PCMCIA CD-ROM support for Pre-G3 Powerbooks
- Thread starter Zhinü
- Start date
Those PowerBooks have all got the SCSI standard as external CD-ROM/general purpose interface. Why would anyone in the Mac arena want to run an Optical off that half@$$ed ISA slot? Love it for memory/modem/NIC, but for peripherals?
In the SCSI deprived PC Laptop World, PCMCIA makes a lot of sense in that use case.
In the SCSI deprived PC Laptop World, PCMCIA makes a lot of sense in that use case.
Fair point, but I feel like during portable use you’d want the PCMCIA slot CD drive over the giant bulky SCSI cable and the big drive.
I've never run into a PCMCIA CD-ROM that wasn't just a SCSI device to start with. Lots of them have the high-density 68-pin clip connector, which is easy enough to adapt to HDI30. The usual issues with actually getting Mac OS to play nice with third-party CD drives apply, but the physical connection is usually pretty straightforward.
If you really wanted to use a PC Card, Adaptec's PowerDomain series were mac-specific and would probably work as a replacement for the original controller card.
If you really wanted to use a PC Card, Adaptec's PowerDomain series were mac-specific and would probably work as a replacement for the original controller card.
PowerCD was a "portable" battery operated drive that did a bunch on really neat stuff without a 'Book attached. Had its own CPU in the base unit, The removable flying saucer had a DB25 interface to the base on the back, but it is decidedly NOT a SCSI interface. Without the base unit the flying saucers you see on eBay are useless.
ISTR others, very much more portable as well. I'd like to see some examples of PCMCIA/Optical and general peripheral hookups.
ISTR others, very much more portable as well. I'd like to see some examples of PCMCIA/Optical and general peripheral hookups.
Something like that would be fun to mess with! A small portable CD drive that can hook up to SCSI or PCMCIA.
Ended up buying this. It seems to be mistagged but if it’s the 20x drive this should be a good deal. Has a SCSI port on the back too. Wish I could find one of those HDI-30 to HD50 cables.
Please let us know if you can get it to work, I'd love to get a portable CD drive for my 2400/180 some day.
That looks like it!
Alright, got the KXL-810A. Good news, it’s the thing I bought. Bad news, it’s not working. Plays audio CDs fine but when it’s hooked up to my PowerBook 2400, with the card it doesn’t pop up at all and directly connecting it to the SCSI bus results in the same problem except with CDT, which pops up as a “device not responding” error. I haven’t tried this unit on a PC yet, but I’m sure it would be the same errors.
