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More Noob questions.. IIsi + SCSI CD drive

F

Futureman

6502
If I just plug my external SCSI CD drive into my Mac IIsi, and power em both up, I am unable to see the drive (I've given it a SCSI ID of 1)

The Drive has two SCSI sockets, but neither seem to work (are these just wired in parrallel?)

Is there some app that i need to 'mount' the drive etc?

Please excuse my ignorance, but I'm a complete Mac noob, and a PC semi Noob.

Regards

Mike

 
Can you confirm what ID the drive in your IIsi is? Use "Get Info" on it.

Normal SCSI devices have two 50pin connectors so you can daisy chain a number together, then traditionally you put a terminator on the last one.

In this case that means your SCSI CD-ROM.

Also, in the extensions folder do you have a CD-ROM extension or a 9660 one?

 
Yeah you probably need a terminator for one of the connectors on the cd drive. They are wired in parallel but it needs a terminator on the end of the chain, in your case the CD drive.

 
Yep, you'll need to check your extensions folder. It's in the System folder.

Also, what OS are you using?

There's a control panel called "Extensions Manager" which can be used to determine which extns load at startup. You can create sets for different uses, and restart into each one. Someone before you may have created a set without the CD extensions in it.

There's another folder called "Extensions (disabled)", That's where the Manager parks the extns that won't be loaded at the next startup. If you don't see the CD extensions in the "Extensions" folder, check the disabled folder.

I highly recommend a little freeware app called InformINIT. It's a database of all known extensions, control panels, and other system files, up to a certain point in System /Mac OS history, with a thorough description of what each is for, and known clashes with each other.

I'd also recommend an alternative to the Apple provided Extensions Manager called Symbionts. I've heard Conflict Catcher is good too, but I've never used it. The Apple EM doesn't show or control all system startup files, just the ones Apple at the time thought you "needed" to know about.

 
Yeah you probably need a terminator for one of the connectors on the cd drive. They are wired in parallel but it needs a terminator on the end of the chain, in your case the CD drive.
Click to expand...
so funny.. if you knew what i've had to go through to get this far.... lol..

First I bought the mac, minus screen

then got a adapter to vga (Didn't work)

then got another adapter with dip switches.. spent a few hours going through heaps of combinations of settings to find the right one..

then found out the floppy drive did not work (So I could not load the software that I got the old mac for)

Opened up the drive, and found a catch had broken on the drive, stopping the drive head from resting on the disk.. I eventually gently held the drive head down on the disk with a pencil, and got it to save to the hard drive

Then I found a SCSI CD drive in my garage (I need to retrieve some data from a CD for the software)

Found an appropriate SCSI cable..

I don't have a SCSI terminator yet.. without this, the computer won't see the drive at all?

Thanks for all your swift replies.

Regards

Mike

 
If your internal HDD has a SCSI ID=0 (usually achieved by having no jumpers on the pin pairs A0, A1 and A2 in the header block found either on the component side of the drive's logic board, or on its logic board at the front of the drive), it leaves SCSI IDs 1 and 2 for further HDDs. Apple conventionally (from about the Mac II series onwards) assigned SCSI ID=3 to optical drives. The ID is set by jumpering pin pairs at the rear of the optical drive. If no-one has fiddled with the drive before you got to it, it should have left the factory with jumpers already in place on the pin pairs labelled TERM POWER, 1 (meaning A1), 0 (meaning A0) and PARITY. Restore those settings if they are not present, and fit a CN-50M terminator to the unused CN-50F member of the pair of sockets on the rear of the case.

Enabling supply of (SCSI) termination power on the optical drive is unlikely to do any harm, and is absolutely necessary if the IIsi has insufficient termination power available, or if you have a very long SCSI cable from Mac to external CD-ROM. Either way, the physically last device in a SCSI daisy-chain must always be terminated to dissipate electronic hash in the daisy-chain. Termination can be purely resistive or achieved with dedicated ICs. It should not be confused with termination power, which provides the bias/power to make a terminator work.

de

 
ok... I borrowed a working SCSI drive with a terminator switch in it (A yamaha CDR200tx which is also a burner)

I've Set the SCSI ID to 3.

