 

[joshc]

How so?

My guess is because it’s a full length card and probably barely fits in the Q700 case?

 

[lobust]

My guess is because it’s a full length card and probably barely fits in the Q700 case?

Possible. I wonder if cables/connectors interfere with the lid?

 

[cheesestraws]

How so?

My guess is because it’s a full length card and probably barely fits in the Q700 case?

Yes - full length card and the 040 slot in the 700 is the bottom slot. So the card has to run over or around the next-to-bottom card if you have one installed, then all the way across the case somehow without knackering the airflow and into the drive cage.

And the SCSI connector is on the top edge of the card, so as you say @lobust it gets caught between the lid and whatever else is under it very easily. Designed for a rather larger case, I think.

 

[lobust]

Yes - full length card and the 040 slot in the 700 is the bottom slot. So the card has to run over or around the next-to-bottom card if you have one installed, then all the way across the case somehow without knackering the airflow and into the drive cage.

And the SCSI connector is on the top edge of the card, so as you say @lobust it gets caught between the lid and whatever else is under it very easily. Designed for a rather larger case, I think.

Are any of the Quadra pds slots not on the bottom? Wombat is certainly that way but idk about 900/950?

Cable routing is not any easier on the 800 style case, there is no access window at the bottom of the drive cage where it would make sense. So you have to fold and shoehorn the ribbon in through the side of the cage behind the PSU.

I picked up some round 68pin cables on ebay to neaten things up a bit and I have some very compact 50<>68pin adapters for the various SD devices. Not got around to installing them in anything tho...

 

[cheesestraws]

Are any of the Quadra pds slots not on the bottom? Wombat is certainly that way but idk about 900/950?

950 it's on the top.

I picked up some round 68pin cables on ebay to neaten things up a bit and I have some very compact 50<>68pin adapters for the various SD devices. Not got around to installing them in anything tho...

Oh, that's a good idea!

 

[jeremywork]

This is really cool. I'm looking forward to trying this out when I have some free time.

Also thanks @cheesestraws for pointing me to this listing for a Data Cannon ROM v2.4 upgrade kit which also included MacinStor v3.2.5.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/354631040717

All of the contents are attached. ROM on a TMS27C256.

(mirror of eBay auction photos)