Still no CD drive showing up on my desktop (or anywhere that I've searched)

I'm running OS 7.5

I've checked in the extensions folder (I can't seem to find the extensions disabled folder) and the SCSI extension is in there, as is the Apple CD player one

This is starting to make me cry.. waaaaa... (see!)

Any other suggestions?

Much regards, and thanks to all your help so far.

Regards

Mike

 
If your CD-ROM drive is also not seen by another (SCSI-savvy) Mac, you may be being forced towards the conclusion that you have a defective CD-ROM drive. If your CD-ROM is seen by another Mac, and if a different external SCSI device is also not seen by the IIsi, the SCSI controller of the IIsi may be at fault. Uncommon, but possible. Another far-from-impossible cause of your problem could be a substandard SCSI system cable between Mac and external drive. If you can, try another cable. SCSI cable goodness is measured by cable diameter. Skinny=inadequate shielding, which leads to confused (parallel) signals in the cable.

de

 
Still no CD drive showing up on my desktop
Click to expand...
You do know nothing will show up until you put a disk in the drive, right?
The exception to that is a utility to probe the SCSI chain for devices. SCSI Probe is one such; so are Drive Setup and Apple HD SC Setup.

I've checked in the extensions folder (I can't seem to find the extensions disabled folder) and the SCSI extension is in there, as is the Apple CD player one
Click to expand...
I don't think Extensions (disabled) gets created until you use Extensions Manager for the first time and ... disable some extensions. Doesn't matter.

Apple CD Player may be the audio player. There are other extensions that are needed, but I can't remember them off the top of my head. There might also be control panels. What we need here is someone with a working 7.5 machine with a CD drive who can tell you exactly what is needed. That or a link to an old Apple tech support note ...

eventually gently held the drive head down on the disk with a pencil, and got it to save to the hard drive
Click to expand...
8-o I salute you, sir.

 
You will need an appropriate driver for the CD ROM in the extensions folder, like "Apple CD-ROM" or "Apple CD_DVD driver". Depending on the kind of CD you want to use you might need an additional extension for CD data format support. If the CD ROM is not supported by the Apple driver you either could patch the Apple driver using ResEdit or get some third party driver like CD ROM Speed Tools.

To put a driver into operation after moving it into the extensions folder you usually have to restart the Mac with the CD ROM powered up, except you use a tool like "Load a Drive".

 
hmmm..

I'm certain that the CD drive is fine, (It was used by a friend a few days ago)

The SCSI cable is fat.. but I have no way of checking if it is at fault.

the CD i'm trying to get info off can be read by my PC but i'm under the impression that it is in a mac format.

I did try the CD drive with the CD in it.

Some of the applications that are mentioned to try are a tad fustrating, as I don't have another mac, and the disk drive on this mac is not exactly working, hence the pencil.

Bunsen, there is no need to salute me, I sir would throw my coat in a puddle for you sir. I recognise you from Midibox.

I don't want to throw this in the 'too hard' pile, but this is supposed to be a thing of beauty.. not the grand head ache this is causing me..

 
hmmm..

I'm certain that the CD drive is fine, (It was used by a friend a few days ago)

The SCSI cable is fat.. but I have no way of checking if it is at fault.

the CD i'm trying to get info off can be read by my PC but i'm under the impression that it is in a mac format.

I did try the CD drive with the CD in it.

Some of the applications that are mentioned to try are a tad fustrating, as I don't have another mac, and the disk drive on this mac is not exactly working, hence the pencil.

Bunsen, there is no need to salute me, I sir would throw my coat in a puddle for you sir. I recognise you from Midibox.

I don't want to throw this in the 'too hard' pile, but this is supposed to be a thing of beauty.. not the grand head ache this is causing me..

 
ok, small breakthrough..

I was looking at the "PC Exchange" app, and one option was "Options" which bought up a window "Looking for SCSI devices"

This then found the main hard drive & the "Yamaha CD " !!! but it is in italics, and I can't select it.. well at least it knows its there..

I'll keep on trucking..

 
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